Page 68 of Heat Exchange
“Is that upset enough for you?” Danny wasn’t finished yelling, and Aidan had no clue what to do. He glanced sideways at Scotty, who just gave him anIdon’t know,eithershrug. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Danny yell before. “Or do I need to cry? Do you need to see me cry, because I can do that, Ashley. I usually do it in the shower so nobody knows, but if me in tears in front of everybody is what it takes, I’ll do that.”
“No.” Ashley’s voice was hoarse and choked. “That’s not what I want.”
“I love you. I’m sorry I don’t always express things the same way you do, or the way I guess you want me to. But I do love you.”
Tears were running down Ashley’s face, and Aidan watched Lydia untie her sister’s apron strings and take it off her. “You guys need to go somewhere and talk. Like right now while it’s all out there in the open.”
“I drove,” Danny said, looking at Scotty, who then looked at him.
“I’ll bring this guy home,” Aidan said, recognizing his cue. “You and Ashley should go talk.”
Once they’d left, Aidan moved out of the way so Lydia could clean up the broken glass and beer. “You want some help with that?”
“No thanks. I’ve had a lot of practice, and it’s totally worth the cost of the glass if it breaks through whatever’s been between Ashley and Danny.”
“Yeah. Hopefully they’ll keep talking until they get it all sorted out.”
He and Scotty watched the sports news scrolling across the bottom of the television screen, occasionally making a comment on a trade or an injury. It was stilted, though—at least it seemed so to Aidan—and he could feel the tension in his shoulders.
When Scotty was finally ready to leave, and had paid for Aidan’s beer in exchange for the ride, Aidan caught Lydia’s gaze and gave her a regretful smile. She shrugged slightly, likewhat are you gonna do?and he knew he wouldn’t be seeing her tonight. It was for the best since, even if she did stop by, he was currently being overwhelmed by guilt.
It just got worse when Scotty slapped him on the back as they headed for the door. “Married people sure do have a lot of drama. Thank God I still have you, though. You never have female drama.”
If only he knew, Aidan thought, casting a quick glance back at Lydia before he went out the door.
Danny pulled into Ashley’s—intohis—driveway and put the truck in Park, but he didn’t open his door. “I should go.”
“No, you shouldnotgo. We’re finally getting somewhere and now you want to shut me out again?”
“Losing my shit and smashing a glass is getting somewhere?” His chest felt tight when he thought about how much he must have looked and sounded like his father at that moment.
“You told me you love me.” Her voice was so quiet, he could barely hear her over the truck’s engine.
“I tell you I love you all the time. If it only counts when I’m yelling and smashing things, then...I don’t know what’s happening here, Ashley. I can’t keep doing this.”
The color drained from her face and he watched her rub at the narrow white strip on the finger where her damn wedding rings were supposed to be. “I can’t, either.”
Before he could say anything else, she got out of the truck. He said her name, not wanting her to go, but she slammed the door and walked toward the house. Anger and desperation and confusion and love were still churning inside of him, and he almost let her go. He was too worked up to have a conversation.
But Danny had a gut feeling if he drove away right now, his marriage was over.
He killed the engine and got out. Ashley had closed the door, but she probably wouldn’t lock it since Lydia wasn’t home yet. And if she had, he’d use the key that was still on his ring.
This time he didn’t knock. It was still his house and she was still his wife until she looked him in the eye and said it was over.
When he closed the door behind him, Ashley stopped. She’d been on her way into the kitchen, and he could tell by the way her shoulders shook that she’d started crying. But he watched her take a deep breath, swiping at her cheeks, and she lifted her chin before turning to face him.
“I’m not leaving yet,” he said. “It’s not ending like this.”
“Is it ending?” she asked, the look in her eyes tearing at his heart.
“I don’t want it to. I don’t want a divorce, Ashley. God, that’s the last thing I’ve ever wanted.”
“Then why did you leave?”
“I thought we had a good thing going. You’d even stopped taking your birth control pills, so I was looking forward to starting a family. And then, bam, just like that, you told me you didn’t want to be married to me anymore.”
“I said Iwasn’t sure.”
