He leans in for a sweet, chaste kiss. His lips brush against mine, his tongue teases me without fully delving inside. Even so, it’s still every bit as toe-curling and panty-melting as the others were.
“Don’t forget the inner tube race is the day after tomorrow.” He raises my fingers to his mouth, kissing the tips one by one. “You’re still going to be my partner in it, right? It’s always a lot of fun, and you could use a little cutting loose and having some fun.”
“Such a sweet-talker. You’ve convinced me,” I retort. “What you’re really saying is you need my help to win the race.”
“Oh, you’ll help me win, huh?” The amused twinkle in his eye is so sexy.
“That’s right. You don’t stand a chance without me.”
“I do love a woman who’s sure of herself,” he winks. “And since you have a day off from babysitting, come by the farm and hang out with Frankie tomorrow. He misses you.”
“Frankie misses me, huh?”
“He does.” Ace nods. “And if you come by late in the afternoon, say just before I get off work, we’ll leave from there and I’ll take you out on a real date.”
“Um, Ace, I’ve seen you when you get off work. I’m not going out with you all dirty and sweaty,” I laugh.
“I’ll take a shower there before we leave,” he deadpans. “But now you have to pay for that insult.”
“Pay, how?” I ask tentatively. I’m not sure I really want to know.
Before I can move, his fingers grip my ribs on both sides and he tickles me—mercilessly. Even through my squirming, squealing, and attempts to break free, his grip never falters.
“Are you going to take that back now?”
“Okay!” I laugh, I mean, really laugh. “I take it back! I take it back!”
“That’s a good girl,” he chides playfully as he stops. “You learn so quickly.”
“That was said under duress,” I pretend to pout. “It doesn’t count.”
“You just want me to do it again.” He grins.
“No! You win,” I laugh. “For now.”
“So you’ll come by tomorrow?”
“Of course I’ll be there,” I assure him. “I’d do anything for Frankie.”
* * *
We spent a couple of hours looking at the stars, picking out constellations, and playfully arguing over whether the brighter lights were satellites or planets. It was just so easy to spend time with him with no specific agenda. Even the silence was comfortable. There was no need to fill in the space with white noise. No desperate search for something interesting to talk about.
I watched him walk away, back toward his house. As much as I hated to see him go, he was right when he said I wasn't ready for him to spend the night. As soon as I lock the door behind me, I hear my cell phone ringing from the other room. I race through the living room and straight into the kitchen to find my phone. Anyone calling this late must have an emergency.
When I finally find it, I don't recognize the number on the caller ID, but it's a New York area code. My first thought is one of my cases is blowing up and whoever was assigned to it needs my input.
"Hello?" I ask breathlessly.
"Layne," the familiar voice pleads. "Don't hang up."
“What do you want?” I ask through gritted teeth. “I thought I made it clear I didn’t want to hear from you ever again.”
“You did,” Bobby replies sadly. “And I’m sorry, I can’t just leave you alone. We need to talk, Laynie.”
“Don’t ever call me that again.”
“Layne, please, we have to talk about this. We’ve been together too long to just throw everything away now.”
“You threw it all away the first time you slept with Cyndi. Don’t even try to put that blame on me, like you’re the fucking victim.”
Bobby sighs heavily and I can picture him as clearly as if he’s standing beside me. His eyes are shimmering with tears, he’s trying desperately to hold on to any semblance of self-control, and he’s searching for his next words.
“Just hear me out, okay?”
He always says that when he’s trying to think on his feet. In spite of the fact that I loved him for seven years, I hate that I know him so well.
“Say what you have to say and then leave me alone,” I partially concede.
“I’m completely responsible for what I did. Betraying you. Hurting you. Lying to you. Making you feel anything but cherished and loved. If there were a way I could go back and change it all, I would in a second. I’d give up anything I have to be able to do that.
“But I can’t. All I can do is get on my knees and beg for your forgiveness. Beg you to give us one more chance. Beg you to not let what we have wither and die because I made the worst mistake I could make. Beg you to let me earn your love every single day for the rest of your life.”