The contents of her refrigerator did not look promising. Everything in her crisper drawer looked like it had died a slow and painful death. “Great. Now I’ve got to add ‘clean the refrigerator’ to my list.” With a curse, she shut the refrigerator and walked over to the pantry. It wasn’t much better. When her doorbell rang, she said a silent prayer that it was a lost pizza delivery guy.
Opening the door, she put a smile on her face and then froze.
“Sean?” Holy crap! “What are you doing here?” A million things raced through her mind, but first and foremost was how she had answered the door while wearing her yoga pants, an oversized t-shirt, no bra and with her hair up in a ponytail.
It was the quadfecta of horror.
Sean’s smile was slow and easy and if anything, he seemed just as happy to see her as he always was. That made Angie frown. She knew she looked hideous right now compared to every other time she and Sean had been together. Either he had some serious vision issues or he was a good bullshit artist.
“Hey,” he finally said as he stuck his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. “How are you?”
That was it? That’s what he had to say? Although…to be fair…Angie wasn’t exactly sure what the proper protocol was for people showing up unexpectedly on someone’s doorstep. “Um…good.”
He nodded. “Can I come in?”
The only silver lining in sight was the fact that the house was somewhat clean. Stepping back, she motioned for him to come inside. Sean had only been to her place once. Over the course of their relationship, they tended to meet up at other places—hotels, resorts and other neutral places that were out of town for both of them. It worked out better that way and she had enjoyed it.
Closing the front door, Angie leaned against it and watched as Sean walked around her living room. Her home was a small craftsman bungalow. It was a rental but she had totally put her stamp on the place with paint colors and furnishings. She may not own it, but everything about it screamed Angie.
“This is a great room,” Sean said as he turned and faced her. Then he simply looked at her and smiled.
“I like it,” she said casually with a small shrug.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d be home. I know you go to lunch with the girls sometimes, but I decided to take a chance.”
“Why?”
He sighed and for the first time since she’d opened the door, he looked a little less confident. “You didn’t text or call me.”
“Did you really…?”
“I know why you didn’t,” he quickly interrupted. “It was wrong of me to go about things like that. It was cowardly. You deserve better than an apology by text. That was crappy.” He paused as his expression grew serious. “I’m sorry.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to argue how she preferred the whole texting thing because this seemed incredibly awkward, but she didn’t. “What exactly are you apologizing for, Sean?” she asked, stepping away from the door. “For the crappy apology? For not calling me any sooner? For ending the relationship without an explanation? I guess you can take your pick because they were all crappy things to do.”
Sean took a couple of steps toward her and stopped. “I’m apologizing for all of it.”
Angie took a steadying breath and let it out slowly. “O-kay.”
“You know how I used to do a lot of international construction stuff before Tricia and Ryan got married, right?”
She nodded.
“Well, after I had the accident, Ryan and I decided to go into business together.”
“This isn’t news, Sean.”
He held up a hand to stop her. “Just…give me a minute to explain.” He paused. “Ryan and I always got along fine. At least we did until we started working together.” He shrugged. “We were both so used to being in control that it was hard to share responsibilities and actually talk to each other about the things we wanted to do. It didn’t take long for me to realize we had made a mistake. Things weren’t working out and we were fighting all the time and then Tricia would get involved because she’s my best friend and Ryan’s her husband and she tried to play peacemaker, but all it did was leave all of us pissed off.”
“She never mentioned any of this to me,” Angie said quietly.
“She wouldn’t,” Sean said. “I think she always figured Ryan and I would work things out. She knows us both so well and she knew if given a little bit of time, we’d get through it.”
“And did you?”
He shook his head. “I took off and took a job down in Brazil. It was a six-week gig and I just needed the time away to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.”
“And you didn’t think to call and let me know any of this?” she asked sarcastically and then she cursed under her breath. “So I was good enough to slip away for dirty weekends with, but you didn’t think enough of me to tell me you were leaving the country?”
“It wasn’t like that…”
“It was exactly like that!” she cried. “From the first moment we met, you pursued me and I didn’t put up much of a fight! You talked big about how much you wanted me and all that crap but in the end that’s all it was—it was only about the sex to you!”
Closing the distance between them, Sean gently grasped her shoulders. “No! It wasn’t! I…shit! Angie, the first time we met, you pretty much knocked me on my ass! You were like my every living fantasy come to life. And the fact that you wanted me too was pretty freaking incredible.”
“And yet you were able to leave the country…”
“It wasn’t about you!” he yelled and stepped away. He raked a hand through his hair before looking at her again. “I was pissed off at Ryan and even at Tricia. She was my friend first and as childish as it sounds, I still felt like her loyalty should have been to me. So I took off. Hell, I didn’t even tell my mother where I was going. For two weeks, no one knew where I was.”
“But I bet you eventually called them and let them know.”
“You may not believe me but the only reason I did was because they were relentlessly calling the company I had sub-contracted with and harassing them. It was the only way to make them stop.”
“All you’re doing is proving that you’re a completely selfish jackass. You know that, right?”
