“Thank you. ”
“Do you still require the driver to stay for the duration of the games?”
“No, I do not. ”
I pressed End on my cell and typed out a text message to Matteo for good measure.
You’re fired. Don’t show your face here again and stay the fuck away from Cassie.
I tossed my phone down, not expecting a response when it beeped right back.
Jack, I’m really sorry. Can I come there and talk to you?
I cracked my neck from side to side, the idea of seeing Matteo igniting the flames of my temper.
Not a good idea, man. Not right now.
It will take 2 seconds. Please. I know you want to kill me. Let me explain.
Explain? Explain how his lips touched my girlfriend’s? What the hell was there to explain? Maybe he wanted me to kick his ass? I glanced at the clock on the wall. I had time.
Fine. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.
My body tensed all over as the image of him kissing Cassie burned into my mind. Within minutes, he knocked on my door. I hesitated, knowing that if I started hitting him, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop.
I opened the door, the dejected look on his face almost made me feel sorry for him. Almost. I clenched my hands, balling them into fists as my mind raced. I stepped back from the door, not wanting to be near him. I didn’t invite him in.
“Jack, I’m really sorry. There’s no excuse for my behavior. It’s just that she looked so sad and so distraught that it killed me to see her like that. I just wanted her to be happy. My emotions took over, and I got all jumbled up inside. ”
He had feelings for her.
I glared at him, willing myself to stay calm as he continued. “I feel horrible and I know you can never forgive me, but you need to know that Cassie stopped me. She shoved me away and put me in my place. ”
Good girl.
“I never meant to disrespect you or your relationship. Somewhere along the way of looking out for her at the games, my feelings got involved. But she doesn’t have any feelings for me. She made that completely clear. I know you’ll never forgive me, but I hope you’ll forgive her. ”
I don’t know why, but that kindhearted comment set me off. “Don’t tell me what to do with her. She’s none of your business. ”
His expression tightened. “You’re right. I just wanted to apologize to you and tell you what happened. I really am sorry Jack. ”
I swallowed my pride. And then I almost choked on it. I couldn’t blame him for caring about her when that’s exactly what I’d asked him to do. No wonder the lines got blurred. He protected her so often that he didn’t know how to turn that part off. “I understand how your feelings for her grew. ” The tension between his brows lessened slightly. “I don’t forgive you right now for kissing her. But maybe in time I will. ”
He nodded. “Thank you. That means a lot. ” He turned to leave.
“Matteo,” I called out. “Thanks for coming by. ”
A real man owned up to his mistakes and confronted them. Even when I warned him not to come here, he still insisted. It was hard not to respect that kind of integrity. Not to mention the fact that I liked Matteo. Maybe I could grow to like him again. Maybe.
Game Changer
Cassie
I sat on the floor staring at my cell phone as Melissa practically danced around me. “What the hell is going on?” I pulled up the photograph of Matteo kissing me on my phone and held it up to her face. “Oh shit. When the hell did he kiss you?”
“The night he drove me to the airport. ” I shook my head, wondering how I was going to fix this.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”