So I was looking forward to having the house to myself for a short while, without anyone shouting at me to leave my boots outside, or wipe the crumbs from the counter or to not leave the dishes in the sink.
Smiling to myself, I knew I was going to do exactly what I wanted, including leave a mess. I wasn’t a messy person by nature, usually tidying up after I’d been in the kitchen; I just didn’t do it quickly enough for Mom!
Reece had offered me some advice about Thalia, which was typical Reece. The one he favored was for me to fuck her, get her out of my system and then marry Mia. Donovan’s advice had been to tell Mia to take a hike and to cancel the wedding myself and then to fuck Thalia…and to keep her.
Donovan was spot on with his advice. I’d spent the best part of the day between ‘breaks’ thinking about what to do. Mia, I knew was playing dumb about the wedding and she knew I wanted it cancelled. She was going to appear when I least expected it with a plan up her sleeve – that I did know.
As the wedding got closer and closer the more I panicked. What I needed to do was try and have a talk with my dad without him going off the handle, like he did with the majority of our talks. I just wanted to get a sense of what the wedding meant to him because I was so close to finishing my law degree that I couldn’t really see him withholding tuition.
Braking, I came to a stop at the front of the house and climbed out. Grabbing my bag from the back, I started to walk around the side of the house, stopping in my tracks when I heard Thalia say, ‘I don’t know what to do about Jack’. Who was she talking too?
Quietly, I moved closer to the back porch and could just make her out sitting on the swing with her cell to her ear.
“Callie, it’s not that easy. Ugh, he makes me so damn hot.”
I grinned to myself. So I made her hot, well she made me so damn hard.
“I’m not going to jump him. Callie, he’s engaged to someone else and she’s a first class bitch.”
When the hell had Thalia met Mia to make that conclusion?
“I haven’t spoken to her, but she was insisting to the sales girl in the shop in town that she refund me, because she was planning on buying the boots I’d just paid for. If looks could kill, I’d be six feet under.”
Fuck, why the hell was Mia purposely, pissing Thalia off? I hadn’t given her any reason to think I was attracted to her…or had she put the ‘wedding talk’ down to Thalia being here. Women!
“Callie, I don’t know what to do about what I overheard in the changing rooms. I mean if I wasn’t attracted to Jack, I suppose it would be easier to decide, but I don’t want him thinking I’m telling tales because I want him, which I do, want him I mean. Ugh…tell me what to do?”
Having heard that comment, I figured it might be best to make myself known. What did she overhear? It was obviously something to do with me.
“No, she didn’t say that. Mia said she was going to seduce him, to make him think she was pregnant so he wouldn’t cancel the wedding. See what I mean she’s a total bitch and yeah she even has me cursing.”
I leaned against the wall in total shock. That wouldn’t have worked, but I guess there was no way Thalia would know that considering I’m engaged to the damn woman.
Was she crying?
“Callie, when I think about Jack putting his hands on her and not me, it hurts…so much. I’ve fallen for him, hook, line and sinker, but he belongs to someone else and is going to marry her. What the hell am I still doing here? I need to come to you in Texas to find a Texas cowboy, although I don’t think anyone else will do, but Jack.”
She left me stunned, not only with Mia’s plan, but with how she felt about me and she sure as hell wasn’t going to Texas to find a cowboy.
“I’ll talk to you soon.” She ended the call.
Counting to ten I tried to get my breathing under control before I made myself known. She’d wonder whether or not I’d overheard some of her conversation.
“Thalia,” I said, making her jump as I approached the steps leading up on to the porch, narrowly missing one of the potted plants my mom kept there for decoration.
Thalia jumped and glanced at the phone resting in her hands. “I didn’t know you were there. Um, how long have you been here?” she asked biting her lip.
I was going to be honest; it would be easier, I hoped, in the long run. I met her eyes head on sitting across from her. “Long enough.”
“Oh God.” She buried her face into her hands.
Sitting forward, I rested my elbows on my knees, and asked, “Thalia, look at me.”
She shook her head.
“Please look at me. You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”
She appeared to take a deep breath then lifted her head and met my eyes. “I want you too; so much it hurts.” I reached out, but kept from touching her. Yearning filled her eyes as I dropped my hand back in my lap. “I know this situation is different and I’m trying to sort it out, it’s just not as easy as it might appear… Please don’t go to Texas.”