Chapter 31
CHAPTER 31
Riley
Brody invited me to Kelly’s Bar & Grill for drinks on Friday night. This place is my favorite kind of bar. They have a dozen screens broadcasting sports, a couple of pool tables, darts, decent food, and a fine selection of beer. Our little group usually meets here because the atmosphere is great, and the employees are cool. Normally, it’s the perfect place to unwind after a long work week. Tonight is the exception to that.
I hold my arm out to halt Brody. “What the fuck is he doing here?”
Brody follows my gaze and sees Drew, Rainey, Devyn, and Jackson sitting at a table. Jackson’s chair is right next to Devyn’s, and his fucking hand is all over her thigh.
Brody shrugs. “I don’t know, man. He’s never joined us before. Like ever . I’ve really only seen him in passing before now. ”
I know exactly why he’s here—to remind me who Devyn belongs to. We’ll see about that.
“Asshole,” I mutter.
We continue walking toward the table when Brody whispers, “Don’t make a scene, dude.”
I make no promises, buddy.
I take the empty chair directly across from Devyn. “Hey, Dev.”
I’ve been on edge ever since I left her house on Tuesday. I stayed up for hours that night waiting for her usual pre-bedtime call. It never came, and she texted me the next day saying she crashed early. I couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that she and Jackson were together, and my imagination went into overdrive. I needed time to cool off, so I’ve been blowing her off ever since, saying I’ve been working late.
Yeah, yeah, I know I’m acting like a Neanderthal, and I have absolutely no right to do so, but ask me if I give a fuck.
Spoiler alert: Not a single one.
Devyn blushes. “Oh. Hey Rye. I didn’t think you’d be joining us tonight.”
“Why not?”
She wrings her hands together. “I just thought you might be working late again.”
“Nope.” I pop the P at the end to punctuate my statement.
“Hi there. Can I get you guys a drink?” the waitress asks .
A cute little brunette is leaning over to give me a perfect view of her ample cleavage.
I glance at our waitress’s nametag and give her a flirty grin. “Hi, Brigitte. My buddy and I would love some beers. How about you surprise us?” I wink for added effect.
Yes, I’m well aware of how douchey I’m being. But I can’t seem to stop the jealous dick train now that it’s left the station.
Brigitte smiles. “Sure. I think I can do that. I’ll be right back.”
Brody gives me a what the fuck look, and Devyn glares at Brigitte’s retreating back. I know this is risky—not to mention immature—but I’m hoping to spark the same green-eyed monster in Devyn that is raging inside me right now. When she faces me head-on, I can see my impromptu plan is working.
Drew slugs Brody’s shoulder. “Hey, asshole. You want to go shoot some pool?”
“Uh…sure. Riley, you want to join us?”
My eyes never leave Devyn’s. “No, thanks, man. I’m good right where I’m at.”
Brody and Drew get up from the table, laughing at something as they walk away.
Rainey takes a sip of beer and clears her throat. “So, Dev, you were just telling us about your big pitch. How’d it go?”
Devyn’s face lights up. “It was perfect. I was perfect . I really think I nailed this account! ”
Rainey smiles. “Way to go, girl! When do you find out?”
Jackson pulls Devyn into him and kisses the corner of her mouth. “She should know on Monday. Devyn’s worked so hard on this client, more than any before. They’d be fools to turn her down.”
Devyn’s lips curve into a reserved smile. “Thank you, Jackson.”
He pushes a lock of hair behind her ear and nibbles her lobe. “Anytime, babe. I’m proud of you.”
I ball my hands into fists under the table and clench my jaw. I have to remind myself that jumping across the table to pummel this guy isn’t going to accomplish anything.
“That’s great, Dev. You always have been the best at everything you do.” I lean over and lower my voice slightly. “And I do mean everything .”
She shifts uncomfortably and blushes. “Thanks, Rye.”
Rainey jumps out of her chair and grabs my elbow. “Wow, I need another beer. Riley, why don’t you come with me, so I don’t have to ruin my streak of not paying for my own drinks?”
