Page 74 of Creed

Of course, the universe had other plans.

As soon as I pulled up my PowerPoint, the screen glitched and froze on the second slide. No amount of clicking, unplugging, or silent cursing was going to fix it. I muddled through the lesson, but it wasn’t easy. My mind was still stuck on those stupid text messages. I hated that Brian still had that kind of effect on me, and I hated it even more that, even after all this time, Brian was still trying to control the narrative.

By the end of class, my throat was raw, and my head was pounding. Thankfully, my students didn’t seem to notice and filed out of the room like it was any other day. Feeling defeated, I gathered my notes and retreated to my office, shutting the door and collapsing into my chair.

I took out my phone and started looking through the messages again, hoping it might give me a sense of clarity. It didn’t. Instead, it frustrated me even more. I was so lost in it that I didn’t even hear the knock.

It wasn’t until I felt the shift of the air that I bothered to look up.

And there he was, all handsome in his cut and sexy smirk. He was leaning in my doorway with a cup of coffee in one hand and a brown paper bag in the other, and he was looking at me like I’d just made his day. I smiled and said, “I didn’t know you were coming by.”

“I wasn’t planning on it, but I drove by that coffee shop you used to like and figured I’d grab you some coffee. Thought youcould use some after the long weekend, and it gave me an excuse to come by and see you.”

“You don’ t need an excuse.”

“It’s your job. I don’t want to overstep.”

“Well, I’m glad you came by. It’s only ten, and it’s already one of those days.”

“Rough morning?”

“Yeah, you could say that.”

“What’s going on?”

I swallowed, blinking back the sting in my eyes. I didn’t want him to see me upset, especially over my stupid ex. I tried to think of something to say, anything, but nothing came out.

When tears started streaming down my face, he stepped in and closed the door behind him. He placed the coffee and bag on my desk, then sat down in the empty chair in front of me. He didn’t push. He just sat there, watching me with that patient, steady look that made the storm in my chest start to slow.

I wiped the tears from my cheek as I told him, “It’s so stupid.”

“What’s stupid?”

“More like who?” I rolled my eyes. “Brian’s mad at me.”

“Okay. And what’s he mad about?”

“I’m sure I told you, but he was seeing his girlfriend back when we were still married. I didn’t care. The marriage was over for me long before that. Austin confronted him about Brooklyn and their affair, and it’s all my fault that he’s upset with him.”

“Wow. How the fuck did he manage to spin that?”

“Apparently, I manipulated the situation and twisted things in my favor, which I did not do. If anything, I tried to make it all okay. Not for Brian’s sake, but for Austin.”

He listened to me, really listened, and it made me feel safe to fall apart. It was exactly what I needed, and something Brian could never give me. He sounded so sure when he said, “Thekid’s smart enough to know that cheating’s cheating, and it’s wrong no matter how you slice it.”

“Yeah, well, tell Brian that.”

“Since when do you care what he says anyway?”

“Because he’s the kids’ father, and…”

“And nothing. Let that motherfucker choke on his own bullshit. You don’t owe him a damn thing.” It was clear his patience with Brian was running thin when he growled, “He’s a spineless prick who twists the truth to fit his sob story, and it isn’t working anymore. Everyone sees through his shit, including the kids.”

“I just don’t want to make matters worse. If he gets mad at me, he’ll just make it harder on the kids.”

“The kids can handle themselves. It’s time for you to stop worrying about his fragile ego and tell him to fuck off.”

Jameson was right.