by Sam Crescent
“Yeah, Wolfe and I took care of everything. Thank you so much for thinking about me though. It really does mean a lot to me that you care.”
“Of course I care.” He put a hand on her shoulder. It wasn’t hard, but gentle, caring, sweet.
She didn’t like that he was touching her. If Wolfe saw, he’d be pissed, and the last thing she wanted was for her estranged husband to cause a scene because a guy she’d been friends with for a few years touched her shoulder in a comforting gesture. This was why she needed a divorce. They were not compatible.
Stepping away from his hold, she glanced out toward the crowd.
“Are you looking for your husband?”
“No, I was actually looking for my son,” she said. “Where’s Billy?”
“He’s over by the sandpit.”
“They built one this year?” she asked. For the past two years the young kids had been putting in a request for a sandpit to be built for one of the potlucks and well, every single potluck. She couldn’t believe they actually got what they wanted.
“Yes, I guess they broke the mayor down, you know. I helped. I bought a bunch of the sand as well.”
“You’re such a generous person, Ryan. Really, you are. When you find a woman, she’s going to be lucky to have you.” She offered him a smile, knowing he’d find a woman to love him.
Ryan took a step toward her.
“I thought I’d found her.” He took her hand, and her heart started to race. This wasn’t what she meant. This was far from what she’d anticipated from him.
“Really, who?” She hoped she was missing all the signals and reading them wrong.
“You know who, Rachel, you.”
“Ryan…”
“Hear me out. I know your husband is back and he’s made it abundantly clear I’m to stay away from you, but does he make you happy? Does he really give you everything you need? Does he love you?”
“Ryan, you don’t love me.”
“I do. I love you so much. I see how amazing you are with the kids. How much you love being with them. I see everything he doesn’t want to see.” He tugged her a little closer, and so as not to draw attention to them, she didn’t put up a fight. “He’s a big hotshot in the city. I get it. He can provide you with a lot more than I can, but can he give you everything? He’d not even here half of the time. This is the first I’ve seen of him, and I know when Benjamin goes to see him, you’re not there. You’re with your sisters.”
“How do you know about that?” she asked.
“I heard you talking with them when I helped to fix your leaky tap.”
“You shouldn’t be listening in on other people’s conversations.”
“You’re right, Rachel, he shouldn’t,” Wolfe said.
He was way too close, and now she started to worry.
“Wolfe, where have you been?” Rachel asked.
She pulled her hand away from Ryan’s, but it was too late, Wolfe had already seen.
“You know, I told you to stay away from my wife.”
“Wolfe, come on, let’s go. There’s a pasta salad I think you’ll really enjoy.”
“And you’ve got a problem with me talking to your wife? I’ve been there for her when you haven’t for the past five years.”
“I warned you, Ryan.”
“I didn’t take the hint. You can try to crush me, but there are some places your money will ever work. This town, it knows me. They all know what I do and how I care. I’m in love with you, Rachel. I know you don’t believe that, but I also know there’s no way you can love him either. He abandoned you.”
“You better shut your fucking mouth,” Wolfe said.
There were a few gasps, and she knew this was going to get out of hand.
“Why the hell should I? It’s the truth. You’ve not been here. You weren’t there when Benjamin took his first walk, or even said his first words. Rachel and I were. She was at the diner for the words, and at her shop for the walk. We’ve all been part of your son’s raising, but you’ve been absent. You don’t deserve her. You’ll never deserve her.”
She let out a cry as Wolfe slammed his fist against Ryan’s face.
Chapter Ten
“Let me get this straight, you started a fight with Ryan, and pummeled his ass to the point the sheriff had to break it up?” Mary asked.
“I’m not finding your amusement funny.”
“Oh, please, it is totally funny. Don’t get me wrong, I’m shocked the cold, calculating Wolfe Montgomery would allow himself to be pushed to the point of lashing out and hitting another human being.”
Wolfe didn’t want to keep on talking to Rachel’s sister. After today, he wanted Mary gone. It was Rachel’s decision to get her sister to take care of Benjamin for the night. She didn’t even know if she’d send him into school after what happened.
“He was hitting on my wife. Telling her how he loved her and between the two of us, he’d be the better option.”
“You don’t agree?”
“Hell, no. I don’t agree with that shit. I will never agree to it.” Ryan had still gotten a few punches in, and his face was smarting like a son of a bitch.
“You know, Wolfe, a little advice, you really need to take a look in the mirror.”
“What the fuck for?”
“A reality check. You’re not exactly seeing things clearly right now.”
“And what do you need me to see clearly?” He had a really bad headache, not to mention he knew Rachel was pissed at him. She had to come and bail him out.
The press would have a field day.
“You haven’t been here, Wolfe. Put aside your and Rachel’s differences. She has been a single mother since the moment she found out she was pregnant. You weren’t there for her classes. You certainly weren’t in the room with her for the birth. I know you were at the hospital the day she did go into labor, but you weren’t there. Alice and I were. We’ve been the ones to stand beside her. You don’t know what she has been through. She wouldn’t have a nanny or help. She was so exhausted with taking care of the baby and working, she nearly collapsed.”
