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By the end of the day, I’m once again wrecked and ready to go home. I feel worse than I’ve felt in a long time, but I guess emotional exertion will do that to you. The look in Greg’s eyes when he grabbed me hasn’t left my mind for even a second. And as I pack up my things to leave, the panic grows. It’s dark out, and most of my colleagues would have left for the day. Dani rushed off hours ago for an event, and even Aaron’s long gone.
Taking a deep breath, I open the office door and my heart leaps as I startle, my hand flying to my mouth. I’m not alone. Wes leans against the wall opposite my room, with his phone in hand and his ankles crossed in front of him.
He looks up from his typing when he hears me and pockets his phone before pushing off the wall, spinning his keys around his finger. “Come on, I’ll walk you to your car.”
With that, he sets off toward the parking lot, only pausing once to let me fall into step beside him.
We walk silently, side by side, with our hands occasionally brushing, but neither of us draws attention to it. A warmth fills me as my heart beats wildly in my chest. Wes is walking me to my car. The guy who just last week wanted me gone,figuratively, is now my protector. And that means more to me than he’ll ever know.
When we reach my door, he stays close, waiting for me to get seated, before taking a step back. I open my mouth to thank him, but he shakes his head like it’s no big deal and offers me a weak smile. “Goodnight, Lucy,” he says as he backs away, only turning around after I’ve started my car.Talk about mixed signals.
I don’t want to leave. I want to get out of the car and talk to him, but instead, I drive away with a thankful smile on my face.
The journey home is uneventful, but when I pull into my driveaway, I groan and run my hands down my face. Summer’s waiting patiently on my doorstep, with her hands in her lap, undoubtedly ready to fire questions at me. She looks beautiful with her radiant pregnancy glow and tiny bump. It definitely suits her.
My lips pull into a soft grin as she looks my way and stands. I should be thankful that she’s the one greeting me instead of Dylan, but either way, I know I’m going to have to spill.
Katie’s at Mom’s again today. She’s having dinner there and they’re watching a movie before Mom drops her home. A calculated move on my part. I wasn’t sure what today would bring, and didn’t want to risk Katie seeing me if I came home an emotional mess. Which I would have, if not for Wes.
Taking a deep breath, I step out of the car and walk straight into Summer’s open arms. She hugs me tightly, rocking me back and forth, as I anticipate what words are about to come from her mouth.
“Heads up, your brother and Joel are inside.”
That was definitely not it.
I groan again, and bang my head on her shoulder a few times before pulling away.
“Guess we should get this over with.” I sigh.
Summer grabs my arm as I move, pulling me back toward her. “You don’t have to tell them anything. Logan called me and said he was worried about you after something happened before the dinner party. Unfortunately, I was on speaker in the car, with both of the boys there. I’m sorry. All he said was that Greg showed up, so naturally we’re worried about you.”
My shoulders drop and I blow out a breath. “I probably should have told you all the full story,”or most of it,“a long time ago. I’m sorry.”
“You know we’re here for you, Lucy. And while I think I always knew there was more to it, none of us would ever push you to share more than you want to.”
When I’d first found out about Katie, I told everyone that Greg had threatened me verbally, but nothing more. That was my reason for wanting to join a self-defense class too. They all seemed to buy my lie so easily, never liking Greg to begin with, so I let it go and tried to move on.
I’m not sure what to say to them now as I walk inside, but I have to say something. I’m not sure I can avoid it anymore. Especially if he’s back in my life.
Dropping onto the couch, I press the heel of my hand to my eyes and try hard not to cry as I think about what went down. Taking a deep breath, I tell my friends what happened.
“I saw Greg last night. At work.”
“Motherfucker,” Joel says from beside me, making me giggle even though it’s not funny.
Somehow I’d managed to walk out of our building last night without seeing a truck that would have once gained all my attention. The very truck that Katie was conceived in. I should have seen it the second I stepped out into the night. Bile rises in my throat just thinking about it again now. How I’ve become so complacent lately.
“Seeing him was so unexpected that I kind of froze and probably acted a little rash.”
“What did the fucker do? Did he say anything?” Dylan practically growls, like I’m holding back.
“Nothing happened. He just said hello,” I lie. I can still feel the burn where his fingers wrapped around my arm, and my heart still pounds from the encounter.
“So why is Logan worried?”
“Probably because I got nervous and practically threw Katie at him. Maybe in the hope Greg would think she was Logan’s daughter.”
“Why don’t I believe you?” Dylan asks as Summer and Joel look between the two of us.
