Still Love You Read online

  “Let’s hope it never comes to that. People change and I have to believe that Teddy is one of them,” I say as we pull up to Orchard’s store. I’m not sure if I’m trying to convince her or myself.

  My phone dings a few seconds later. A message from Teddy scrolls down. “I got it,” I tell Layla, opening the door for myself. “I’ll meet you inside.” I shut the door before Layla can say anything else. I know a lot of what she is saying is right but I really don’t want to hear it right now. It makes me feel like I’m betraying everyone. From my husband to my friends and even my brother.

  I head into the store as I see Kale Blank heading out the front. “Aren't you supposed to be at racquetball with my husband?” I remind him. He stops, looking my way. I’m shocked Kale has stepped foot inside of a grocery store.

  “Was that today?” He looks confused for a second. “Guess I better get there.” I watch him stroll to his car that’s parked in the fire lane. I roll my eyes, heading into the store.

  “Why was Kale here?”

  “He’s got a thing for Cindy but she runs hot and cold,” Orchard says with a mouth full of chocolate.

  “Cindy the new manager you promoted after you canned Brandon?” Cindy is cute but she’s a bit on the quirky side. I can easily see how she would run hot and cold.

  “I’m eating. Can we not talk about him?” She pretends to gag while popping another chocolate into her mouth, making me laugh. I steal one of her chocolates. I should feel bad stealing food from a pregnant woman, but there is food everywhere. One of the perks of owning a grocery store. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

  “Is it bad?” I steal more chocolate just in case.

  “No, Heath and I looked over the spreadsheets you did and everything is great. More than great.”

  “Good.” I smile.

  “I know you lent me money to buy the chain so I didn't have to ask Heath. It will take some time to pay you back, but as we both can see so far I will be able to.”

  “I know. I told you I thought it was a good buy.”

  “I want you to think about it not being a loan but your share. We can do this together.” Ah. This again. She suggested this when she first had the idea, but I offered to give her the loan instead. I had the money just sitting in an account. I never used it. It was something Con set up long ago. “You’ve been such a big part of me buying it to begin with. I couldn't have done it without you and now you’re spending all this time helping me too.”

  “I will always help you.”

  “I know, I just want you to really think about it.”

  “Okay,” I agree. I turned the offer down before because I thought I had other plans. Baby plans. I’m not sure I can let those go yet. The doctors all say there is nothing wrong with me. To give it time. I have and still nothing.

  Cindy comes sliding into Orchard’s office. Her hair is a mess and I think there is a hickey on her neck. I have to fight a laugh. I remember the time Con gave me a hickey. It was high school and I know he was trying to mark me to fend everyone off. I smile thinking about it.

  “That Blank guy is banned from the store,” is all she says before grabbing a few chocolates for herself and leaving as fast as she came.

  “Good luck with telling Blank he can’t do something.” That never works well with the men around here and the women they want to claim.

  Chapter 7

  Constantine

  “You’re late,” I inform Blank as I leave the court. I had it reserved for an hour and found a different player since the hedge fund manager flaked on me.

  The blond hits his racket against his leg before answering, “I had shit going on and I was here thirty minutes ago.”

  “Too bad.” I give a chin nod toward my playing partner. “See you Thursday.”

  “This is betrayal, man,” Blank whines.

  “Should’ve shown up on time.” I stride into the locker room.

  “I’m wooing someone,” Blank informs me.

  “Wooing?” I hand my shit to the attendant. “I’ll be using the steam room for fifteen minutes.”

  The man nods and promises to have my things ready for me when I exit. “You coming?” I call over to Blank. “I want to hear more about this wooing bit. Who’s the victim?”

  Blank strips off his workout gear, which the attendant spirits away. The steam room is empty, which is one thing I like about this club. It only has a select few members so I’m not packed ass to balls with others. There’s enough steam that it’s even hard to see Blank, who sits on the opposite wall.

  “How long have you and Abby been together?”

  “Twelve years.”

  “Tw-twelve years?” my friend sputters. “Has it been that long? I don’t think I’ve owned anything for that long.”

