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“It wasn’t by myself though; Meredith’s been with me the entire way. She’s supported me, encouraged me, and at times protects me whether I need it or not.”
“She said you’re partners,” Julia stated and Colleen fought to keep her smile hidden as Meredith brought in tea for her.
“Do you need anything else before I take the deliveries out?” Meredith asked rubbing her shoulder.
“New eyes and fifty more hours to get this cake done?” It was only partly a joke and Meredith smiled at it before admitted she did need something real. “Aspirin would be a god send.”
“I have some in my bag if you need it now,” Meredith offered and she nodded waiting until after she’d returned with the bottle and a glass of water for her. “I’ll get some more for here while I’m out. I’m doing the small business thing this afternoon, so I’ll be gone for most of it. If you need anything, call me, okay? I can always have Dana hand out business cards.”
“I’ll be fine. It may be late before I get home—if I get home tonight,” she corrected knowing how much effort it was going to take to get the cake finished on time.
“You’d better come home tonight. It’s Red Wine Thursday remember?” Meredith teased making her laugh.
“Can I trade it in for Bubble Bath Tuesday just this once?”
“Only if we combine the two,” Meredith countered giving her a wink Julia couldn’t see before leaning over to kiss her cheek. “I’ll see you later honey.”
“Be careful driving Mere, I love you.”
Meredith nodded giving her a short wave as she left.
“I…you live together?” Julia asked watching Meredith leave with a pained expression on her face as everything Meredith said to her and everything Avery said came back to her.
“Yes, we do. Look, I’m doing fine without any help from Avery. So please stop worrying about me. I’m not the same girl I was. My life has changed entirely and I’m fine with it. I don’t want the constant reminders of what it could have been had Avery not…there’s just a lot you don’t know about Julia.”
“Such as you being in a relationship with a woman?”
“My relationships are my own, they have been since Avery blindsided me with divorce papers. Who I choose to be with is my decision.” It was completely honest, but she also wanted to make sure she didn’t confirm or deny anything.
“Avery said your partner picked up the check yesterday and told him to leave you alone. He then said you were lovers with your partner and now…”
“Julia, it’s neither yours nor Avery’s business what I do. He made his choice. Who I turn to is now mine and mine alone. I don’t know what you expected to happen yesterday, but I don’t like being set up. I don’t like remembering the way he lied to me and betrayed me. I don’t like remembering that when he told me to get out, I was completely alone.”
“You could have come to us,” Julia said covering her hand. Colleen jerked away from the touch as panic seized her and fought to control the shake in her body. “Colleen, you could have come to us, told us what Avery had done. He regrets it. He doesn’t want to admit it to you but he regrets everything. He still loves you.”
“Then I’m sorry for him, because the girl he once fell in love with is dead and gone, and this one, will never forgive him for what he did,” Colleen said certain his mother was full of it. Avery never cared about her, not the way she cared about him—the way she’d loved him completely. If he had, he’d never have done what he did to her. “Have you ever given up everything, no matter how little it was, for someone else only to have the most precious gift you could give thrown back in your face? I have…and I barely lived to tell about it. I will never let anyone come close to hurting me that way again.”
“Oh honey, I know it’s scary to put yourself out there again, to risk your heart after being hurt but what if you could have it back? What if you could have even more? Avery knows there is nothing in this world that compares to you. Isn’t the risk worth the reward?”
“No, there is no reward in loving Avery. He takes and takes and takes until there’s nothing left, but he never gives anything in return. I can’t and won’t live like that ever again. No man in this world will change my mind on that,” she assured Julia as she grabbed her empty teacup. “Thank you for stopping by, but I would prefer if you didn’t in the future. I came to New York to forget the past. I don’t need it following me everywhere around here.”
“Honey…please think about this,” Julia said desperately wanting to hug her.
“I have thought about it, until I had to stop thinking about it and get on with my life. Please do the same. I’m no longer a part of yours. This is my world; Dreamy Sweets is all I can focus on right now. This is my livelihood, the only thing that’s ever been entirely mine where no one else can take it from me, and I won’t risk it for anything. Avery can keep his millions. I don’t want it.” Collen opened the door for her to leave so she could get back to the cake.
“If you change your mind, you can reach me here.” Julia handed over the piece of paper that she saw contained her home and cell phone numbers, along with Avery’s contact information.
“I won’t.” Her reply was instant but she couldn’t toss the piece of paper in the trash once Julia left. Instead, she carried it into the back room and hung it up on the board before moving back to the cake and its painstakingly delicate design. Never again would she agree to make a cake like this. It wasn’t worth the hassle, not to her.
∞∞∞
Avery watched as Colleen walked from the car towards the house, the front door opening before she reached it and Meredith smiled before pulling her into a very familiar hug. He knew he shouldn’t be there. He should be as far away from Colleen as humanly possible but he couldn’t stop from seeing the truth for himself. He had to know if there was any chance for him.
He continued to watch as Meredith led her into the house then into the living room, sitting down on the couch as Colleen laid out along it, her head resting in Meredith’s lap. Her eyes shut as Meredith’s hands rubbed her shoulder, sliding the band off her glorious chestnut brown hair and undid the braid. He wanted to run his hands through her hair as much as he wanted to breathe. He could recall the feel of it against his skin, the way it’d shielded her body the first time they’d made love. It was soft as silk and the idea of Meredith getting to touch it, see it cover her body recoiled the anger tightly inside him.
He knew he had to leave before he did something stupid but he hesitated for a moment and saw Meredith get up, pushing Colleen back against the couch cushions as she left the room. He could march up to the door and kiss her, show her a woman could never make her respond the way he could. It wasn’t possible for her to be happy, sexually and not, with a woman, not after showing her how much she craved a man.
Again, he hesitated and saw Meredith returning to the room, this time carrying something. His hands tightened on the steering wheel almost painfully when he saw the little boy scramble over Colleen’s body to give her a kiss. The child snuggled against her body as Meredith sat back down putting Colleen’s head onto her lap again, brushing her hair from her face as Colleen’s fingers slid through the matching chestnut locks on his head.
