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  I froze, standing on the opposite end of the table, the satisfied smile sliding right off my face. If I hadn’t gone so tense, I’m sure I would have dropped the plates, but instead I held onto them tighter.

  I know I said I would remain optimistic, but how could I? The pictures were plastered right in front of me. A collage in one abstract frame.

  They were hugging. Kissing. Smiling. Laughing. She was so . . . happy.

  Finally looking away, I set the plates and silverware up and then hurried back for the kitchen. Theo still wasn’t inside yet, so I waited, folding my arms and pressing my lower back against the counter edge.

  As I waited, that’s when I took it all in. The entire home. That’s when I noticed her presence had been here all along. It wasn’t decorated the way Theo would have had it. It was decorated by a woman. There was a feminine touch.

  I chewed on the nail of my thumb, looking from the oven, to the french doors on my left. Outside of them, I could clearly see the aligned flowers. They were a color scheme of purple and pink.

  This home was amazing.

  But as I looked at each corner of the kitchen and even those french doors, I couldn’t help but wonder if he took her there like he’d just done to me? Did they have sex on the counter before? On the dining table or even the kitchen floor? The living room? Or that shower that I’d just used as if it were my own?

  A door clicked shut and I looked up. Theo passed by with our suitcases in hand, winking at me before he disappeared. I heard him go up the stairs, a light thud, and then he was coming back down.

  “I just have a few things to pack up later tonight after we eat, and then tomorrow I need to check in at the car shop.” He came closer, pulling down two clear bowls to dump the food into. “I appreciate you coming, Chloe.”

  I barely nodded. He put on a gentle display of happiness, winking over his shoulder. He then turned to grab a can of sauce on the counter.

  “I already set up the table,” I announced, dropping my hand.

  “Oh okay. Cool. Well,” he shrugged with the bowls in hand, “let’s go eat then.”

  My fork scraped the chinaware as I twirled it in the noodles. Theo was going on about things at his shop—how a guy named Brock was always good with running it while he was away.

  “I was thinking about opening a garage in Bristle Wave, too. I have some money saved to start it up. Find a cheap lot, build a small garage, and make another. You know what I named the one here?”

  “What?” I asked.

  “Black Engine.”

  I laughed. “That’s actually really creative. Fits you. I like it.”

  “Izzy helped me come up with it.” He took a bite of the hot bread roll.

  I nodded, but my eyes shifted past his shoulder and above his head. I couldn’t stop staring at that damn picture frame. And what was worse—how hadn’t he noticed?

  Had he grown so accustomed to that frame on the wall that he looked past it whenever he walked by? I was slightly relieved that most of my and Sterling’s photos were collected in my phone . . . and most of them deleted now.

  “So . . . what do you want for dessert? I have apple pie or brownies. Both come with vanilla ice cream. Your choice.”

  I met his gaze when he spoke, but the longer I stared at him, the more his smile faded.

  Theo’s eyebrows drew together and then he glanced over his shoulder to see what I was looking at before. When he realized what it was, he let out a deep, agitated breath.

  “Shit.” He rubbed his forehead until his skin turned white there. “Is that why you’re acting so strange right now? Because of the pictures, Chloe?”

  “No,” I lied, and I felt my face burn with the obvious fib.

  He narrowed his eyes at me before standing up and walking towards the portrait. Lifting it up, he took it off the wall and rested it on its face against the wall. There was something about that empty space on the wall that brought me so much relief.

  “What happened to keeping an open mind?” he asked, returning to his seat and digging into his meal again.

  “I am,” I said quickly. “Well . . . I’m trying.”

  He dropped his arm, chewing hard as he looked straight at me. “She was my wife, Chloe. We shared this house for over two years so of course there are going to be a few pictures of us here and there. Do I expect you to be okay with them? No. But I took down as many as I could before I left for Bristle Wave. Because I wanted to take you out of that town and bring you here with me. Hell, we hardly ever ate in here unless Izzy was in town. We hardly ate together, period. If I wasn’t working, she was.”

