Nicole snorted. "You made yourself perfectly clear. You wanted to have sex with me, but as far as you were concerned, it was all fun and games. We couldn't get serious. It didn't take long for you to change your mind, did it? Exactly two months!"
"Some complicated things were going on in my life. I can explain, Nicole, if you would listen," Dalton said laying a hand on her arm.
She shrugged him off angrily shaking her head. She heaved the massive tote bag over her shoulder. "I don't think so. I got it the first time. I was the fling with no strings attached. Barbara was the one you married."
"Barbara was a mistake."
"Poor, poor, pitiful you. Don't tell me your problems,"
"We were married less than six months!"
"Congratulations or condolences, whichever is appropriate," Nicole snapped. She jerked the front door open only to stand for a moment in dismay as she observed a winter mix of ice, snow, and rain. You could hear sleet pinging against everything.
"Let me take you home," Dalton offered.
"I have transportation," Nicole snapped.
"Well, at least, let me cover you with an umbrella until you can get to your car. Where is your car parked?"
"In the shop," she said clearly aggravated. "I took a cab." She dug into her bag and pulled out her phone. "I'll wait outside."
Dalton looked at her as his mouth tightened firmly. "You will not stand outside in the freezing rain. Christ, with a head cold, you would be inviting pneumonia. I'll borrow one of my aunt's vehicles and take you home."
"I came by cab, Dalton, and I can go home by cab," Nicole said, stubbornly rummaging in her tote. "Millions of people survive without cars in Washington. I have an umbrella."
"No," Dalton disagreed. "I won't allow you out in this weather when you are sick. I'm taking you home."
Nicole recognized the intractable tone in his voice. Dalton meant what he said and he would stop her from leaving. He always had an overload of testosterone and thought he had a right to tell her and everyone else what to do.
His attitude angered her, it always had. She also knew, short of calling the police, she wouldn't change his mind. She sighed and nodded in agreement following him through the house into a large garage. Once situated inside the vehicle, Nicole gave him the address of a Deli on the corner of her street and watched him enter it into his GPS.
She sat quietly while he drove slowly through the city traffic. She was not as indifferent to him as she pretended. She had many memories of the time they had spent together. Even though their break-up was incredibly painful, she had no regrets. Her time with Dalton was unquestionably some of the best months of her life. Still, there was no way she wanted him to know exactly where she lived.
They had met over a vending machine in the college cafeteria when both of them wanted the very last Snickers bar. Something had clicked between them, a meeting of the minds and spirit. The immediate attraction was mutual. She was an innocent second-year student. He was an experienced older man at twenty-five, at the end of his schooling for a degree to become a veterinarian.
They had fallen into bed together less than four hours later and had become inseparable. Every minute they were not in class, they were together. Their bodies became one, desiring, craving, and starving constant contact. She loved him. It never occurred to her he might not feel the same. In her love, she had believed in the happy ever after. She had been so young and had never doubted him for a single moment. She didn't find out happy ever after was an illusion until he nearly destroyed her.
Dalton was older than most of the students she knew, older, wiser, and more experienced. As it turned out, he had a life plan. It did not include becoming permanently involved with a girl at college.
When she accused him of promising to love her, he didn't deny it. However, he also said he wanted them to be free, to have a no-strings-attached relationship. He said they were having fun and fun did not always have to get serious. Unfortunately, they were too busy having sex at every opportunity for him to mention his theories until after they were dating and sleeping together in his single bed for six months.
Nicole was hurt, but the brutal facts stood for themselves. Dalton wanted the fun of sex, not the responsibility of love. She had hurled accusations at him, accused him of using her. He volleyed back, claiming she was trying to trap him.
With her heart broken, Nicole had fled his apartment and returned to her dorm room. She had refused to take his phone calls and walked away whenever he approached her. She finished her exams, packed her bags, and left. She returned to her father's home disillusioned and broken.
