“I don’t want you to think I’m leaving to throw you into the fire alone. But I figure it will only make it more awkward if I stay. And I assumed you weren’t gonna tell me to leave. I made up that story about needing to feed Patrick, but if you want me to stick around, I will. Just say the word.”
“No. That was a good call. I do think it would be more awkward if you were here.”
“I’m sure she’s gonna want to bitch about me in peace. She deserves to be able to do that, I guess.”
“Yeah.” I flashed a sympathetic smile.
We went together back out to the living room. After Troy bid them a quick adieu, I walked him to the door.
He pulled at the material of my shirt. “Call me when they leave, okay?”
“Yeah.”
He gave me a quick peck on the lips before walking to his car.
When I reentered the house, Jasmine was sitting next to her husband on my couch. What made this all the more awkward? I didn’t know what I could and couldn’t say since I had no idea whether Cole knew Troy was his wife’s ex-boyfriend.
The mystery was soon over when Jasmine blurted, “So that was the asshole who cheated on me in high school.”
Okay. Way to ease into things.
“Say what?” His eyes narrowed as he bounced his daughter on his lap. “You dated that guy?”
“That’s Troy. Remember me telling you about him? He cheated on me with Noel’s wife, Samantha, back when we were cheerleaders together.”
“Oh, that guy.” He turned to me. “Didn’t Aspyn make him shit himself or something?”
Clearing my throat, I nodded. “I tried…with a donut.”
“Why the hell are you dating him, Aspyn? That’s crazy.”
“She’s not dating him,” Jasmine clarified. “She’s messing around with him.”
I swallowed. Troy had become quite a bit more to me than a convenient fuck, but no way was I getting into all that with them.
I rubbed my palms together. “Well, like you said that day at your house, Jasmine, he and I are both single. And we’d been spending a lot of time together anyway. It’s not easy to meet people. Especially in Meadowbrook. So, one thing led to another. I figured there was no harm if we’re both adults.”
“Yeah, I mean, as long as you don’t go getting attached to the guy,” Cole said, placing his hand on his wife’s thigh. “Because clearly he doesn’t know how to treat a woman, if he cheated on this beautiful one.”
That stung a little. Not only because it made me feel like Cole thought I was gullible, but because it also reminded me of Troy’s past, something I’d been working hard to forget. Yes, Troy had cheated on a beautiful and kind girl. He was technically the same person who’d done terrible things. But more and more, I also felt like he’d changed. To what extent, I still couldn’t be a hundred-percent sure. But he wasn’t the same person he’d been back then. It didn’t seem like the appropriate time to defend him, though, when I’d literally been caught with my pants down.
“Be right back,” I said, needing a moment to breathe. “Gonna put on that coffee.”
I fumbled with the coffee jar, practically forgetting how to complete this simple task. Vowing to put my big girl panties on, I needed to face this situation head on.
I returned to the living room carrying a tray with a carafe of coffee and three mugs. I poured each of us a cup and let them handle putting their own milk and sugar in. Embarrassingly, I didn’t have anything in the house to serve alongside the coffee on such short notice. Food wasn’t my priority these days, apparently. Perhaps I should’ve offered them a TV remote to munch on.
“I just don’t want you to get hurt,” Jasmine said as she stirred sugar into her drink. “You’re good with Troy as long as you don’t take it seriously. I wholeheartedly believe that guys like that don’t change.” She looked over at Cole. “I’m just so relieved I got one of the good ones.”
I wanted to throw up a little. That was great for them, but hadn’t she confessed that sex wasn’t all that exciting anymore? Anyway, I digress. The real reason I felt so uneasy was this inexplicable need to defend Troy. It was killing me not to. And that, I suppose, said a lot about my feelings for him.
“I agree that you got a good one.” I forced a smile. “But Troy is good for me right now. He’s what I need in my life at the moment. And he may not have known how to be a proper boyfriend in the past, but he was practically a kid then and going through a lot. There’s stuff I’ve learned that I didn’t know then. Things you don’t know either, Jasmine. I’m not saying he’s perfect. But I wouldn’t be spending my time with someone I believed was still an asshole—even for casual sex.” I looked her in the eyes. “It’s taken me some time to draw that conclusion about him. This was not something I jumped into.”
Jasmine just stared at me for a few moments. “Are you serious? You’re thinking he’s boyfriend material?”
“Right now we’re just seeing where things go. But the side of him I’ve experienced over the past few weeks isn’t anything like I would have expected. He’s been nothing but considerate, reliable, attentive—kind to Kiki. I understand where you’re coming from as well, though. That’s why I’ve had my guard up this entire time.”
“Well,” she said smugly. “I guess time will tell.”
I could surmise from her tone that regardless of what I might say, she felt I was being na?ve. But she was right about one thing: time would certainly tell.
“Honestly, I’ve been terrified to tell you. Because that night at your house, I never saw this coming, even if you say you did. And I knew you would reiterate that ‘once a cheater, always a cheater.’ Just know that I’m being cautious, and that I’m sorry for any awkwardness I’ve caused you because of this decision. You’re handling it a heck of a lot better than I ever would.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.” Her eyes lingered on mine. “Truly, Aspyn. Just look out for yourself.”
I put down my coffee and walked over to hug her.
She rubbed my back. “I don’t want to beat a dead horse. So let’s talk about something else.”
“After you’re done with this tryst,” Cole said, “I’m gonna make it my mission to find you a stand-up guy.” He gave Hannah her sippy cup. “I’ve got a few single friends.”
As we continued to sit and talk, Jasmine fidgeted a lot. She still seemed uncomfortable. Despite her encouraging me to go for Troy, I don’t think she ever thought it would happen.
I certainly didn’t.
Troy
I pulled on my hair. “Why am I so nervous, Pat? She’s not gonna let what Jasmine says affect her, right? She’s starting to trust me.”
Meow.
“Thank you for agreeing with me even if you don’t really mean it.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “I sense your distrust sometimes, too.”
Patrick purred.
My phone rang, causing me to jump. It wasn’t like I’d been waiting with bated breath or anything. Trying to sound like I hadn’t been shitting my pants for the past couple of hours, I picked up. “Hey, beautiful.”
“Hi,” she said.
“They left?”
“Yeah.”
I swallowed. “How was it?”
“Well, I’d say it was a nice visit, but it was awkward as hell, as you might imagine.”