“He’s…well he’s good.” She hesitated.
“Things okay?” I asked. She was always smitten with him, so obviously something was up if she was hesitating.
“Oh yeah, things are good. He just can be an ass sometimes.” She said directly.
“Sometimes?” I asked with a chuckle. “Ryleigh. Don’t start, please. Yes, he is an ass, but I don’t need you to be one now. I just would like to have a nice conversation with my loving daughter and enjoy this lovely glass of merlot. Okay?” She snapped.
“Wow, must have been a good fight. But yes, I can be loving. Wanna talk about it?” I asked sincerely.
“Nope. It’ll just get me riled up again. You know, men are just dumb, I am sorry, but they are! Well, not all of them.” She paused for a moment. “How is Liam by the way?” “He is good. Just working. A lot actually. We really haven’t seen each other that much this week, we get to do a nice dinner together tomorrow night, but then he has to get ready to head out to New York for a couple days next week.” I started to feel bummed.
“Oh honey, I am sorry. I am sure that things will begin to slow down and you guys can maybe have time to go on a vacation of some sort! How is everything else going?” My mom always had a way of trying to look on the bright side of the situation.
“Oh my God! You will never BELIEVE who I ran into and had lunch with?” I sounded a little too excited.
“Who? Please tell me Cam Gigandet and he is looking for a more mature woman in his life and he was wondering if your mom was available!” She was laughing.
I began to laugh. “You’re crazy! If it were him, I’d say you’re happily married, but I’d run off with him in a heartbeat. Sorry, but I wouldn’t even think twice about you if given a second with that man.” We were both giggling like crazy.
“No, seriously who did you run into?” She asked a little more impatient.
“Caleb!” I said excitedly. Saying his name made smile all over again.
“Caleb Martin? The Infamous Caleb?” She asked surprised. “Yes mom, the one and only.” As if she knew any other Caleb. “Wow! Well, I hate to be the one to spoil the moment but I saw him on Sunday.” She stopped as if she were giving me time to process. “I was over at his parent’s house visiting with his mom when he arrived. Sorry, should have told you, gave you some sort of warning.” I could tell she was trying to somehow protect me. She knew how badly I was hurt when he left, maybe thinking I would be upset to hear he was back.
“Oh mom…you could’ve told me! I would have been excited to hear that he was back. I mean, I was excited to see him when I ran into him! Things have changed; I am grown, he’s grown, I’m married, we both are different people now.”
“Sweetheart, who are you trying to convince of this? I know you are grown and married, but you can’t honestly sit there and tell me that some of those old feelings didn’t come rushing back the second that you saw him?” She asked seriously.
I hated it when my mom was right.
“I don’t know, Mom. There was some sort of rush there. But I have Liam now.” I always knew that Caleb was my first love, but I was trying to not let that thought interfere with my life now. “Look, I have been in your position, Ryleigh. Remember I’m older, not by much.” She laughed. “And I have once been in your shoes. You just have to make sure that you, in the end, know what you are doing. Do you understand?” She asked sternly.
I could then hear Avery in the background whispering something to my mom.
“Mom, I will let you go. It sounds like someone is trying to grovel.” I chuckled.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t call it groveling; I would call it ass kissing. I’ll call you next week; maybe meet for our dinner together? I love you, Ryleigh. You are great daughter, you know that right?”
“I am your only daughter! I love you too, Mom. Meeting sounds great. Talk to you later.” I checked my cell phone one last time before I decided to head to bed. Nothing. I had my message screen up ready to send a text to Liam, just to make sure that he was still alive. My fingers had another plan; they didn’t enter Liam’s number.
Hey, you didn’t tell me you saw my mom!
I turned on the TV in my room and flipped through the channels. Still sipping on my wine.
Oh! I forgot…At first I didn’t even think that was your mom. She looks great! I know where you get it from ;)
The man definitely knew how to flatter me! You’re crazy. But you do know how to flatter someone!
