Page 34 of Love At Peace

He shrugged. “Eventually, she might. And after that, you grovel. You show her that you mean it. That you really are sorry. That you want to make things right.”

“Grovel?” I rolled my eyes, hating that damn word. When shit hit the fan with Veronica, when we were in the back-and-forth pattern of fighting, making up, and back again, she liked to claim that I had to grovel. That every time I accused her of something—which she lied about and was actually doing, like cheating—she told me that I had to grovel if I wanted her forgiveness. The concept of groveling would forever be linked to the manipulation I suffered from my ex.

Heather wasn’t like Veronica in that regard, but it was tricky to separate what I went through with the last woman I’d called my lover, my partner, from the woman I wanted in my life now.

“Telling her sorry is only the first part, man. You have to show her that you’re willing to seek her forgiveness.” He huffed a sad laugh. “Especially when she was right all along about Nevaeh and David hooking up.”

“Yeah. I know. I get it.” I furrowed my brow as I watched the gray skies blur by outside. “But I’m not sure if apologizing or groveling would be enough.”

Once Heather put her walls up, there was no direct or simple way to break them back down.

Chapter 13

Heather

Eric was released the next day. His discharge information included a lot about staying hydrated, how to eat soft foods, and to keep his ankle elevated and iced.

I didn’t have to do much to get Eric settled. His house was on the bare side, with just the basic furniture and no clutter. It appeared to be a lived-in home, but with the ongoing projects everywhere, it was clearly a work in progress.

Once I got him onto his recliner, which he preferred to be able to watch TV and to get up easier with the footrest that could move, he sighed heavily like he just wanted to sleep again. So I let him nap. I went to the food mart to get soft and mostly liquid things to stock up in his fridge.

“Trying a new diet?” Ashley taunted when I checked out.

I stared at her, lacking the energy to waste on a reply for her.

She furrowed her brow, perhaps annoyed that I wasn’t engaging in her stupid routine of acting like we were still in high school.

Eric woke up when I came back to his place, and he seemed much more comfortable in his own home.

“I’ve got lots of things in the fridge and freezer. I got a lot of straws, too.” I snapped my fingers. “Oh, and I washed out the blender. I suspect it’ll get a lot of use.”

He nodded, seeming down. “I’m sorry, Heather,” he mumbled.

“For what?” I shrugged. It was just one day off of work. I felt like I wasn’t doing anything special.

“That I don’t know what happened. If I was near your ex’s place...” He sighed, readjusting the ice pack on his jaw. “Then it’s got to be something related to him.”

I was dying to know what had happened too. My worst suspicion was that David could’ve targeted him as a way to get to me. But that didn’t seem to make sense anymore. If he was sleeping with Nevaeh, he seemed to have moved on from me. Why would he try to do something to my cousin to attack or wound me if he was moving on to a new woman, a new prey?

“Do you remember approaching him?” I asked. “Before that day that you were there?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know. I don’t remember any conversations with him. Or plans to see him. Or...” His brow was lined as he seemed to concentrate harder. Maybe he was taxing himself too hard.

“Don’t force it. It’ll come back to you,” I advised.

For the rest of the day, I stayed there to help him move with his ankle and get comfortable. He would be off from working at the ranch for the rest of the week, but I would be going back to the bank tomorrow.

It was a new companionship that we were forging, but it wasn’t altogether awkward. He didn’t talk much—both because his jaw was wounded and because he wasn’t talkative to begin with—and I didn’t try to stress him out with the expectation to talk or answer questions. I was itching to know what happened. If David had gone to Eric with ill intentions or if Eric had gone to him to defend my honor or stand up for me.

I didn’t need a hero. I didn’t want a man swooping in to be a knight in armor for me. Yet, I could see how my cousin would feel like he had to because he was family.

Still, I refrained from asking him about what happened that day.

Marty stopped by, just to check on Eric, but when he saw me there visiting, he didn’t push me to speak up about David. It felt like a ticking time bomb, with the cop and others wanting me to tell them about what my ex had done to me. But he didn’t put me on the spot.

Not yet.

The next day, when I went back to work at the bank, I tried to understand what David was doing and why. I couldn’t shake those thoughts and questions out of my mind.