“What is she doing here?” I ask.
“Probably checking on her bike.” Rooter opens the car door and steps out.
Great. Not only is she hot, she rides a motorcycle.
He waits impatiently as Miranda crawls out of the backseat and then hurries us into the building. When we step inside he scans the immediate area, nervous. What is he worried about? He said they’re done. Was he lying?
Rooter leads us into a dark room at the end of the hall and turns on the light. It’s a well decorated conference room with expensive, modern furnishings. The entire front wall is covered in glass and I can see the parking lot through a window across the hall.
“Wait in here,” he tells us.
“Where are you going?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
“I’m only going to see what she wants.” He speaks slow and cautious.
“Why can’t I go with you?” I cross my arms and shift my weight to my right leg.
“It’s just business, Sophie.”
“Then why are you hiding me in here?”
“I’m not hiding you.”
“That’s what it looks like to me,” Miranda smarts off and Rooter shoots her a warning glare. “Sorry.”
“Look,” he turns back to me, “I told you that was done and I meant it.”
“And yet, you’re stowing me away in a conference room.” I wave my arms at our surroundings.
He exhales and combs a hand through his short, dark hair. “You don’t want to come with me, trust me.”
“Why not?” I cock my head to the side.
“Sophie, it was just weeks ago that she and I…”
“Were fucking?” I finish for him.
He flinches. “Yes. And I don’t think she’d appreciate seeing us together.”
“Too bad.”
“Sophie, please,” he whines, impatient. “Trust me.”
I shake my head, exasperated. I do trust him. At least I thought I did until now. I look in his eyes trying to determine if he’s telling me the truth. Honestly, I can’t tell.
“I’ll be five minutes. I promise.”
“Fine. Go.”
“You’re pissed.”
How very observant of him. “Yeah,” I huff.
He shakes his head. “I’m sorry.” He leans in to kiss my cheek and I have to fight the urge to pull away. “I’ll be right back.”
“Do you think he’s telling the truth?” Miranda asks as soon as he pulls the door closed.
“I have no idea.” With gritted teeth, I stare at the skank’s car through the window.
I pace the length of the vast room over and over for ten agonizing minutes. I’m getting dangerously close to going to find them. Or leaving. How fucking rude to leave me here while he goes to “talk” to his ex-trollop. Visions of Candace traipsing around in a slutty little outfit, leaning on and putting her hands on Rooter flow through my mind. I grip the back of a chair so hard that I snap off the end of a fingernail.
“Dammit!” I holler. “He’s got another two minutes and I’m the fuck out of here.”
“Look.” Miranda points to the window, her mouth hanging open.
Rooter is following a scantily clad Candace to her car. They’re both wearing shit-eating grins which piss me off even more. And then that bitch leans in, grabs Rooter’s crotch and kisses him. He jumps in surprise, but doesn’t push her away like I’d expect.
“What the hell?” We both gasp in unison.
The bitch lets go of Rooter’s junk, but leans in and says something to him that makes him smile before she gets in the car. I swear he even blushed! What the actual fuck? Rooter closes her car door, looks to this end of the building and walks back to the door he just came out of.
“Fuck this! I’m out of here.” I snatch my purse and dart out of the room.
Miranda follows me as I run down the hall to the door we came in through. “Hurry and get in the car,” I holler. And then I realize Rooter has my keys. “Shit!”
“Here.” Miranda tosses me her key ring. After we got locked out of her car at the movie theatre in the pouring rain a year ago, we started carrying each other’s spares.
As soon as we jump into the car I start it and throw it into reverse as fast as I can. I tear out of the parking space and hear Rooter scream my name. I watch him run after us through the rearview mirror as I speed out of the parking lot.
“He fucking lied!” I scream at the top of my lungs and punch the steering wheel sending a blinding pain up the entire length of my arm.
“What an ass. Watch that—” But she can’t finish before the car jerks violently to the left as I hit the curb with the passenger side tires.
“He told me they were done!”
“What are you going to do?”
When I see Miranda gripping the dashboard for dear life I slow down. He’s not worth risking my best friend’s life. “I’m done with his ass. I should’ve known better!”
“No, I meant, he’s just going to follow us to the house.”
I hadn’t thought about that. “You’re right.” I make a hard right and head in the opposite direction of our house.
“Where are we going?”
“Ryan’s.”
My knuckles sting as I furiously rap them against Ryan’s front door until he opens it.
“What the—” Ryan barks until he sees my face. “Sophie, what’s wrong?” He pulls me into his living room.
“He lied to me.” In my purse, my phone rings incessantly. It must be the hundredth time he’s called since I left the shop. I jerk the damn thing from my bag and scream into the receiver. “Stop calling me!” Knowing he won’t stop I turn the phone off after hanging up on him.
“What did he lie about?” Ryan leads me to his sectional and sits beside me.
I rehash the entire scene for Ryan in one long run on sentence. “I am so done with him.”
“I can’t believe he did that,” Ryan says, astonished.
“He did,” Miranda confirms.
“I can’t go back to the house,” I tell him. “Is it okay if I stay here for the night?”
“Of course, babe.” Ryan rubs my arm to comfort me. “Stay as long as you need.”