  Dropping his fork, he reached across the table and grabbed my hand. “Don’t do this to me. Please,” he pleaded. “I’m trying, I swear to God I am. I’m sorry you had to see that. But if you keep bringing it up—if you keep making me feel so guilty about it . . . well, shit,” he puffed. “I don’t know, Chloe. I won’t know what you really need, or want. All I know is that I want us to work this out. I want us to move forward.”

  “I want the same,” I confessed.

  “I feel shitty as fuck knowing that I’ve had two wives already and will probably end up with three later on.” He cracked a smile. “But you know what they say? Third time’s the charm.”

  I pressed my lips to smile lightly. It didn’t feel like the right time to joke about it. It was too fresh. Too raw. “Don’t say that to me. You’re not ready for another marriage. You’re not even out of your second one yet.”

  “You think I have to prepare to marry you? Chloe, I’ve been ready to make you my wife for years now. You’re the only woman I know that understands me, inside and out. I thought Janet knew who I was—and she knew most things about me—but she didn’t know me enough. Not like you do.”

  I looked down at our hands and then over where the picture frame was. “I just want you to be sure, Theo.”

  “Babe,” he mumbled, with a light shake of his head. “I’m fucking positive, all right?” He picked up my hand and kissed my knuckles. “I’ve never been so damn sure about anything in my life. Being with you is right. It was complicated before, but we loved it. It was special. What I felt for you was real, and it still is.”

  “I know.” I lowered my head. “Will Izzy be coming back to Bristle Wave after her commercial shoot?”

  “I’m not sure. She said she’d let me know.” He paused. “She knows. I’m sure she does. She refuses to acknowledge it, but she knows who I’m with, and why I wanted to spend more time in Bristle after she left for Orange County. She’s been tiptoeing around the subject, too afraid to bring it up herself.”

  “We should talk to her in person. Together. Air it out. Let her say whatever she has to say, get everything off her chest.”

  He drew his hand away, rolling his neck. “We can try.”

  “What do you mean try? You said she’s changed, right?”

  “Yes, but it doesn’t mean her opinions won’t be just as strong as they were last time and it doesn’t mean you won’t leave again.” He sighed, pushed back in his chair and stood up. “I have wine. Do you want some?”

  “Sure.” I watched him go, stepping around the corner with tight shoulders. I was starting to think it was a bad idea coming here, to this home. In a sense, I was stepping into my own harsh reality by coming here.

  How? Because Theo was still married. Sterling still lingered. Izzy’s opinion would always matter. And we were not as ready as I thought for this.

  Chapter Seventeen

  THEO

  She tossed and turned all night.

  I felt fucking horrible. When I first thought about it, it felt like a good idea to get her out of Bristle Wave for a day or two, and let her see what I’d been doing.

  I knew I wanted to bring her back with me once we got off on the same foot, and I also knew Sheila wasn’t going to stay in this house, so I took all the photos down before I left—all but one fucking frame that I forgot was there.

  The one in the damn dining
room. Hell, I hardly ever went in the dining room. Most times I ate alone. Knowing she saw that was killing me now.

  As I lay flat on my back, staring up at the ceiling, I could feel her moving. Shifting. Grunting and sighing.

  I finally caved. “Chloe, what’s the matter?”

  She stopped moving for a split second. Her back was facing me, but then she rolled over to look me in the eye. “Which side did she sleep on?”

  I stared down at her. “The side I’m on.”

  I heard her swallow hard before speaking again. “If I tell you something, promise you won’t get mad?”

  “You can tell me anything. You know that.”

  She was quiet for so long I figured she’d changed her mind about telling me. “I . . . can smell her, Theo. Everywhere. I can tell she enjoyed being here with you. She’s everywhere.”

  I didn’t even know what to say to that. All I could do was stare at her.

