Face-Off at the Altar
Page 24
“Why the hell would I care? I care nothing about you.”
“Duly noted, sweetheart,” he said, and God, he was so sad about it.
Sweetheart! Ah, how dare he! He knew what that word did to her. How it rattled her soul and made her dumb on the spot. He was messing with her feelings, making her head spin, and as much as she wanted to break his nose to the other side, she also wanted to wrap her arms around him and comfort him. He looked like a dog that had been kicked around.
By her.
“Don’t call me sweetheart,” she yelled, turning on her heel and stomping to her room, now the one acting like a two-year-old.
As she slammed the door, Mr. Right looked up. When he saw it was her and that she didn’t have treats, he laid his head back down. Roaring with anger, she stomped through the room because there was no way she was staying there, nor was she going to her mother’s. Reaching for her phone, she called every hotel around them again, hoping to God someone would take pity on her and take her cat. She even offered a pet deposit, but no one would take her in. She considered just taking him and hoping she wouldn’t be caught, but what if she did and she was sued? Or kicked out! What if they took Mr. Right from her?
Ugh, what was she going to do?
Dialing Libby’s number, she waited for her to answer. “Hey.”
“Hey, so there was a mistake, and now I’m sharing a cabin with Markus.”
Libby let out a laugh. “You’re kidding.”
“I wish I were,” she moaned, not finding this the least bit funny. “I can’t find a hotel that will take me and Mr. Right, and I am not coming back to Mom’s, so I have no clue what I’m going to do.”
“Drop Fatty here and go to a hotel if it’s that big of a deal.”
“That big of a deal? Libby! He cheated on me.”
“I know, and I gave you a solution. What’s the problem?”
“The problem is you downplaying what he did!”
“I am not.” Libby fought back. “I’m giving you a solution to your problem, that’s all. I hate the guy for what he did.”
“Ugh! I’m sorry, I’m freaking out,” she said, pressing her face into her hands. “He makes me crazy.”
“I know, honey.”
“I broke his nose.”
“Good Lord, girl, you and your angry streak are scary. You totally get that from your mother, not me.”
Libby was trying to be funny, but there was no laughter left in Mekena. Her eyes filled with tears. “He looks so sad, like he’s the one hurting from seeing me. It’s weird, and I don’t know how to handle it. I don’t understand what I’m feeling. I want to hate him, I want to kick him and skin him, but I can’t. He was such a good guy to me. He was so sweet and nice, and then it was over. Am I pathetic? I’m pathetic, aren’t I?”
“You loved him, honey,” Libby answered, but she meant it in the past tense. There was no way Mekena could correct her, so she just nodded. “You’re also not over him.”
“I know, and I don’t know what to do. I know that makes me pathetic. That has to make me pathetic.”
Libby laughed. “No, honey, you’re not pathetic. Your first love is hard to get over, especially with how yours went down.”
“I just can’t understand why he did it. I really thought we had something special.”
“And he threw it away, dumbass.”
“It was special, both of us, together,” she whispered, her heart breaking all over again. “I…I don’t know how to explain it. I have a hard time explaining how he makes me feel, or more to the point, how his betrayal really broke me. It was just so out of left field. He wasn’t that guy. All the books I’ve read, all the movies and shows, you always know when the guy is kind of a dick and has the tendencies. But Markus wasn’t that guy. And being here with him, looking into his eyes, and smelling his sexy cologne, I’m falling flat on my face, Libby. I don’t know what to do. I can’t do this, and it’s only been one day. I’ve only seen him and screamed at him for maybe an hour total, and I feel like a complete idiot. A love-sick teenager.”
“Well, you are barely out of your teens.”
“Focus, Libby!”
“Yes, okay,” she said, sighing. “Really unloading there, baby girl.”
“I know. He makes me dumb.”
“But that’s the thing, you’re not dumb. You’re so smart and strong, Kennie. You need some closure? Talk to him, get your answers.”
Closing her eyes, she nodded once more. “Yeah, I guess. I don’t know.”
“Maybe you should just stay,” she said, but when Mekena started to protest, she stopped her. “I know it’s a crazy thought, but you’ve been hiding from this guy for over a year. Making sure you never see anything about him or are even in the same place as him. Now, you are. Instead of running, why don’t you stay and find out what you need to know? Really, I doubt you’ll see each other much with everything that’s going on, you know? Maybe just stay.”
Mekena was already shaking her head. “I can’t stay in the same place with him. I won’t make it.”
Libby laughed. “Make it? What, you’ll fall into bed with him?”
Astonished, Mekena laughed hard. “Whoa, you crazy sex addict! I mean, emotionally.”
“Oh, you’ll be fine,” she said, still laughing. “And I’m not addicted to sex, you prude.”
Mekena rolled her eyes. “Just ’cause I haven’t had sex doesn’t mean I’m a prude.”
“Whatever, I’m not going to argue that with you. But I know you, Mekena, and I know you need to sit down with him and get your answers. You need to know why. So here you go, your perfect chance.”
She was hesitant as she swallowed hard. “I don’t know.”
“Well, you think on that, but do it fast. You have an early morning.”
“Okay, but if I bring Mister over there, Mom will put him on a diet and he’ll hate me,” she said, thinking out loud.
“Oh, that’s a given, so maybe you should bring him anyway.”
“Leave my cat alone.”
“Put him on a diet, you enabler!”
