I stood on the veranda and began to take deep lungfuls of cool, refreshing air. The breeze swept over me and cooled my skin, but it did nothing for how I felt inside. I closed my eyes and tried to relax my body, dropping my shoulders down away from my neck as I sighed. What was I going to do?
Before I had another moment to contemplate the situation, I heard pounding footsteps heading toward me and my eyes flew open. The last person I expected to see was heading straight for me and I froze. It was Spencer!
He didn’t waste any time and before I could even open my mouth, he grabbed me by the arm and whisked me inside the villa. I was speechless and a little breathless as he manhandled me and pressed me back against the wall inside the villa’s hallway. We stared at each other for a moment, both of us panting, before Spencer began.
“Look, Rylee, I know what you think you saw, but I promise, it was not like that at all,” he explained.
I rolled my eyes. “So, you didn’t just kiss another woman after telling me for weeks that you wanted us to get back together?” I spat. “Wow, you must be so serious about me,” I added sarcastically.
“Don’t give me that, Rylee,” he hissed. “You’ve been looking for an excuse not to get back together ever since we met back up again. At least hear me out before you start making judgments.”
“Fine,” I said with a huff and crossed my arms over my chest. “Tell me all about your kiss with the fabulous Alexa.”
Spencer sighed. “Look, Alexa has been all over me ever since we got here. Surely, you’ve noticed that. I’ve been doing my best to show her I’m not interested without being rude, but clearly, she didn’t get the message. She pulled me to one side in the mall and then she kissed me, Rylee. It meant absolutely nothing to me.”
My resolve softened a little. His explanation made a lot more sense than the idea that Spencer had been sneaking around behind my back this whole time, but I was still pissed. I hated the idea of Spencer with anyone else but me.
“That’s hard to believe, Spencer,” I replied eventually, still wanting reassurance. “She’s a beautiful, woman and she’s more your age—”
“I don’t give a damn about age, Rylee. You should know that,” Spencer interrupted. “Age has never been important to me. Besides, you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.”
“I’m hardly as beautiful as Alexa,” I argued with a sigh. “She looks like she has her own personal hair stylist every morning and her tits are so perky and big; she’s probably got implants and—”
“Rylee, listen to me,” Spencer cut in as he reached forward and gripped my arms tight. “I promise, you’re the most beautiful woman in the world. I never wanted to kiss Alexa. She forced herself on me and I don’t want her at all. I told her off so bad, I doubt she’ll ever show her face around me again.”
My mouth dropped open in shock and my eyes widened. “You yelled at her?” I questioned.
Spencer nodded. “I didn’t want to, but I’d been polite enough and she just wouldn’t take the hint,” he clarified.
Despite his adamance about the whole situation, it had still rattled me. Seeing Spencer in the arms of another woman made me question why he would be with plain, old, boring me when he could have some fancy, beautiful socialite instead. I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding in and glanced up at him through my thick, black eyelashes.
“I still don’t understand,” I whispered. “Why me?”
Spencer smiled and took a step closer. “Oh, Rylee, I can’t believe you still don’t get it after all this time. You’re the most special woman in the world to me. You’re the woman of my dreams, Rylee. You’re funny and sexy and smart. You’re loyal and protective of those you care about and most importantly, family comes first with you. There are so many more things I could say – and believe me, Rylee, if you need me to, I will list every single reason I want to be with you – but the one I want you to remember is that I love you.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Spencer had never told me that he loved me before. My heart was pounding against my chest so loud I could hear it in my ears. I couldn’t believe it. Spencer loved me!
“I’ve loved you from the very first time I saw you in that coffee shop, Rylee. I’m so sorry that I wasn’t there for you for the five years we were apart. You don’t know how awful I feel about that and I’ll never stop hating myself for abandoning you and missing the birth of our child.”