  “Don’t be mad,” she whispered, reaching for my hand. “Please. I’m just . . . I don’t know. This isn’t like how it was with Janet. This is different because, technically, you still belong to her. You two bought this home together. You started to create a life and I feel like I got in the way of that—” She clamped her mouth shut, shaking her head.

  I looked away, towards the window where the silver moon was shining through the curtains. Sitting up, I pushed out of bed and walked to the closet. I took down a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt, got dressed, and then came back, reaching for her hand.

  “Come on,” I said softly, sitting her up.

  “Where are we going?” She looked worried, eyes glistening like I was going to send her back home.

  “Away from here. Come on.” I tugged on her hand and she warily climbed out of the bed. She followed me out of the room and I let her walk down the stairs before me.

  When she was at the bottom of the staircase, she picked her head up to look at me. “Are you upset?” she asked feebly.

  “No, Chloe. Not with you.”

  “So . . . what then?”

  “I’m upset with myself. I don’t know what the fuck I was thinking bringing you here. I thought that it would be . . . well . . . shit. I thought that—” I shut my mouth, my eyes running up and down the length of her. “Hell, I don’t know what I thought. I figured it would be an escape, but really it was just like coming back to the place I’d been trapped in for over two years straight with her.”

  “Where will we go?” she questioned, stepping closer.

  “We’ll get a hotel. I’ll come back tomorrow to pack the rest of the stuff I need.”

  “Theo—I—” I cut off her next sentence, reaching for her hand and pressing a finger over her lips.

  “I wasn’t thinking, Chloe. I should have known better. I’m too old to be making mistakes like this.”

  Her lips twisted behind my finger. She grabbed my wrist and pulled my hand away. “Does this make me frustrating?” she tested.

  And I laughed. “No. It makes you smart. And it lets me know you still have self-respect. I see he didn’t fully ruin you.”

  “He didn’t ruin me at all,” she retorted.

  I shook my head. “He fucked you up the day he asked you to be with him.”

  She stared at me with her wide hazel eyes, but didn’t speak. I wasn’t expecting her to respond. I wanted it to sink in.

  I turned around to pick up my keys from the table and handed them to her.

  “Go to the car and wait for me. I’ll get our bags.”

  “You do realize it’s almost two in the morning, right?” she laughed.

  “I know. But the sooner we get out of here, the better you’ll feel.” I stroked her warm cheek, our eyes locking. “I want you to be happy around me, Chloe. Nothing less.”

  “I am happy,” she responded. “I’m always happiest around you, Theo.”

  But was she?

  After coming to this fucking place, I was starting to think she was feeling the complete opposite.

  We pulled up to one of my favorite hotels, that had a spectacular view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

  When I parked, I could feel the relief radiating off her body. She looked over at me and stretched her lips to smile.

  She just didn’t know. I would do anything to see her happy. That house was a free stay, but I’d give everything I had if it meant bringing a smile to my Little Knight’s face.

  I dropped our bags in the corner once we were inside the suite. It had a great view of the bridge from here; I opened the curtains wider so we could see it. I hadn’t turned any of the lights on yet, so the lighting in the room was dim.

  Chloe walked forward and peered out towards the bridge. Its lights flashed and the cars driving over the bridge gave it even more life. The water beneath it rippled ferociously.

  She sighed, a sound so simple, yet I felt a warmth hit my chest.

  I stepped behind her, wrapping my arms around her middle, drawing her in, and kissing the back of her head.

  “I love seeing you like this, Chloe. This. Not stressed or tossing and turning, just enjoying the moment.”

  Her head fell back on my shoulder and I looked out towards the bridge. “I’m sorry I made you go through all of that.”

  “Don’t apologize,” I murmured. “It wasn’t a problem for me. It had to be done. And with this view, I’d say it’s worth it, babe.”

  She turned in my arms, draping hers over my shoulders. Her lips ran feathery light over my cheek, her chest on mine. “It is worth it.”

  Her mouth was at an angle. All I had to do was lower my head and I would be kissing her.

  I did just that.

