Undeniable Love

Pointing her finger at me, she said, “Hey! I didn’t tell him. He saw y’all.”



I sucked in a breath of air as Sierra slammed her hands over her mouth. Her eyes widened in horror before she dropped her hands and spoke barely above a whisper, “I’ve got to get to work. Later.”



It took me all of five seconds to get my wits about me, and I was taking off after Sierra. “Oh no you don’t. No, no, no! Sierra, you have to tell me the truth. Tristan saw us?”



Stopping, she dropped her head back and let out a loud moan. “Don’t make me do this, Ryn. Tristan is like my best friend now and if I say anything, I’m not being a good friend.”



“Well, what am I?”



Tilting her head and giving me a ‘really’ look she said, “A friend who has been sending my ass to voicemail for the last few weeks.”



Closing my eyes for a brief second before opening them again, I grabbed her hands. “Fine, I’m sorry. I suck at the whole friend thing. I’ll totally make it up to you by taking you to some overpriced fancy spa for the weekend.”



Moaning, Sierra closed her eyes. “Oh that sounds like heaven.”



“The whole package, massages, mani/pedis, facials, you name it and it’s my treat.”



Giving me a smile that screamed she had won this battle, she looked around. “Fine. But you have to swear you won’t tell Tristan I told you.”



Nodding my head frantically, I whispered, “I swear.”



Holding up her pinky, Sierra asked, “Pinky swear? Stick a needle in your eye kind of swearing?”



“What are we, in middle school?”



Jetting her pinky out at me and raising an eyebrow she whispered, “Swear?”



Ugh. If I didn’t really like Sierra so much I’d reach back and punch her right now. I just wanted to know how Tristan saw Dodge and I together.



Twisting my pinky around Sierra’s, I said, “I swear.”



Looking satisfied, she opened her mouth and spilled. “Daddy and I were coming to paint for the day and we walked up to a guy who was standing on top of one of our ladders. I could already hear you and Dodge in your love fest, so I knew he was peeping in on y’all.”



My face burned with embarrassment. “You need to better sound proof your damn house.”



Laughing, Sierra started walking as she kept talking. I followed right next to her, waiting for her to go on with her story. “Anywho, Tristan stepped back off the ladder and it was as if he was attempting to get air in. I thought he was turned on from watching y’all and I was so pissed off until I saw the look on his face. I could tell he wasn’t just a Peeping Tom. He looked devastated.” Sierra stopped talking and looked at me. “His eyes were filled with regret. Kind of like when someone hurts you so badly and in that moment when they realize the mistake they’ve made, they regret it. That’s how Tristan looked.”



Covering my mouth with my hand, I felt sick. Tristan saw Dodge fucking me. That was probably one of the rawest moments we had been together and I had loved every minute of it. Except for when I would close my eyes and wish it was Tristan I was with.



Oh God. Tristan saw us.



“Ryn, looking in from the outside, a stranger would think that Dodge hung the moon for you and you feel the same.”



Shaking my head, I felt the threat of tears. “No,” I whispered. “I mean I care about him, but we were just . . .”



Looking away, I inhaled a deep breath. This is why I needed time on my own. No men, no meaningless fucking, no nothing.



Turning back to Sierra, I gave her a fake smile. “Thank you for telling me, Sierra. It helps to connect a few of the missing dots.”



“Ryn, there are more missing dots. Talk to Tristan and decide once and for all if Dodge is more than what you say he is.”



Nodding my head, I gave her a quick hug good-bye. “Have a good day at work, Sierra. I’ll plan that spa weekend.”



Turning, I walked away as fast as I could back toward my house. I tried to make sense out of the week and a half I spent with Tristan. Was that why he was pulling back every time he attempted to get close to me? Was it because he saw Dodge and I together? What did Sierra mean when she said Tristan got spooked last Christmas? Shit! She was about to tell me when Dodge walked up. Double damn it.



Walking into my house, I looked around. I felt like I was in a cage and had no idea how to get out. My heart hurt, my head was confused and I was scared to death that Tristan would end up hurting me again if I was to let him back in.



My cell phone pinged and I pulled it out.