“I was.I’m… Come in,” she said reluctantly because it was getting harder and harder to hold Hershey.“Just give me a minute to put her out in the yard.”
She didn’t wait for Kyle’s response but shut the door in his face and coerced Hershey to follow her by talking and dragging the dog down the hallway and out the back door.Thankfully the tile made it easier since Hershey couldn’t get a good grip despite her locked legs and resistance.
She’d always heard that dogs had a sixth sense about humans.That they could actually smell bad people.“Where were you when I met him?”she muttered to Hershey.
Hadley gently but firmly shoved Hershey outside and quickly shut the patio door behind the dog, who had no interest in exploring things again when her human had a visitor.
Hershey pawed at the door to get back inside, yipping and whining at being kicked out.
The front door opened with a squeak of the hinge, and after a moment’s hesitation, Kyle’s footsteps echoed in the quiet house.
“When did you get a dog?”
Hadley struggled with her emotions in the face of Kyle’s sudden appearance and took a steadying breath.“Recently,” she said simply, turning to face her ex.
Kyle had always been a good-looking man, and dressed as he was in his suit and tie, now was no exception.He was an older, more handsome version of the man she’d fallen so hard for twenty-seven years ago.“I’ll go get Abby’s headset.”
“What’s with all the suitcases?”he asked, watching her as she moved toward him once more.
“I’m…moving.”
“To Carolina Cove?”
He sounded surprised.Score one for the wifey.Ex-wifey, her mind countered.“Yes.I was going to call you or email.To let you know I’m ready to sell my half of the house to you, or we can put it on the market.”
“I told you I’d take care of the mortgage for as long as the kids were in school.”
“I know but they’re going to spend so little time here.It makes no sense to wander around in this huge house alone while they’re away at school.”And she didn’t like the thought of it giving Kyle control when she was dependent on him making those payments.“When they’re on break, they’ll be doing their own thing or visiting me in Carolina Cove anyway so… If you don’t want it, let’s just sell it.That way we’ll be done, once and for all.”
“Baby—”
“Don’tcall me that,” she said, her gaze meeting his briefly before she looked away.
The endearment pierced her heart and left her floundering for control over her emotions.Hurt, anger.So much anger.Not because she still loved him but because of how he’d handled things.How he’d torn their family apart.“I’m not your… Not anymore.You lost that right when you chose her,” she said, waving a hand toward the door and his child-girlfriend beyond.
Kyle had the grace to wince at the reminder, and she turned and hurried up the stairs, her tired muscles screaming from the many previous trips.
She found the headset placed over the top of Abby’s headboard and grabbed it, taking an extra few precious seconds to wipe the moisture from the corners of her eyes before rushing back down as fast as she could so he could be gone.“Tell Abby I love her and miss her,” she said.
“I take it you finally told your mother?”Kyle asked when she stood in front of him once more.
“Why do you say it like that?”
“Cheryl’s left multiple messages with my receptionist the last two days.I haven’t called her back.I wanted to check with you and ask what she knew.”
“You don’t have to call her back,” Hadley said.“I’ll take care of Mom, but, yes, I told her.”
Kyle gripped the headset in his soft surgical hands.How had she never noticed how feminine they looked?
Unlike Bryson’s calloused, hardworking hands.
Sexy, raspy-rough hands that sent shockwaves through her when he lightly touched her face or arms when they’d kissed.
“Look, Hadley, I’m sorry about Georgia.I sent flowers.And I put both our names on the card.”
Such a grand gesture, that.Was it supposed to make things better?“Is that everything Abby needed?”she asked.
“Haddie… Have you lost weight?You look good, babe.”