“Rose,” I whimper, seeing the tears now falling freely from her eyes and running down her cheeks.
“Colton’s dad was pissed at me for even trying to get them back together, but I didn’t understand why until you moved to town, when he asked m-me…” Her words end on a sob that kills me to hear. Pulling out a few Kleenexes from the box on the desk, I hand them to her then wrap my hand around her arm and rub, trying to comfort her in some way.
“He… he asked me what if it was me who was shot and lost use of my legs? How would I feel if he told me that he couldn’t be with me, because he couldn’t handle the idea of me never walking again? Then what would I do if I got use of my legs back, and he suddenly came around wanting things to go back to how they were?” she finishes on another sob, and I flinch in response. “When he explained it to me like that, I finally understood.” She sniffles, and I wonder what I should say, what I could possibly do to make this better for her. “I get it now, and I know I messed up by even talking to her.”
“You were doing what you thought was right for Colton,” I comfort quietly, and she shakes her head in denial.
“I was doing what was right for me. I didn’t want to remember what happened. I wanted to pretend like everything was the same.” She’s right about that, but I don’t say anything. I just wait for her crying to die down. “I’m sorry for dumping all of that on you.”
“It’s all right,” I assure her, then ask, “are you okay?”
“Better now.” She wipes under her eyes. “I think I needed to get that out of my system,” she says, giving me a watery smile. “I’ll make it clear to Lisa that she is not allowed here anymore from now on.”
“I don’t want to cause any problems,” I tell her honestly. “Lisa already has it out for me, so I don’t really want to give her more of a reason to hate me than she already does.”
“Her coming here and upsetting you is the problem, honey. And Colton has made it clear he doesn’t want to be around her either, so I’m not only doing this for you. I’m doing this for my son.”
“Okay,” I agree, even though a part of me doesn’t want to give Lisa the satisfaction of knowing she affected my life or Colton’s, in anyway.
Reaching over, she wraps her hands around the tops of mine in my lap. “My son cares a lot about you.”
“I—”
“I won’t tell him what I saw on the video, but I think you should talk to him about what happened,” she urges, and I swallow, lifting my chin and letting her know I heard her. “You can trust him.”
“I’ll talk to him,” I agree, thinking it’s not exactly a lie, since I will talk to him. I just don’t know when I will do that.
“Good.” She lets my hands go. “Go on. I’ll be out as soon as I finish up this order.”
With a nod, I get up and shut the door behind me as I leave her in the office. Pouring myself a cup of coffee, I mix in creamer and two spoons of sugar then lean with my elbows on the gleaming wood surface of the bar as I take a sip from the cup in my hands. I still have a little bit of cleaning to finish up, but nothing that can’t wait.
Taking another sip, I watch the door open and Colton come in, looking just as amazing as he looked this morning. His hair has grown out in the last couple of weeks, making it long enough to get a handful when he’s kissing me. And today makes three days since he’s shaved, so his jaw is covered in a thick, dark layer of stubble, which is my favorite look on him. The button-up plaid shirt he’s wearing in creams, reds, and browns accentuates his eyes and the ruggedly handsome look he has about him.
Straightening from the counter when I see the look in his eyes, I ask, “Is everything okay?”
He doesn’t answer my question. Instead, his eyes roam mine like he’s looking for something as he rounds to the back of the bar where I’m standing. Taking the coffee mug from my hands once he’s close, he sets it down then dips his head and kisses me. Hard. Deep. And very, very wet. Before he releases my mouth and adjusts me in his hold.
“What did I tell you about kissing me?” I ask breathlessly, looking up at him and regretting that question when I see he looks pissed. Actually, not pissed. He looks furious.
“I went to see Tide this morning. His ex is friends with Brittany,” he informs me quietly, and I stare up at him, wondering who Brittany is. “Brittany told Anna about coming here to confront you with Lisa.”
Oh shit.
“Yeah, baby,” he agrees to the look on my face, and his arms tighten around me. “You should have told me what happened, Gia.”
“I—”
“You should have talked to me,” he cuts me off. “I told you if that bitch comes around, you tell me.”
“I—” I try again, but stop when he gives me a squeeze that pushes the air from my lungs.
“You didn’t talk to me.”
“I—”
“That shit is not okay.” He cuts me of once more.
“Stop cutting me off and let me talk!” I snap, getting annoyed with him and pulling myself from his hold. “I didn’t want to tell you, because I knew that it was exactly what she wanted me to do. She wanted me to run to you so you would give her what she wanted, which is any kind of attention from you she could get. So yes, maybe I should have told you what happened, but I’m not sorry I didn’t. She doesn’t deserve to have anything more from you, not even you thinking about what a bitch she is.”
“You were trying to protect me?” he asks, and I shrug, watching his face get soft then his head dip toward mine.
“Your mom is here,” I warn him, and maybe myself too.
“I’m not going to kiss you, Gia.”
“Good,” I mumble, feeling slightly dejected.
Slipping his hand around my waist, he slides it up until his thumb is resting along my rib cage under my breast. “I’m not going to kiss you right now. I’m gonna wait until we get home to do that. Then I’m going to do a whole lot of other things to you,” he warns, and my whole body tingles while my breathing turns shallow.
“I think we need another rule,” I tell him, grabbing hold of his shirt so I don’t fall on my face.
“What’s that?”
“You can’t say things like that to me when we’re working.”
“Technically, I’m not on the clock.” His thumb sweeps higher, making my knees weak.
Dipping his head, his eyes lock with mine. “I have a rule of my own.”
“What’s that?” I ask breathlessly, wanting to wrap my arms around his shoulders and place my mouth on his.
“Every time you keep something from me, you earn yourself a spanking.”
Oh, God. The idea of him spanking me should not make me want to jump him, but that is exactly what I want to do.
“Colton,” I hiss, and he dips his face even closer to mine, causing his breath to whisper across my lips.
“What she did to you is not okay. What she said to you is not okay. You should have told me what happened so that I could—”
“What?” I ask, leaning away and cutting him off this time, the anger from earlier coming back quickly. “What would you have done? Would you have gone after her and confronted her?”
“I would have made it clear that you’re off-limits, exactly like I did this morning after I talked to Tide.”
“So you went and saw her?” I question, feeling nauseous suddenly. Jealousy is such a new emotion for me, but that’s exactly what I feel when I think about him getting anywhere near her—pure, ugly jealousy.
“I didn’t see her. I spoke to her father. I told him what’s been going on the past couple of weeks. I don’t know if it will help, but I know him telling her that he will cut her off might finally get through to her. He pays for her apartment and her car. He told me straight up that if she doesn’t stop what she’s been doing, he will make things uncomfortable for her until she pulls her head out of her ass.”
“Do you really think her dad would do that to her?” I ask doubtfully. My dad wouldn’t do that to me, and we didn’t even have the best relationship.