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“Want some tea?”
She didn’t wait for an answer because she was definitely having some. Something to soothe the rest of her nerves that the muffled music wasn’t accomplishing. The water filled the silence as she added it to her teapot, then set it on the stove.
She nearly stumbled back when she turned around to where Corey stood in the same spot. Luckily, she managed to hide her reaction, but the way he stared at her unnerved her. Damn, how long would her tea take? She needed it now. Pronto.
His gaze was intense, his eyes boring into her like he wanted to see straight into her soul—or her pants, she wasn’t positive. Her skin started to prickle from the air. Not cold per se, but charged, as if the sudden awkward tension had turned sexual in a blink of an eye.
It dawned on her she wasn’t wearing much and she should’ve kept her coat on. All she wore was her tight hot-pink yoga pants that showcased her ass very nicely, if she did say so herself, and a long-line matching bra.
She was half-naked with no shirt on. But that’s how she dressed for work. Why the hell would he look at her that way anyway? He hated her guts, and he was engaged. He shouldn’t be looking regardless.
“So, tea?” she asked, hoping to break the silence and his stare.
He frowned, then shook his head. “No.”
“Look, if you’re here to change your mind about—”
“I’m here about Melanie,” Corey said, cutting her off.
First, she hated when people cut her off, although was glad he wasn’t changing his mind about pressing charges. Second, she almost wished he had changed his mind. It would be better than talking about Melanie.
She turned around and grabbed a mug from the cupboard. “Why? I don’t think we should talk about her.”
Translation: she didn’t want to. At the best of times, she tried her hardest not to even think about Melanie. Because when she did, all that flew through her mind was disappointment and regret for failing her friend.
“I need to.”
She waited for him to elaborate. To give her a good reason why they should. She might’ve given Amelie back—because it was the right thing to do and she had been wrong to take her in the first place—but she still felt positive he wasn’t the best thing for her.
The black–and-white decorative owl that she kept her tea bags in scrapped across the counter as she dragged it closer to her.
“For Amelie’s sake. I need to.”
Her hand trembled as she took out a tea bag. His voice was a lot closer. The air more charged and electrified. She was afraid to turn around.
But she did.
He stood no more than two feet away, his eyes trailing up and down her body, not even trying to hide he was checking her out. Then he leaned against the counter and crossed his arms.
Damn him. That look only added to his sexiness. Did he know? Was he doing it on purpose? Because he shouldn’t. He was engaged! To a cop! One wrong move on her part and he could change his mind and have his fiancée finish the job.
“You were her best friend. You had Amelie’s birth certificate, something Melanie should’ve given me herself. I took Amelie to a well visit today at the doctor’s office and felt like a complete fool I didn’t know the majority of her history.” He stood up as the volume in his voice increased. “I wasn’t there for her birth. I don’t know how the pregnancy went. I don’t know if she took her to a pediatrician in the first few days and weeks after she was born. I don’t know shit! How can I take care of my daughter without knowing these basic things, damn it!”
She flinched, crushing the tea bag in her hand. Not because she thought he was about to lash out at her, but because she could feel his pain, his rage as if it were her own. It’s as if all his emotions pulsated out of him and hit her dead center, threatening to knock her on her ass. She knew the ache, the frustration he doled out. She lived it, tried to forget it every day.
Corey let out a few deep breaths, then leaned back against the counter, looking defeated. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell like that. It’s been a long-ass day.”
She swallowed, then jumped when the teapot whistled. Taking care of the tea as if on remote control, she tried to think where to start.
The beginning usually helped.
So she’d start there. No matter how painful it would be.
6
Corey waited, well, he wouldn’t say patiently, but he waited while she prepared her tea. After his mini outburst, he needed a moment to himself anyway. He hadn’t meant to go off like that. But from the moment he walked into the pediatrician’s office to walking out of Melanie’s doctor’s office, it hit him. The anger, the fury that Melanie would leave him hanging like this. Sure, she thought he’d raise Amelie better, but how could he if she didn’t give him everything he needed to do so? Talk about making a challenge even more challenging. In the beginning, he was grateful that Melanie had given him Amelie. He couldn’t imagine his life without his daughter.
Now, he was pissed off. Hated her with a passion. She had been a selfish person leaving Amelie with him with no direction. No help whatsoever about her medical history. Melanie thought he was the best thing for their daughter? Well, she was damn right. He’d never forgive her for leaving him in such a predicament. Not when it came to his daughter’s welfare.
