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My heart constricts at the sight of her begging. “Shez.” I take her in my arms and hold her tight as her tears roll down her face. “Don’t be upset.” I kiss her temple. “I can’t stand seeing you like this.”
“Then give me a chance. We can try. I’ll move here. You know I can make you happy, Spence.”
I glance at the door. Edward is still out there. I completely forgot about him for a moment.
“Sheridan, my next appointment is here,” I whisper in a panic.
“Can I see you tonight?” she pleads.
“No.”
Her face scrunches up. “Ten years together, and you can’t even have dinner with me to talk about this?”
Fuck, I’m a selfish prick.
“Tomorrow night,” I whisper. “We’ll meet tomorrow night.” Right now, I just need her out of here. I’ll deal with her tomorrow.
She smiles, mollified for the moment. “Okay.” She leans in and kisses me softly on the lips, rubbing her fingers through my stubble. “I’ll call you tomorrow?”
Fuck, why is nothing fucking easy? “Sure. Now I have to see my next appointment. Clean yourself up, you look like a mess.”
“Then stop upsetting me.” She huffs as she walks into the bathroom.
I pinch the bridge of my nose in frustration. Jesus fucking Christ, how do I get myself into this shit? I exhale heavily as she washes her face and redoes her makeup.
“Will you hurry?” I snap.
“Stop it,” she scolds me. “I’ll be ready to leave when I’m ready to leave and not a minute before.”
She reappears with her power suit firmly back in place, and I smile at the sight of her. “That’s better.”
She smiles bashfully. “What have you done to me, Spencer Jones?”
Sadness fills me. I do love Shez, just not in the way I love Charlotte. I don’t know how to make this right for her.
Ten years is a long time.
“I’ll see you tomorrow night?” She smiles hopefully.
I nod. “You will, speak tomorrow.”
She kisses me softly on the lips, and I wrap my arms around her, holding her close. There is a familiarity in her touch that comforts me. My eyes close with sadness because I know that this is our last embrace. As if sensing it, too, she squeezes me tight and we stay in each other’s arms for an extended moment. I pull back and cup her face in my hand, rubbing my thumb over her bottom lip.
“I do care for you, you know that, right?” I whisper.
Her eyes fill with tears anew. “But not love?”
“Baby, don’t…” I sigh.
She breaks from my arms and stares at the floor for a moment while she pulls herself together. I see her transform back to the power woman the world knows. She picks up her bag and heads for the door.
“Speak tomorrow,” I say.
Without another word, she leaves, and the door clicks shut behind her. I know I don’t have to worry about her saying anything to anyone or looking upset out there in reception. She would rather die than show any weakness. I hate that after ten years she just opened up to me and I kicked her out.
Such an asshole.
I press my eyeballs with my fingers and pace back and forth for a moment, trying to calm myself down.