I look down at her half full glass. “Is there something wrong with that one?”
Rainey grabs the glass and chugs it in two long gulps. “I’m reaaaallly thirsty. I can’t wait for the waitress to come back.” She grabs Devyn’s wine glass and finishes that off as well. “See? Now Devyn needs a new drink, too. Come on.”
She pulls my arm, leading me toward the bar.
When we get there, I say, “Do you want to tell me what that was really about?”
She thunks me on the forehead. “Idiot!”
“Ow!” I shout, rubbing my forehead. “What the hell was that for?”
“Could you be more obvious?”
The bartender takes our order as I glare at her. Then I ask, “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Oh, puh-leez,” she says. “You and Jackson are practically measuring dicks out there! You’re making Devyn really uncomfortable.”
I frown. “I’m not trying to make her uncomfortable.”
“Really?” she sneers. “‘Surprise me with a beer, Brigitte.’ What the fuck was that? Are you trying to get the waitress into bed?”
“No!”
“Well, then what were you doing? Because I’m pretty sure her phone number will be with your drink when we get back.” She gestures to our table where Brigitte is delivering two beers and setting a folded napkin to the side of my glass.
I rake a hand through my hair. “Fuck. I don’t know, okay? I was trying to make Devyn jealous, hoping maybe it would force her out of her controlled little shell. I would never consider going out with the waitress, let alone sleeping with her.”
Rainey’s red hair sways as shakes her head. “You’re playing this all wrong, Riley. Making Devyn jealous isn’t the answer. ”
I throw my hands up. “Well, then what is? Please tell me you know because I have no fucking clue!”
“I told you she needs to come to terms with this on her own . Don’t push her because you can’t be patient.” She grabs my elbow and prompts me to start walking. “Let’s get back before they get suspicious.”
We return to our table, and I decide to take Rainey’s advice. I unfold the napkin out of curiosity and find Brigitte’s phone number. I tuck it into my shirt pocket so Devyn doesn’t see it, planning to throw it away later. I go through two beers before Drew and Brody return to the table.
I shift my attention to them as much as possible, so I don’t obsess over the way Jackson can’t seem to keep his hands off Devyn. He’s touching her and kissing her at every possible opportunity. All I see is red by the time I’ve finished my third beer. I mean seriously, is the PDA really necessary? He’s practically humping her at the table, for fuck’s sake! And she definitely doesn’t seem into it. I can see her growing more and more irritated as he continues. Doesn’t he realize she’s inching her chair away from his?
Devyn stands. “I need to go to the bathroom.” She quickly walks away without another word.
I count to twenty and pretend to read something on my phone. “I’ll be right back. I have to check in with work.”
I duck away and head in the direction that Devyn fled. I spot the women’s restroom and wait right outside the door.
Devyn jumps when she sees me upon exiting. “Riley! What are you?—”
I cut her off, shoving her back into the bathroom. I shut the door behind me and slide the lock into place. A quick check under the stall doors for feet, and I’ve confirmed we’re alone. Good.
“Why are you even with that tool?” I growl. “You two don’t have anything in common.”
Her cheeks redden. “What the hell kind of question is that? He’s a good man. He’s been nothing but kind to me and Nathan over the years.”
“Kind?” I sneer. “Wow, that’s not the word I’d want my woman to use when describing me.”
“What’s wrong with kind?”
“Kind is boring. Kind is safe. Kind is not passion. Fireworks. Kind does not get you off. Kind is the word I’d use to describe my accountant.”
Her eyes widen with that last word.
“Oh my god, he’s an accountant ?”
“What’s wrong with that?” she asks. “It’s a perfectly respectable way to make a living.”
“Jesus Christ, Devyn. What happened to not settling? That’s exactly what you’re doing! There’s no way Mr. Stick-Up-His-Ass back there knows how to work your body over until you can’t see straight. Has he ever even made you come?”
She blushes and screams, “Not everything is about sex, Riley!”
“No, it’s not,” I admit. “But you can’t spend the rest of your life with someone who doesn’t know how to satisfy you. ”
“I never said he didn’t!”
