Chapter 2
ROBERT
I suck in a breath.
Eleanor hasn’t been herself for a while, but I thought she was happy.
I should have listened to her; I should have done something. Walking out should never have been an option.
“Ellie, we can fix this.”
“What if I don’t want to fix it? What if I say I’m happy here by myself?”
It feels like my heart is being wrenched from my chest. “What?” I ask with a gasp.
She blows out a breath. “Bobby, we can’t keep doing this. You want things one way, and I want them another. If we can’t meet in the middle then—”
I cut her off. “You’re not leaving me, Ellie. I won’t let you.”
I can tell she’s out of patience by the tone of her voice. “Then things are going to have to change. If you want me back… prove it.”
I open my mouth but slam it closed. I’ve been down this road before.
I know that she’s not going to listen to my demands.
I clench my eyes shut and shake my head.
Since she walked out on me, my life has been hell.
I’ve been making rash decisions, I’m barely sleeping, and I feel like my heart is broken.
No, I can’t keep going this way. I have to fix this.
“Tell me what to do and I’ll do it.”
She’s silent, no doubt surprised that I’m willing to give in.
I’m a stubborn man and used to getting my way, but what Eleanor doesn’t know is that I will do anything to keep her.
But the fact she’s not saying anything spooks me a little bit. “Ellie, talk to me. I can’t lose you. I can’t. I’ll do anything.”
Still nothing. I start to panic. “Do you love me?”
When she doesn’t answer immediately, I plead with her. “Baby, talk to me. Do you love me?”
I hold my breath, waiting for her to answer.
Her voice is just a whisper. “Yes, of course I love you, but…”
I shake my head and stand up, gripping my phone even tighter. “No buts. If you love me, we can fix this. We will fix this.”
She sighs softly. “Robert, we need—”
“I’ll just head over there now and help you pack up.”
“Robert.”
My shoulders loosen. “And then we can put this all behind us.”
“Stop!” she shouts into the phone. “I’m not coming home. Not yet. Not until I know that things are going to change, Bobby.”
I grunt. “Make your demands then. What do you want?”
Her voice raises an octave. “Make my demands? Look, maybe we should talk about this face to face.”
I’m already moving toward my keys. “Fine. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“No! I think we should talk tomorrow… in the daylight… during the day…”
I lean my head back and stare at the ceiling. “I need to see you.”
Even I can hear the vulnerability in my voice. I miss my wife. I miss looking at her, touching her, having her.
“Please,” I plead with her.
With a soft breath, she agrees. “Okay. Come on over.”
I’m already at my car. My driver is home, and it’s stupid for me to drive downtown without any bodyguards or protection, but I’m going.
It takes me ten minutes to get to Eleanor’s apartment.
I grimace at the dirty stoop and the unlocked door to the building.
Of course she picked a place without a doorman.
I grit my teeth and try to keep my shit together because if I go in there demanding that things get done, it’s not going to go well.
I bypass the elevators and climb the stairs, and when I reach her apartment, I knock on the door and then stuff my hands in my pockets. A few seconds pass and then the door opens.
I have to suck in a breath. It feels like I haven’t seen her in weeks when in fact I just saw her this morning. She doesn’t know I saw her, but I follow her most of the time, always needing to know she’s safe.
Her blond hair is in curls over her shoulders. I let my gaze travel over her pretty face, her form-fitting shirt, and the jeans that hug her just right. When I look into her face again, her cheeks are pink, and she backs up. “Come in.”
I walk past her, and she looks behind me. “Where’s everyone? Where’s your entourage?”
I stand a few feet away from her. “I came alone.”
Her forehead creases. “Was that safe to do?”
I blurt out a laugh. “Funny that you are asking me that. Do you think it’s safe for you to be here in this apartment building by yourself? The front door is unlocked, and there’s not even a doorman. Anyone could come up here and—”
She raises a hand to stop me. “Okay, if you came to pick apart my living situation, then you can just leave.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “No.”
I shift my stance, feet apart, unwilling to move. “I’m not leaving until we resolve this.”
She rolls her eyes and walks past me. She sits down on the couch and gestures to the chair across from her. “Have a seat.”
Instead of sitting across from her, I sit on the cushion beside her and put a hand on her knee. “First of all, the most important thing is that we love each other and we’re going to get through this.”
She nods.
I squeeze her knee. “Okay, talk.”
She opens her mouth and then closes it again.
She shoots to her feet and walks over to the big bay window. She looks out on the city, and it’s on the tip of my tongue to warn her and have her step back. She’s a Kingston, and she shouldn’t be standing in front of windows where people have access to her.
Instead of saying any of that, I stand up and join her. “Ellie… talk to me.”
She blinks. “Do you know the last time you told me I was pretty?”
I jerk, surprised. I think back, but I don’t remember the last time I said it. “I don’t know. But I think it every day.”
She just blinks at me, and I put a hand to her waist. “Is that what this is about, Ellie? Because I don’t tell you you’re pretty?”
She steps back from me. “That’s not it. And don’t make me sound ridiculous. I wouldn’t leave my husband of thirty-five years just because he forgets to tell me I’m pretty.”
I put my hands on my hips. It’s either that or I’m going to drag her flush against my body. “What is it then?”
She shrugs her shoulders. “It’s a lot of little things, but it all adds up, and I can’t just keep ignoring them.”
I blow out a breath. “What else?”
She looks at me, guarded and tense.
“What is it, Ellie? We’re not going to fix this if you’re not willing to talk about it.”
She lifts her chin at me. “Are you seeing someone else?”
My mouth drops. “What? You think I have another woman?”
This time, she crosses her arms over her chest and avoids my gaze. “I don’t know what I think. All the late nights. Heck, some nights you don’t even come home. What else am I supposed to think?”
I walk straight to her and put my hands on her shoulders. “Baby, you have to know that since the day I married you, there has not been anyone else. No one.”
She looks hopeful, but even after my words, there is still mistrust on her face. She pulls from my grasp. “I can’t do this now.”
“Ellie.”
She shakes her head and walks toward the door, opening it. “Can we do this tomorrow, Robert?”
I want to argue with her. I want to demand that she go home with me, but I recognize that look on her face.
She’s already shutting down. She’s not going to talk to me anymore tonight.
I had no idea that she thought I was with someone else, but I wasn’t lying to her.
I have never, would never, cheat on her.
But by that look on her face, I know she’s not listening to me.
“When can I see you again?”
She stutters. “Uh, uh, tomorrow. We’ll go to lunch.”
I start to scowl, and anger etches on her face. I hate going to restaurants. At least ones that aren’t owned by the family. I hold my hands up. “Fine. Lunch. I’ll pick you up at noon.”
She’s about to tell me that she’ll drive, but I’m just as determined as she is, and she knows it.
She gestures for me to go. “Fine. I’ll see you tomorrow at noon.”
I stop in front of her, and she tenses. I hate seeing it, remembering all the times she melted into my touch. I lean down and kiss her forehead. “I’ll see you tomorrow, sweet Ellie.”