  I’m not surprised. Blank doesn’t subscribe to the invest and hold theory. That’s not how he made his money. He’s quick thinking, nimble, and risk taking. That philosophy has grown his fund from seven figures to ten in under five years. “Women aren’t stocks. You find the right one and you want to hold her forever. Whoever you’re wooing might not be responding well because she senses this is a game for you.”

  Blank doesn’t respond. I guess I gave him some food for thought. As he contemplates this, I stretch out my legs and think back to the first time I saw Abigail at the Manhattan prep school. It was early morning and I was sitting on the stairs to the second floor with the other seniors waiting for Coach Kim to get done banging the chemistry sub in the boys’ locker room. Coach Kim was good for only two things--basketball and fucking. He’d been kicked out of his former school because of the fucking thing. He’d wised up by the time he got to St. Mark’s though and only screwed around, literally, with the young teachers. We were only a few games from winning state, so if Coach Kim wanted to bang the twenty-three-year-old teacher in the locker room, so be it.

  Everyone in school knew the rules except Abigail because she was new. She had forgotten a textbook in the girl’s locker room and had raced down to get it. In St. Mark’s every girl wore a plaid skirt, knee socks, and white shirts with little Peter Pan collars. In fact, that’s all the girls wore in all my classes since I was in kindergarten. That shit didn’t move me. Or, at least it didn’t until Abigail came along. I wasn’t the only one who noticed something different about her. The whole team started quivering like dogs in heat as she came to a halt in front of us. I was the only one who took action. I parted those damn mutts like Moses split the Red Sea in half, escorted her up to the girl’s locker room, kissed her before she went back to her classes, and took her virginity by the end of the week. She showed up to classes for the first month after with a big hickey on her neck. Juvenile, maybe, but everyone knew she belonged to me.

  “It’s not a game,” Blank says, interrupting my trip down memory lane.

  “Does the woman know that?”

  “Guess I don’t know.”

  Dumbass. I told Abigail I was going to marry her the night I popped her cherry. She must’ve believed me because she parted her legs without another word. Thinking about our first time always gets me rock hard. It wasn’t just because she was tight as a fist but there was a shyness about her that still makes my gut clench. She didn’t want the lights on. She was apprehensive about taking her clothes off. She thought my dick was a monster and I was going to split her in two. She begged me to let her hold it before I shoved it inside of her. That was the closest thing to torture I’ve ever experienced. Her small hands moving all over my erect, aching cock was more than I could handle and I came before I could even get inside her. Good thing I was young and rebounded instantly or her first time would’ve been a huge disappointment.

  Funny thing is that Abigail has remained somewhat shy. Even though we fucked on those very stairs at school one early morning when she had come in to retake a chem test or when I fingered her to an orgasm in the lunchroom or when I ate her out in the girl’s locker room after swim practice, she still managed to blush wheneve
r I so much as called her sweetheart.

  Our high school days were some good fun. The thrill of almost getting caught ratcheted up the excitement about a hundred. It’s why I still like taking her in public. She gets off on it. I get off on it. It’s all real, real good. Fucking love that woman.

  “Who is it anyway? Someone I know?” I can’t remember Blank being interested in a woman. There are plenty that throw themselves at him, but I’ve never seen him catch one. He usually watches them fall and then steps over their prone bodies.

  “Cindy from your new grocery store.”

  “My new grocery store? You mean Orchard‘s chain?”

  “Isn’t Abigail an investor? I swear I heard that on the street.”

  “No. Not as far as I know and she would’ve told me. This is the one time your information is wrong.”

  “Don’t see how that’s possible, but you know your wife better than I do.”

  “Damn straight.” Sometimes people just get things wrong--even billionaire hedge fund managers like Kale Blank.

  Chapter 8

  Abigail

  I rub my eyes. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I've been dragging for days. I head out of the store trying to fight my exhaustion. I popped in to check on the construction that’s already underway at the grocery store. A perk of Orchard being married to Heath is everyone hops to when stuff needs to get done. We had construction crews fighting over the renovations.

  “Hey, Layla.” She opens the car door for me. “Can I sit in the front with you?”

  “Of course.” She shuts the back door, opening the front. A habit I can’t break her from doing. “Dr. Lane’s?” she asks as she hops into the driver's side.

  “No, the Olive Garden on Caster.” She gives me a funny look. “What? They have kickass breadsticks. And they’re unlimited along with the salad.”

