Chapter 23 #2
Before I could say anything more, Cara grabbed my hand and squeezed it firmly before clearing her throat.
“The past is in the past and I love you both. If you’ll excuse me, I think I’m going to head upstairs.
I don’t think the eggs are sitting right with me.
Baby, will you join me?” Cara asked with her hand on my wrist, her hold telling me it wasn’t a question.
I smiled. “Of course. I guess we’ll see you guys for dinner?” I asked.
Mackenzie frowned and nodded. “Of course. Feel better, Cara. And Vera, I’d really like it if we could start over? I hate the impression I’ve left on you.”
I just looked at her before turning my attention to Fallon. “Enjoy the rest of your breakfast.”
The elevator ride was the longest and quietest ride we’ve taken. It felt like it stretched on for hours. Cara barely looked at me until we got to the room.
“Okay… I’m sensing you’re upset?”
She whirled around. “Upset? You think I’m upset? Oh, Vera, how wrong you are. I am livid! What the fuck was that? I told you to let it go!”
“I know, and I’m sorry. I tried, but I don’t know, I can’t. I just get protective every time we’re around her. I needed to hear her excuses for myself.”
“Why?”
“Why? Because I like you, Cara, which you already know. I like you and I don’t like how she treated you.
You deserve so much better and I know it was a long time ago, and I know we aren’t anything to each other, and I know this is all just a show we’re putting on, but my feelings are real, and I’m angry.
I know I don’t have a right to be, but I am and I can’t help that. ”
She took a deep breath and walked over to where I stood leaning against the desk. “My feelings are real, too. I can’t tell you what it means to me, that you want to defend my honor, but please apologize to her.”
“Cara, I—”
“Please, Vera. Fallon and Mackenzie are my friends and I care about them a lot. I don’t want anyone not getting along over something that happened years ago and has since been forgotten. Please, go apologize.”
I groaned. When she made that face, I’d give her anything she wanted. “For you, princesa? Anything. I’ll go make nice. But I’ll need a kiss for good luck.”
I puckered my lips in a show, but she put her hand up instead. “Apologize first, then we’ll talk about your reward.”
I groaned and turned to go find Mackenzie.
Luckily, she happened to be at the first place I checked. She slowly opened the door to her room with a skeptical look. “Vera? Uh, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
I gave her a half smile, to show I came in peace. “I just wanted to talk. Can I come in?”
She looked inside and back to me. “Fallon’s not here. She’s with Drea, so—”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not going to hurt you, Mackenzie. I wanted to apologize.”
“Oh. Okay, come in.” She opened the door wider and let me pass.
I turned around and she shut the door, but didn’t come further into the room. I rolled my eyes. “Have you been hit before? You’re in a safe space, I just wanted to apologize.” I raised my hands in surrender. I was actually concerned for her, if she was really scared.
In my head, it sounded like a good thing, like she knew if she hurt Cara I’d have a problem, but in reality, I didn’t want anyone to be scared of me.
She slowly took a few steps closer. “Not since I was a kid, but I’m gonna be honest, you look like you could kill me with a flick of your wrist, so I’m being cautious. Seriously, what’s your workout routine?”
I laughed, enjoying the lightness she was trying to bring to the situation. I shrugged. “I’m a volunteer firefighter as well as working in construction, so that sort of helps.”
“Well, it’s working for you. Anyway, what were you apologizing for?”
I sighed. “Oh, right. That. I have to be transparent and tell you that Cara made me come down here. Well, she said please and asked nicely, so here I am. But I do feel bad.”
“I appreciate your honesty. What do you feel bad about?”
“I may have judged you a little too harshly and haven’t been treating you as well as I should have been.
You have to understand where I’m coming from, though.
I really care about Cara, and when she told me about your little run-in while she was out with Fallon, it upset me.
I’m sure if the roles were reversed and someone said those things to Fallon, you would’ve seen red like I had.
But maybe not since you said those things about her, actually. ”
She scowled. “I did, and I regret it everyday. Things were complicated between us back then. I was falling for her, and I was jealous watching her be affectionate with Cara. I know there is no excuse for how I reacted, and I apologize to both of them every chance I get. I care for Cara too. Of course, not in the way you do, but I would never intentionally do anything to hurt her.”
