I Want You Back

by Thayer King

  The idea of marrying Ashley filled him with such longing and joy that his heart was full with it. To have her with him always, without the fear of losing her again or knowing that it had to end soon, would be wonderful beyond words. But could he convince Ashley that he loved her? That he always had and had never stopped despite his recent assholery? He would. He had to. His life depended on it. He couldn’t go back to living this half-life he’d had in recent years.

  “Mother?”

  She stopped with her hand on the doorknob. “Yes, dear?”

  “Thank you.”

  ***

  Stephen tossed his bag into the trunk of his car and slammed it closed. He’d called from work and asked Craig to pack him a bag even when he didn’t know quite where he was going. He didn’t know where Ashley lived anymore. He’d really been a fool. He’d been so focused on getting revenge that he had learned virtually nothing about her current life. Surely, she didn’t live with her parents. After consulting the folder Dallas had put together on Ashley, he learned that she’d brought a beach house in Wilmington. The drive would take him about five to six hours. Since it was the start of the weekend, traffic would be heavy.

  As he rounded the car, Jeremy drove up. As soon as he’d figured out Ashley’s whereabouts, he’d left Jeremy a message telling him that he was leaving town for a few days. He paused with his hand on the door handle. Jeremy hopped out of his car and approached him at a fast clip. “I was negotiating a contract when you called.” He raked a hand through his hair, causing the blond strands to stick up in odd angles. “What the hell is this shit about you going after Ashley? I thought we agreed that it was for the best that she left.”

  On Wednesday, after Ashley left him, he’d gotten drunk and called Jeremy to commiserate. They’d ended the call by concluding that he didn’t need her. He’d been pretty bitter and very drunk. Even so, he’d known that he’d fucked up big by losing her again.

  “Jeremy, I love her.”

  “No, no, no, no. Not this again.”

  Stephen climbed into his car. “Jeremy, I’ve got a long drive ahead of me. Maybe we can discuss this when we get back?”

  “When we get back?”

  Stephen rolled his eyes. “Don’t act so surprised. I’m not coming back without her.” He started his car.

  Jeremy shook his head. “I knew it the minute I saw her,” he mumbled. Then he sighed. “Good luck, man.”

  “Thanks, Jeremy.”

  ***

  Ashley held her mug of untouched tea and stared unseeing at the television screen. She’d lost track of the plot within minutes of the start of the movie. She was afraid to move or blink. It was as though by staying still, she could stave off the pain of having lost the love her life. Only this time she knew with certainty that it was forever.

  “Ash, there’s someone at the door. Should I get it?”

  “Huh?” Ashley turned to her friend. She felt like she was viewing the world though a blanket of fog. Daphne had come over yesterday afternoon after work. Ashley had told her the entire sordid tale about her failed attempt to win Stephen back. Ashley wasn’t sure when Daphne had returned today. She recalled the other woman making dinner and pressing the cup of tea into her hand.

  Daphne patted her on the shoulder. “I’ll get it.”

  Ashley nodded and finally lifted her tea for a sip. It was at too cold to be a hot cup of tea and too warm to be iced tea. She placed it on the coffee table and sat back.

  “I don’t think this is a good idea,” Daphne was saying as she followed Shane into the room. “She’s really not in the mood for company.”

  Shane dropped to his knees before her and clasped her hands in his. Ashley frowned in confusion. “What are you doing here?”

  “A friend of mine said he thought he saw you coming into town so I came by to check. How are you, baby?”

  Ashley bit her lip and withdrew from Shane’s touch. “I’m fine. You should go.”

  He shook his head. “He hurt you, didn’t he? I told you he would. Guys like that-”

  “You don’t know anything about him,” she interrupted. “Why are you here, Shane?” She was quickly losing her patience with him. “I told you it was over between the two of us.”

  “I can’t just turn my feelings for you off like that. We were going to have a future together. We were going to live, love, and work together.”