  I brought my face down and kissed my Knight whole. She let out a breathy moan as I picked her up and pressed her back to the glass. I glued my groin between her legs, feeling myself getting so hard for her, all over again.

  This woman—fuck, I didn’t know what it was. She was still young and flawless, and I was getting older. I didn’t know what the hell she saw in me.

  It was easy to love someone like her—someone so untainted and simple and beautiful—but it was damn hard to love someone like me. Someone so tainted, ridiculous, and occasionally irrational.

  “You’ll be mine forever, won’t you, Knight?” I rasped against her lips.

  She cupped the back of my neck. “Yes,” she breathed. “Always, Theo. Always.”

  I smiled before finishing what I’d started.

  Those were the exact words I wanted to hear.

  Chapter Eighteen

  CHLOE

  When I woke up, Theo wasn’t in bed.

  I rolled over and smelled a sweet aroma. My belly churned, and all my senses awakened when I realized what it was.

  Food.

  I loved it when he cooked for me. It made that sexy man even sexier, knowing he was doing it to please and take care of his woman. I checked the time on my cellphone. It was nearing 11:00 a.m.

  That wasn’t too bad, considering we’d spent the better half of our night bickering, and then making up, kissing and caressing one another until the break of dawn.

  A slice of the sun kissed the horizon when we fell asleep, but now it had bombarded the sky, calling for a great day.

  I pushed out of bed and walked to the corner to get my suitcase. I dug through it for an outfit and then went to the bathroom to freshen up a bit. I heard clanging from where I was and grinned in the mirror, imagining him hard at work over the stove, breaking a light sweat.

  As I walked out of the bathroom, my phone buzzed on the nightstand. I figured it was Kim requesting an update. She’d been demanding one since she heard I was getting a substitute. I walked quickly to get it, but my smile faded just as quickly as it had appeared.

  It was Sterling.

  A picture of us was set as his caller ID. I was kissing his cheek as he took the photo.

  My entire body went numb. I could still hear Theo in the kitchen moving things around.

  My dream man was only a few step
s away, waiting for me to join him for a late breakfast.

  But I felt awful. I couldn’t answer. It could have been an update on Margie, but I knew if it were urgent, he would leave a voicemail or text me to follow up. So I shut off the vibrations and sent the call to voicemail.

  My chest was heavy as I got dressed, but I ignored the feeling, walking out and going to the kitchen to meet up with Theo.

  He wasn’t wearing a shirt, his tattoos on full display, muscles rippling as he bent down and pulled out a batch of cinnamon rolls.

  “That smells good,” I said, and he dropped the pan and turned quickly to look at me.

  “You’re up,” he noted. “Good morning. I wanted to surprise you with a small brunch in bed. I guess I spent too much time at the grocery store this morning.”

  I walked ahead and slinked my arms around his waist. “Well, I can always go back.”

  He kissed the center of my forehead. “You should. Let me make up for my dumb mistake.”

  “Theo,” I scolded lightly. “It wasn’t dumb. I agreed to it. I knew where we were going. I guess I just wasn’t prepared to actually be there, you know?”

  “I still should have been a little more considerate, Little Knight.” He laughed, shaking his head.

  “What?” I asked, tipping my head back, surprised by his sudden change of mood.

  “Calling you Little Knight doesn’t even feel the same anymore. I think I should start calling you my Sexy Knight.”

  I burst into a fit of giggles. “Sexy Knight? No, babe,” I laughed, pulling away and stealing a slice of bacon. “I think I like ‘Little’ better. It grew on me.”

  He held his hands out. “Shit, you are my Sexy Knight. Sexy as hell and the whole world should know you’re mine.” He came closer with heated eyes, wrapping his hands around me and squeezing my ass in his hands. His mouth came crashing down on mine, and I couldn’t stifle my moan. I had bacon breath but he didn’t seem to mind it one bit.

  In fact, he slid his tongue right through my lips and allowed ours to dance together.