“Thank you.” I fling my arms in the air and nearly hit Ryan in the face. “God, I’m such an idiot!”
“He’s the idiot,” Ryan asserts and holds my hands in his.
“I believed everything he said. All that shit about how he never wanted to be with anyone until me. How I made him feel something he never felt before.” I jump up and pace the room. “All bullshit!”
“He even had me convinced,” Miranda admits.
“You warned me, though. I should’ve stayed away from him. Now what the fuck am I going to do?” I gesture wildly in the air. “He lives right next door!”
“Don’t worry about that right now,” Ryan says. “We’ll figure something out.”
“Yeah,” Miranda agrees. “You need to put some space between you and him.”
“I want to punch him in the face.” I draw back my fist and look around for something, anything to punch, but give up after I find nothing. “I want to kick him so hard in the balls he’ll never be able to fuck her or any other bitch ever again!”
“I know that feeling,” Miranda says.
“Me, too girl,” Ryan concurs.
“I hate men!” I bellow and fall back onto the sectional.
“Hey,” Ryan feigns offense trying to lighten the mood.
“All men but you,” I correct with a forced smile.
“I hate to do this to you,” he says, “but I need to leave for work.”
“You really don’t mind me staying here?”
“Absolutely not. Make yourself at home. There’s plenty of food and drink. Booze if you prefer. If you get tired, sleep in my bed,” he offers with a warm smile. “But save room for me.”
I laugh, but barely. “Thank you so much.”
“Do you want me to stay awhile?” Miranda asks after
Ryan leaves.
She can’t stay with me. She has virtual class tonight. Virtual class is where she has to sign in and attend class online with the professor and other students. It’ll count against her if she misses. I don’t want her to get dinged on account of me and my boy problems.
“No. Go do your class thing.”
“I feel terrible leaving you here alone.”
“It’s okay,” I assure her with a smile. “It might do me some good to have time alone to think.” I don’t really believe this. In fact, I’m pretty sure being alone will be utterly miserable and could result in some sort of poor decision making.
“What should I say to him?” Miranda asks, standing in front of the door.
“Whatever you want, but do not tell him where I am.”
“I won’t,” she assures me.
“I’m serious, Miranda. You have to promise not to tell him.”
“I promise.” She starts out the door, but stops and turns around. “Call me if you need anything, okay?”
When I wake I turn on my phone, curious as to how many messages and texts Rooter has left for me. My stomach is upset. I’m nervous about what he might say, but I’m more nervous about how I’ll respond to it. I can’t bring myself to check my messages. I need more time to calm down.
Finally, at ten thirteen I give in. The first message was left right after I peeled away from the shop.
“Listen to them with me?” I ask Ryan who is sitting across from me at his dining room table.
“Sure,” he says and scoots into the chair next to me.
I take a deep breath and count to ten in an attempt to control the roiling of my stomach. After several long moments, I push play.
Chapter 20
The Explanation
“Sophie,” Rooter huffs, out of breath, “baby I’m sorry. Just let me explain. Call me or come back to the shop, please.”
In the second message, he gets a little more desperate.
“Babe, I know you think you know what you saw, but it’s not what you think. You need to call me back. Now.”
By the third message, he’s all but given up.
“Sophie, since you turned your phone off, this is gonna be my last message. I understand what you think you saw. If it was me I’d probably be pissed, too. But I wouldn’t run away from you.” There’s a pause. “You can’t hide from me forever so when you get this message, call me.”
The next voicemail is from Miranda. “Sophie, I talked to Rooter. It was all a huge misunderstanding. I think you should call him when you get this message.”
“Wow, he must’ve seriously done a number on her,” I snort.
There’s one more voicemail and I almost don’t want to listen to it.
“I’m lying in your bed,” my heartbeat quickens, “and I hate that you’re not here. I hate that you’re out there somewhere so mad at me that you won’t talk to me. Sophie, I swear to God I’d never do anything to hurt you. I care so much about you. Knowing that you’re sad because of me is killing me baby. Please come home and talk to me.”
It takes everything I have not to get choked up. He sounds so sincere. But isn’t that what cheaters and liars do? Play on others weaknesses and emotions? My mother did it to me until the day she died. She’d lie and do horrible things to me and then tell me how sorry she was. That she didn’t mean to do it or that, as in this case, I misunderstood something. I can’t go through that again. I won’t go through it again.
“What should I do?” I ask Ryan.
“You live next door to the guy. You’ll have to face him at some point.”
I fiddle with the phone. “Do you think it might’ve been a misunderstanding?”
“If he convinced Miranda of all people, it might have been. There’s only one way to find out.”
“Okay.” I take a deep breath. “Take me home.”
On the way to my house, I absentmindedly gnaw on my lip while trying to mentally prepare myself for what’s coming.
“You won’t have any lip left if you keep that up,” Ryan quips, trying to lighten the mood.
“I’m not sure I’m ready for this.”
The buildings are passing by too fast. I need this drive to last a little longer. Will Rooter and I argue? Will he be able to convince me of his innocence or is this the end? Do I even want to hear what he has to say? Words are so feeble. They can be meaningless. A person can say anything. Actions prove our intent, our loyalty, and our trustworthiness. Yesterday, he let the girl he swore he was done with put her hand and her mouth on him. He even smiled for Christ’s sake.