  Her eyes narrowed on him in suspicion. Shane kept bringing up working with her. She didn’t think anything of it at first because she was too focused on trying to break up with him gently. He was a nice guy who’d done nothing wrong. But she’d never planned to work with him. Shane had developed a few gaming apps of his own but he’d garnered only moderate success. His games were too similar to other popular games currently available on the market. She’d played them and they felt like cheap knockoffs.

  “Shane, are you here because you love me or because of my money?” She’d never had to worry about someone wanting her for her money before since she’d never had much to spare. No one was more surprised than she was when a toy company offered her millions of dollars for the app she’d developed to help young kids learn to read. Shane blanched and struggled for words, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. “Get out,” she said, quietly.

  He stood and glared down at her. “Okay, so my motives weren’t pure, but who are you to judge me?”

  “You ass, I never took money for myself. Or is there some greater purpose that causes you to need money other than a larger television and a newer car?” Shane liked nice things and his finances were occasionally on shaky ground. She couldn’t believe that she’d ever been so stupid as to date him simply because he so closely resembled Stephen. His appearance had blinded her to his faults. She wondered if the money was the motive behind his recent obsessive behavior.

  She realized with a sinking feeling that it was. And worse…. “The only reason you proposed to me was because of the money, wasn’t it?”

  He shrugged. “I liked you well enough. But, yeah, I liked you a hell of a lot more when you got paid.” His face twisted in a grimace. “For all the good proposing did me. That sure as hell backfired.”

  “Yeah,” she agreed. His proposal had been a wakeup call for her. The moment she’d seen the ring in his hand, she’d known she could never love him, that she’d only ever love Stephen. “Goodbye, Shane.”

  “You know, we could still partner up on some-”

  “Have you no pride?” Daphne asked, disgust clear in her tone.

  “It was worth a try,” he said.

  Daphne followed him out. Ashley could hear her locking the door behind him. Glancing at the clock in the DVR, Ashley was surprised to see that it was after nine o’clock. “Daphne, shouldn’t you be heading home?”

  “Not if you need me. I can spend the night.”

  Ashley shook her head. “I don’t see why both of us should have a miserable weekend.”

  “I have a date tomorrow night, but until then I’m yours.”

  Ashley smiled. “You don’t have to do that. I’m not really in a talkative mood. I just want to wallow in my misery for a few more days.” A knock sounded at the door. She wrinkled her nose. “Dear God, please, don’t let that be Shane again.”

  Daphne laughed. “I can’t believe that he was such a jerk. I’ll get that and if it’s Shane, I’ll tell him to get lost.”

  “Thank you.”

  She heard Daphne open the door. Ashley couldn’t really hear over the sound of the television, but she thought that she detected a male voice. She wondered what angle Shane would attempt now in order to worm his way back into her life.

  Daphne came back into the room with raised eyebrows. “Ash, um, you never told me how much Shane and Stephen resemble one another.”

  “And how do you know-” Before she could finish her question, Stephen appeared in the doorway. Ashley stood. “Stephen, what are you doing here?” She was beginning to feel like a damned parrot repeating the
same phrase over and over.

  He came to her, his dark eyes pleading. “That much should be obvious.”

  She felt hope tremble in her breast, but she’d been deeply disappointed by him recently. She didn’t know if she even believed that they had a future anymore. “It’s not so obvious to me.”

  Stephen took a deep breath. “Ash, I want you back. Please, come home with me.”

  Despite her hope and her supposition of what he would say, she was still stunned by his words. She suddenly felt lightheaded. Reaching behind her, she found the arm of the couch and lowered herself into it.

  Daphne rushed to her side and Stephen kneeled before her. “Are you all right?” Daphne asked. “Do you want me to get rid of this one, too?”

  Stephen glared at her. “I’m not going anywhere without Ash,” he said forcefully. He exuded such an alpha vibe that it was practically tangible.

  Ashley laughed at Daphne’s expression. “Yeah, they look alike, but they are so different.” She sighed. “I’ll be fine. Why don’t you go on home? I’ll call you in the morning.”