I laughed. I will never stop telling you how beautiful you are. How I love listening to you, just thinking about you. Thinking about tasting your lips again. I especially love feeling your body close to mine.
Oh my god! I don’t think I have ever been so turned on by a text message in my life.
OMG! :-)
My entire body was flushed. I felt like an idiot, all I could respond to all that was an “OMG”.
Now I’m really thinking about you.
He really was making my heart rate go up.
Okay, before I get into trouble I need to go… I will talk to you later! ;)
Did I just send a wink?
So you owe me two beers AND some food? SOLD! Oh God. Was I flirting? I didn’t respond, I just set my phone down on the night stand and put Horrible Bosses on. I was zoned in on watching the movie when the house phone rang. I glanced over at the caller ID, it was Liam!
“Hey I was just thinking about you!” I said happily. “Hey. Sorry, things have been crazy here. The guys that are here from New York love the ideas that we have, but their team back in New York is finding ways to try and change it up. Just means we have to find some sort of compromise. It is getting to the point where everyone was just pissed off and we took a dinner break and talked things over. That is why my phone was off.” He sounded annoyed.
“I’m sorry honey. Are they still going to have you go out to New York then?” I asked softly.
“YES!” He snapped at me.
“Geez, I am sorry, it was just a question. I thought with the dinner conversation, things may have been cleared up then. You don’t have to snap at me.” I snapped back. “Well, Ryleigh, they were sending me out there before all of this, so why would this change anything? Look, I just wanted to call you back. I need to head down and get some more coffee; I will just see you in the morning.” He said coldly.
“Umm. Okay. Hey I love you.” I said hurt. “Yeah, love you. Bye.” He was very short as he hung up. In my years married to Liam, we have had some fights. Most of them consisted of ‘that guy was in this movie’ but one of us would disagree. The biggest fight we had ever really had was where to have our honeymoon. The tone of his voice, the way he snapped at me; this was something completely foreign to me. He was just so cold. Maybe my mom was right, again, that things will start to slow down and things would get back to normal and we could take a nice vacation together.
After that call, I turned off the TV and laid in the dark. I knew it was only 9:30, but I was just done with the day. I curled up in my bed and quickly fell asleep.
Chapter Eight
My phone startled me from deep sleep. I looked at the clock it was 1:45 in the morning. Who the HELL was calling me at this time? I was going to have to kick some ass for waking me up.
“Hello?” I answered irritated. “Hey baby. I just wanted to let you know I was thinking about you.” It was Liam. He was obviously drunk. Why the hell was he out drinking at this time of night, granted he probably finished early and they wanted him to go out for drinks.
“Liam? What are you doing? Where are you?” I asked concerned.
“The project finally got fixed and now we are out celebrating! What is my beautiful wife doing?” His voice was slurred. I don’t know if I was more worried about him or utterly pissed off. “Well, your WIFE is asleep at HOME, apparently someplace that you should be as well! Liam, you obviously have been out drinking for a while… why didn’t you want to come home early and spend that time with me?”
“Ugh! Nag
, nag, nag.” He raised his pitch to obviously mock me. “Is that all you do? You work all the time, you never come home and you have to go to New York so I can live comfortably.” I could hear him start to talk to the guys in the background. “Hey guys I will do another shot with you in just a second, the ole ball and chain is on the phone now.” He then brought the phone back to his mouth to talk to me. “Well, I gotta go work more. I love you baby.” He hung up on me.
In college, he drank. We all did. He had gone overboard a few times. He regretted it all in the morning but a month or two later he would do it again, it wasn’t until he said some pretty hurtful things to me during a party that he realized that he was a horrible drunk.
I know that I shouldn’t take anything he had said personally, but this time he really got to me. I helped with a lot of the living comfortable and I didn’t think I really ever nagged him. I was hurt and angry. What was going on with him lately?