Nicole had been devastated, but she had tried to pick up the pieces of her life. She began researching a transfer to another college to complete her degree. Then, with the sudden death of her father two months later, reality set in with a vengeance. She had expected Dalton to at least call, to make some contact, but there was no attempt on his part.
She found out why two weeks after her father's funeral. Dalton Calloway had been on his honeymoon. He had married a recent graduate, Barbara Ruiz. Nicole had always known the senior co-ed was interested in Dalton. Barbara hadn't hidden it. Dalton, however, had pretended indifference to Barbara.
Obviously, he had lied. Nicole's source of campus information relayed the facts to her. Dalton married Barbara Ruiz because she was pregnant. While claiming he wanted only Nicole, he had been sleeping with Barbara.
Reality really does bite you in the ass sometimes. Nicole grew up fast when she realized she was on her own. She turned to the only stability she had ever known in her life and moved on. She built a life based on a belief in her talents and had built a reputation in the art world. Calloway would have to make himself scarce. She had no interest in revisiting the past. She had more important things in her life than dealing with a lying, cheating, ex-boyfriend.
***
Dalton Calloway wasn't really surprised by Nicole's anger. She had a vicious temper, and would strike first and apologize later. He needed to take this chance meeting and talk to her. He needed to explain himself and his actions. The circumstances of their breakup were entirely his fault and he knew it. She had valid reasons to be angry. He was the one who had behaved irresponsibly.
Dalton had not entered Virginia Tech until he was twenty-one. His late enrollment had been necessary. On the eve of his initial departure for college, a fatal car accident had claimed the lives of both his parents and disabled his grandfather. The following three years, along with dealing with his family tragedies and responsibilities, had made him an outcast among the students. For the most part, they appeared to him as young and immature.
He had grown up fast in a time when farmers and ranchers were losing their land to large corporate enterprises. He had been forced to take over the reins of the ranch held by his family for generations. He had held their land against the combined enemies of taxes, corporate developers, and low beef prices. It took three years before Roy Mac, his grandfather, was well enough to resume control of the day-to-day operations of the Double C Ranch.
At twenty-one, Dalton was free to pursue his dream. He'd entered Virginia Tech, a driven young man. He had already completed as many credits as possible through local community colleges, and online and online credited courses. After transferring those credits to the university, he only needed two semesters to complete the prerequisite requirements for his B.A. in Animal Science. His next goal was to finish his DVM, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, in three years, not four. He had been hell bent on becoming a veterinarian and nothing was going to stand in his way.
His goals were attainable before he met Nicole. When he fell in love with her, he realized their relationship could derail his plans. She consumed his every thought. She was a distraction he could not control. She came between him and the realization of his dream.
In an argument quickly spiraling out of control, things were said that could not be withdrawn, and she had walked out. He knew he had hurt her, but he was in th
e middle of his final exams. He would not and could not take the time to find her and explain. He could not risk losing sight of crossing the finish line of his goal. With the arrogance of youth, he assumed he would win her back after finals were over.
Unfortunately, when his finals were completed and he had gone to find her, she wasn't there. He realized then the magnitude of what he had lost. Nicole was gone and she had covered her tracks well. Although she had spoken to him of her home life, she had never given any specifics such as a town or state. He hadn't noticed until it was too late. Most of the dorms were emptying out as students returned home for summer break. A few of her friends remained on campus, but they wouldn't talk to him. He couldn't get anyone to help him find her, and her college records were off limits.
It was true; he had been a fool, an idiot, and an imbecile. He had called himself every name in the book for being so stupid. Then, he married Barbara Ruiz. It had been a crazy time. He often thought part of his brain or his IQ left him at the same time Nicole did. He went temporarily insane. Marrying the beauty queen on campus turned out to be a costly mistake he would always regret.