Rolling her eyes, she said, “I’m hanging up.”
“Duly noted, sweetheart,” he said, and God, he was so sad about it.
Sweetheart! Ah, how dare he! He knew what that word did to her. How it rattled her soul and made her dumb on the spot. He was messing with her feelings, making her head spin, and as much as she wanted to break his nose to the other side, she also wanted to wrap her arms around him and comfort him. He looked like a dog that had been kicked around.
By her.
“Don’t call me sweetheart,” she yelled, turning on her heel and stomping to her room, now the one acting like a two-year-old.
As she slammed the door, Mr. Right looked up. When he saw it was her and that she didn’t have treats, he laid his head back down. Roaring with anger, she stomped through the room because there was no way she was staying there, nor was she going to her mother’s. Reaching for her phone, she called every hotel around them again, hoping to God someone would take pity on her and take her cat. She even offered a pet deposit, but no one would take her in. She considered just taking him and hoping she wouldn’t be caught, but what if she did and she was sued? Or kicked out! What if they took Mr. Right from her?
Ugh, what was she going to do?
Dialing Libby’s number, she waited for her to answer. “Hey.”
“Hey, so there was a mistake, and now I’m sharing a cabin with Markus.”
Libby let out a laugh. “You’re kidding.”
“I wish I were,” she moaned, not finding this the least bit funny. “I can’t find a hotel that will take me and Mr. Right, and I am not coming back to Mom’s, so I have no clue what I’m going to do.”
“Drop Fatty here and go to a hotel if it’s that big of a deal.”
“That big of a deal? Libby! He cheated on me.”
“I know, and I gave you a solution. What’s the problem?”
“The problem is you downplaying what he did!”
“I am not.” Libby fought back. “I’m giving you a solution to your problem, that’s all. I hate the guy for what he did.”
“Ugh! I’m sorry, I’m freaking out,” she said, pressing her face into her hands. “He makes me crazy.”
“I know, honey.”
“I broke his nose.”
“Good Lord, girl, you and your angry streak are scary. You totally get that from your mother, not me.”
Libby was trying to be funny, but there was no laughter left in Mekena. Her eyes filled with tears. “He looks so sad, like he’s the one hurting from seeing me. It’s weird, and I don’t know how to handle it. I don’t understand what I’m feeling. I want to hate him, I want to kick him and skin him, but I can’t. He was such a good guy to me. He was so sweet and nice, and then it was over. Am I pathetic? I’m pathetic, aren’t I?”
“You loved him, honey,” Libby answered, but she meant it in the past tense. There was no way Mekena could correct her, so she just nodded. “You’re also not over him.”
“I know, and I don’t know what to do. I know that makes me pathetic. That has to make me pathetic.”
Libby laughed. “No, honey, you’re not pathetic. Your first love is hard to get over, especially with how yours went down.”
“I just can’t understand why he did it. I really thought we had something special.”
“And he threw it away, dumbass.”
“It was special, both of us, together,” she whispered, her heart breaking all over again. “I…I don’t know how to explain it. I have a hard time explaining how he makes me feel, or more to the point, how his betrayal really broke me. It was just so out of left field. He wasn’t that guy. All the books I’ve read, all the movies and shows, you always know when the guy is kind of a dick and has the tendencies. But Markus wasn’t that guy. And being here with him, looking into his eyes, and smelling his sexy cologne, I’m falling flat on my face, Libby. I don’t know what to do. I can’t do this, and it’s only been one day. I’ve only seen him and screamed at him for maybe an hour total, and I feel like a complete idiot. A love-sick teenager.”
“Well, you are barely out of your teens.”
“Focus, Libby!”
“Yes, okay,” she said, sighing. “Really unloading there, baby girl.”
“I know. He makes me dumb.”
“But that’s the thing, you’re not dumb. You’re so smart and strong, Kennie. You need some closure? Talk to him, get your answers.”
Closing her eyes, she nodded once more. “Yeah, I guess. I don’t know.”
“Maybe you should just stay,” she said, but when Mekena started to protest, she stopped her. “I know it’s a crazy thought, but you’ve been hiding from this guy for over a year. Making sure you never see anything about him or are even in the same place as him. Now, you are. Instead of running, why don’t you stay and find out what you need to know? Really, I doubt you’ll see each other much with everything that’s going on, you know? Maybe just stay.”
Mekena was already shaking her head. “I can’t stay in the same place with him. I won’t make it.”
Libby laughed. “Make it? What, you’ll fall into bed with him?”
Astonished, Mekena laughed hard. “Whoa, you crazy sex addict! I mean, emotionally.”
“Oh, you’ll be fine,” she said, still laughing. “And I’m not addicted to sex, you prude.”
Mekena rolled her eyes. “Just ’cause I haven’t had sex doesn’t mean I’m a prude.”
“Whatever, I’m not going to argue that with you. But I know you, Mekena, and I know you need to sit down with him and get your answers. You need to know why. So here you go, your perfect chance.”
She was hesitant as she swallowed hard. “I don’t know.”
“Well, you think on that, but do it fast. You have an early morning.”
“Okay, but if I bring Mister over there, Mom will put him on a diet and he’ll hate me,” she said, thinking out loud.
“Oh, that’s a given, so maybe you should bring him anyway.”
“Leave my cat alone.”
“Put him on a diet, you enabler!”
Rolling her eyes, she said, “I’m hanging up.”