I laid back down trying to fall back asleep, but my anger level on a scale of 1-10 was at a 20. If I had any nerve in my entire body, I would get up and go drive downtown to a few of the bars that I knew he liked to go have an ‘after work beer’ with the guys. Last calls should have been taking place soon. Where would they be going after? My first thought, back to one of the other guy’s hotel room to drink more.
I laid there for a few minutes contemplating the situation. Every second that ticked by only made me more furious.
That was it! I threw the covers off of me and sat up. I was going to go down there and get him, call me and wake me up! I was pissed!
I slipped on my yoga pants and my hoodie. Grabbed my flip flops from the closet and stomped down the stairs. I got to the bottom of the stairs and remembered that I forgot my phone on the nightstand. I ran upstairs and found that I had a missed text message from Liam. Was he apologizing?
I wanna do some naughty things to you. She would never know. Oh my fucking god! What the hell was this! I don’t think I had ever been this mad in my entire life. I ran out to my car and backed out. I didn’t remember locking the door on my way out, but right now I hoped someone would break in and take all of his shit.
Okay, maybe it was a joke. I had to give him the benefit of the doubt, he was drunk and he definitely was trying to get a rise out of me on the call. I needed to calm down and think rationally about all of this. What if it was a joke? What if it was someone messing with his phone? They were joking around with him about Amber the infamous waitress. I began to find myself taking deep breaths in and out, calming down.
I think I had made record time in driving to get to downtown, if I ever woke up late I would just have to remember this moment and I would be at work in no time. I could believe, I was actually laughing a little.
I parked in the lot that I knew was in the middle of three of the local bars, he was bound to be in one of them. Granted if he weren’t, I drove all the way down here for nothing, but it was worth a try to look. Thank god it didn’t sound like that they were at a night club; my yoga pants attire was not really ‘clubbing’ apparel. I don’t think even batting my eyelashes or even flashing some boob would get me past any bouncers.
I peered in the door of the first bar; only 3 people remained in there. An older couple at the bar, and the bartender. I found myself pick up my pace walking to the next bar just caddy corner from this one. Caleb was right earlier; this really wasn’t an area I should just be walking around in.
I pulled open the big wooden door of the second bar and heard a lot of laughter coming from one corner. There were 7 maybe 8 men all in suits and loosened ties laughing and talking above a normal range. I stood there just looking at each face to see if Liam was amongst them. I didn’t see him among the crowd… until I turned my head just a little more to the left.
I thought that I was going to vomit right there in the middle of the bar. My hands began to shake; tears began to sting at my lids. Liam was making conversation with a leggy brunette at one of the bar top tables. She was obviously flirting and lightly tapping him on his arm. He was putting that sexy smile out there for her, right before he grabbed her by her arms and pulled her in for a deep kiss! They practically were sucking each other’s lips off. My heart broke right there in the middle of that shit bar.
“Hey we already did last calls, but I am sure that if you sweet talk Brett, he is that hunky bartender, he would be happy to get you one last round in.” A rounder blonde lady, who obviously was hitting midlife crisis in her super tight leopard leggings with a longer black shirt, with the bar’s logo on the left breast.
“Oh, thanks. I was actually looking for a friend of mine, but she must have caught that cab she was threatening to grab.” I lied wiping the tears from my cheeks. “There was girl that left not too long ago, she was with this group of guys over there. She seemed a bit upset, hunky over there,” she pointed over to Liam, “didn’t seem to be interested in her but rather her friend, could that be her? Blonde, god, what is her name? Amber?” She asked as she tapped her temple.
“Yeah, that was her.” I said quietly, shaking my head in disbelief. “I will go back to her place and wait for her there. Thanks.” I turned and ran for the door. I don’t think that I could get out of there any faster! That fucking scumbag!
I got back to my car, locked my doors, gripped the steering wheel and broke down. How could he? He all but begged for a kid this morning and now he is doing this? Was this why he was doing this? All these questions were running through my mind. I needed toget out of there.