“I’d have given her everything. All she had to do was ask. She’s so stubborn.”
“You don’t understand a thing, Wolfe. She wasn’t working to spite you or to be stubborn. She was working so she didn’t have to think about you. So she could think about everything else but you. It was easy for you. You didn’t fall in love with her. She did fall in love with you, and you hurt her. She’s been trying to pull herself out of the pit of depression ever since, and you haven’t made life easy for her. You’ve made it even harder, and now, people in this town might not want her around because of what you did. You may not like Ryan, but he’s a good guy.”
“He only wants her as a mother to his son. He doesn’t love her.”
“He’s part of this town as much as the mayor. Believe me, you could have damaged the life she lives here.”
“Okay, I think we’ve got everything ready for you,” Rachel said, coming around the corner carrying a backpack. “It’s just for a couple of days while I figure a few things out.”
“Are you looking forward to being with your auntie, son?” Wolfe asked.
Benjamin didn’t even look toward him.
Mary gave him a pitying look, which he really didn’t fucking appreciate.
“Thank you for taking him. I’ll call to let you know what I plan.” Rachel hugged her sister, and Wolfe didn’t even get a goodbye. His son was giving him the silent treatment.
He heard them at the door and the click as it shut.
Rachel appeared in the doorway. Her hands were by her sides, and she looked so sad. He wanted to hold her.
“I didn’t mean for this to happen,” he said.
“It doesn’t matter. What you did, I don’t know if you planned it or not, but hitting Ryan, doing what you did today, trashing the potluck, why?”
“I don’t want him near you.”
“I’m not going to
be with Ryan.”
“Even with what he said to you. I heard every single word. He loves you. Wants to build a life with you.”
“And I’m married to you!”
He stood up. “What if you weren’t? Would you have fallen for him? Would you have left with him? Been his little wife. Baked pies every weekend for your neighbors?”
“It doesn’t matter because I’m still married. I’m not going to even predict what hypothetical answers you want me to have. None of it matters. I’m your wife, remember?” She held her hand up. “I don’t know if I can stay in town.”
“Are you fucking joking with me right now? So Ryan and I got into a fight.”
“Ryan’s one of their own and you kept on hitting him, and when you were pulled away, you kicked him.”
“Do you love him?” Wolfe asked.
“What?”
“Do you love him? Tell me, right here, right now. I will grant you the divorce if you tell me you’re in love with Ryan, and you want to spend the rest of your life with him. No one else. Fucking tell me.” He yelled the words.
She had tears in her eyes, and she gritted her teeth.
Silence fell between them.
He’d never been so sick in all of his life.
Why couldn’t he just keep his mouth shut?
This wasn’t what he wanted.
“No,” she said.
Her answer was nothing more than a whisper, but he heard it.
“What?”
“I don’t love him, and I’m not going to lie to you just to get a divorce.” She turned her back on him and started to walk away.
“Rachel, you can’t just say shit like that and walk away.” He rushed toward her, grabbing her arm. She was at the stairs, one hand on the banister as well as one foot. “Talk to me.”
“What is there to talk about? I don’t know if Ryan will sue you for the fight today. I’m going to go pack.”
“Wait, where are you going?”
“Back to the city. I can either stay with one of my sisters, or you, it’s up to you. I’m not going to have my son hurt or pushed aside because of what you did.”
“You’re overreacting.”
“I’ve seen this happen, Wolfe. This is a community where violence like that is not the answer. I was already an outsider, and you made it more so. I brought you here, and I couldn’t keep control of you. I’m not doing this for you; I’m doing this for Benjamin.”
She pulled out of his hold, and he watched her go.
“Do you love me?” he asked, shouting the words upstairs to watch her go. She paused but didn’t look down. “I know I’m an asshole. I don’t need anyone to tell me how much I really am. I get it. I’m not going to change. This is who I am. If you don’t love Ryan, and you’re willing to go with me, it means you have to love me, right? There has to be a smidge of love for me?”
She glanced over at him but didn’t say a word. Her blue eyes captured him again, only now they were filled with tears.
He’d put them there.
“I’m going to go pack.”
She didn’t say the words, but he knew her. She did love him, and that was why she would pack.
Taking a step away from the stairs, he smirked. This was what he wanted. Well, not exactly. He knew he’d have to go and talk to Ryan, try to convince the man not to press charges. It wouldn’t be easy as he did hit him really hard.
“I’m heading out,” Wolfe said.
Grabbing his jacket and car keys, he chanced a look at his face and winced. He had gotten hit good a few times. Climbing into his car, he followed the directions toward Ryan’s house.
The lights were still on, and he parked up. Just as he was heading up the driveway, the door opened a young woman from the school stepped out.
“If you need me don’t hesitate to call me, okay?”
“I will, Sarah, thanks.”
The moment they saw him, he saw the anger and resentment they had for him.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Sarah said. “You and your wife have already caused enough trouble. You’re not welcome here.”
“I’m here to talk to Ryan and to apologize. My wife had nothing to do with today.”