“You didn’t have to!” I scream back.
She throws her hands up in the air. “What do you suggest? Who should I be with?” She laughs mockingly, pissing me off. She reaches into my shirt pocket, pulling out the napkin. “What’s this, Riley?”
I try to grab it as she unfolds it. “Nothing. I was going to toss it.”
She laughs again as she reads it. “Right. Why should I believe you?”
“Because it’s the truth!” I shout.
She waves the napkin in the air. “And I’m supposed to just take your word for it? You don’t want a real relationship, Riley! This phone number proves that. You can’t do long-term monogamy!”
I grab the napkin and throw it on the floor. “I didn’t want the fucking number! I don’t want anyone else’s fucking number!”
“Then what do you want, Rye? What the hell do you want?”
“YOU! All I’ve ever wanted since the day we met was you!”
She’s stunned. “What?”
I decide actions speak louder than words. Fuck Rainey’s advice. Devyn needs a reminder of how explosive we are together. I advance upon her and cage her against the wall.
“What are you—” she starts to ask.
I answer her with my lips pressed against hers. She fights me for half a second before she moans, pulling me into her. It’s just as good between us as I remember. Better even. We’re saying everything we need to with our lips and our tongues. She kisses me back with so much fucking passion, it’s like it’s been bottled up all these years. Devyn runs her fingers through my hair, yanking forcefully as she demands more. Never breaking the kiss, I grab her legs and wrap them around my hips. I grind into her, and she tightens her legs around me to press into me deeper. My dick is harder than steel, dying to be inside of this woman where it belongs.
I break away from her mouth and move down her neck. “God, I hate that I can smell his cologne on you.”
Devyn tenses and pulls back to disentangle herself. I step back and meet her eyes. Shit, she looks like she’s about to cry.
She points toward the bathroom door. “Go, Riley! I’m not this girl. You can’t just go around saying things like that, kissing anyone you please.”
“I wasn’t the only one doing the kissing,” I remind her.
She groans in frustration. “Just go! I’ll be out in a minute.”
I try reading her, but she’s shutting down. “Dev?—”
A tear drops down her face. “Go, Riley!”
I step back and take a deep breath. Then I slam my hand against the door.
“Fuck!” I unlock the door and pull it open with much more force than necessary. Before walking away, I lower my voice and say, “I’ll give you time to get your shit together, but don’t walk away from this, Devyn. Don’t walk away from us . This is our chance to get it right.”
Devyn
I turn toward the mirror and stare at my reflection. God, what am I doing? My hair is tousled, and my lip gloss has been sucked off entirely. I make myself as presentable as possible and take a deep breath. I can do this. I’ll just go out there, tell everyone I have a headache, and then Jackson and I can leave so we can talk privately. I can’t put this off any longer. My reaction toward Riley just now proved that. It’s not fair to Jackson to continue along the path we’re on.
I make my way back to the table a moment later. Riley is noticeably absent, and the remaining four are suspiciously quiet.
Drew clears his throat. “Uh…Riley had to go—said he had something to take care of.”
“Oh.” I look up at Jackson. His ears are cherry red, and his eyes are narrowed into slits.
Rainey touches me lightly on the shoulder. “Everything okay, hon?”
I fidget nervously as all eyes are on me. “Um…I have a headache. I think I need to call it a night.”
Jackson stands without a word and begins walking toward the door.
“Um…I guess we’re going now. Lorraine, I’ll call you later. ”
“You’d better,” she demands.
Jackson barely says a word to me on the entire drive home. The tension in the air is suffocating. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him angry before, but that’s definitely what this is. Does he sense something happened between me and Riley?
He pulls against the curb in front of my building.
“You’re not coming in?”
He shakes his head. “No. I don’t think that would be wise right now.”
I shift my body to face him. “Jackson, I really think we need to have a talk.”
“So talk.”
“Here? Can’t you just come up for a little while?”
He sighs. “Devyn, if you have something to say to me, please just say it already.”
