AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Bronwyn sensed my anger as I led her from the hospital, and out into the sunlit day.
“Chase, what is it? What’s wrong?”
I felt completely disconnected from her and I let go of her arm the second we were out of the door and we started across the parking lot. I didn’t bother asking if she wanted me to get a cab or Uber. The walk was perfect to talk without her being confined within four walls and she’d be less able to whine or wheedle me. I didn’t want her to try to touch me or try to initiate sex. She was prone to do that whenever we had an argument and I intended to avoid it entirely. Not that I’d ever be able to touch her now, but I just didn’t want to deal with it.
“What did you say to Teagan?” I asked pointedly.
“Nothing, Ace.”
“Bullshit!” I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans as I strode down the sidewalk. Her legs were shorter and she had to walk faster to keep up. “I know when I’ve been lied to.”
“Oh, do you? That’s rich!” Bronwyn exclaimed. “You’re taking her side over mine? No one has lied to you more than she has!”
We both had sunglasses on, but I could see by the frown and firm line of her mouth that she was furious. The thing was, I didn’t give a shit. I faced forward and kept walking. “Just tell me what you said.”
“I’ve been here for you the whole time. Where has she been? Marrying some other bloke and letting him raise your daughter. You’ve got your loyalties misplaced!”
I stopped and grabbed her arm, turning her to face me. I didn’t care that there were people walking past us, I didn’t give a damn if others overheard us. “The stuff between Teagan and me is between her and I. Right now, I’m asking you what you said to her.”
“I said the truth, Ace.” She said, yanking her arm free and scowling at me. “What she did is unforgivable, she’s married, and you and I are together so she should stop trying to play on your emotions!”
All things being equal, there was a ring of truth to her words and I’d have to be an idiot if I hadn’t said the same thing to myself ten times, but my emotions were dictating every goddamned thing. I ran a hand through my hair and put one hand on my hip. “Fuck,” I muttered. “She isn’t trying to play me. She hasn’t asked me for one damn thing other than to help save Remi’s life if I can!”
“We both know that’s utter bloody rubbish! This whole thing is a scheme to get you back. Open your eyes, for God’s sake!”
I barked out a cynical laugh. “Right. Remi’s leukemia is all made up and the entire hospital is playing along!”
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it!”
All I could do was stare at her. The trip to the U.S. had shown a new side of her and she’d killed anything I felt for her. I found myself wondering if she was even my friend. “It’s not fair to you, but I need you to go back to London until after Remi’s transplant is over. I need to take some time to get my head on straight.”
She snorted angrily. “You’re letting her get to you!”
When she didn’t respond, I continued in a calmer tone. “Look, I still love her, okay? I can’t lie about this. Teagan was everything to me, and I can’t help how I feel about her. She needs me right now because she is suffering unspeakably. We could lose Remi!” Just staying it aloud cracked my chest open and left a gaping, sucking hole.
“And yet, Teagan uses her dying kid to yank your chain,” she spat bitterly, shaking her head ruefully. “You’re pathetic. What happens if Remi doesn’t make it? Are you going to give her a sympathy shag? Give her a chance to trap you once again?”
The second her words were out, I saw red. Heat infused beneath the skin of my neck and face. I could literally feel my face flush. “Wow,” I said in disgust, starting to walk away from her. “You are one. Cold. Bitch. You need to pack your shit. Let’s go.”
I left her standing there with no choice but to follow. “Chase! Chase, I’m sorry, Lovie.”
I ignored her pleas and kept on walking, trying to get control of myself. It took less than five minutes for us to arrive at the apartment. I went straight to the closet and pulled out her suitcase, flung it on the bed and unzipped it; flinging open the flap. “I’ll call you a cab.”
She followed me slowly into the bedroom and leaned her shoulder on the door jam. “Are you really doing this?”
I wanted to leave the room, but she was blocking the doorway, so I decided to put it out there. “I am. I’m not going to bullshit you, Bronwyn. I never thought you coming here was a good idea because of what I’m dealing with. I don’t have time or energy to expend trying to placate you or listen to you complain about this place or about Teagan, but I absolutely will not tolerate you talking that way about Remi. She’s the innocent victim in all of this, and if you can’t see that, there is no way I could be with you, even if Teagan wasn’t an issue.”
“But, she is an issue,” she said in defeat, finally beginning to open the old dresser that sat against the wall to pull out her clothes.
I lifted both hands, palms up and dropped them again. “I just said it. I can’t help how I feel, and like I said, I’m not going to insult you by lying. My heart has a mind of its own when it comes to Teagan, and I can’t do one damn thing about it. I wanted to, and I tried, but she’s the only one I’ll ever love in that desperate, all-consuming way.”
“Are you sure it isn’t about Remi? That your emotions are raw and the two of you are re-bonding over a mutual tragedy?” Bronwyn seemed upset, but she wasn’t crying or heartbroken. She wasn’t sobbing her heart out over me like Teagan had done, and it gave me a sense that I was doing the right thing; for all of us.
“I am,” I stated simply. “Being in England without any memories and having you around to take the edge off helped, but I’ve never really moved on. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was probably using you and it was a dick thing to do.”
“It didn’t feel like you were using me.”
“I didn’t think I was, but I also knew I would never feel the same way about anyone else. I’m not trying to hurt you.”
