Page 3 of All I Feel

In fact, I enjoyed it so much, it was no wonder I got so caught up in it that I hadn’t realized how much time had passed. When I glanced over at where the guys were sitting, belatedly noting that Ryan hadn’t arrived, I leaned towardLark and said, “I’ll be right back. I’m just going to check and see if Ryan’s okay.”

She nodded and continued dancing with the rest of the girls as I walked off the dance floor.

“Hey, Tessa. All done out there?” Archer asked.

I shook my head, reaching for my purse. “No. I texted Ryan on the way here.” Pulling my phone out, I noted the blank display and got worried. Had something happened to him on the way here? Focusing briefly on the guys at the table, I said, “I’ll be right back.”

Phone clutched in my hand, I turned from the table and made my way to the opposite corner of the saloon and called Ryan. Three rings later, his voice came through the line. “Tessa.”

“Ryan? Is everything okay?” He sounded like he’d just woken up.

There was a bit of rustling around before he replied, “I’m so sorry, babe. I came home from work and laid down for a few minutes. I must’ve dozed off.”

Disappointment washed over me. “I’ve been looking forward to seeing you all week. Are you not going to make it tonight?”

“I… I’m exhausted,” he said, his voice dipping low. “But I miss you, too. How about I come to your place first thing tomorrow morning? No work for either of us, and we’ll spend the day together.”

Maybe I needed to have some understanding. He had been working hard all week on this case.

I parted my lips to respond, to tell him that we’d see each other tomorrow, but more words were spoken. A feminine voice came through the line. “Ryan, baby, come back to bed.”

My stomach plummeted, and I gasped.

“Tessa—”

“Is someone there with you?”

“It’s not what you think,” he said, his voice panicked.

“She just called you baby and asked you to come back to bed,” I fired back. “Are you cheating on me?”

“I’ll come by tomorrow morning. We’ll talk.”

He didn’t deny it. My insides felt like they’d been hollowed out.

Despite the noise from the music and the folks surrounding me, I could only hear the ringing in my own ears. As I lowered my hand from my ear, I could’ve sworn I heard Ryan call my name, but I didn’t care. I disconnected the call, tried to breathe through the mounting devastation, and finally turned to run outside.

The moment I was on the wrap-around balcony, I sucked in as much air as I could. But it was summer, and the evening air didn’t feel as cool and dry as it usually did. Feeling unsteady, I rested my arms on the wooden railing and bowed my head, tears clouding my vision.

How could I have been so stupid? So blind?

Whoever that woman was, she was comfortable with him. She called himbaby.They had to be close, familiar. How long had this been happening?

I didn’t know how long I’d been standing there, simply trying to breathe, but at some point, I felt his approach. Then, Ace’s palm landed lightly on the middle of my back before he said softly, “Tessa.”

That tenderness in his tone was all it took. I broke down sobbing seconds before Ace pulled me into his arms.

ONE

TESSA - FOURTEEN YEARS EARLIER

“Tessa, that’s enough syrup.”

I barely glanced in my mom’s direction as I replied, “Just a little bit more. I’m almost finished.”

“Not every nook needs to be filled.”

She was wrong. There was no other way to eat a Belgian waffle than to make sure every nook was filled with syrup. “That’s the only way it tastes good, Mom.”