Chapter 12 #3
“Are you kidding me? That’s the best you can do?
Insult me with something that I already told you years ago I was afraid of being called?
Yeah, back when I was eighteen, I was afraid that people might think that about me if I stepped wrong.
But you know what, I’m not worried about that anymore, and also, I don’t care.
I don’t care. I’m the best choice for mayor of this town because I’m going to be good at the job.
I am certainly more than who I choose to sleep with.
I’m definitely not taking the blame for a relationship that you blew up.
And as much as it pains me to say this, I almost owe you my thanks.
Because I don’t miss living here, I don’t miss standing on this porch and looking at this view, and most of all, Alan, I don’t miss you.
I don’t even know who I was. I don’t remember what led me to being the girl that was walking down that aisle toward you. And thank God, I never have to.”
She started to walk forward, and Alan stepped in the middle of the door.
“Have you lost your mind?”
“You’re about to lose a few fingers,” Walker said, taking a step forward. “The lady has come to collect her things. And you’re not going to make a problem out of it.”
“I’ll have you trespassed,” he said.
“Oh, how terrifying. Like I’ve never been arrested for that before.”
“I’m serious, I will call the police.”
He hadn’t even called the police about Walker roping him, because ultimately he would never want that kind of attention.
“You’re going to call the police and tell them what?
That I came to get my own stuff? Everybody knows what happened.
You might try to gaslight me, you seem to have successfully gaslit yourself, but everyone has seen it.
Everyone knows that you’re the one that created this situation, not me.
If you call the police, they’re just going to laugh at you. Hell, everyone would.”
Walker saw then that that was his real problem. This guy had been humiliated all over the internet. He was trying to stand here and posture like that wasn’t the case, but it sure as hell was. Obviously.
“I’m not open to any shame that should actually belong to you,” she said, walking past him, and Walker would have applauded if he were cheesy like that. Because she was holding her own, standing her ground, and it made him wonder how in the world this guy had ever landed her in the first place.
Well, in college they had been the obvious match.
Because they were golden children in town, and of course he had gone on to become a doctor, which was very accomplished of him.
But he had never done much of anything to fix himself.
Or maybe there was nothing to fix. Maybe this was what happened to people when they didn’t have a struggle.
She did, and Walker knew it.
Because that struggle had been immediately thrown back in her face by the man who was supposed to love her.
Walker might have diminished that struggle, might not have believed fully that it was a real issue, but he could see that it was.
That it had been dangling over her like some sort of sword of Damocles — he had absolutely paid attention in high school, he just didn’t like people to know it — and then he had tried to cut her down with it.
Her not having it was one of the best things he’d ever seen.
Also though, he had never particularly been grateful for the struggles in his life, but he wondered if a lack of them just made you hollow.
A high school jock forever who never had any character development.
And here he had just been bemoaning the heaping on of character development for him.
Because it was annoying as hell. But he would rather be himself right now than that guy.
At least Walker had the presence of mind to know not to make somebody else depend on him. At least Walker had never promised a woman the world and then delivered her humiliation.
Alan didn’t approach them again while they packed their things up, and had he, he and Walker could have gotten a lot better acquainted via Walker’s fist in his face. He really wasn’t worried about a misdemeanor charge. Been there. Done that.
Chip off the old block.
He felt a little bit chagrined about that.
It wasn’t like it was his goal to be like his no-account father, but he could handle it.
“Where are you staying?” Alan asked, as they packed the last box of her things out the front door.
“I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”
“She’s moving in with me,” Walker said, and he really did smile then. “When you know, you know.”
Addison didn’t seem surprised or put off at all, which was probably evidence that she just thought that he was doing a bit. Sadly, for her, it wasn’t one. She would find that out soon enough.
“You’re not serious. We waited years to move in together.”
“And look where it got me. Like you said. It’s obvious I’ve always wanted him. Might as well jump in with both feet.”
Then he carried that last box out to the truck, threw it in the bed, and opened the door for her. He would make a performance out of his chivalry, which had never been so strong. And then, he decided that he was going to go for broke.
Just as Addison was turning to get in the car, he wrapped his arm around her waist. Then he lowered his head, and before he could think better of it, his lips crashed down on hers.