“If she wasn’t here, you wouldn’t be, and you wouldn’t have hurt one of the kindest men in town,” Sarah said.
“It’s fine, Sarah. We’re okay,” Ryan said.
“I can call the sheriff.”
“Don’t. Wolfe and I can handle our problems, right, Wolfe?”
“It’s why I’m here. I’m not looking to cause any kind of trouble.” He held his hands up, showing the both of them he wasn’t planning on hurting anyone.
“You should be ashamed of yourself.” Sarah stormed off down the street.
“You’ve got all the women chasing you,” Wolfe said, looking up at Ryan.
The other man looked as bad as he did.
Ryan also didn’t cower or look scared.
They were both completely in control.
“What are you doing here?” Ryan asked. “I don’t think it’s wise for you and me to be near each other.”
“Do you want to have this conversation on the doorstep or in the privacy of your own home? I promise I’ll keep my distance.”
“I’m not afraid of you, Wolfe. You’re the one who lost your temper today, not me.”
“You were chasing after my wife.”
“I love Rachel. Can you say the same?”
He stared at the man who thought he could take Rachel from him, and he was a little pissed.
Wolfe laughed. “You know, everyone seems to be under the impression I don’t love my wife.”
“How can you pretend to love her otherwise?”
“What makes you think my feelings are pretend?”
“I know her. I’ve hung out with her a lot over the past couple of years. We’ve become really good friends, and if there’s one thing I know about her, she’s a hard woman to walk away from. I can go a weekend, but come Monday, I’ve got to see her smiling face. She always has a smile on and is always helping others. She’s a selfless woman. How could you not want to be with her when she is everything?”
Wolfe stared at Ryan.
“I do love my wife.”
Ryan snorted.
“Can I come inside? I don’t want to have this conversation outside.”
“I’m not letting you into my house. I’ve got no problem with my neighbors hearing my business. Do you?”
Wolfe gritted his teeth.
“You fought me today because I admitted the truth. I told Rachel I loved her. I would do anything for her, and yes, I’d love to have her as the mother to my son, but you fought me today. Why the hell should she stay with you when she’s got me? A man willing to love her, to be by her side when her real husband does not?” Ryan asked. “Tell me, Wolfe, why should I walk away? Why should I stop fighting for her when you so clearly haven’t been doing that for the past few years?”
Much to Wolfe’s irritation, the man had a point. There was no point over the past five years when he’d even convinced his wife he loved her.
“I love my wife more than anything else in the world. I met her five years ago. She was so young and so … innocent to the world. All she ever wanted was her fairy tale ending. I told her I was the guy for her. I had my own agenda, obviously. Who doesn’t? I didn’t start out loving my wife. I wasn’t even attracted to her. She was a means to an end. Someone I had to get to fall in love with me to get what I wanted.”
“And you call that love?”
“I’d never been in love. I’ve never taken my time to get to know a woman. With Rachel, it was the small things. I know her favorite color is purple. She’s always drawn to those colors. She loves the rain, but it has to be a warm rain. Not the kind in the dead of winter where ice strikes you hard. She adores the snow. Loves it. She even likes playing in it still, and now she has a kid, she can make excuses for being out with the snow.”
He smiled, remembering t
he laughter as she dragged him outside to play with her. It was the first time she’d built a snowman as her parents had always kept her from going outside, catching her death of cold. “I love the blue of her eyes. They’re like an open book to the woman inside. She cannot hide what she thinks or feels, even as she tries so hard to do exactly that. Her laughter. I missed it so much. It’s infectious, and even if you’re having a really fucking shitty day, hearing her laugh, you know everything is going to be okay. She’s on this planet, and knowing that, you can’t hate the world, or what it represents. She wants to be completely loved by someone, and she is. She just doesn’t know it yet. I love my wife more than anything else in the world, and you know, I am a fuck-up. A giant, stinking fuck-up, but I will do anything for her, because even though she doesn’t realize it, she owns my heart. My entire life is linked to hers, which is why I won’t let her go. If you think these past five years have been easy for me, you’re wrong. They’ve been the hardest of my life because she realized what an asshole I am, and well, rather than step out of my comfort zone, I let her believe it. I am an asshole, but with Rachel, I couldn’t hurt her.”
He laid his soul bare to a complete stranger.
Ryan didn’t need to hear his reasons or even give a shit, but he finally admitted the truth. Rachel hadn’t even heard it, and now, she never would.
Chapter Eleven
Moving in with her sisters wasn’t an option, or at least according to Wolfe, it wasn’t. Rachel glanced around his penthouse apartment. It was a huge place, complete with three luxury bedrooms, not designed for a child, a large kitchen, a small library, an office, a dining room, sitting room, and even an extra bathroom.
It was nice.
More than nice.
This was the peak of luxury.
There was even a pool downstairs, and Wolfe promised she could reserve her time there. She didn’t even need to have anyone at the pool for her to enjoy a swim. The complete luxury of everything.
Nibbling her lip, she didn’t know if she was ever going to take something like this. Not for her.
This wasn’t a home.