Sunday (Timeless Series #7) (5 page)

He pushed his plate away, a disappointed sigh escaping his lips. “If you need more time, I’ll give it to you. But don’t end us forever.”

“It’s not about time…”

“Then what will you do?” he asked. “Be alone then start dating again? See them for a while and then tell them what happened? With me, you don’t need to tell me anything. I know exactly what you went through because my sister went through the same thing. And I don’t judge you for it.” He couldn’t hold back his frustration. It was starting to seep into his voice.

“I don’t know what the future holds because I’m not that far ahead…but I know I shouldn’t stay here out of fear.”

He released another deep sigh, like he was holding back whatever he wanted to say. “I think you’re being unfair.”

“I think you should have told me the truth the second you found out.” We could point the finger at each other all day long, but it wouldn’t get us anywhere.

“You didn’t tell me either so stop blaming me.”

“It’s my business, and I have the right to keep it a secret. But for you to know, to prosecute my tormentor, go through all my personal files and know every little detail that happened that night, and not breathe a single word of it to me, is wrong. You had an advantage in this relationship and you exploited it every chance you got. You played a game that was rigged from the beginning. Don’t downplay your actions, Kyle. They would make anyone upset.”

He rested his elbows on the table and looked into the living room. His side profile was immobile, not showing a single sign or feeling. But he suddenly felt cold, the air around him dropping a few degrees. “You’re exaggerating. I didn’t exploit you.”

“It felt like it.”

He rose to his feet, pushing his chair back with his knees. “I took that case because I didn’t trust anyone else to win. I took it because I wanted to put that asshole behind bars so you would have some peace. I did all of that for you. If that doesn’t prove my love I don’t know what does.” He grabbed his keys and wallet off the counter. “I was patient with you, understanding. I helped you overcome your fears. I bent backwards trying to get you to trust me. But if you just see me as a monster, then why am I even bothering?” He stopped in front of the door and stared me down, the fury burning deep in his eyes. “Good bye, Rose.” He walked out and slammed the door behind him. It was his apartment but he left just to get away from me.

I remained at the kitchen table and played his final words in my head. The pain seeped into the air and dissolved into my skin. He had every right to be angry, to be upset.

But so did I.

Fury

Kyle

Now I was just angry.

Rose saw the world in black and white. According to her, my actions were terrible and unforgivable. But to an objective person, it was clear there was no right or wrong answer to the situation. If I had told her what I knew, what would that have achieved? It would have just pushed her away. If I told her when she declared her love for me that would have ruined the moment. And since she said those sweet words to me, what did it matter what I knew or didn’t know?

On top of that, I took her case to bring him down. I didn’t do it for the paycheck. I did it because I was the only person I trusted to do the job right. There was too much on the line for anything to go haywire. Rose’s justice was at stake, and I wasn’t letting anyone take that away from her.

But that wasn’t good enough for her.

Underneath all my anger was the pain of losing her. It festered deep down below, invading every crevasse and vein. But the fury was at the forefront, driving me insane with rage.

I couldn’t believe she left me.

Days went by and I still didn’t feel better. I began to resent her, to feel so much anger I couldn’t take it anymore. While most people would just feel sad and hopeless, I took a different route.

I walked into The Muffin Girl because I needed to let out some steam. Even though Francesca married someone else, she still knew me well. She was someone I could talk to, even after all this time. She may be at home taking care of her daughter, but she might be back at work as well.

I suspected it was the latter.

Francesca couldn’t stay away from her kitchens very long.

I walked into the back like I knew where I was going, and no one paid any attention to me. It’d been over a year since I’d been inside her bakery. It was exactly as I remembered it. The bags of flour still sat on the top shelf, and the place was packed with a line that never seemed to go down.

I headed into the cake kitchen and saw Francesca working on a creation. It was a three-tier cake, white and pristine. She was creating sugar seashells along the sides. Her baby weight had gone done considerably and she was almost back to where she used to be.

