Stay with Me

“That’s what he said?”

“No.” I read it to her. “Now he’s concerned? Now, he wants to throw I love you around? What a jerk. I’m blocking his number.”

“You know, you guys are a bit too much drama for me,” Stasia says with a yawn.

“I tried to talk to him for days. I tried everything, Anastasia. And he was having none of it. And now, out of nowhere, he sends me this? As if nothing has happened? What kind of mind game is he playing here?”

“And these are the days of our lives,” she mutters, shifting in her seat. “Call him and ask him, Lia. Because I don’t have the answer to any of those questions.”

“Why are you such a bitch?” I demand, giving her the stink eye and shoving about four chips into my mouth. “This is why I don’t tell you things.”

She laughs and then shakes her head at me. “I’m being honest. I agree, it’s weird that he’s texting you out of the blue. How does he even know that you’re driving back today?”

“I don’t know.” I frown. “Who’s he talking to?”

“Call the man.”

“I already blocked his number.”

“Unblock it and call him. You wanted him to talk, well, he’s talking.”

“No.” I toss my phone into my handbag and reach for another chip. “I know, I’m being stupid, but that pissed me off. I’m not texting him or calling him.”

“Well, then stop talking about him because it’s really annoying.”

“We should drive through wine country,” I say, changing the subject. Mostly, I want to get my mind off of Wyatt. I’d already decided that I’m moving forward without him, and damn it, I’m sticking to that. I don’t care if he’s tall and sexy with the most tender hazel eyes I’ve ever seen. Or if his hair feels like silk in my fingers. Or if he makes me feel smart and clever when we talk for hours on end.

I can do this without him.

“I thought you wanted to get home as soon as possible,” she replies, reaching for some of my Pringles. “The fastest route is to stick to the freeway.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I have a bunch of unpacking and avoiding a sexy man ahead of me.”

“Are you going to be able to live in that house with him right across the street?”

I frown and drink more orange soda. “Of course. I’m a grown woman. I don’t have to look at him. I’ll avoid him.”

No, I’m not sure I’ll be okay. But I’m going to do my best.

“Uh-huh.” She rolls her eyes. “Good luck with that.”

I don’t know if I’ve ever felt exhaustion on this level. Even after I left Vinnie, I don’t think I was this weary.

Jules and Anastasia just left after spending all last night helping me unpack my boxes. Anastasia still hasn’t been home since we pulled into my driveway yesterday afternoon.

Instead, we called Jules, and she came over to help us plow through the boxes and get most of everything situated so I can get back to regular life again. I owe them both, big time.

Perhaps a shopping trip is in our near future. I’ll reward all of our hard work.

I grin, plant my hands on my hips, and gaze around the space. It feels amazing to have my own things here, mingled with a few of the pieces that Jules and Nate bought months ago when I first arrived.

And now that they’re gone, and the bulk of the work is finished, I’m not entirely sure what to do with myself.

I glance into the kitchen, and to the pool area beyond, and feel a grin spread across my face.

Check that. I do know what I want to do.

I hurry and pour a glass of tea, reach into the fridge and grab my cucumber eye mask. I pull an ice pack out of the freezer and carry everything to my favorite chaise lounge by the water.

It’s late enough in the day that most of the patio is in the shade so I don’t have to worry about getting too much sun. I can totally nap right here if I want.

And trust me, I want.

I take a sip of the cold tea, then settle back on the lounge with the ice pack against the back of my neck. I lay the cucumber mask over my eyes and let my body relax into the chair, soaking up the quiet. The calm.

It’s absolute heaven.

I’m just drifting to sleep when I hear the doorbell. I know it’s not my family; I’ve already spoken to most of them this morning. Anastasia just went home to crash.

No, I know who it is.

And he and his sexy doorbell can just fuck right off.

Wait, it’s my doorbell. I clearly need a nap.

I’m just about to fall asleep again when I hear his footsteps coming onto the patio.

“I don’t know why he thinks he can just walk onto my property, like I want to see him,” I mutter aloud, not moving.

“God, you’re fucking beautiful,” he says, his voice gruff.

“I blocked your number. I can’t hear you,” I reply. If I let him stay, if I look at him, I’ll want him. I’ll soften and want him to stay, not just for today, but for always. And he hurt me.

My God, he hurt me.

“Are you going to give me a chance to speak with you?” he asks, and I frown.

“Doesn’t feel good when the shoe is on the other foot, does it?”

“Amelia, look at me.”

I sit up and let the mask fall to my lap, the ice to the seat of the chair, and scowl at him.

Fucking hell, he looks amazing. His hair is a mess, his face scruffy, and it looks like he hasn’t slept in a week.

“Who do you think you are?” I demand and stand so I can look him square in the eye. It seems that despite my exhaustion, I’m not too tired for this.

Because I need to stand up for myself.

“I tried to talk to you for days to explain everything, and you wouldn’t listen. You wouldn’t reply. It was like beating my head against a brick wall.”

“I know,” he says and shoves his hands into his pockets, his eyes hungrily eating me up. “I fucked up, Amelia.”

“Yeah. You did.” I turn away and stand at the edge of the pool, watching a leaf float on the water. “I don’t even know where to start with you. You say you want me to talk to you, but how can I when I’m afraid that I’ll say the wrong thing, and you’ll just get pissed and leave again?”

“I’m here, and I’m not leaving,” he says. He’s moved closer to me, and chills ripple down my back. “I listened to your voicemail.”

“When?” I whirl around and cross my arms over my chest. “When did you listen to it?”

“The other day. When I texted you.”

I tilt my head to the side. “You waited two weeks from when I left it to listen?”

“I was having a . . . rough time.”

“Yeah? Well, me too. Let me lay this out for you, Wyatt. The man that I loved, who claimed to love me too, decided he was so angry at me that he wouldn’t let me anywhere near him. You shut me out completely, without a word. Without a chance. And now you want a chance.”

My God, I want to run into his arms and make all of this hurt go away. He’s like a freaking magnet to my heart.

“I need a chance,” he replies with a nod. His voice is still soft. He sighs, the muscle in his jaw clenching as he seemingly pulls his thoughts together. “I had an inexcusable knee-jerk reaction. That’s the best way to describe it. Lia, when I heard you say that you weren’t divorced yet, it cut me at the knees. I was the victim of adultery, and I would never do that to someone else.”