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I learned to live with the hate that had filled the spot where my heart once lived.
Sitting here waiting for Cal proved I’d made the right decision to get as far away as I could from him.
If I hadn’t, I’d have spent the past eleven years doing this very thing. Waiting for a man who didn’t want me.
Why do you want him now?
Because he still made me feel protected. Even if it was false.
I needed someone to lean on. Who was I kidding? I needed him.
But this time, I knew what to expect. He couldn’t blindside me again.
It was impossible for him to hurt me any worse when I’d been living with the pain since he’d so cruelly ended things.
He’d gotten what he wanted from me all those years ago. Now it was time for me to get what I wanted from him.
I just hadn’t figured out what that was yet.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Cal
“Why don’tyou tell me who did that so I can go break his face?”
She climbed into the passenger seat and slammed the door. “Thanks for reminding me I look like a punching bag.”
I growled. Her bruises had deepened in color. The makeup wasn’t working.
“You need a reminder. So it doesn’t happen again.”
She aggressively buckled her seatbelt. “So it’s my fault?”
I gripped the steering wheel and willed patience. “No.”
Her brows shot up. Then she tossed her purse on the floor and sat cross-legged in the seat.
Just like she used to.
She leaned her head back like it was too heavy to hold up anymore. “I didn’t call you so we could argue.”
“Good. Cause I didn’t come pick you up to fight.”
I needed her. Needed to be in her orbit, even if it was just for a little while, so she could make everything else disappear.
“Should we go to the zoo?”
Her lips twitched.
I pulled into the street and eased to a stop at the traffic light.
“I can’t go chasing after you into the camel enclosure.”
She lolled her head toward me. “I just wanted to feed them.”
A few drops of rain hit the windshield. “Looks like Mother Nature is giving us a sign to skip the zoo.”
“I’m not afraid of a little rain, but since you are, fine.” She turned up the radio.
