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“I got a good cock.” He chuckles. “If you ever get fed up with steroid boy there, feel free to take a ride on my baloney pony.”
“I think I know we both know why his wife left him now,” Colton says, his eyes searching mine. I can see that he’s trying to figure out if I’m okay or if I’m going to start crying. I shake my head to let him know that I’m not going to break down. Now that I’ve seen this side of Danny, I will never be able to think about or look at him in the same way again.
“Good night, Danny,” I say as Colton escorts me back to the vehicle. We get into the back of the car in silence and I stare out of the window. Shock has set in and I don’t know what to say. The driver takes off and we go in a different direction from my apartment. “Where are we going?” I say.
“We’re going back to my place,” Colton says as if I’ve asked a stupid question.
“But...”
“But nothing,” he says. “We’re going back to my place and we’re spending the night there.” He turns to look at me. I know for sure he’s going to say that he told me not to go over there, but he doesn’t. He grabs my hand and holds it. We sit there in companionable silence for a couple of minutes and he looks over at me. “I’m sorry, you know.”
“What are you sorry about?” I ask him, surprised by how kind he is being.
“I’m sorry that Danny turned out to be a jerk. I’m sorry that your relationship with Frannie has most probably ended now. I know how much that little girl meant to you. You’re a good, kind person. I know that you wanted to be in her life. I know you wanted to be a mother figure to her, but you can’t be the mother figure to her when you don’t have that role with her father.”
I nod slowly. I understand what he’s saying, though I feel bad. “I just didn’t expect any of this to go down like this,” I say, shaking my head. “Though I guess I should have realized that something was wrong. There were many instances where it felt slightly off, but I just told myself I was imagining it.”
“Like us?” He says softly and my eyes snap to his.
“What do you mean?”
“Do you think you’re imagining the chemistry between us?”
I stare at him for a couple of seconds, my heart racing. “So you think there’s chemistry between us?”
“I know there’s chemistry between us. I’ve liked you for years. I know that we’ve had a combustious relationship, I know that you’ve disliked me ever since I fired you, but you know why I did it. Sam is my best friend and I would never want to jeopardize that relationship. I knew that all he wanted in his life was to protect you, and I knew that he might not approve, but now I don’t care. You’re old enough, and I think you like me.”
“I mean, I maybe like you.”
“I knew it was you at the party, Ella,” he says. “I knew it was you the first moment I saw you. In fact, I only went to the party because Sam told me that you were going to be there.”
“What?” I stare at him. My jaw drops. “You only went because I was going to be there?”
“I wanted to talk to you. It’s been years and you’ve been avoiding me and I needed to see you.”
“But I didn’t even realize.”
“I know,” he says. “I’ve always been in love with you, Ella. It sounds weird to say that, but it’s true. It’s always been you.”
“I had no clue.” I stare at him in shock. I know that’s not what he wants to hear, but I don’t know what to say. Am I in love with him? What am I feeling for him? For so many years, I’ve been so annoyed and frustrated with him over what had happened in the past. Sure, the last couple of weeks have been amazing. The sex has been great, but I don’t know if I love him. I don’t know what this is.
“You don’t have to say anything. I’m not asking you to declare your love to me. I’m just telling you, Ella, that it’s always been you for me, you know.”
“Is that why you said you were giving yourself to me as a present?” I roll my eyes.
“Hey, I was hoping that you’d say something like I was the best present you ever had in your life, but you didn’t.”
“You knew I wasn’t going to say that.”
“True,” he says. “But I’m hoping one day all you’ll want for Christmas is me.”
24
One week later.
“I can’t believe that he went on a work trip the very next day after he declared his love to me,” I say to Isabel and Sarah as we sit at the steak restaurant eating dinner. I’ve spent every single night with the girls since my disastrous night with Zevo and Danny. Colton went out of town and I haven’t seen him since that night and it is killing me.
“He’s been texting you though, right?” Isabel asks as she sips on her wine.