Sean nodded. “I can’t change what I did. I wish I could. Honestly, I don’t care if I upset my family, but I do care that I hurt you. It was never my intention. At the time I was angry and frustrated with pretty much every aspect of my life. I didn’t want to burden you with all of my bullshit. All I can say in my own defense is that I wasn’t thinking rationally.”
Angie sighed. “Yeah, well…it is what it is. I appreciate you explaining all of this to me, but unfortunately it doesn’t change anything.”
“But…”
Walking around him, she went to her comfy chair and sat down. “Look, you and I clearly didn’t know each other as well as we thought we did. I thought we were moving forward and were serious, but when you were struggling with something big, I wasn’t even a consideration. I’m probably not going to get over that any time soon.”
Sean sat down on the sofa and faced her. “I know. But…do you think in time…?”
It would have been so easy to say yes, to tell him she just needed some time to process it all. Hell, she could probably be over it by tomorrow if she sat down with the girls tonight and talked about it, but there was more to it than that. “Sean, who’s to say that in another couple of months, something else isn’t going to come up that pisses you off? Can you honestly sit here and tell me you aren’t ever going to take off like that again?”
“I can,” he said earnestly and reached for one of her hands. “I used to get a thrill out of taking the jobs no one else wanted. I enjoyed the freedom of being myself without anyone really looking over my shoulder, and no family around to question me. It was a completely selfish way of life. I realize that now. I probably should have realized it years ago. But now that I’ve watched everyone
around me starting to have a life, I see that I want that too.”
“Wait…what?” she asked incredulously. Maybe she was reading him wrong, but all of a sudden this seemed way more serious than she was prepared for.
“Tricia and Ryan are married and planning on having kids soon. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if I got the call that they were pregnant already. She’s so damn happy and my brother —who I have since reconciled with—is like a different man. He smiles all the time and when he talks about Tricia, he’s like someone else. And then my mom married Paul and after being a widow for so long and the fact that she was always such a free spirit…well, it’s nice to see.” He sighed. “They’re all settling down and I’ve been living like some sort of nomad.”
“There’s nothing wrong with…”
“I don’t want to live like a nomad, Ange,” he said softly. “When I think about my life and where I want to be, I think of you.”
Oh. Shit. “Um…”
“I screwed everything up. I know that. But I want a chance to make it up to you. I want us to start over and not look at this as some casual relationship. I think you’re amazing,” he said with a smile. “And…I think if you can find it in your heart to forgive me, you might even admit you think I’m a little amazing too.”
Angie couldn’t help but chuckle at that. It was typical Sean. He was more cocky and confident than he should be, but he was goofy enough about it that he didn’t come off as being offensive. And dammit, she didn’t want to be feeling all soft and sentimental about him, but she was.
He gently tugged on her hand. “I know it’s not going to happen overnight, but I really want us to give it a try—to be even better than we were before.”
“Sean…”
With her hand still in his, Sean stood and pulled her gently to her feet. It didn’t take much to have her pressed up against him. His hand came up and caressed her cheek. “Promise me you’ll think about it,” he said as he leaned forward and kissed her cheek.
She closed her eyes and willed herself not to melt against him.
Raising his head, Sean looked into her eyes and gave her a slow, sexy grin. “I’m not going to push you for an answer right now. I know better than to do that. But I want you to know that I’m not giving up. I know you’re pissed off at me and rightfully so, but I also believe that given a little bit of time, you’ll see how we fit.” His finger stroked down her cheek. “And we have since the minute we met.”
Dammit, he was right. Angie prided herself on being strong and independent. She didn’t rely on anyone for anything, but standing like this with Sean had her wishing that she could just be a little softer—the kind of woman who could listen to what he was saying and simply accept it without argument.
Pulling back a bit, she looked him in the eye. “I will think about it,” she admitted softly. “But you have to know that you seriously broke my trust in you. It’s not something I take lightly. If I’m going to be all-in with you, or with anyone, trust is key. And to be honest with you, I’m not big on second chances.”
Sean nodded. “Duly noted.”
Unable to help herself, she rolled her eyes as she chuckled. He was always way more laid back than she was. He always saw the brighter side of things. They complemented each other almost perfectly. “I’m serious, Sean. It’s going to take more than a grin and a kiss for me to believe in you again.”
“Sweetheart, I am willing to do whatever it takes for you to realize I’m serious here. You tell me what it is you want from me, and I’ll do it. Do you want me to leave right now and wait for you to call me? I’ll do it.” He paused and pulled her in close again and rested his forehead against hers. “Or do you want me to stay?” he asked, his voice like silk. “I’ll spend the entire day doing whatever it is you want.”
Angie couldn’t help the small gasp that came out or how her eyes went just a little wide.
Sean switched the angle of his head just slightly until their lips were almost touching. “Whatever. You. Want.”
And then he kissed her.
****
“Oh my God!” Ella cried. “What did you do? Did he stay? Did you do it? Was it good?” She fanned herself wildly and then looked at Becca, Hailey and then back at Angie. “Was it wild and intense? Oh…I bet it was wild and intense!”
