The plan made sense. Even if it was vague and didn’t take into account Tris’s reaction to seeing her.
“Lord, what if he won’t even talk to me?”
The car drifted as she rounded a bend on the slippery mountain road and her fingers flexed, her hands tightening on the wheel as she eased off the gas.
Driving in snow country definitely required full concentration. The last thing she needed was to end up in a wreck. At this point, the Cavalier was her only means of shelter and crashing it would put her in an even worse position.
“I am such an idiot.” She wanted to thunk her head on the steering wheel.
She’d given up her home and most of belongings and driven three thousand miles with no place to land. Not exactly the best decision she’d ever made. She should have called. Except telling Tris he was going to be a father over the phone felt wrong and she’d already denied him the first few months. Not that that was her fault, it wasn’t like he’d even told her he was leaving.
Okay, sure, she’d kicked him out of bed then out the door and she couldn’t remember exactly what she’d said to him but Covington had no doubt it wasn’t good because the man had left town!
Hell, he’d crossed the country to get away from her.
With another deep sigh she accepted the fact the next few hours would be some of the most difficult of her life.
She had to tell the man who’d fathered her children he was going to be a dad. Convince him she hadn’t kept him in the dark on purpose and hope he let her stay with him until she worked out some other arrangement.
Up ahead a sign at the side of the road made her a teeny tiny bit optimistic. As it flashed past she smiled. Surely everything would be okay when she was heading into a town called Hope Falls.
***
Tris fell onto his bunk at the stationhouse, his body limp with fatigue, every muscle screaming with pain after his session in the gym where MMA champion, Lucky Dorsey, had done exactly as Tristan had asked and delivered a punishing workout. But it didn’t help, nothing Lucky put him through helped. Tris’s mind remained alert and spinning around the one subject he’d tried every day for the last few months to erase.
Covington Valenti.
No matter how hard he worked or worked out or drank, he couldn’t remove the images of Cov naked and writhing beneath him from his head.
One night and she’d marked him for life.
He’d known he was hooked on the woman the second his friend had introduced them, but with Dirk’s ring on her finger there was no way Tris could make a move. For over a year he’d watched the man he’d once called friend demolish any respect and loyalty Tris had for him.
Keeping his mouth shut about Dirk’s cheating had been torture. Tris had struggled with the dilemma every day until he’d finally had enough and gone to Cov’s place with the intention of telling her everything.
Except she’d already known.
God, he wished he could have spared her that heartbreaking discovery.
Although he had to admit he hadn’t seen one tear. Anger, frustration, embarrassment, they were all there, but not for one second did she appear heartbroken by Dirk’s behavior.
It was why he’d made a move.
And fucked everything up.
He’d never forget the look of pure bliss on her face when she’d come apart in his arms. Never forget the sheer joy of joining his body with hers and pushing her over the crest once more, this time going right along with her.
Nor would he forget the slumberous eyes, smokey with satisfaction, that blinked awake the next morning. Or the rush of dismay and horror that stole away her contentment as she’d registered who was in bed with her.
His plan had been to let her wake slowly before loving her all over again.
Except Cov had other ideas, and all of them were filled with shock and shame and embarrassment.
He’d tried to argue. Tried to get her to see reason but by the time she’d pushed and shoved and maneuvered him to her front door, his clothes a bundle in his arms, she’d been in tears and Tris had known there was no way to get through to her in that moment.
Yanking on his pants, he figured he’d give her some time to settle then they’d talk, except her parting words had sliced through him as though she’d thrust a dagger into his chest.
“Tell that lying cheating worthless scumbag I fucked you for revenge. Tell him how I swallowed. That’ll give him a kick in the nuts knowing you got what he never did.”