“Hey, are you busy?”

She stopped what she was doing and turned to me. “Oh hey. I didn’t see you there.”

“It’s okay. I kind of snuck up on you.”

She set down her decorating tools then washed her hands in the sink. They were covered in frosting and sugar.

I eyed the cake, impressed with her handiwork. “You really are talented.”

“Thank you.” She patted her hands dry then returned to me. “I suspect your presence means it didn’t work out with Rose?”

I shrugged with a sad look.

“I’m sorry, Kyle.”

“Where’s Suzie?” I changed the subject because the strong sense of sadness washed over me.

“She’s staying with her Aunt Marie today.”

“Oh, she must be having fun.”

“She’s got two cousins to play with.”

“Really?” I asked in surprise. “Axel and Marie already have two kids?” How was that possible?

“Twins.” She answered the question on my face. “Twin boys.”

“Oh, good for them.”

“They’re very happy. And I’m happy that Marie is a housewife now so she can watch my daughter for free.” She began to glow when she mentioned her daughter, like she missed her immensely.

“Free childcare. Nothing beats that.”

“It’s true,” she said with a laugh.

“I’m surprised you’re back at work so soon.”

“Suzie is three months old.” She undid the flowery apron around her waist and set it on the table. “I had to go back to work sometime.”

“But you own this place. You can do whatever you want.”

“Not when I have wedding cakes to create.”

“You still haven’t found anyone?”

She shook her head. “Strange, huh? Wedding cakes are pretty stressful. If it’s not absolutely perfect a bride may murder you. Very few people want to take that on.”

“I can imagine…”

She pulled out two chairs and took a seat in one. “What’s up, Kyle?”

I fell into the chair next to her and sighed. “I think Rose and I are finished.”

“Tell me what happened.” Her entire focus was glued to me, the sympathy written all over her face.

“I won the trial.”

“Isn’t that good news?”

“It is. Now he’s going to jail for life—without parole.”

“And that’s exactly what he deserves.”

“I got Rose justice, along with Audrey. Now both of them will be able to sleep better at night. Rose and I got closer that night. She slept over and was there the next morning.”

“Did you sleep together?”

“No. Just cuddled.”

“Then what happened?”

“She said she couldn’t trust me anymore. She said it changes everything…”

Francesca gave me a heartfelt look. “Because you didn’t tell her when you found out the truth?”

I nodded. “She said she wouldn’t have slept with me if she’d known. So, I manipulated her into doing something she wouldn’t have done otherwise.”

“This is complicated,” she said with a sigh. “Her reasoning isn’t logical, but neither one of us can begin to understand what she’s feeling. Traumas like that really change people. She’s unable to trust anyone, even people who deserve it. To her, this decision makes the most sense.”

“But it doesn’t,” I argued. “We love each other and that’s all that matters.”

“Maybe things would have been different if you weren’t the lawyer on the trial. In that situation, you had access to intricate details, stuff she’d probably want to hide from the man she’s seeing.”

“But I did that for her. I didn’t trust anyone else to win the case.”

“I’m sure she understands that, but it doesn’t erase the shock of the whole situation.”

“I apologized to her.” The frustration was starting to eat me alive. “I said I was sorry. I told her I loved her. What more could I possibly do?”

She bowed her head.

“I don’t want to lose her. But…she’s really making me angry.”

“Kyle, you were patient with her for three months. Be patient a little longer.”

“Be patient for what?” I snapped.

“Be patient because you want to be with her. Unless that’s changed…”

I was still livid—but I knew how I felt underneath. “No, it hasn’t.”

“Then give her some space.”

“How much space? How long?”

“Until she realizes she can’t live without you.”

Would that day ever come? Would she even notice she felt that way if it smacked her right in the forehead?

“When Hawke pushed me away I always knew he would come back—every time.”

“Then why did you date me?”

“Because I never planned on taking him back.”