Dalton tried to glance at Nicole when he dared to take his eyes off the crazy D.C. drivers. She had grown more beautiful. She had lost some of the childish straightness he had teased her about. In its place were rounded edges and curves. She was very much a woman. Her hair was different. Six years earlier, it had been cut short in corkscrew curls. It appeared to be longer, but it was hard to tell since it was tied in a knot at the nape of her neck. The dampness from the inclement wet weather was causing tendrils to pull loose and curl.
"You've let your hair grow," he said trying to start a conversation.
Nicole didn't even look in his direction. "Yes, I did."
It was an abrupt ending to his attempt at small talk.
The rest of the drive was silent. He turned on the correct avenue and Nicole pointed to a curb.
"You can let me out here," she said as he pulled into a recently vacated space. When she reached for the door handle, the door locks activated at his fingertips. He had parked the car in front of a delicatessen. Unless she lived above it, she was trying to give him the bum's rush.
Nicole turned quickly demanding, "Unlock the doors. I thank you for the lift. Please tell Mrs. Windgate, I will be in contact with her."
"I'm coming in," Dalton said.
"No," Nicole said firmly. "We don't have anything to say to each other."
"The hell we don't."
Dalton didn't wait. He got out of the car, put up his umbrella, and walked around to open her door. She had already opened it but was simply sitting there. She wasn't moving and she was getting drenched. Ice crystals were collecting on her, but she seemed distracted. He moved closer pushing the umbrella over the open door gap to cover her, but she still didn't move. Exasperated, he took her bag and with a firm grip on her arm pulled her to her feet. She was decidedly holding back as if trying to find an excuse to get rid of him.
"Dalton," Nicole said looking up at him. "We really don't have anything to discuss. I don't want to be rude, but you need to go."
"After I deliver you to your door."
Nicole's mind frantically searched for some way to ditch him. Other than having a nasty throwdown argument in public, she was coming up blank. Dalton waited impatiently with a firm grip on her arm and her bag over his shoulder, sheltering her from the freezing rain. She finally moved forward walking past the Deli and continuing for another block before entering a modern high-rise.
Walking across the lobby, Dalton glanced at the business listings mounted on the wall and realized the building was commercial on the lower floors and residential from the fifth floor and above. He stepped into the residential elevator, and she activated a code that would allow the elevator to go beyond the fifth floor. She touched the eighth-floor button.
Dalton didn't give her a chance to refuse him entry into her apartment. When she pulled out her keys with shaking hands, he took them, opened the door, and walked in ahead of her. The apartment was large with an open living/dining room combination. He could see part of the kitchen and assumed bedrooms were further down the hallway. It was nicely furnished with an eclectic mix of antiques and contemporary pieces, and some he did not recognize as any particular style, but they were interesting. The walls were crowded with paintings, large ones, small ones, a cornucopia of styles and colors, but somehow it worked. He assumed she was the artist.
"Hello, dearie, are you after gettin the commission?" A woman in her late sixties asked from the doorway of the kitchen.
"Yes," Nicole answered.
The woman gave Nicole a questioning look of impatience.
Rolling her eyes, Nicole said. "Dalton this is…"
"You don't have to tell me, Mrs. Deirdre O'Cleary. Your fairy godmother, allied with you against your evil stepmother. How could I miss the accent?"
Mrs. O'Cleary smiled happily. She was proud of her Irish roots and prouder still how after twenty years in America she had held onto her brogue.
"Right, you would be a friend of Nicole's from a while back, I'm guessing. Glad to make your acquaintance. I'm always telling her to go out, but she will have none of it. In my opinion, which no one ever asks, twenty-three is too young to bury herself under a pile of canvases."
"Twenty-three," Dalton exclaimed involuntarily.
"Aye, that she is, but sometimes you would think she was as old as meself. I'm off love. There are things I need from the pharmacy, providin I don't drown or freeze before gettin there. March in Washington is as damp as me own Dún Laoghaire, and a sight colder." The older woman pulled a raincoat and umbrella from the hall closet and stuffed her feet into old-fashioned rain boots.