I take a deep breath. “I kissed Riley.”
“Did he kiss you, or did you kiss him?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes, I think it does.”
I bite my lip. “He kissed me…but then I kissed him back.”
“I see,” Jackson says, perfectly composed.
“C’mon, Jackson, how can you be so calm about this? I just told you I kissed another man! It’s okay to be angry.”
“Oh, I’m angry,” he confirms. “But I think there’s already been enough shouting this evening.”
“What? What does that mean?”
His face flushes. “You were in a fucking bathroom, Devyn. Fifty feet from our table. Ever hear of something called bathroom acoustics? I heard everything . The entire group heard everything . Well, except when at one point, the conversation ended entirely. I suppose that’s when the kissing commenced.”
I blanch. “Oh my god. Jackson, I’m so, so sorry. I never planned for anything like this to happen.”
He releases a cynical laugh. “What the hell were you thinking, Devyn? Do I make you that unhappy?”
“What? No, of course not!” I try grabbing his hand, but he pulls away. “Jackson, I am truly sorry. You’re a good man. You’ve been so wonderful to me and Nathan.”
“Just not good enough,” he mutters.
“Jackson, this has nothing to do with you.”
He rolls his eyes. “Really, Dev? It’s not you, it’s me. That’s your excuse?”
I take a deep breath and blink back my tears. “You deserve someone who didn’t give their heart away years ago. When we got together, I really thought I was ready to move on. And things between us have been good. But I’ve always held back. I know you know that, Jackson. I just don’t think either one of us was willing to admit why.”
“So you’re leaving me? For him?”
“I don’t know what will happen between me and Riley,” I reply. “But continuing our relationship isn’t fair to either one of us. Riley’s reappearance brought feelings to the surface I thought I buried a long time ago. I need to figure out what I’m going to do about them.”
“So we’re breaking up?”
I nod as a single tear falls. “Yeah, Jackson. We’re breaking up.”
Riley
I drive around fuming until I end up at the house I recently bought. I park against the curb and just stare at everything this house represents. It’s everything I’ve dreamed of, but none of that matters if Devyn isn’t in the picture. Well, that’s not totally true because I will be a constant presence in my son’s life no matter what, but we can’t be the family unit I’m picturing if she’s married to that asshole! How could she accept his proposal? Wait a second…was she wearing a ring? Could he have lied? Fuck! I can’t remember! I saw nothing but red as he continuously touched her every chance he got.
I take a few deep breaths to calm down. Only one way to know for sure. I pick up my phone and dial her number.
The call connects right before it goes to voicemail. Devyn doesn’t say anything, but I can hear her breathing.
“Dev, are you there?”
She blows out a breath. “Yeah, I’m here.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Do you really need to ask that, Rye? My head is messed up. This probably isn’t the best time to talk. I need to sort through some things. ”
Is she crying?
“Devyn, talk to me.”
She sighs. “Jackson and I broke up.”
Did I seriously just hear that?
“So you’re not going to marry him?”
“What? Who said that I was ever going to marry him?”
“He did,” I reply. “Well, not exactly. But he told me he proposed, and then implied you said yes.”
She groans. “I’m such a horrible person.”
“Why would you say that? He’s the asshole who lied!”
“Don’t call him names, Rye. I’m the one who misled him for two and a half years. It’s bad enough I lied to myself, but worse that Jackson got caught in the crossfire. He’s a good man. He’s just not the right man for me. I know that now.”
My ears perk up. “And who is?”
She ignores my question. “I need you to do me a favor.”
“Name it.”
“I need you to call your realtor. I want to show Nathan his new bedroom this weekend.”
I’m smiling so wide my cheeks hurt. “Does that mean what I think it means? Are you agreeing to move in with me? You’re not worried it’s too soon? I completely understand if you need time, Dev.”
“We’ve already wasted over five years, Riley. If we’re going to do this, might as well go balls to the wall, right?”
I smile as she repeats my words from not too long ago. It may be an old aviation phrase, but it definitely applies in this situation.
“Full throttle, baby.”