And how exactly am I supposed to respond to this? I blow out a breath. Fuck it. “That’s putting it mildly. I can’t stand the guy.”
She nods slowly, tearing a lemon pastry into bite-size pieces. I’m not sure if she’s going to eat it or play with it. “You’d probably feel differently if he’d started off on a better foot with you. I mean, he planned on coming here to sweep Teagan off her feet, and then suddenly, last weekend he found out she has this boyfriend—you. He’s trying, but I don’t think it’s easy for him to put on his best face when you have what he wants most.”
“Did it ever occur to him that Teagan doesn’t want him to sweep her off her feet? That their relationship has been over since high school, and he needs to let her go?”
Saanvi drops the pastry and pushes her plate away. “Is that what she told you?”
“She doesn’t want him.”
“Not that. The . . . She said they haven’t been together since high school?”
She said I couldn’t ask questions. She said he pushed his way back into her life. “I know it was complicated between them,” I say, carefully evading what I clearly don’t understand. Rich’s insinuations rankle me. Am I the only one here who doesn’t know what the fuck went down between them? How am I supposed to help her if I don’t know the whole story? “She removed him from her life for a reason.” I hesitate for a beat, then decide to take a chance. “I guess that’s why I don’t understand why your parents would insist on inviting him this weekend.”
Saanvi sighs. “I guess because as far as my parents are concerned, Rich saved Teagan’s life.”
I don’t try to hide the shock I’m sure is all over my face.
“Not literally, I suppose, but she was a disaster after Heath died. Rich pulled her out of bars when she was too trashed to know her own name, got her away from guys who wanted to take advantage of the fact that she was trying to lose herself.” She picks at a cuticle, her eyes far away, as if she’s remembering those days. “We were all grateful for him. He was the only thing that kept her grounded when she was spinning out of control, and even when her grief made her treat him like shit, he stuck around. He kept her safe.”
I swallow hard. “I’m not sure she sees it that way.”
She squeezes my shoulder and sighs. “I love that you want to protect her from her ex, but I want you to understand that he’s not a bad guy. To me, to my parents, he’s just a guy who’d do anything for Teagan.”
“So would I,” I say softly. “But with all due respect, I hope that if she ever wants to start over without me, you and your family won’t push me back into her life.”
Saanvi stares at me with those big, sad eyes. “I wasn’t blowing smoke when I told you I’m rooting for you. Regardless of her history with Rich, I like her with you. She blossoms when you’re around.”
“Thanks, Saanvi. I’m rooting for me too.” I wink at her, then head out. All this talk about Teagan’s past without her around makes me uncomfortable.
When I enter the room, the bathroom light’s on but all the other bedroom lights are still off. Teagan’s asleep in the bed. She’s curled on her side, her arms tucked into her chest and her dark hair spread out on her pillow.
I strip off my shirt and my jeans, and when I’m in nothing but my boxers, I slip into bed behind her, pulling her tight against me. I press my mouth to her neck. She’s so damn warm and smells like springtime. Like a new life and second chances. The thought makes me laugh at myself. I’ve never been a poet, but she makes me wish I had it in me—the pretty words and the perfect explanations for my mistakes. She makes me wish I were better in so many ways, but I’m not. All I have to offer is this: myself. My battered, broken heart. And my desperate wish to become whole again.
I might not know all the details about her past, and I might not be the one who dragged her out of bars when she was grieving for the love of her life, but I’m here, and I care about her so much that I feel shaky when I imagine letting her go. Maybe it’s true. Maybe Rich did save her in some way, but right now—this weekend, for all its scheming, lies, and pretense—she’s saving me.
I slip a hand up her shirt, greedily skimming my fingers over the soft skin of her belly. Her sleepy moan sends a whip of pleasure down my spine. She arches into me, and my cock hardens against her ass.