Nicole nodded and took the towel the woman handed her. She was soaked to the skin. As soon as Mrs. O'Cleary closed the door, Dalton turned on her.
"Twenty-three? No wonder you still look like a teenager! You would have been what—seventeen or eighteen when I knew you?"
"What difference does it make?"
"A hell of a lot! You lied to me. Dear, God! I seduced a teenager. You told me you were twenty-one along with a lot of bullshit about the women in your family always looking younger than their age!"
The front door reopened and Mrs. O'Cleary stuck in her head. "If the phone rings, it will probably be Dr. Myers. The lad had a bit of trouble with the asthma today. It's probably the weather, but we can't be taking chances." She shut the door behind her again.
Dalton paced the room angrily, conjuring an image of a caged tiger. "You have a lot of nerve, having a go at me about Barbara. Where is your husband?"
Nicole stared daggers at him. "It's none of your business."
"Then who…" Dalton stopped as a small boy raced into the room and hugged Nicole around the waist.
"Who's he, Mommy?" the boy asked.
"Someone I knew a long time ago, Matty," Nicole answered, putting the palm of her hand on his forehead. "Dee Dee said you weren't feeling well. Have you been using your inhaler?"
The boy nodded yes. "I'm hungry. Can I have a snack?"
"A small apple," Nicole agreed as he ran across the room to the kitchen. "I'm playing Ninja War."
"Who's winning?" Nicole asked putting a smile on her face for her child.
"Me," the boy bragged and dashed down the hall.
Nicole turned back to Dalton, and if looks could kill—she would not be on this earth much longer.
"You had my child," Dalton exclaimed in shock. "Where in the hell is your husband? Does he know he is raising my son?"
"My son," Nicole corrected evenly. "His name is Matthew Mackenzie. Do not make a big deal out of it. I was young, stupid, and still idealistic when he was born. There is no husband. Madison is my middle name, which I use to sign my work.
"Does he know he has a father living?" queried Dalton.
"No. He only turned five a few days ago. He knows he is named after a grandfather and a great-grandfather. A lot of h
is friends at daycare are children of divorce or are being raised by single mothers. It is commonplace in his class for kids to have a single parent. He doesn't think it's unusual not to have a father around."
"He has a father! How dare you keep the existence of my son from me!" Dalton shouted.
"Keep your voice down!" Nicole snarled her temper flashing. "You made your choice. What exactly was I supposed to tell the guy who dumped me, ‘Hey, guess what, Bucko, I'm pregnant! Surprise!' The same guy who was screwing around with another girl behind my back? The guy who impregnated her, too! You turned out to be a real prince, Dalton. I may have been stupid for a while, but I cut my losses and accepted my responsibilities. You married Barbara two months after you dumped me. Contacting you wasn't happening in my world!"
"Nic, you're twisting things," Dalton said.
"Bullshit," Nicole snapped. "Barbara wanted in your pants and apparently you were willing. You have your own kid, stay away from mine!"
"I don't have a child by Barbara." Dalton ran his fingers through his hair roughly. "She wanted a rich husband and she thought I fit the bill. I was the guy she suckered into marrying her. I might have slept with her once while we were at school right after you and I broke up, but I'm not sure. We had our big fight and you disappeared. I went a little crazy for a while when I couldn't find you and went to some frat parties. I was unhappy and drinking too much. Frankly, I don't remember much from those last few weeks on campus, and what I didn't know then was that Barbara is a pathological liar.
"Several weeks later, Barbara came crying to me saying she was pregnant. She claimed we had slept together, showed me a pregnancy test strip, said it was my baby… insisted it was my baby. I did what I thought was the right thing and married her. She wasn't pregnant. It was a lie—the first of a million lies and deceptions. During our divorce proceedings, I found out she had never divorced a previous husband before marrying me. Our marriage wasn't even legal."
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