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2
DOES IT HAVE A HAPPY ENDING?
The next afternoon,I pulled into the townhouse’s garage and shut off my blue Mini’s engine. Closing my eyes, I gripped the steering wheel and exhaled a slow breath. I’d spent two hours with Ross Henderson, the attorney my dad had recommended to advise me on handling my ex-boyfriend Tristan’s threats. Unpacking my broken relationship while a stranger took detailed notes and asked pointed questions about an alleged sex tape had sucked big time. Nothing like facing two years of blind stupidity to make you feel about as big and smart as a fucking flea.
I sighed. “It’s behind you, Zel. You weighed all the options, all the facts, and made your decisions.” I released the wheel, grabbed my purse, and opened the car door. “It’s fine. And it’ll continue to be fine.” The heavy door slammed, echoing in the one-car garage. “Don’t second-guess yourself.”
Inside the townhouse, the office door was closed which meant Drew was writing. I headed for the second floor. No sign of Aithan there, just Frank and Lulu dozing on the sofa. I pulled off my leopard-print wedges and ascended to the third floor. I wanted to change out of the black pencil skirt and burgundy sweater I’d worn to meet with the attorney. Sometimes being a grownup sucked.
Aithan’s door was cracked. I poked my head in, and he looked up from where he was planking on the floor. “How’d it go?” he asked, voice tight from exertion.
I chewed my lip. “Good. Horrible. I mean, I just spilled my psycho-sexual history with my emotionally abusive ex to a stranger. Kinda feels like I’ve been flayed.”
“You okay?” He stood and pulled up his shirt to wipe sweat from his face, giving me a much-needed glimpse of his rock-hard six-pack. “You don’t sound okay.”
I pulled a face. “Eh. I’m tired. Kinda numb. Wanna get outta these adult clothes, have some tea, and make applesauce.”
“Need a hug?”
“Fucking yes. Always.”
He obliged me and, oh damn, he felt good. I sighed in his arms. “You always make me feel safe.”
Aithan kissed the top of my head. “Good.”
I press into him, happy to feel every inch of his muscular body but still anticipating a wince or a flinch as I tightened my hug. He’d pretty much recovered from a beating handed out by a stranger. Most of his bruises had disappeared, but his ribs still ached sometimes, and his right lung wasn’t one hundred percent healed.
“Want help with the applesauce?” he asked.
“I won’t say no to an extra set of hands. There’s two dozen Honeycrisp apples to peel.”
Aithan kissed me and eased me back. “Go get comfy.”
I did, donning old gray sweats and my dad’s Harvard Law tee shirt. Pulling my chestnut hair into a high ponytail, I went downstairs and found Aithan in the kitchen. He was pulling the grocery store stickers from the apples and slapping each one onto the back of his hand.
“Starting a collection?” I put the kettle on to boil and began washing the fruit.
“Figured it was better than sticking them to the countertop.”
I nodded. “Good thinking.”
He surveyed the pile of apples. “Why am I peeling so many?”
“Because applesauce is a good snack, but I also need it to make applesauce brownies for Friday.”
Tobias, who was Aithan’s best friend, and Candace, Tobias’s sister, were coming over for lunch that day. Weekly meals were becoming a habit among the five of us, and every other week Tobias brought food from his brewpub Scumwater. So all I needed to provide this week was dishes, drinks, and dessert.
“I really enjoy having Tobias and Candace over,” I remarked.
“What is it about him you like so much?” He pulled off the last sticker and handed me the apple.
I washed it and contemplated both the question and my answer. Shaking off the excess water, I added the apple to the pile in front of Aithan. “Is that a loaded question?”
He shook his head. “I just wanna know your thinking.” He leaned his hip against the counter. “He’s my best friend and you’re my girlfriend. I kinda have a stake in the game.”
I pulled a peeler from the utensil drawer and handed it to him. “Fair enough. Surface level — he’s a good-looking guy. Deeper dive — he makes me laugh, and I really dig his devotion to Amara.” I shrugged and said, a little flippant, “Maybe I have a daddy kink I didn’t know about.”
Aithan considered me with a dissecting gaze. He didn’t seem amused. “Go easy, beautiful.”
