Page 117 of Counting On You

Maybe I’ll throw in a bruised and swollen eye.

“How does that make you feel?” I repeat my therapist’s standard question.

“I don’t know. Stupid doesn’t even cover it. I feel used, I guess. I put so much faith in him only to find that he was engaged to someone else the entire time. The hardest part is lying to my therapist. She still thinks we’re together. I can’t bring myself to disclose the truth out of fear that she’ll sense my anger, and then I’ll be forced to talk about it even though all I want is to forget.”

“You’re better off without him.”

She nods. “I know, Kade.”

“You never lost him, Vicky. You just learned that he wasn’t real to begin with.”

“I know that, too.” Her voice is low, thoughtful. “But I still feel like I wasted my time and energy. Eight months of my life will forever be wasted. Eight months I could have put to better use.”

“I wouldn’t look at it that way.”

“Yeah?” She regards me, weary. “Howwouldyou look at it?”

“I would always find a reason to grow. Sometimes, the smallest mistake turns out to be the biggest step in your life. Your experience with Bruce might not have been pleasant, and it most certainly was a kick to your ego, but you know what they say. Better a short pain than a long, excruciating one. In the end, he would have brought you more pain, so he did you a favor.” I squeeze her hand gently, forcing her to listen, to trust me the way I trust her. “Even if he wasn’t dating someone else, the last thing you’d want is to marry into his family. I wouldn’t let you.”

Damn! Where did that part come from?

She stares at me, her eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t?”

“Obviously, I couldn’t stop you in any way,” I add quickly, eager to backtrack and rectify my mistake. “I’d probably give you a wakeup call.”

“And how exactly would you do that?”

“Let me think. You might want to close your eyes.”

Vicky groans and rolls her eyes. “Why don’t I like the sound of that?”

“Probably because a wakeup call might not be what you’d ever expect.” Before she’s even registered what’s happening, I cup her face between my hands and capture her mouth in a soft kiss.

“I could get used to your kind of wakeup call,” Vicky whispers against my lips.

“To the cold ones, as well?” Before she can register what’s happening, I’ve scooped her up in my arms and am headed for the water.

“Kade, let go of me,” she shrieks.

Laughing, I head into the ice-cold water, making sure her feet aren’t touching the surface. The first wave hits me so hard, I almost topple over.

“Don’t you dare,” Vicky says, misinterpreting my hesitation. She kicks her leg and it’s a great kick, causing me to lose my balance.

We both tumble into the water, and it’s so freezing cold, that for a brief second, I fear she might pass out.

“Fuck.” I let out a shuddering breath as I pull us both up. “We should have gotten undressed first.”

“Seriously? That’s the one thing you think we should have done?” She grimaces at me, and before I can come up with a remark, she splashes water in my face. “Jerk. I told you to put me down. Not to drop me.”

“Actually, sweetheart.” My lips switch. “Your exact words were to let go of you, and that’s exactly what I did.”

I inch closer to her. Her chin is trembling as she stares up at me. She looks as though she might be about to launch another attack. And then her expression changes and she begins to laugh.

“God, Kade. Your phone!”

Fuck!

I pull it out of my pocket quickly and try to switch it on. All I get is a blank screen.

---