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“Oops, I’m sorry,” An older lady said as we collided at the end of the aisle. “I was distracted looking at the meats.”
“No, I’m sorry.” I said, pulling away from her cart with mine, “I was rushing around.” I smiled at her, and she passed as I turned down the empty aisle.
It was the last aisle at the end of the store. Just one more sweep and I was done. I could check out and get back home.
I leaned down to grab a loaf of Maddie’s special bread and tossed it in the cart when a shadow slid over my feet. I swallowed quickly before I stood back up and turned my face to follow the person casting the darkness on me.
Fox.
He stood a foot away and he was close enough to tower over me, blocking the bright fluorescent light from above.
“Hey, D.” He said in his deep rumbly voice. I gulped at the torment of emotions colliding inside of me. His hair was pulled up in a bun on top of his head and his beard was trimmed short to his jaw; I hated that I ached to feel it against the sensitive skin of my neck. I hated him but my body still responded to him like nothing had happened at all.
He wore a black bomber jacket and black tee over dark wash jeans, looking normal and casual like he wasn’t capable of murdering someone with his bare hands.
But I knew better.
“What do you want?” I asked breathlessly.
“I told you the other day.” He crossed his arms over his chest, “To explain myself.”
“Did you follow me here?” I shook my head, “Never mind, I don’t want to hear it.” I closed my eyes. “Five years ago, I asked you to explain yourself. Ibegged.” I opened them back up and looked at him. “And you refused. You don’t get another chance now.”
“You don’t understand.” He argued and then sighed, “And that’s my fault, because you’re right, I wouldn’t tell you the truth back then. That was to protect you.”
“Protect me?” I hissed, “You murdered my brother! And then laid in my bed and held me for days afterwards while I disintegrated into pieces in your arms!” I backed up, knocking into my cart as I felt the stupid tears of betrayal burning in my eyes. “You pretended to be just as distraught as me. You pretended that it hurt you while you comforted me and promised to make it right. You swore to me you’d make the person that killed him pay.” I swung the cart around to put it between us, “And the whole damn time you were responsible for my pain to begin with.”
“I wasn’t.” He said and then clenched his teeth and glared at me. “Please, let’s get out of here and go talk somewhere.”
“How did you find me?” I ignored him, “I left the only home I ever had and ran because of the pain you left in your wake and then you show up here. A free fucking man.”
“I didn’t know you were here.” He said, uncrossing his arms, “I looked for you when I got out. I searched high and low actually. But no one would tell me anything, they just said you took off with Maddie in the middle of the night and never came back.” His face scrunched up like that had hurt him, which didn’t make any sense. “I never thought I’d see you again and then there you were. The other night in that parking lot with that fucking scum bag.”
“I told you, I wasn’t with him.” I hissed, hating the way I felt the need to defend myself to him. He had no idea how alone I’d been for the last five years and the fact that he thought I’d give someone like Taz the time of day hurt.
“I know.” He sighed, “I saw the way you clobbered him when he snuck up on you.”
“Then why did you say it like that?” I sneered in anger.
“Because I’m a jealous man where you’re concerned, Delilah. But I believe that we are both here, thousands of miles from home for a fucking reason. Some greater power is at work to bring us back together, baby.” He said plainly and my heart stopped beating completely.
“You have no claim on me Fox.” I pushed my cart directly into his thighs, “I’m not yours! You made sure of that when you killed the only man that ever truly loved me.” I pushed around him, “Now leave me the fuck alone, I never want to see you again.”
I walked away from him and listened for the heavy fall of his boots to chase after me, but there was only silence.
Which both relieved me and made me angry at the same time. I hated the fucking tug of war going on inside of me. I should hate that man with every single ounce of my being.
The sad reality was that even when he pled guilty in the crowded courtroom to killing my very own flesh and blood, I still ached for him.
“I’m not going anywhere, D.” He called out from the other end of the aisle as I walked away. “BecauseI’mthe only man that ever truly loved you, and I still do.”
The icy box that held my frozen heart cracked a little as those words penetrated my brain. I refused to turn around and face him. Instead I ran to the counter, paid for my groceries and made a hasty exit to my car.
I circled the town three times to make sure I wasn’t being followed before I went home and parked behind the house again before running inside.
When I put the groceries away angrily Maddie came down from her room and watched me. “Did something happen?”
“Yeah.” I growled and then closed my eyes and laid my forehead against the cool fridge door. “Fox happened.”