“It’s like a Band-Aid. Just get it over with and rip it off.”
I didn’t get much sleep last night. Every time I nodded off, I dreamt of her touching him. Kissing him. Of him enjoying it. The way he seemed to enjoy it yesterday. The way he seemed to enjoy her touching him a few weeks ago. I’m not sure this is something I can forgive, regardless of how he tries to explain or justify it. But I’m also not sure I can walk away from him. We’re barely even an “us” and already we’re at the brink of ruin.
We’re three blocks from my house. I exhale sharply and pull down the visor to check my appearance in the mirror. Of course I look like shit. My eyes are puffy, skin is blotchy. My hair is piled on top of my head in a messy bun. This is not the way I want to look when arguing with my boyfriend over being fondled by chick who’s twice as good looking as I am on my best day.
“You’re beautiful,” Ryan declares.
I flip the visor up and lean my head against the headrest as we pull onto my street. Rooter is nowhere to be seen when we pull up in front of my house. His bike isn’t in the driveway which gives me hope he might be gone.
“Thanks for everything, Ry.”
“Call me if you need anything,” he says as I climb out of the car.
I hurry to the hide-a-key rock that’s buried in our mulch bed to retrieve the key to the front door. If I can get inside without Rooter seeing me maybe I can delay the inevitable a little longer. I open the door, close my eyes and take a deep breath as I step into the house.
“Sophie,” Rooter’s worried voice gives me a jolt. Dopey comes bounding to my side.
“What are you doing in here?” I snap and throw my purse to the floor. This is my house. My sanctuary. He has no right to be in here without my permission and he most certainly doesn’t have it.
“I’ve been waiting for you to come home.” He rises from the couch and rubs the back of his neck.
“Couldn’t you have waited at your own house?” I clutch the back of the chair, angry.
Rooter ambles toward me, slow and cautious. “I was afraid you’d avoid me.”
He’s right. I would have. The dog paws at me but I’m too irritated to give him any attention.
“Sophie, I’m so sorry.”
If I went by his tone and remorseful expression, I’d believe him. But I’m going by what I saw.
“You’re only sorry you got caught.” I squeeze the fabric tighter and deliver a warning glare not to come any closer.
“That’s not true.”
“You just stood there and let her…” I mimic the way her hands groped him because I can’t say the words.
“Listen to me, I know how it looked and I’m sorry but—”
“Stop saying you’re sorry,” I scream and slam my fists on top of the back of the chair.
Rooter’s eyes go wide, and he instinctively takes a step back.
“And don’t you dare say it wasn’t what it looked like!” I point my finger at him. “You fucked up.”
Rooter takes a careful half step forward. “But, it wasn’t what it looked like, babe.”
His use of the word “babe” makes my stomach turn. I wonder how many times he called Candace “babe.” I bet he called her that every time they fucked. The mere thought of it makes me want to vomit. “Don’t call me that! I’m not your babe.”
“Yes, you are.” He reaches for me with worry etched into his features. �
��And I’m yours.”
“No.” I jerk away. “If you were mine, you wouldn’t have let her touch you that way.”
He clasps his hands over his head. “I should’ve handled it differently, it’s just that…”
“No justs, no buts. It should’ve never happened. How’d you like it if you saw some guy do that to me?”
His jaw clenches and there’s a spark in his eyes. “Honestly, I’d probably massacre the guy.”
“Exactly, but now I’m supposed to say, oh, don’t worry, it’s okay.”
“No, you’re not,” he sighs, impatient. “That’s why I’m trying to explain it to you.”
“Please, by all means,” I wave my hand in the air, “let’s hear why you let your ex-slut kiss you and grab your dick.”
Surprised by my choice of words, he raises both eyebrows before answering. “What she did is something she’s always done—”
I cut him off midsentence. “So since she’s always done it she might as well keep doing it? Is that what you’re saying?”
“No. Sophie,” he rubs his face, “will you please let me speak without interrupting?”
“Fine. Go ahead.”
I walk around to the front of the chair and sit cross legged with perfect posture as though I’m at a job interview. Rooter takes a seat on the couch to my right.
“I’ve known Candace all my life,” he begins. “We grew up together. Her dad was one of the original club members. When he died a few years back, she ran off with a guy from school. About a year ago, she moved back here after he nearly beat her to death. We started hooking up a few months back.
Rooter stops as though to gauge my response. When he seems to be convinced I won’t fly off the handle he continues, “We made a deal. It was just sex. No strings attached. If either of us met someone new or if one developed feelings and the other didn’t feel the same, we’d stop. So, after the night of your break in, I ended it with her. She put two and two together and figured I’d met someone. She flipped out.
He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “She admitted she was in love with me. Begged me to give her a chance. She threatened to kill herself. Said I’m all she has. The club is her only family. I knew that if she saw me with you, she’d lose her shit. She’s not stable. She could’ve hurt you or herself. I was taking the path of least resistance.”
Rooter (Double H Romance) Page 16