We know how that worked out.

“Did you tell Rose how you feel?”

I knew what she was referring to. “No.”

“Why not? That could make a huge difference.”

“I can’t even convince her to give me another chance. You think I’m going to convince her that she’s my soul mate?” That was a long shot—a very long shot.

“Maybe not right this second. But you will.”

I didn’t see how I would manage that.

“You need to get her in the same room as you. Spend time with her without bringing up your relationship at all.”

“Why?”

“When Hawke, I spent a lot of time together for Marie and Axel’s wedding there was no escape from each other. We were basically locked in a room together with no escape. That’s when things really started happening.”

“Well, I can’t lock her in a room—especially with her past.”

“But there has to be some way for you to spend time with her.”

“I can’t think of anything. She was designing my beach house but that went to shit. There’s no way she would take up the project again.”

Francesca fell quiet. She stared at me, but her eyes were seeing something besides my face. “Hawke is about to move his business to a new place. It’s expanded, and he needs something bigger and grander.”

“Good for him…”

“What if he hires her to take care of it? After the contract is signed, you’ll take over as his lawyer or something. Hawke will tell you what he wants and you’ll relay that information.”

“That sounds far-fetched.”

“It’s not ideal but it should work. It’s a long project with a lot of hours. And by the time she figures out who she’ll be dealing with it’ll be too late.”

I still wasn’t convinced this was the best course of action. “She’ll know I set everything up.”

“Not really. Hawke is your client and you can’t control what he does.”

There was another problem in this plan. “Why would Hawke help me? He doesn’t owe me anything.”

“Of course he’ll help you.”

Not after I slept with her.

“He wants the best for you,” she said. “You heard what he said at the house.”

“But his interaction with me was limited. If we do this he’ll be directly spending time with me.”

She shook her head. “I admit Hawke was very rough around the edges a year ago but he’s different now. Honestly.”

I still wasn’t sure if this was a good idea—no matter how much I wanted Rose.

The sound of heavy footsteps approached, and we both looked up to see Hawke enter the kitchen. He wore a suit that reeked of expense, and the watch on his wrist looked more expensive than a car. His black wedding ring suited his exterior—cold and hard.

This was the second time he walked in on Francesca and I. If I were him, I’d be irritated. I wouldn’t want my wife spending time with her ex—no matter what the circumstance was.

After he took me in he walked further into the room, his shiny dress shoes looking brand new. He walked up to Francesca then leaned down to kiss her. The kiss was short but full of longing, like he’d kiss her longer and harder if I weren’t around. Without saying a single word he grabbed a chair and pulled it next to Francesca’s. He took a seat and rested his hand on her thigh.

He didn’t say hello to me but he didn’t seem hostile either. He was pretty much indifferent.

Francesca turned back to me. “What do you think?”

“I don’t know…”

“I think it’s worth the shot,” she pressed. “And you lose every shot you don’t take.”

“You sound like a motivation poster inside a classroom…” Now wasn’t the time to make jokes, but my depression was steering the wheel.

“The road to love is never easy,” she said. “You should only take it if you really want the reward at the end. If you want Rose, I think you should do this. But if it seems hopeless then you should keep what’s left of your heart and move on.”

I did want her. Even though she pissed me off like crazy, I still wanted her.

“So, how about it?” Francesca asked.

I turned to Hawke, giving her my answer.

She smiled then turned to him. “We need your help.”

“We?” he asked in surprise. “I doubt I can be much help to whatever scheme you’ve planned.”

“Actually, I think you’re the perfect person.” She grabbed his hand that was resting on her thigh.

“Why do I doubt that?” He turned his gaze on her, and despite his coldness his look was warm.

“Never doubt me, babe.”

He brought her hand to his lips and gently kissed the knuckle. “What do you want me to do?”

“It’s kind of complicated,” Francesca said. “So pay attention.”

He squeezed her thigh. “I think I can manage, Muffin.”