Unfortunately, home was the last place I really wanted to go. I wanted to go anywhere but there. Shit, I wanted nothing more than to run to Caleb right now. I started my car and began to drive towards him.
I pulled up to the Four Seasons. The valet was closed? How? I decided to take Caleb’s offer and I went into the parking lot and entered his room number as the code. Thankfully it let me in.
I walked through the parking lot and rushed into the lobby. I looked like hell; I could feel the odd looks aiming my way as I made my way to the banks of elevators. When I arrived on Caleb’s floor, the elevator door didn’t even have a chance to open all the way, when I pushed my way out and made a mad dash to his door. I couldn’t believe I was even here. He was going to hate me for waking him up. And after the night that I had, I really hoped that he was alone. I know that was really selfish to think at a time like this, but I don’t think that I could take another shocking moment tonight.
I gently knocked on the door. I waited for a minute before I put my ear to the door to hear some sort of stumbling; I knocked once again, but a little louder. “Caleb, it’s me. I know it’s an ungodly hour, but can you open up?” I tried to say quietly into the door. I could feel the tears arriving again. I didn’t know if it was from the thought of my husband making out with another woman or that the one person I needed right now was not answering the door.
As I was getting ready to walk back to the elevators when I heard the door unlock. “Ryleigh, is everything okay?” He was rubbing his eyes, standing there with his amazing body in just his boxers. They hung right on his hips, in all that the right places. I just stood there staring. “Ryleigh?” He asked again.
“Huh?” I asked snapping my mind back to reality. “Sorry, I have just had the shittiest night and I can’t go back home. I just…I don’t know… I am so sorry to have woken you up. I was just down the road and I…” He interrupted me.
“What happened? Are you hurt?” He seemed to hit some sort of panic mode.
“Oh, I am fine physically. It’s Liam. God, I’m so mad right now!” I started to bite my nails, somehow thinking that it was going to suppress the tears from coming on again. “Come in so we don’t wake anyone else up and you can have a drink and tell me everything.” He pulled me in and locked the door behind us. We walked into the room and I took a seat in the lounge chair by the terrace.
“So start from the beginning. I will make us a drink, Jack and Coke?” He said as he started to get glasses off th
e counter and headed over to the mini bar and began mixing the drink.
“Sure, anything will be fine.” I took a deep breath. “So the beginning…” I took the drink from his hands wiping my makeup from my eyes. I took a big chug. Half of it was already gone.
I told him everything. How Liam has been working a lot, to his trip, the waitress. Then I went into the drunken call and text. I began to cry when I retold the sighting of him kissing the brunette with the legs. “Wow. I am so sorry Ryleigh; I don’t know what to say!” He just sat there looking intensely at me. He barely had touched his drink the entire time I spoke; I think that it was definitely watered down now. My drink on the other hand was gone. I was really feeling the buzz.
“I feel like I have been slapped in the face. When I was with my friend at lunch today, she asked me if I truly believed if he was working all the time. You know what? I had the fucking nerve to defend him!” “Ry, you didn’t know. He probably has been working a lot and this was just a drunken mistake.” Caleb stood up and began to take my glass from me. At first, I refused him the glass; I wasn’t ready to quit drinking yet, but knew that if I were to continue drinking I would pay for it in the morning.
“Either way, what can I do now? I should’ve said something there and I just ran out!”
“Seriously? Ryleigh, you still can do something about it. Your husband is fucking around on you; you don’t have to take it.” He demanded. I could finally feel the alcohol begin to settle in; Courtney was going to hate seeing me like this, all puffy faced and red eyed. I wasn’t sure that she needed to know what all had happened while she was pregnant; she was already emotional as it was and this would just add to it.
“Well, Ry, I don’t know what to tell you then. He’sa douchebag and I would like to go kick his ass from here to fucking China, but what do YOU want?” Calebwas genuinely concerned, that was what I loved about him. Even back in high school, he was alwaysmade sure that I was okay.
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