Page 58 of Dirty Money
The traffic began to move as if that was a sign that he was right. If she played the, he was a liar, card by his omissions, then he could play that card too. She hadn’t told him a damn thing about her past. Not that he hadn’t asked her. She just always seemed to steer the conversation into a different direction.
“When we get back to New York I want you to know that I feel no need to talk to you anymore, Hayley.”
Her jaw dropped and her eyes went wide. “Weston! You and I share…”
His voice was stern when he said, “We don’t share anything anymore. It’s been ten damn years since we shared anything. That’s gone. I’m sorry we lost him, I am. But we did. And we lost our marriage and our relationship. It’s over, Hayley. End of story. It’s all over.”
“She won’t take you back, Weston. Then what will you do? Call me and see if you can take these words back. I might not let you.” She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed.
“We both know that you would, don’t lie to yourself, honey. But I won’t be doing that anyway. You see, I love that woman. I know she has a stubborn streak a mile wide. And I think I might have one too. Because I’m going to fight for her. I’m going to make sure she knows I’m not about to give up.”
“So, the dream of having kids is over for you?” she asked. “I don’t see that.”
“I can wait for her to be ready too. She’s young. I shouldn’t have even asked her to do such a thing. She deserves to get to have her youth. Just because we cut ours short doesn’t mean everyone has to. I love her, so I can wait.”
“Noblw to a fault, aren’t you?” Hayley asked.
He nodded. “You know what, I’ve been told that before. By Aulora. And I’ll tell you what I told her. I am.”
The parking lot to drop off the rental car came up and he pulled into it. Parking the car, he got out and found Hayley waiting inside of it. He supposed she was waiting for him to open her door and do the gentlemanly thing. He shook his head and wiggled his finger at her.
Opening the trunk, he put the two small bags on the back of the golf cart that came around to pick them up. Hayley finally got out of the car and that’s when he remembered he’d left his cell in it.
Going back to get it and give the car one last look over, he found she’d sent a text to Aulora, telling her that they’d hooked up and she was sure he didn’t plan on letting her in on it but that she felt compelled to let her know, woman to woman.
The grin on Hayley’s face was enough to make him want, for the first time ever, to slap the shit out of a woman!
Her tears were burning trails down her cheeks when a text from the woman Weston was with came across the screen of her cell, making her throw the phone. Aulora had managed to pull herself together, somewhat. Then the damn message came in that broke her right back down.
When would the torture end?
A light knocking at her door had her trying desperately to wipe away the tears from her swollen eyes and make her way to the door. A thing she didn’t want to do but she knew it might be the landlady there to ask about the rent she was supposed to turn in that day but hadn’t built up the gumption to get dressed and go do that.
As she pulled the door open, she mumbled, “I’m sorry. I have the money…” Aulora stopped talking and rubbed her eyes. Her vision was kind of blurry but she could swear she was looking at…
“Aulora, we’ve been calling and calling,” her mother said.
“And it looks like you’ve been crying,” her father said.
“Dad?” she asked, not sure she was really seeing him.
“Can we come in?” he asked.
She stepped back, feeling even more numb, somehow. “Why are you here?”
“Aulora!” her mother’s firm word came, quickly. “Your father has something to tell you. Please, hear him out.”
“Why?” she asked, stunned.
When he took her hand and led her to sit on her tiny sofa, he said, “Because I was a fool, sweetheart. I’m here to right the wrongs I’ve done to you both.”
“But…,” she managed to get out but her mother stopped her.
“Aulora, let him talk.”
She sat quietly, waiting to hear what the man who’d dumped them had to say. But she didn’t want to. If she hadn’t just been put through the ringer and at her weakest moment ever, she’d have slammed the door in his face.
“Honey, I married a woman a couple of years ago, and we’re having a baby,” her father said.
