“Hey,” Gunnar said when she stepped inside. “How was your date?”
“It was good.”
She set her keys and purse down on the hall table before stepping into the living room. Their home was a two-story Victorian, not too big or too small, though the girls claimed their bedrooms were the size of the closets in their dad’s house.
“You going to see him again?”
“I think so.”
She stepped out of her flip-flops and crossed the hardwood floor before sinking down on the sofa, with a full-sized cushion between her and Gunnar. She could have sat on one of the two chairs, but didn’t want it to seem she was uncomfortable being near him.
“The girls are in bed?” she asked, reaching for the remote and turning on the evening news.
“Yeah, they went up a little while ago.”
“Did they show you to your room?”
“Yeah, I left my duffle bag in there.”
A person could fit a lot of clothes in a duffle bag, which concerned her. She’d hoped he would stay a day or two, get caught up with the girls, then disappear for a few more months.
“Tell me about your life, Gi,” he said, holding a pillow against his chest. “You like it here?”
“Sure.” She bit her lip, wondering how much she should reveal. “It reminds me of Frazier Park.”
“Without the mountains.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“We could have lived there, you know. In Frazier Park. We didn’t have to live in Beverly Hills.”
“Frazier Park was too far. You said so yourself.” She’d suggested it when they found out she was pregnant. She was young and wanted to be close to her mom. He wanted to hire a nanny and stay in L.A. He got his way and she learned to settle for monthly visits with her parents when Gunnar was on the road.
“I was a selfish ass,” he said, curling his hand into the pillow. “I know that now. It was my world and everyone else just lived in it.”
She didn’t know how to respond to that. “I knew who you were and what you did when we met. I never asked you to change.”
“Didn’t you?” He tipped his head to look at her. “You asked me to be something I couldn’t. Not then.”
Not then?“Right… a husband.” A life partner. A best friend.
“I never really thought you’d leave me.”
It had taken her a long time to work up the courage, but by the time she finally did, she had no regrets about leaving. “It was for the best, Gunnar. I’m sure you can see that now. You have your life and I have mine, here, with the girls.”
“My life is empty without all of you.”
She never expected to see a glimmer of vulnerability from him. “I find that hard to believe. You still have your friends, your music, adoring fans, enough money to satisfy any desire. What more could you want, right?”
Gunnar had always been the outgoing one in their relationship. He needed to go where the action was, to see and be seen. She was the homebody who loved a good book and the occasional glass of wine. They couldn’t have been more different, which should have been reason enough for her to avoid his advances. But she was young and naïve and he was rich and famous and used to getting what he wanted.
“All of that gets old after a while.” He rested his head on the back of the sofa and stared at the original chandelier centered on the high ceiling.
“Even the music?” she asked, staring at him.
He was still ridiculously handsome with that caramel skin and those hazel eyes framed by thick, long lashes that would have made any woman envious. His long legs were stretched out in front of him, his body as tight and lean as ever, thanks to his penchant for running—to clear his head, he claimed.
“Even the music,” he confirmed, tilting his head to look her in the eye. “I’m supposed to be at home working on a new album right now. I was sitting at my piano this afternoon, staring at a photo of you and the girls and it hit me. What the hell am I doing? I shouldn’t be there. I should be here. With you guys.”