Angie looked at her for a minute before turning to Becca and Hailey. “I think we may need to turn the hose on her.”
“Definitely,” Hailey agreed. “But you still haven’t answered the question.”
Looking at her three friends with a sassy grin, Angie stood and went to grab another bottle of wine. It wasn’t until she sat back down and poured herself a glass that she finally said, “He stayed.”
“I knew it!” Ella shouted.
“And…?” Becca asked anxiously.
“He cleaned my house,” Angie said with a hint of satisfaction.
“Wait…what?” Ella asked.
“Sean stayed all day and cleaned my house—even Trampus’ litter box. It was awesome.”
Hailey frowned. “Let me get this straight—the guy you’re crazy about comes and pretty much begs you to take him back and then promises you a day of…pleasure, and you decide to take that and turn it into making him clean? Why?”
Angie’s laugh was a little maniacal. “Don’t you see? It would have been easy and predictable to jump back into bed with him. And believe me, I wanted to. The things that man can do…” She mimicked Ella’s earlier fanning of herself. “But that wasn’t going to prove anything. I already know we’re physically compatible. That wasn’t the problem. I need to see if Sean’s going to stick around for the day-to-day stuff and when I’m just being a bitch.”
“Why would you want to be a bitch?” Becca asked.
“Sweetie, we’re all bitches,” Angie said. “And sometimes we need to not suppress the urge and sit back and see what happens.” She took another sip of her wine and looked over at Hailey. “Which brings us to you.”
The frown was still in place. “What about me?”
“You’ve been awful quiet since you got here. You managed to talk about the weather, the traffic and the funny conversation you had with the cashier over at Panda Palace, and yet we haven’t heard a word about your big lunch date with Logan.”
Grabbing the bottle of wine, Hailey poured herself another glass.
“That can’t be a good sign,” Becca murmured.
“Uh-oh…did you let your inner bitch out?” Angie asked with a smile.
Without answering, Hailey took a drink.
“Okay, if she’s not ready to talk about it, then we shouldn’t push her,” Ella said softly as she reached for the plate of dumplings. “There’s two left, who wants the other one?”
Angie snagged the other one and put it on her plate and for several minutes, they all seemed focused on divvying up the last of the takeout. “Oh for crying out loud, Hails, just tell us! It can’t possibly be that bad!”
“Ange…” Ella started but noticed Hailey holding up her hand to stop her.
Looking at each of the girls, Hailey took hold of her wine glass and smiled weakly. “It was awful.”
“No!” The girls collectively cried out.
She nodded. “I cannot believe he’s just so…not what I thought he was!”
“What do you mean?” Ella asked.
“He was polite and personable like he always is but…that’s it. There’s nothing else there.”
“That doesn’t even make sense,” Angie argued.
“Trust me on this one. Logan is great and sweet and funny, but there’s no substance to him. No depth. He lives in the moment with no thought for tomorrow or next week or next month! He’s like a frat boy!”
“Please tell me he doesn’t still live at home,” Angie said, doing her best to hide her mirth.
Hailey glared at her. “I wish I could. In the room over the garage.”
The laughter that followed by all of them was brief. “So what are you going to
do?” Becca asked. “I mean…is this it? Are you over him now?”
“I…I honestly don’t know,” Hailey admitted. “I look at him and I just think…what if?”
“But you’ve seen who he is,” Ella chimed in. “You can’t change him into someone or something else, Hails. That’s not right.”
“Or…” Angie said, placing her glass firmly down on the table.
“Or…?” Hailey responded.
“Or you can just accept that he is who he is…that it’s not going to go anywhere…and maybe have a fling with him.”
“I can’t just have a fling,” Hailey said primly.
“Why the hell not?” Angie snapped. “Everyone can have a fling and there’s nothing wrong with it. If anything, you more than anyone else I’ve ever known needs to have a fling!”
“What?” Hailey cried. “I do not!”
“Yeah, you do! You’re so uptight all the damn time that I think it would do you good to just go out and get laid just for the sake of doing it! And who better than the guy you’ve been lusting after but see no future with? It’s freaking perfect! It’s like having your cake and eating it too!”
They were all silent for a moment.
“I hate to say it,” Becca said, “but she kind of has a point. You can get Logan out of your system and then go back to looking for the perfect man.”
“But I thought Logan was the perfect man!” Hailey whined. “How the hell am I supposed to know what that even looks like anymore?”
“You don’t,” Angie said. “This is all sounding like what we talked to Ella about the other night. The dating world? It sucks. It’s a lot of work and it’s exhausting and sometimes it’s going to just let you down. You looked at Logan and only saw what you wanted to see. Next time you’ll know not to judge a book by its cover.”
Hailey put her hands over her face and sighed. “Oh God…my mom was right! I am such a snob!”
“Uh…yeah,” Angie said. “You are. We all know it and yet we still love you.”
Friday Night Brides Page 9