The Rules of Dating(64)
The day dragged on as I waited for Colby to stop by after work. I’d specifically not texted him because I didn’t want him to feel obligated to explain everything in a message or on the phone when I knew his plan was to lay it on me in person.
After the shop closed, Deek hung out with me until Colby arrived.
When my man finally walked through the door, his eyes looked sunken and bloodshot. His tie was crooked and his hair mussed, probably because he’d been pulling on it. This was definitely bad.
I ran to Colby and pulled him into my arms. I knew he needed that first and foremost. For once, Deek remained quiet. Now was not the time for words, and he knew it.
I was looking over Colby’s shoulder when Deek said, “I’m gonna lock the door behind me.”
I nodded and mouthed, “Thank you.”
After Deek left, I stepped back and wrapped my hands around Colby’s cheeks, bringing his face to mine and kissing his forehead.
“Whatever it is, it’s going to be okay,” I whispered.
It took Colby a few minutes to even start speaking. I’d wanted so badly for him to tell me what happened. But once he opened his mouth, I wished I’d never heard the words.
“She wants me to marry her.”
***
I paced nonstop. After Colby told me the story, all I could do was walk back and forth. If I didn’t do that, I might do something rash, like toss a chair through the window. I’d never been angrier in my life.
While I continued to pace, Colby sat down with his head in his hands.
“I can’t believe the nerve of that fucking woman,” I spewed.
He looked up at me. “I’m not marrying her.”
If only it were that simple, and that statement could have made her disappear.
“Except that she said if you did enter this sham marriage, she’d sign full rights over to you, Colby. That’s something to at least consider, as hard as this is to stomach.”
He gritted his teeth. “I can’t fucking marry her.”
“You’d rather have to deal with fighting her for custody?”
“Are you trying to convince me to give in to her?”
“I don’t know.” I pulled on my hair. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I feel like I’m in the middle of a nightmare.” I stopped pacing for a moment. “Look, I am the last person who wants you anywhere near that woman. The idea of it makes my skin crawl like you wouldn’t believe. Which is why making her go away permanently is so enticing. A little pain for major gain—never having to worry about her threatening you again.”
Colby’s hands trembled. I ran over, grabbed them, and brought them to my mouth, showering them with kisses. I’d never seen him like this. I worried about his mental health in the weeks to come. No matter which direction we went, this wasn’t going to be an easy road. “We’re gonna figure this out,” I whispered. “She said you have a week to decide, right?”
His voice was barely audible. “Yeah.”
“Okay…” I lifted his chin. “Look at me, Colby. We’re gonna decide this together, okay? We don’t have to make any decisions now. There’s no sense in overreacting until you’ve had a chance to speak to a family lawyer, right? Maybe there’s something we don’t know that will sway things one way or the other.”
Colby just kept nodding. It was like he heard me, but nothing registered. I needed to step it up, be even stronger for both of us. Basically, I needed to put on a major act since I was feeling anything but strong right now.
I hopped up and clapped my hands together. “Okay! Here’s what we’re gonna do, Mr. Lennon.”
He looked up.
“The two of us are going to go upstairs, relieve the nanny, hug Miss Saylor, and begin the process of decompressing from this horrible day. You’re gonna spend time with your daughter, and I’m gonna handle dinner.”
“You don’t have to—”
“Shh...” I put my finger to his mouth. “Yes, I do. I want you to relax tonight, and then the three of us will have a nice dinner together. And after she goes to sleep, I’m gonna let you take me to your room and do whatever you want with me.”
His eyes came to life for the first time. “I just had the worst day of my entire life, and you’re telling me anal sex is gonna solve it?” His mouth curved into a smile. “You might just be right.”
“That’s my boy.” I laughed. “That’s the smile I love.”
I knew nothing would solve this dilemma tonight, but if I could get him to smile for even a moment, I was doing my job.
***
I wasn’t the best cook, but I didn’t want to mess up this dinner. It was important to me that our meal be homecooked to offset the coldness of this day. There was something inherently comforting about a homecooked meal. So to be on the safe side, I opted for a simple dinner of spaghetti, salad, and grilled artichoke, a combination I often made for myself when I was having a night in alone and felt like comfort food.
I was standing at the counter, stirring the tomato sauce, and Saylor was coloring at the table when Colby came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. “Thank you for this.” He pressed his mouth to my ear. “There’s something I want to say right now, but I don’t want it to be marred by this day. I don’t want today to be the first time I say it.”