“Anymore than you already have?” I took a breath. I was supposed to be apologizing. “Look, you’re right, I care for Cara, more than you could know. I really like her, and she’s mine to protect. I appreciate that you’ve recognized how you fucked up, and since Cara has forgiven you, I need to too.”
She smiled. “I really am sorry for what happened. I’d like us to start over, Vera. I can tell how Cara feels about you, and it seems like we’ll be in each other's lives for a while.”
I tried not to jump up and down. I knew Cara liked me, but to what extent?
“I’d like that. I’m sorry for how I’ve treated you since we met.
I hope to be sticking around, and I’d like to get to know you better.
I can see how in love you are with your wife and how you care for her.
I guess I have you guys to thank for bringing Cara to me.
If you two hadn’t gotten together, she might’ve been with one of you and I wouldn’t have her.
” She didn’t need to know that I didn’t have her at all.
“In that case, you’re welcome,” she replied.
We continued talking about our beautiful women and she told me the insane story of how they met, and I stuck with the half truth Cara and I agreed upon, that we met at a bar.
I hated to admit it, but Mackenzie was growing on me.
She was sarcastic like Drea, but also really genuine when she talked about her friends or her wife.
I could tell there was a softness in her that hadn’t always been there.
She talked a little about her childhood, as I did mine, but nothing in detail.
I didn’t want to be away from Cara for that long, so we said our goodbyes. Fallon was about to open the door and jumped when she saw me come out. “It’s not what it looks like,” was the first thing I said. A woman coming out of her room was probably not the image she wanted.
She laughed. “Is my wife alive? I’m more worried about you killing her than trying something. And she knows better on the latter.”
She peeked her head past me and I turned to see Mackenzie waving. “I’m alive, dear. We were just talking, actually. All is good.”
I turned back to Fallon, who was smiling. “Good. Glad you ladies figured your shit out. Baby, you can relax. I can see you sweating from here. I trust you, and besides, Cara texted me that Vera was here. It’s nice to see you again, Vera.”
I smiled. “You too. I was just leaving. I don’t want to keep Cara waiting too long.”
“Good idea. Oh, and Vera?”
I had just started walking down the hall when I stopped. “Yeah?”
Fallon’s smile stayed in place, but her eyes were serious. “Don’t hurt her. She deserves nothing but the best. So far, that’s all I’ve seen from you. I hope that doesn’t change.”
I smiled. “She really does. I promise, I would never dream of hurting her.” With that, I turned around and headed back to my room.
When I came back from talking with Mackenzie, I brought a coffee for Cara as another apology. I told her about the conversation and she rewarded me with a kiss when I told her everything, except for Fallon’s parting words. I didn’t want to scare her off with my answer. With my truth.
I asked what she wanted to do since we had several hours to kill before dinner.
“I really just want to lounge around in my shorts and read, is that okay? I mean, you can go out if you want, but you’re more than welcome to stay.”
I shook my head. “A relaxing day in before a social night sounds amazing. Are you sure you don’t mind me staying with you? I won’t bother you. I’ll probably read a book or something.”
She shrugged. “No, I don’t mind.”
After an hour and a half of reading our respective books, I started to get a little hot, so I opened the door to the patio, to get a light breeze in. She looked up and grinned with her eyes closed. “Perfect.”
“Si, perfecto,” I said, looking at her. She was truly a work of art. Flawless even in shorts and a tank top.
She was laying down on the couch, her head propped up on the arm, reading a book. From where I sat on the bed, it looked like a sweet book, with a cartoon cover of a hockey player. I could’ve watched her all day, but I’d rather do something else instead.
I got off the bed and walked over to where she stretched out on the couch, put my arms on either side of her head, and leaned down to kiss her when she looked up at me.
I felt like Spiderman, kissing her like that. She immediately dropped her book and grabbed my arms, which I flexed because I knew she loved them so much. If she wasn’t staring at my chest, she was looking at my arms.