Chapter 13
13
Christa
W e’re done .
That’s what Teagan’s text says an hour after she caught me with her brothers in my office. I keep staring at the words on my screen, my eyes stinging from tears and exhaustion. I barely slept last night. I keep trying to reach her, but she rejects every call, every attempt I make to talk to her.
River stayed with me. He took me home and held me while his brothers went to Teagan’s apartment to try to reason with her. To no avail, according to their last text messages.
I’m back at work the next day, trying to move on.
The threatening letter is still in my purse. Teagan’s message is still in my inbox. My two greatest sins, glaring at me wherever I turn.
“Tony!”
I find Teagan’s husband at the cafeteria downstairs. He looks rather pale and tired, but he still manages to muster a smile when he sees me.
“Christa. Hey.”
“Can we talk?”
My throat feels a little tight, my stomach turned inside out. I’ve been queasy for a few days, but last night made everything worse.
“Sure. Let’s sit,” he says, then takes his breakfast tray and guides us to one of the spare tables closer to the window. He gives me a worried look as we sit down. “You look tired.”
“I am. Have you seen Teagan since last night? I understand you two had a bit of an argument?”
Nathan had told me that was the reason she came to my office to find me. She’d needed to talk and instead she found me with her brothers, breaking the one promise I’d ever made her.
“Oh, she came back,” he sighs deeply. “Whatever we were arguing about was nothing compared to whatever happened between you two.”
“She didn’t tell you.”
“She was crying and cussing for a while, then she went to bed in the guest bedroom. I figured I was already in the doghouse and didn’t want to make things worse, so I just brewed her a chamomile tea and left it at her door with a plate of chocolate chip cookies. That usually puts her in a better mood.”
I let a heavy sigh roll from my chest. “Did it help?”
“Not really. She told me she doesn’t want to talk to you or her brothers ever again if any of you come looking,” Tony says.
“Right.”
“What happened? You two are like sisters. I don’t get it. One minute everything was fine, then she and I argued over something completely unrelated—”
“Something solvable, I hope?”
He nods once. “Yeah, I just need to listen better. Teagan’s been dropping hints about having a baby but I’ve been busy focusing on getting a promotion. I just wasn’t paying attention. Anyway, honestly, it seems like nothing compared to whatever happened between the two of you.”
“She walked in on us last night,” I manage, trying to find the right words. “Me and…” I trail off because I’m not sure what Tony knows about the Hawthorne men’s particular relationship preferences.
He stares at me for a moment, as if his brain is trying to catch up with his ears. “Oh,” he finally says. “Right. Yeah, that’s bad. I know Teagan often worries about that.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
He shrugs, briefly averting his gaze. “From the moment you came back, Teagan expressed some concern about you and River. She mentioned the rule you had about not dating any of them, and that it had never been an issue before, but then she sounded worried, I guess.”
“It’s not like we planned it.”
“I’m sure you didn’t,” he says. “And honestly? I get the rule made sense when you were kids, teenagers. But you’re both grown women. You’re consenting adults. You and River, I mean. I tried to explain that to her, but she just brushed me off, saying I didn’t have the full picture, and I’ve learned not to go against Teagan where her family is concerned.”
I nod slowly. “That’s noble and respectful of you,” I tell him. “Teagan is lucky to have found you, Tony. And I’m sure the quarrel you two had will be resolved sooner rather than later. The same, I’m afraid, cannot be said of ours.”
“Teagan will come around,” he says to reassure me. “She loves you like a sister. But she’s angry; she feels betrayed and hurt. Once this passes, once she stops to really analyze the situation and realize you weren’t doing anything to hurt her, I’m sure she’ll reach out.”
“I guess. Promise me one thing, though.”
“Sure.”
“Look after her,” I say. “Make sure she’s okay. And if you need me, I’m here. If she needs me, I’m here.”
He offers a soft smile. “Don’t beat yourself up too much about it. People change. Our lives change. I think, in a way, Teagan is still getting used to being in a relationship. Marriage was unfathomable to her when we first met.”
“Yeah, she doesn’t do so well with change in general,” I say, and chuckle lightly.
I wish I could talk to her. I wish I could explain. But maybe Tony is right. Maybe she just needs some space. River, Cassius, and Nathan are giving her precisely that. I should do the same and arm myself with all the patience I can muster. I’ve got plenty of issues on my plate. And speaking of plates, maybe I should eat something.
But the thought alone makes me want to throw up.
What the hell is wrong with me?