Undenied (Unspoken #3)(33)

“Payton, please. Let me explain.”

Tears burned her eyelids but she was determined not to cry in front of him. “There’s nothing to explain, Wes. You made yourself perfectly clear last night. I was just too thick to get it. But why the lie? Why not just tell me you didn’t want to see me? I’ve been straight up with you from the beginning. You owe me the same, damn it.”

“Straight up?” he echoed. “How can you say you’ve been straight up? I don’t have a f**king clue where I stand with you. You haven’t once called me. I called the week before. I instigated the weekend in Houston. I thought it was time for you to call me.” He shifted his feet and looked uneasily away before continuing, “I didn’t want to come across as a desperate loser.”

She gaped at him. “You want to know why I didn’t call you, Wes? I was at the hospital all f**king week because my dad had a near-fatal heart attack. I didn’t have time to call you. I was too worried about losing my father. I spent the week worried sick and at the end of it all, I just wanted to see you. Be with you. No games. No scorecard.”

A tear trickled down her cheek, and she swiped angrily at it with her sleeve. “You know what? Fuck you, Wes Hoffman. I don’t need your shit.”

She stomped across the floor and flung the door open. Wes caught up to her as she wrenched open the door to her car. He caught her wrist, preventing her from getting in.

“Payton, no. You can’t leave like this. You’re too upset to drive. Please, just stay and talk to me.”

“Why, so you can feel less like a desperate loser? Drop dead,” she said in an acid voice. She slid into her car and slammed the door.

Her hands shook as she jammed her key in the ignition. Finally, she got the engine started and she turned her head to look behind her as she backed out of her space. When she got turned around, she spared one last glance at Wes who stood watching as she pealed out of the parking lot.

Wes watched her go, a relentless ache snaking through his chest. His fingers curled into fists at his sides as he sought to control the shaking.

Everything in the last two weeks came down to this. Payton was walking out of his life, much like she’d walked back in. In a whirlwind. Only he had no desire to see her go.

She was furious and he deserved every bit of her anger. He closed his eyes, willing the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach to go away.

He didn’t want to lose her.

“I like her,” Gracie announced from behind him.

He turned and looked questioningly at her.

Gracie grinned. “She was ready to kick my ass. She seems a little possessive of you.”

“She just told me to f**k off,” Wes said grimly.

Gracie shook her head and held out her hand to grasp his arm. She tugged him back into the bar and shoved him onto a barstool.

“I’ve f**ked up, Gracie.”

She made a sound of exasperation. “You make it sound like you’ve already lost her.”

He looked bleakly at her. “Haven’t I? I lied to her. Now she thinks I’m screwing around with you behind her back.”

Gracie cupped his cheek with her hand. “Men are so stupid when it comes to women, I swear. Do you think that little show was because she wanted nothing to do with you? Hell, she was ready to scratch my eyes out. A woman who doesn’t care doesn’t go to that kind of trouble, Wes.”

“I’ve got to talk to her.”

Gracie nodded. “Yes, you do, but before you do, you need to figure out what it is exactly you’re going to say to her once you make her stop to listen.”

He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. What did he want to say to Payton?

“You’ll only get one chance,” Gracie said softly. “Make it count. Don’t be afraid to lay it on the line. If you don’t, you risk losing the best thing that’s ever happened to you.”

His hands trembled and the knot in his stomach grew. “How did you get so damn smart?” he muttered.

“I’ve been in your shoes, honey. Or don’t you remember my little hissy fit I threw at the cabin before running off like an idiot? Once I settled down, I knew I only had one chance to make things right with Luke, and it was too important for me to screw up. The idea of being without him…”

Wes saw the flash of pain cross her face as she contemplated her own words.

“And you know you’re going to have to explain about us,” Gracie added. “All of it. You don’t want to chance her finding out from someone else.”

He groaned. “I’ll be lucky to get her to understand my f**ked up way of saying I’ve fallen in love with her, but when I tell her you’re only my best friend, but that I happened to have sex with you a few months ago… I don’t see that going over too well.”

“Are you holding her accountable for everyone she’s slept with in the past?” Gracie asked as she crossed her arms in front of her.

He gave her a sharp look. “Of course not.”

“And she won’t either. Or at least she shouldn’t. But if she finds out later, she’ll wonder why you didn’t tell her. It’ll seem like you have something to hide. Never a good thing.”

“You’re right.” Wes sighed.

“I’m always right,” she said cheekily. “Glad I can get someone to admit it. Now. You need to get your ass on the road. Track down your girl. I need to get back to my husband.”