Page 67 of Worth the Wait

"Did you eat?" I ask, holding up the takeout bags I brought.

She smiles, some of the tension draining from her shoulders. "No. I've been too busy wearing a path in my floor."

"What happened today?" I ask as we settle at her small dining table. "Your text sounded urgent."

"I confronted Christine. Directly."

"You what?" I can't keep the surprise from my voice.

"I told her I know about David Richards," she says, crossing her arms protectively over her chest. "I told her I know what happened at Miller & Walsh and that I understand why she's doing this to us."

"How did she react?"

"Like I'd slapped her." Tarryn moves to her refrigerator, pulling out a bottle of wine with slightly trembling hands. "For amoment, her mask slipped completely. There was so much pain there, Jackson. So much raw hurt."

I take the bottle from her and pour us both a glass. "Did she deny it?"

"Not really." Tarryn accepts the glass I pour her, taking a substantial sip before continuing. "She tried to deflect, but when I pushed, she basically admitted everything. Then she said something strange."

"What?"

Tarryn's eyes meet mine, uncertainty flickering in their depths. "She said you'd offered to help her get Miguel's position in exchange for her silence about us. That you'd turn on me the moment you got what you wanted."

The accusation hits like a physical blow. "That's absolutely not true."

"I know that," Tarryn says quickly, though something in her tone makes me wonder.

"Do you?" I lean closer, searching her face. "Because it sounds like you're not entirely sure."

She avoids my gaze. "It's just… she was so convincing. For a second, I wondered?—"

"If I would sell you out for a promotion?" The hurt in my voice is impossible to hide. "After everything we've been through?"

"No, no, I don’t think that. But you have to understand that as a man?—”

"I'm not just any man, Tarryn. I'm the guy who's been in love with you since we were sixteen." The words escape before I can stop them, hanging in the air between us.

Her eyes widen. "That's not fair. You can't just throw that at me in the middle of an argument. Having both gone to law school, we know that it’s usually someone you know and trust who betrays you.”

"It's the truth." I move closer, frustration building inside me. "Which is apparently something we need more of between us."

She turns away, a defensive gesture I recognize from our past. "This isn't about us. It's about Christine and what she might do."

"This is absolutely about us." I follow her into the living room, unwilling to let her walk away from this conversation. "About what we are to each other. About what we're calling this thing between us."

Tarryn whirls to face me, color blazing across her cheeks. "We already talked about this. We agreed to an arrangement."

"The arrangement isn't working anymore." I run a hand through my hair, frustration making the gesture sharp. "At least not for me."

"You said you'd wait," she reminds me, her voice rising slightly. "You said you'd give me time to figure things out."

"And I have been." I step closer, watching her eyes darken despite her defensive posture. "I've been patient. I've respected your boundaries. I've kept things professional at work and never pushed for more than you were willing to give."

Her lips press together in a thin line. "So now you're throwing that in my face? Using it as leverage?"

"That's not what I'm doing," I say, my voice dropping lower. "I'm telling you I'm tired of waiting, Tarryn. I'm tired of pretending this is just physical. I'm tired of watching you keep one foot out the door."

"That's not fair, Jackson." Her voice wavers slightly, the first crack in her composure. "You said you'd wait until I was ready."

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