Page 32 of All I Feel

If I thought I’d felt angry on Tessa’s behalf for whatshe’d been through over the last week, I now knew it was only the beginning. Something told me I wasn’t going to like one word of what she was going to share with me. Even still, there wasn’t a chance I’d walk away and leave her to deal with it on her own. She was far too important.

Doing my best to tamp down the anger I felt, I slid my fingers up her neck and into her hair. Stroking along the back of her scalp, I said, “I’m so sorry to hear that, Tessa. What happened? Why did you burst into tears the moment you opened your door to me?”

She closed her eyes and leaned her head back into my touch. I pressed in a bit more firmly, wanting to give her whatever she was seeking. A moment later, she asked, “How long do you have?”

“For you? All the time in the world.”

Tessa’s eyes met mine, and her gaze softened. “You’re such a good man, Ace. You’re not like Ryan at all. He’s a bad guy and an awful boyfriend.”

Damn. She hadn’t said ex-boyfriend. “Do you want to tell me what makes that so?”

Tessa dropped her stare to her lap and let out a deep breath. “He was only faithful for two months. Evidently, he had needs, and he decided that waiting for me to be ready wasn’t an option for him. So, he took care of those needs by hooking up with his ex-girlfriend over the last six months.”

It was a good thing Tessa hadn’t asked me to be here with her when this conversation went down because it was likely I’d now be at the police station. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

Shaking her head, she murmured, “I wish I were.”

“So, is he back with her now?”

Tessa shrugged. “No, I don’t think so. It didn’t seem that way when he was here.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Ryan actually thought he could tell me that I was basically to blame for his infidelity, but since I took that step in our relationship with him two weeks ago, everything would be perfect between us now.”

Though he’d never given me any legitimate reason for it, I’d never really liked the guy from the start. Now, I was relieved to know my gut instincts about him were accurate. “Seriously?”

She nodded. “Yes. I told him there was absolutely no chance for us, but he was adamant. I don’t know. It was like he couldn’t grasp the level of hurt his betrayal caused, like he didn’t understand I’d never be able to trust him again.”

Some relief settled inside me to hear she was choosing to walk away and give herself what she deserved. Tension eased out of my shoulders. “But you made it clear you weren’t interested in continuing a relationship with him, right?”

“I did.” There was such a sense of resignation in her tone. “But Ryan had things he wanted to make clear to me, too.”

I thought I’d already heard the worst of it. Apparently, I hadn’t. “What were those things?”

“It’s crazy, Ace. I’ve never seen him so scared.”

“Scared?” Safe to say, I hadn’t expected her to say that. “About what? What did he want to make clear to you, Tessa?”

Tipping her chin up, her eyes roamed over my face for a long time. I could only assume she was attempting to determine whether I could handle what she was about to share. “Ryan doesn’t like the idea of losing me. So, he said he’d give me some time, but he isn’t going to let me go, promising to do whatever it takes to win me back.”

My arms tightened around her. “We’re not going to let that happen.Iwon’t allow that to happen. You’ve told him where you stand, so it might suck for him, but he’s going to get used to the idea of living without you.”

“That all sounds logical and reasonable, Ace, but I just don’t think it’s going to be as simple as me having this conversation with him one time.”

“You leave that to me.”

Tessa blinked, clearly caught off guard by my declaration. “Pardon?”

“You told him where you stand. It sounds like he doesn’t plan to respect your wishes, so I’m going to make sure he understands that this isn’t negotiable. That’s it.”

“Ace, I don’t want?—”

“I’m doing it, Tessa. You don’t need his nonsense in your life, and I’m going to see to it that you don’t have to deal with it. If it’s over for you because that’s what you want, then it’s over. I’ll make sure he gets that message.”

Her shoulders sagged with relief. Even if she’d been just about ready to claim she didn’t want me getting involved, Tessa’s response told me everything I needed to know. She was worried he wasn’t going to leave her alone. I wasn’t going to stand by doing nothing while it happened.

“I don’t know who showed up here today,” she shared. “The man who stood here saying all that Ryan did was not the man I gave my heart to. I mean, at first, he was apologetic and remorseful. But he eventually showed me such a dismissive attitude, like he didn’t think my feelings on the situation mattered much at all. And once I told him I wasdone, he became aggressive. Not in a physical way. He just… He was so different.”