11. Fury
Chapter 11
Fury
She still loves me.
I don’t know a hell of a lot about love in general, but I know that. One week of spending time with her makes me pretty damn positive of how she feels. As for me? I’ve never stopped loving Ellie. I don’t think it’s possible. It doesn’t solve the reasons we separated to begin with, but fuck…
I have to believe there’s a way around it all.
I don’t want to give my club up and I’m not sure I can give Ellie up. There has to be some way to meet in the middle.
It’s been five days since we spent the day playing miniature golf and having fun at the arcade. Five days in which we’ve spent at least part of every one of them together. Tonight, I’m at Harvey’s, waiting for her to get off work. She’s filling in at the bar tonight, because her bartender called in sick. She’s a natural behind the counter and I have to wonder why I never knew that. Ellie is just naturally good at anything she does. That makes it easy to overlook how good she is at anything she tries.
Fuck, I love her.
I took one look at her years ago and I’ve never been the same.
My gaze moves from her to the man she’s talking to and instantly I’m put on alert. I get up from my table and walk over to the bar without even thinking about it.
“Go out with me tomorrow night, El.”
“Sorry, Wayne. I have to work.”
“I can pick you up after work, I’m easy, baby.”
Ellie laughs, puts a beer in front of the guy and gives him a smile that makes me want to punch something.
“I’m sure you are. But, the answer is still no.”
I’m not a man used to feeling jealousy. Then again, I’ve never had to. Until Ellie, there wasn’t a woman that I was possessive over. The minute I saw her, I claimed her. The attraction to her was so strong, I didn’t bother fighting it. I wanted her. I wanted her in a way that I knew the feeling would last. It might sound stupid, but after just a week of dating, I had her in my bed and moved in with me. I told her that when a man saw what he wanted, he took it. She laughed at me, but she didn’t argue either. In hindsight, maybe I should have slowed shit down. Maybe if she knew what kind of lifestyle I led, the things I did for the club in advance, she would have gotten time to sift through them and accepted that part of me. She could have kicked me to the curb, too, but it would have been better if it happened that way, instead of years down the road.
There’s no going back, however. Ellie and I can only go forward and I want to do that with her by my side. My problem is convincing her to want the same thing. She immediately turns to another customer. I don’t even know for sure if she saw me sit down. That’s a damn blow to a man’s ego. I used to be the only man Ellie noticed in a room full of others. I know it’s been a while, but damn it, for her to act like she has this past week with me, she has to have the same feelings…
Fuck it, if she doesn’t, she’s going to have to learn to have them. I’m tired of pretending that I don’t want my woman back.
I never hesitated before and she fell in love with me then. It’s time I remind her of the man she married.