Page 143 of Devious Love

Age 23

September

The bedroom is dark,the only light coming from the moon. Dominic lies on his back, one hand tucked under his head, the other gripping my shoulder as I rest my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

After our third round, we cleaned up for real then crawled into his bed. I was certain I’d pass out immediately. Instead, we’ve been lying here together, talking. About the time we spent apart, about all the things we’ve missed. About school, about the internship I was offered after my sophomore year and how it led to the job I have now with the same company. About his position as assistant coach at the high school. About the custom shop he and Miles officially started.

“So Mom told you about my grades?” I ask hours into our conversation. “How did she know?”

“She came to my place, said she overheard you telling Jeff you were falling behind. She told me I was part of the problem. Apparently, I wasn’t doing enough to talk you out of runningyourself ragged.” He presses a kiss to my crown. “At that point, I was already battling with the feeling I wasn’t good enough for you. I was convinced I was being a selfish prick, just like I was when I let Miles take the fall for me. It all led to this knee-jerk reaction. I acted before I could really think things through. Instead of talking to you, I confirmed Monica’s story with Jeff and then…I broke your heart.”

My heart, that shattered organ I’ve been carrying around in my chest for years, pangs. “Wow. I had no idea she was behind it. She visited me in Italy, apologized over and over for the way she treated me. She promised she’d do anything she could to make things right, but she never mentioned talking to you.”

“She probably didn’t think there was any reason to tell you. We broke up, and she clearly didn’t want us together. I’m not surprised she never told you.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” I chew the inside of my cheek. “Before we left for Tahoe, she admitted she was wrong about our relationship. She said she shouldn’t have cared about the opinions of others, that you’re a good guy.” I shift a little so I can look him in the eye. “Do you think she’d be okay with us now?”

He arches his brow. “Honestly? I don’t care what she thinks. But we have a second chance, an opportunity to do things differently, to announce to our family that we’ve reconciled. What do you think? Should we wait?”

I shake my head. “I don’t want to wait. We’ve wasted too much time already. How about we tell them tomorrow?”

His hazel eyes look lighter in the moonlight. “Sounds great.”

I stroke his jawline, loving the way his beard feels against my hand. “Great.”

“Are you still friends with Jeff, by the way? Or is he too busy for old friends now that he plays in the NBA? Is he still with Tessa?”

“Yeah, Jeff is still my friend.” I smile softly. “Maybe I should be mad at him for keeping your conversation a secret, but I guess I get why he did it. He sent me tickets to the first game of the season. It’s in October. Wanna fly to New York with me to watch him play?”

“With you, baby, I’ll go anywhere.”

“Good to know.” My happiness dies a little as I remember his second question. “He and Tessa broke up after graduation, and she went back to Phoenix. She’s dating his brother.”

He stiffens beneath me. “What?”

“Yeah. It’s a long and messy story, and I’m not in the mood for it. But Jeff was gutted when he found out, and I was gutted for him.” Anger flares in my chest, the way it does every time I think about this topic. “Tessa is nice, and she was always a good friend. Nolan’s a good guy, but them getting together the way they did was in poor taste. And when he proposed five months after Tessa and Jeff broke up? That pissed me off.”

“Damn. They always seemed so happy.”

“They were. Just one more way life can be messy, I guess.”

“Yeah.” He sighs. “And since we agreed to be honest with each other, I should tell you I set up a savings account for you. Remind me to print you off a statement in the morning.”

I lift my head to look at him. “What are you talking about?”

“Remember all the mock-ups you did for the shop?”

I nod.

“Before we hired our in-house graphic designer, Paul, we used your designs. Every time a customer chose one you created, I set aside your commission. I think it’s around nine grand now.”

My breath catches. “You’re joking.”

“Hell no. You deserve to be paid for your work.” He crooks a smile, brushing my hair off my face with his knuckles. “Though I hoped to give it to you sooner. I planned to use it as an excuse to talk to you when you visited, but you never came back.”

I huff out a laugh. “You should’ve known I wouldn’t. Once I’m gone, I’m gone.”

“Yeah, you’re a little bolter.” He sighs. “What made you decide to come home for good?”