Bruiser barked again, and it echoed throughout the kitchen.
Rory’s face turned white as he clutched his chest then held onto his stomach as if he was going to throw up. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”
All eyes were on him. No one seemed to know what to say. This situation was as awkward as it got.
His lips trembled. “Amber, can we please go somewhere and talk?”
A part of me wanted to tell him to go straight to hell. But another part of me, the part that knew this man inside and out could see that he was truly hurting right now. Whether his feelings were justified or not, I felt like I at least needed to allow him to say what he came to say.
“I’ll grab my coat.”
Channing followed me as we left Rory standing in the kitchen with Christine and the dog.
“You want me to come with you?” Channing asked.
“No. I’ll be fine.”
“Where are you gonna go?”
“I don’t know. He’s acting really odd, and I know he may not deserve my sympathy, but it’s not in my nature to hide from confrontation, even if it might upset me. So, I’m going to hear him out.”
Channing looked disappointed, but he respected my wishes. “Text me if you need me.”
“I will.”
“Did you know he was coming here?”
“No. He surprised me.”
“You had no clue?”
“Well…I never mentioned this to you…but he’d texted me asking if he could see me. I never gave him an answer, so he just showed up tonight.”
He shook his head. “Unbelievable.” As I was about to leave the room, he stopped me. “Wait.”
“Yeah?”
He gripped my wrist and pulled me into his arms, planting a firm and possessive kiss on my lips. “I need to tell you something just in case you don’t know.”
“Alright.”
“Whether you realize it or not, he’s going to try to convince you to take him back tonight.”
“I don’t think so. He’s just—”
“He is, Amber. There is no doubt. But I can’t let you go listen to him without telling you that I’m falling in love with you. This whole thing between us…it was never just sex for me—as much as I might have tried to convince myself otherwise. That delusion ended the moment I was actually inside of you. Every single time we’ve had sex, I was making love to you.” A look of fear spread over his face. “I don’t know what shit he’s going to be feeding you tonight, but there is no way I could let you go with him without making my feelings crystal clear.” Cupping my cheeks, he said, “You don’t have to say anything. In fact, I don’t want you to. I’m not looking for a response. I just needed to get that out.”
The right words escaped me. I wasn’t expecting him to pour his soul out like that. “Okay,” I simply said.
Channing squeezed me tightly and lingered before letting me go. He walked close behind me as I returned to the kitchen.
Looking over at Rory, I said, “Okay. Let’s go.”
Rory didn’t make eye contact with Channing as he grabbed Bruiser by the leash and headed out of the kitchen toward the door. Channing, on the other hand, didn’t take his eyes off of Rory; he was watching his every move.
I looked back once at Channing who was standing with his hands in his pockets. The worry was plastered all over his face. If there was ever any doubt of his feelings toward me, it was diminished in that moment.
My heart was hurting as I followed Rory out of my building and down the sidewalk to where he was parked. It was freezing out, and light snowflakes were starting to fall.
Shivering, I asked, “Where are we going?”
“I don’t know.”
“You can’t just kidnap me. You have to tell me where you’re taking me.”
“Alright, then…I’m taking you to my house.”
“That’s too far away.”
Rory let me into his car before opening up the back for Bruiser.
He walked around to the driver’s side and closed the door before saying, “I know you don’t think that I deserve this time with you. But just give me this one thing. I need to talk to you alone. And it’s either a hotel or my house. I won’t ask anything else of you.”
“You’re acting strange. I don’t understand any of this.”
His eyes searched mine. “You will.”
The ride to Rory’s house in the northern Boston suburb of Reading was quiet. Relishing the warmth of the heated seat beneath me, I spent the latter part of the time in his car trying to clear my mind by meditating on all of the Christmas lights that decorated the houses we passed. The smell of his leather-scented car freshener was familiar and oddly comforting.
We passed through the town center that was aligned with lit wreaths affixed to light poles.
After turning onto a side street, Rory pulled up to a two-story structure. The first thing I noticed was a lone Christmas candle in the window of the lower level.