After I dropped Valerie and Derek off at the hotel, I walked to Cleo’s apartment.
I didn’t want to go home—not after that.
When I got to her door, I pulled out my phone and texted her. Are you awake?
Yes. How’d it go?
I’m outside your door.
That bad, huh? Her footsteps sounded a moment later, and she unlocked the door. She was in a long t-shirt with her hair around her shoulders. Her makeup was gone, and she looked tired, like she’d had a long day. “Hey.”
“Hey.” I let myself inside and shut the door behind me. “Can I sleep here?”
“You think that’s a good idea?” she whispered.
“I’ll leave early in the morning.” I didn’t want to sleep in my big bed without her, especially now that all her stuff was gone. Her presence seemed to have been erased by Valerie’s visit.
She didn’t fight me, her eyes shifting back and forth as she looked into mine. “What happened?”
Too much to recount. “Did you take your stuff back?”
“No. I put it in one of the spare bedrooms.”
“Why?”
“Because I knew Valerie would look through your stuff…if she had the chance.”
I sighed. “Well, you were right.”
Her eyes fell. “Wow. You had a really bad night.”
I shook my head. “I don’t like the way she acts around Derek. She cusses, she’s rude—and then she marched through my condo, searching for evidence of your presence. It got to the point where Derek yelled at her…” I took a deep breath so my eyes wouldn’t water. “And told her to stop making me sad.”
Her eyes immediately softened, turning emotional. “God, he’s so sweet…”
“I know he is.” I took another deep breath, controlling my emotions, keeping my face impassive. “It prompted a long conversation with Valerie and me, where she said she wanted me back. Said she wanted us to be together. Said she didn’t want you to replace her. I told her it was never going to happen…and I’d like to be friends.”
“It sounds like it ended on good terms.”
I shrugged. “I really don’t know.”
“Well, I think hiding our relationship was the right choice.”
I sighed loudly.
“I know you don’t like it, but if she said all that, we should just leave it alone.”
I knew she was right—and I hated that she was right about this.
“I consider it to be a breakthrough. It’s the first time you two have really talked about your relationship and moving forward. She knows her behavior is unacceptable—now that her own son addressed it—and she knows she’ll be pushed away if she doesn’t change.”
Hopefully.
“So maybe when the weekend is over, you can talk to her about moving here.”
“Yeah. But I told her we’d never get back together, so there’s not much reason for her to.”
“Well, maybe she’ll do the best thing for Derek…for once.”
I looked into her beautiful face, finding her just as gorgeous when her face was clean of makeup. She didn’t need to wear designer clothes and tight skirts to be attractive. She didn’t need to do her hair or put on mascara. She was stunning exactly as she was. My arms hooked around her waist, and I pulled her close, my forehead resting against hers. Once she was against me, I felt myself calm, felt all my troubles melt away. I pictured us at the cabin, Derek falling asleep in front of the fire, her hand in mine under the blanket. That was my happy place, and when things were hard, that was what I thought about…and it somehow made everything better.
Twenty-Two
Cleo
Tucker picked me up at my apartment on the way to the restaurant. That way, we would show up together.
I locked my front door, and we walked together.
“Dreading this as much as I am?” Tucker asked as he slid his hands into his pockets.
“Probably more, honestly.”
He chuckled. “She’s staying at my hotel, and I’ve heard my colleagues mention her. Guess she’s a super bitch.”
“No surprise there.” We reached the sidewalk and walked a few blocks to the restaurant.
“What has Deacon said?”
I shrugged. “He and Valerie had a long talk about her behavior. Hopefully some good comes from it.”
“But he didn’t tell her about you?”
I shook my head. “She made it really clear she doesn’t want us to be together.”
He rolled his eyes. “She’s just jealous that you’re hotter than she is.”
I laughed loudly. “I am so not. That woman is like a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model. I don’t have a body like that, hair like that.”
He shook his head. “She’s gorgeous, I’m not gonna lie, but you’re a natural beauty. You don’t need to wear a ton of makeup or dress provocatively to be sexy. You’re like the girl-next-door type.”
“Well…thanks.”
“Trust me. Deacon thinks you’re the sexiest woman on the planet.”
“He said that?” I asked, wearing a smile.
“Not in those words, but the stuff he says about you… He thinks all other women are trolls in comparison.”