“Grace—”
“No, stop. I think we all know how dire this situation is now. You’ve said enough.”
“I haven’t said anything.”
“Yes, you have. You let her leave in the middle of the night alone. Now, you’re in the same room and couldn’t be farther apart. That says it all.”
“She’s working. I’m trying to respect her space.”
It’s obvious I’ve said the wrong thing when Grace grabs Bizzy’s arm, and they stomp away. I try to follow them only to be intercepted by Nick and Shaw. Both close in and back me into a corner.
“What the fuck did you do?” Shaw hisses at me.
“Nothing!” I defend, pushing at both of their shoulders.
“Nothing my ass, you’ve fucked up.” Nicky bends back to make sure none of the kids heard him.
“How did you come to that conclusion?”
“Because you’re over here, but Claire’s over there. She’s the center of the party, and you are standing here like a dud. She’s got tearstains on her cheeks, her smile doesn’t reach her face, and my fucking wife is in shambles about this ‘Mathis and Claire break-up’.” Nick seethes.
“We didn’t break up,” I try to reassure them, my stomach twisting.
“You sure?” Nick gets closer in my space, eyeing me with disbelief. “I told you years ago, but you didn’t listen when I said she’s not one to be tamed. I think you are great together. It fucking thrills my wife, like a love-story playing out. But something happened, and that love story doesn’t look good. Fix it.”
“You’re a dickhead.” I rear up, and Shaw steps between us, his face hard as stone, and I remember kids are a few yards away. “I told her we needed to move in together, and she freaked.”
Shaw shakes his head then pins me with his stare. “What exactly did you say?”
I explain the conversation and know I’ve lost the battle when Nick and Shaw both whistle through their teeth.
“Yikes.” Nick raises an eyebrow at Shaw.
“He’s fucked,” Shaw responds.
I stand, irritated beyond belief until I hear her voice and sense her close.
“NICKY BENNETT! You’re up!” Claire shouts, dragging him away from our pow-wow and not glancing at me.
An ache jolts in my heart, and I rub my chest to sooth it. When I raise my face, Shaw’s eyeing me with sympathy.
“Do you love her?” he asks.
“I do.”
“Have you told her?”
I think back to everything we’ve shared. Have I told her? No.
For years, the words she said to me that night plagued my mind. I did want her— always her. The timing wasn’t right, so I stuck to my decision, working my ass off to get where I am. She did the same. We forged ahead, working side by side, and never let the past affect us. Our lives are so intertwined that, at times, it was torture to be around her so often, but it was the best kind of torture because at least she was close. Claire stuck to her word, never mentioning our history to anyone until last year.
I think back to the night of Shaw’s wedding, a night of celebration in many ways, but it’s Claire who fuels my memories. Beautiful, carefree, wild—everything that made me fall in love with her. I cracked, giving in to her seduction, and finally had her back in my arms. It felt right, and I knew I was done hiding how I felt.
Then Nick found Grace and things got crazy. I told myself the timing wasn’t right again.
She taunted me, pushing my buttons every chance she could. The day she got into a fight at Nick’s game, I was done. She was mine. She never spoke of our time apart, and I didn’t press the issue. Nothing mattered now that it was behind us.
“Shit, you haven’t told her?” Shaw breaks into my thoughts.