  “If you’re sure…?”

  “I’m sure. Thanks, Daph.”

  Once she was gone, Stephen took a spot on the seat next to her. “Are you okay?”

  “It was a just a bit of a surprise. And, well, your words were just a bit familiar,” she said with a smile.

  Stephen laced his fingers with hers. “I’m sorry I was such an ass to you.”

  She took a trembling breath, the start of tears stinging her eyes. “I didn’t expect you to welcome me with open arms, but…” She’d spent the last few days reflecting upon the way he’d treated her. He’d never given her false promises, but he’d given her false hope, holding forgiveness just out of her grasp, always taunting her with the possibility. “I can’t go through that again. I won’t do it.”

  “I’m not asking you to. I’m talking about a new start.”

  Ashley bit her lip. Her eyes flicked over his face. He looked as tired and sad as she felt. She raised their joined hands. “Did you by any chance finally take a look at the dossier you had on me?”

  Stephen frowned. “Yeah. I wanted to know what was in it that upset you so much.”

  “I told you, it wasn’t the contents. It was that you felt the need to do it at all. It was such a Denton Ashcroft move and I couldn’t believe that the man I loved would do that to me. And if you can’t see that, then you can leave right now.” She stood and began to pace. “Is that why you came here? You finally figured out that I wasn’t angling for another payday?”

  “Ash, you have to understand. When you left me, it broke my heart. It changed me. I don’t give my trust easily anymore. I had to know or I’d always have doubts.”

  “You could have just asked me! But you weren’t interested in anything but getting revenge. Our entire time together was nothing but a lie.”

  Leaping up, he gripped her shoulders and halted her pacing. “That’s not true. Don’t say that. Ash, you were my world. When you left me, all the light went out of my life. I wanted to curl up and die. And in a sense, part of me did. I changed and I can’t undo that overnight no matter how much I may want to. You asked me for a second chance. Now I’m asking you for the same.”

  She wanted to say yes, but a sense of self-preservation made her hold back. “I need to think about it.”

  His eyes narrowed. “What is there to think about? When you came to me, you told me that you loved me and that you belong to me. Are those things no longer true? Are you getting back together with my photocopy?”

  Ashley walked away from him. “I told you that I loved you repeatedly and it didn’t make a damn bit of difference to you. I held nothing back, gave you my all.” She rubbed her eyes. “Now I’m exhausted, mentally spent. Can we talk about this in the morning? You’ve got to be exhausted from the drive down.”

  He was quiet. She could tell from his mulish expression that he wanted to continue to press home his point. Finally, he nodded. “I’ll go get my bags out of my car.”

  She thought it was presumptuous of him to expect her to let him stay at her house, but since it was late, she’d let him stay. Throwing him out would just be petty. “Fine, but you’re sleeping in the guestroom.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Ashley opened her eyes. Sunshine filled her bedroom. Without looking at a clock, she knew it was late morning. She’d had difficulty falling asleep last night. Her mind had been racing all night long and she was still no closer to making a decision about Stephen. She understood that he had no reason to trust her, but that didn’t make his treatment of her hurt any less. And it hadn’t escaped her notice that he’d never said that he loved her. If he had, she’d have more hope about their being able to make their relationship work.

  She heard sounds coming from downstairs and she wondered what he was doing. She slid out of bed and tugged on a robe over her t-shirt and shorts. At the door she recalled the scarf she’d tied around her hair before going to bed. She pulled it off and tossed it at the bed before heading downstairs.

  She found Stephen in the kitchen flipping pancakes. A plate of bacon sat on the countertop. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air. “You remembered,” she said when she got a peek at his stack of perfect, fluffy pancakes. When they’d dated, he hadn’t known how to boil water. He was rich and spoiled. She doubted he’d ever seen the inside of a kitchen. So she’d taught him how to make a few simple meals. Fortunately, it hadn’t proven to be too difficult since he was a quick learner.

