Tangled Up In You (Rogue #1)

Chapter 39

39

SOPHIE

A t home and with yet another day’s purchases unloaded, Sophie grew restless in the quiet house. Gavin had left her a voicemail saying he was at Conor’s, and she decided to join him there. She figured she might arrive in time for them all to have dinner together.

Conor had purchased a modern home in Blackrock, a town near the coastline less than three miles south of Sandymount. As Sophie slowed the car to a stop in his pebble driveway, she admired Conor’s sensible approach of investing his earnings in real estate. He’d been the one to persuade Gavin to do the same, hoping the base it created would stem Gavin’s tendency to wander.

Conor answered after a short delay and didn’t hide his surprise to find Sophie at his doorstep.

“Hi, Soph. What are you doing here?” he asked.

“That’s not a very warm welcome!” she said with a laugh.

“Apologies, honey. Come in, please.” He offered her his hand and when she took it he leaned in to kiss her on the cheek.

He led her inside and down a short hall to an unadorned foyer.

“I thought I’d see if you and Gavin want to have dinner.”

“Sure, but where’s Gav?”

Sophie looked around his empty living area. “He’s not here?” Her heart suddenly felt heavy, each beat a thud.

“When I talked to him today he didn’t mention coming by,” Conor told her carefully.

“And where was he when you talked to him?”

Conor hesitated. He ran his hand through his short-cropped hair and then rested both hands on his hips. “I don’t think I should get in the middle.”

“Just tell me.”

“He was,” he said hesitantly, “at Julia’s.”

“Oh.” The blood drained from her face as images of Gavin and Julia standing closely together and talking came to mind.

“Nothing’s going on with them anymore, though. You don’t have to worry.”

“Nothing’s going on anymore ?” she asked, tears filling her eyes.

Realizing his mistake, Conor closed his eyes and muttered, “Fuck me.”

Clearly, Gavin wasn’t going to tell her the truth. She needed Conor to fill her in on just what was going on with her fiancé. “How long were they together?” she asked.

“A year or thereabouts.”

“And they broke up when?”

“I dunno.”

Him not knowing when Gavin and Julie broke up made Sophie feel like such a fool because it meant they hadn’t broken up. She’d upended her life for Gavin, leaving home, school, her life. And all the while, he was still involved with another woman.

She’d agreed to marry someone she didn’t even really know anymore. Someone who had another lover. Maybe even someone he loved. She suddenly felt incredibly young. Young and na?ve. She longed for her mother, longed for a protective embrace and assurances that everything would be okay. It was a false desire, though, as she knew her mother would only remind her that she’d raised questions about her readiness for this commitment and suggest she would have to fix these mistakes herself.

In a rush, she realized she’d been in denial, living in a fantasy, not a fairy tale. This cruel truth left her short of breath.

She raised a shaky hand to her mouth. “What have I done?” she whispered, her eyes filling with tears.

“What have you—no, Sophie. It’s not what you think. It’s certainly nothing to weep about.”

“I have changed my whole life for him. For nothing.”

“That’s not true. Jesus, don’t you know that he chose you? That’s what this all means? You have been the only thing on his mind since that Palladium gig. It’s right fucking annoying, to be honest.”

“You don’t understand.”

“Listen, Julia’s just a friend now.”

“Then why is he lying to me about where he is?”

“Probably so you wouldn’t think the things you are now.”

She could see in this answer how Gavin would manipulate things as well. He would twist it so that his deceptions were somehow her fault.

“I should go. I’m sorry to drop in on you like this.”

“Wait. Stay for a cuppa. Just ’til you calm down.”

Tea was the last thing she wanted. It wouldn’t replace the overwhelming feeling of betrayal nor would it bring back the hope she’d had for a future with Gavin.

Shaking her head, she turned to go. But he grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms before she could move away. After a moment’s hesitation, she relaxed and let his warmth envelop her.

“It’s all right,” he whispered and stroked her hair.

He held her closely and his arms were strong. And when he kissed the top of her head she felt safe.

But he wasn’t Gavin.

She began to really cry then, although quietly, and her whole body trembled.

“Shh, now,” he told her, pressing his lips to her temple.

He was being sweet to her. The tenderness was too much, though, veering on intimacy. The sudden need to see Gavin overwhelmed her. She pulled away from Conor and wiped at her eyes, careful to keep from smudging her makeup.

“Thanks, Connie. I really need to go.”

This time there was no stopping her.