Page 35 of Playing With Temptation

Yet, I didn’t since she was the one who ended our relationship. Then went on to end our friendship. And if her attitude the last two times I saw her was anything to go by, she had no intention of resurrecting our friendship.

So, no, I didn’t fucking get it—any of it.

And I was done playing this game with her.

“She’s the mother of my children.” I didn’t miss Rainy’s flinch. “As their mother, it’s not surprising she’d come by to check on me. Though, being my ex-wife, it’s not a shock she didn’t stick around after she found out all I needed was a few stitches.”

Rainy nodded but didn’t comment.

“Is that what you wanted to tell me, that my ex-wife was here?” I pushed.

“No,” she whispered. “I… um… it was a bad idea coming here. I just…”

She trailed off, once again dodging why she was there.

“You just what?” I spat, losing my temper.

“Needed to see if you were okay.” With a shake of her head, she pushed out of the chair and took her feet. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t’ve come.”

As pissed as I was, it didn’t stop me from taking her in. Top-to-toe, Rainy Cross was the total package. At fourteen, she’d been pretty. At fifteen, she’d grown into her beauty. At sixteen, the promise of her had shined bright. At seventeen, she turned heads. She’d bounced through the halls of our high school, holding my hand, totally unaware she could’ve dumped my ass and there would’ve been a line of assholes happy to take my place.

Back then I knew I was lucky. I knew she loved me with a certainty I never doubted. I knew we’d go the distance. I knew I’d have a lifetime of waking up next to a gorgeous, sweet, funny woman. I knew I’d spend the rest of my life doing whatever I needed to do to make her happy.

Then she took it away.

And now there she was, all these years later, back in Hollow Point, standing next to my hospital bed, looking gorgeous, once again taking herself away from me.

The pain of that burned through me.

Fifteen years passed and that shit still stung like it happened yesterday.

“You’re good at that.”

She looked down at me and asked, “Good at what?”

“Leaving.”

I knew I scored a point when she was unable to hide her wince.

“That was low,” she whispered.

She was right, it was.

“Yet it’s the truth.”

Rainy’s back snapped straight and the hurt cruised out of her face.

“I shouldn’t have come,” she bit out.

“Why did you come?” I pressed. “And don’t feed me bullshit you wanted to know if I was okay, because if that was the case, you could’ve asked Sophie.”

Way back when, I knew Rainy. I could read her body language. With one look I knew her mood.

Now, not so much.

I saw the hurt and anger filter through her expression, but there was something else there. Something I couldn’t get a lock on.

I didn’t need to tax myself trying to figure out what was going through her mind. Rainy was done with me acting like a dick and had no problem communicating she was done.