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Presley stared hard at him before turning to me as I pushed to my feet. “Have a good night. I’m right over there if you need me.”
Because I wasn’t going anywhere until this asshole was gone and I knew she was okay.
Old habits die hard, I guess.
seven
Presley
Wes movedbehind me as the hostess led us to our table, which of course, happened to be just a few feet away from my brooding ex-boyfriend. Cage was seething when I’d interrupted the conversation, and I didn’t miss the wine stain on Wes’s Armani tweed coat.
“Do you have a table in the back that might be a bit more private?” Wes asked, and the hostess was notably uncomfortable as she glanced over at Cage and then back to us. Hugh owned the place, so clearly, Cage had requested that we sit nearby.
Once a cowboy, always a cowboy.
“I, um, this is the only available table for two,” she said, and her voice shook, making it obvious she was not being truthful, especially with there being several open tables on the other side of the restaurant.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. What does he think I’m going to do?” Wes shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut.
“It’s fine.” I nodded at her. “This is perfect. Thank you.”
“Well, you certainly didn’t exaggerate when you described him.” Wes pulled out my chair, and we both took our seats.
I reached for the wineglass that Wes had ordered for me and brought over from the bar and took a sip. “We aren’t here to talk about Cage. We’re here to talk about the ending of our marriage and you signing those papers.”
“Can I plead my case, and at the end of this, if you still want me to sign them, I give you my word that I’ll do it?”
His word wasn’t something I would put a lot of stock in right now, because I knew Wes well enough to know that he would say or do whatever he could to get what he wanted. But I’d agreed to meet him here, so I was willing to hear him out. There was nothing he could say that would change my mind, but I’d listen and then ask him to sign.
The server approached, and we paused to order dinner before handing him our menus. I looked up at Wes. “Go ahead.”
“First and foremost, no matter what happens, I want you to know… No. Ineedyou to know that I love you, Presley. I have loved you since the first time I laid eyes on you.”
I knew that he loved me as much as he was capable of loving someone. When I first met him, he was possessive and wanted to be with me all the time. And maybe because I was heartbroken about Cage, it felt like love at the time. But I realized a few months into my marriage that I was more of a possession to Wes. One he was proud to take out and show off. He was impressed with my career and my drive, and I think part of the allure he felt was that I never was all in with him. He was used to women falling at his feet, and I’d just never done that. Maybe it was self-preservation on my part, but my heart couldn’t handle any more pain. At the end of the day, I was very aware that Wes was a narcissist, and he’d always put himself first.
I nodded. I wasn’t going to respond because I was here to let him say what he needed to say, and then we’d be done with it.
“I’m not a perfect man. That much is clear. And I fucked up big time, but I still love you. You are the only woman I want.”
“Your mistress is pregnant with your child. That is clearly not true.” I held my hand up to stop him because I needed to get this off my chest now that he’d brought it up. “Listen, Wes, I wish things hadn’t ended like this. We both know that this should have ended a long time ago. Hell, we never should have gotten married in the first place. But I was heartbroken, and you saw it as a moment to swoop in and be the hero, which I needed at the time. And I know that you tried. I do. But don’t say I’m the only woman you want because that statement is clearly not true. And I won’t say that to you either. We haven’t had sex in over a year. I don’t fault you for having needs. But I brought up divorce so many times, and you fought me hard enough that I didn’t want to deal with it. You should have just taken the out.”
“I didn’t want to let you go.”
I cleared my throat as our waiter brought our plates over and set them in front of us. Once he stepped away, I looked up to meet Wes’s gaze.
“I know you didn’t. But it’s time now.I need you to let me go.And you should give things a chance with Corona. You’re having a child with her.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “Fuck, Pres. I have nothing in common with her.”
“You have a baby in common. You need to be involved, Wes. That should be what you’re putting your energy into. Not trying to save a marriage that is far beyond being salvaged.”
“What if we went to therapy?” he pressed as he reached for his utensils and cut into his steak.
“Therapy can’t repair this. Please. I’m asking you to give this to me without a fight. I don’t have the energy with all that’s going on in my life.”
He nodded, his eyes welling with emotion. “Okay. Yes. If it’s what you want, I’ll sign the papers tonight. I’ll have the team draft up an amicable statement to send out tomorrow to the press.”
“Thank you.” A huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. I was ready to walk away from this part of my life and move forward.
