9. Chapter Nine
Chapter Nine
Kallie
Alex hasn’t stopped calling and texting me. I don’t understand why he thinks I want anything to do with him, why I’d want to waste more of my time. He has already taken three years from me.
Alex: Please, Kallie. Just talk to me. I’ll tell Rogers to give you your job back. I miss you.
Swiping left, I delete his message, along with the few before that, and set my phone back down on the little table next to me. After what happened with Lance—or I guess what almost happened—I figured a little space was good, even if I wanted nothing more than for him to be back between my legs.
It’s freezing out here, but the view makes it worth it. The tall pine trees are covered in snow, making it look like something you’d see in those pretty screensaver photos.
I can’t take my eyes off them.
The back porch is beautiful. String lights are strung around the beams and out a few feet, wrapping around the trees. The soft glow makes everything look so much more magical as the sun sets behind the trees.
The seat next to me dips, and Lance plops down next to me with two steaming cups in his hands.
“Figured I’d find you out here,” he says, handing me the same mug I used this morning.
“It’s beautiful.” He nods but doesn’t say anything else.
“I understand why you love it out here so much,” I say before continuing. “The time I spent back in New York was nothing like this. Don’t get me wrong, it was beautiful in its own way, but it’s not the same.”
The sun is basically gone now, the only light source coming from the string lights.
“Are you glad to be back?” Lance asks, moving sideways to look at me, his arm lying across the back of the small loveseat.
I smile down at my lap because I am. “So glad. My time there was over before it started. I should’ve seen the signs before I moved.”
When I look back up at Lance, I see he’s still looking at me. Something washes over his face, and before I can tell what it is, it’s gone.
He reaches up and brushes a loose piece of hair behind my ear. “He’s fucking stupid, sunshine.” His voice is soft but firm. I only shrug.
“I wasn’t perfect by any means. But that’s what I get for dating my boss.” A small laugh escapes me, and I smile; it took a lot for me to leave him, but I did it. Years of not being able to see my family or friends were hard, but I’m here and I’m back, ready to move forward.
“No. That’s not an excuse for anyone to be hurt the way you were. Just because he thinks he holds this immense amount of power doesn’t give him the right to dictate your life.” I can see Lance’s jaw tick as he lectures me about how wrong Alex was, and he’s right. He’s so fucking right. I know I deserve someone better. Someone like Lance . Only, that’s just a fairytale. He’s someone I can’t have, and that alone makes it feel like a heavy weight is sitting on my chest. Lance is every woman’s dream.
“Thank you, Lance. For everything.”
“There is nothing you need to thank me for, sunshine.” He looks at me, his eyes never leave mine, and in this moment, I want nothing more than to close the distance between us, to feel the warmth of his lips against mine, but I pause, knowing what could happen if I make this move.
As if sensing my hesitation, he drags a finger along my cold cheek, his touch sending shivers down my spine.
“Are you cold?” he asks softly, his eyes searching mine.
I shake my head, unable to tear my gaze from his. “No,” I whisper, my voice barely audible above the rustle of the leaves.
His thumb runs back and forth along my jawline, and he moves closer, only a few inches separating us. As his lips almost touch mine, a sound rings out around us, causing us to open our eyes and break apart.
I reach over to grab my phone, sighing when Alex’s name flashes across the screen again.
“Who is it?” Lance asks, probably seeing the frustration on my face.
“It’s Alex. He’s been calling and texting me nonstop for the past few hours.” Before I can say or do anything, my phone is out of my hands and against Lance’s ear.
“What part of leaving her alone are you not understanding?” Lance says as he stands. I can’t hear what Alex is spewing off, but I’m sure it’s nothing nice. The fact another man is answering my phone probably set him off.
“Kallie asked you to leave her alone. Stop contacting her, or we will have a problem.” Lance ends the call and hands me my phone back. I can’t seem to come up with something to say as I sit there and look at Lance, my mouth hanging open. Did he really just tell off my ex-boyfriend?
He sends me a wink. “Let's get you inside where it’s warmer.” He grabs the extra blankets and the coffee mugs before walking back inside. As I sit there, I can’t help but wish Alex never interrupted us, because Lance was only seconds away from pressing his lips to mine.