Page 56 of Crying in the Rain

“Told him what?”

“That I wasn’t happy with the way things were. How would he know otherwise?”

“Of course he’d have known. You don’t hurt the person you supposedly love. Not on purpose.”

“He might not have realised he was doing it.”

“Ade, hun.” Shaunna took his hand and held it in both of hers. “It wasn’t up to you to tell him that he was hurting you. He knew what he was doing. This, now, the things you’re saying? It all goes back to him manipulating you to think that he’d done nothing wrong and it was your fault. I know you’ve probably heard it all before, but he’s a scumbag, and you deserve better. Really deserve so much better.”

Ade nodded. Yes, he’d heard it all before, but hearing and believing were not the same.

“Am I good enough for Kris?”

The thought escaped aloud, and now he felt foolish, but Shaunna didn’t let it pass. She tightened her hold on his hand.

“Right now, you need to focus on your own worth, not whether you’re worthy in someone else’s eyes. But I will answer your question. Yes, you are good enough for Kris. You’re right for each other, and I truly believe you could have a brilliant future together, but it won’t be easy. You’ll both have to be so patient and forgiving. You’ve both been hurt horrifically by people you loved and trusted, and the scars will fade, but they might never go away completely.

“And you must,mustcommunicate. That’s the most important part. Talk about how he makes you feel, get him to tell you how he feels. He’s not good at that, and I’ve not been great at it either. That’s probably what finished our marriage—ignoring the splinters. Believe me, they’re much easier to removebeforethey burrow deep under your skin and poison everything.”

20: Heart-to-Heart

Kris

AsKris closedthe front door, the conversation in the kitchen stopped. He unhooked Casper’s lead and let the dog go ahead of him while he took off his coat.

“Hiya, hun. Good walk?” Shauna called breezily.

“A wet one,” he replied, matching her tone. He’d caught the tail end of what she’d said, which more or less matched what he’d told Ade and hopefully had waylaid his fears that Kris was being unfaithful. Or maybe those fears were all in his own mind.

“Oh my god, dog, look at my floor!” Shaunna dashed past Kris and up the stairs.

“I’ll mop it in a minute,” he said, following the trail of muddy paw prints all along the hall and across the kitchen, to where Casper was rubbing himself dry on Ade’s legs.

“What a soggy doggy…whoa!” Laughing, Ade clung to the edge of the table, in minor danger of being knocked off his seat. “I miss this.”

“I told you, you can have him,” Kris said and got the mop out, but Casper was re-muddying the floor quicker than he could clean it, so he set the mop aside and went to take the towel Shaunna had brought down to dry the dog. She snatched it out of his reach and shooed him away. Now he didn’t know what to do. Ade seemed calm, and Shaunna was no different than usual, yet Kris felt like a stranger in his own kitchen.

“I’ll make a nightcap,” he suggested and managed to take one step towards the kettle before Ade hooked his belt loop and used it to pull him closer, lips pursed in invitation. Kris accepted, theraindrops trickling down his nose onto Ade’s upturned face so that he shivered and smiled into their kiss.

“I have a better idea,” Ade murmured.

“What’s that?”

A towel came down over both of their heads, plunging them into semi-darkness. The dog flopped noisily into his bed; Shaunna’s footsteps retreated; the stairs creaked.

“Going for a bath,” she called. The bathroom door closed loudly a moment later.

“Did we chase her away again?” Ade whispered.

“I think so,” Kris whispered back. “Want me to stop?”

“Nuh-uh.” Ade reached a hand up inside the towel and pulled Kris’s head down until their lips were pressed hard together, sliding against each other. The contrast of cool damp and soft warm was exquisite.

Slowly, without breaking contact, Ade rose to his feet and flung the towel aside. It left his hair standing on end, and Kris reached up to smooth it, bringing his palm to a rest on Ade’s cheek. Ade’s muscles tensed beneath his fingers, and he tried to move his hand away, but Ade grabbed his wrist to stop him.

“It’s OK,” he murmured. “Carry on.”

Taking him at his word, Kris combed his fingers through Ade’s hair as the kiss continued, the soft bristles of Ade’s stubble creating a wonderful tingling burn on Kris’s chin. They pulled back, nibbled lips with lips, clashed teeth, their laughter soon lost to the reconnection, tongue against tongue, slowing, slowing, a sigh, content, but needing more.

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