  He turned to her with a grin. The sight of his smile made her realize how often it’d been missing of late. “I had a good teacher. Though, I confess, I haven’t really kept in practice.”

  “Everything looks wonderful.” Including him. He wore a burgundy t-shirt that stretched over his broad shoulders, clung lovingly to his chest, and flared out slightly over his trim waist. Dark jeans cupped his ass and made her palms itch to smack the firm flesh.

  Catching the direction of her gaze, Stephen’s grin widened. “Why don’t you take a seat and I’ll serve you?”

  Ashley couldn’t help eyeing him suspiciously as she took a seat at her breakfast table. He placed a loaded plate in front of her and gave her a cup of coffee and a small bowl of strawberries. She blew on the coffee and took a sip. She released an appreciative hum. The coffee was already prepared the way she liked it with a dollop of cream and lots of sugar.

  “Did I get it right?” he asked with a smile.

  “You know you did. It’s delicious. Thank you. How did you sleep last night?”

  He shrugged and sipped from his coffee mug. “Well enough. Not as well as I do when you’re by my side.”

  She took a bite out of a crispy strip of bacon. “You’re not going to seduce me into taking you back, you know.”

  “I didn’t think it would hurt to try.”

  Ashley harrumphed. “You see where it got me—nowhere.”

  “Don’t pretend you didn’t enjoy every moment we were together,” Stephen said in a dark, dangerous tone.

  She knew better than to challenge him sexually. It would end up the two of them rolling around naked, but ultimately their issues would go unresolved. She shifted her gaze to the window. The beautiful beach scene beyond was lost on her. She didn’t see any of it as she tried to think of a way to reply to him. “Yes, I did. But then we’re here.”

  He poured syrup on his pancakes and sliced into the stack. “Yes, we’re here. I didn’t think much of it last night, but from your friend’s comments, I gathered that my doppelganger had already lain himself at your feet. Are the two of you together again?” He stuffed a forkful of pancake into his mouth.

  “No.” Ashley toyed with her fork. “It seems he was only interested in my money.”

  Stephen choked. He took a sip of his coffee and cleared his throat. “What?”

  Her mouth twisted. “I’m sure you will appreciate the irony. Since I wasn’t willing to reconcile with him, he did offer t
o work with me on any future apps I create.”

  “The bastard.”

  His vehemence surprised her. She would have thought he’d find this particular turn of events amusing. “You’re not going to say that I deserved that?”

  Stephen scowled. “Did you love him?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  “Then the situations may be similar, but they’re not the same. The two of you aren’t dating anymore and there are no hurt feelings involved. I only wish I’d been here at the time.” The violent glint in his eye left no doubt as to his intentions toward Shane. “Now, back to a topic that interests me far more. I want to talk about us. Will you give me a second chance?”

  Ashley bit her lip. She wanted to ask him so badly if he loved her, but she was afraid of what his answer might be. “Can we discuss this after breakfast?” Talking about it now was only tying her stomach up in such tight knots that she couldn’t digest her breakfast properly.

  He nodded. “We can take a walk along the beach. It’s beautiful here. I can see why you bought the house.”

  ***

  Stephen linked his fingers with Ashley’s and squeezed her hand. He was relieved when she didn’t pull away. They walked along the beach close to the water. The sun was hot but a cool, refreshing breeze blew over them. Neither of them wore shoes and wet sand squished between their toes.

  Stephen cleared his throat and prepared himself for baring his soul. Discussing his emotions wasn’t something he was used to but it was the only way he was going to have a chance with Ashley. She had to know the depth of the devastation she’d left in her wake all those years ago.

  “Before when I told you that my father told about the money to stop me from chasing after you, I didn’t tell you that I actually did drive down. Only when I arrived, I realized that I didn’t know where you lived. You never brought me down with you when you’d come to visit your parents. That got me to thinking that maybe I never meant as much to you as you meant to me. That maybe being with me was always just a means to an end and you just waited until you were offered more money.”