  “I know that, but what about your appointment?”

  “It’s been rescheduled,” I lie. I think I’m getting good at it. Wonderful. I don’t feel like going today. I thought I might have been pregnant a few weeks ago but I got my period. It was light but it’s there nonetheless. I need a break from bad news. I don’t feel like hearing the doctor tell me the whole spiel again. Not today.

  “Okay.” She pulls away from the curb, the car growing silent.

  “I’m meeting Teddy. Okay?” I break. “Who are you, the FBI?”

  She lets out a laugh. “You’ve got to get better at not cracking. I didn’t even say anything.” I huff a breath because she is right. I’m not a liar by nature. I always feel bad when I do it, which is a good thing. I’m guessing it’s bad when you don’t have any remorse about it.

  “I hate lying.”

  “Then don’t. Mr. Weathers isn’t going to throw you out for talking to your own brother even if he is…” She trails off, not finishing what she wants to say. I can’t even be mad at her. She is lying for me too.

  “He’s been different. I have to give him a chance.”

  “You know I’m on your side,” she reminds me.

  “Suuuure.” Now it’s me that laughs. She might be taking me, but if I let Layla pick she’d tell me to ditch my brother. She’s made her thoughts about him crystal clear on numerous occasions.

  “I try to stay out of your business, but rescheduling your appointment to meet him? That’s not like you.”

  “I told you I didn’t.” She gives me a knowing look. She knows me too well from all the years she’s been at my side. “Okay, but I’m not getting you a breadstick.” I open the car door before she can. I’m already running late and I hate being late. Still, Layla beats me to the door of the restaurant, opening it for me.

  “Two?” the host asks.

  “I’m meeting someone.” I point toward my brother, who stands from his table. He meets me halfway, giving me a hug. Things feel different. His texts haven't been sporadic these past few weeks. Every day he’s checking in. Things feel somewhat normal with him. I can’t even remember the last time we talked every day.

  “I should have known you’d pick the OG for lunch.” It was where we always went when we were younger and we were celebrating something. Even after Mom landed a big fancy job in the city. I remember when I asked Con to take me here the first time. His eyes almost popped out at the bill.

  “You can never beat endless breadsticks.” He pulls out my chair for me.

  “We do have something to celebrate,” he says as the server comes over. “Two tours of Italy?”

  “Perfect.” Well, I guess I’m having the tour of Italy today since Teddy took it upon himself to order for me. I pick up my Coke and take a giant gulp, needing any caffeine I can get. I can’t shake this fatigue today.

  “I’ll be back with your salads.” She takes our untouched menus from us. My mouth waters thinking about the warm breadsticks that are about to make an appearance.

  “Are we celebrating that you’re back in my life?” I smile over at him. It always makes me happy to see him. I think a lot of it is because the older he gets, the more he looks like our dad. It feels like a stolen moment that I get to go back in time. If only he’d turned out more like Dad, but I have to hope that maybe he’s getting there.

  “That and I think I’ve found my new career path.” I hold my breath. “Not gambling.”

  I lift my soda. “Cheers to that.” He clicks his water with my cup. Thank God he’s finally letting that go. “Tell me about it.”

  “Cryptocurrency,” he says as the server drops the salad and breadsticks.

  “I have no idea what that is,” I admit as I spoon myself out some of the salad and snag a few breadsticks.

  “It’s going to put bitcoin to shame.” Yeah I don’t know much about that either, but I let Teddy launch into it. I don’t understand half of what he’s saying, but his excitement is clear. I haven't seen him this excited about anything in a long time, if ever. I make a mental note to somehow ask Con more about bitcoins and cryptocurrency. He can break anything down for me. I bet he knows all about it, but I need to do it in small doses or he might get suspicious as to why I’m suddenly so interested.

  “All the pieces are finally starting to come together.” He pauses for a moment as the waitress returns with our food. She places it down, asking us if we need anything else before she leaves us to enjoy it. I pick up my fork and dig in, hoping that me being hungry is the cause of my sleepiness.

  “That’s really good, Teddy. It sounds like you’ve got your stuff together.” I look up at him.

  “Yeah, I’m just pulling some last-minute stuff together for funding and I’ll be set.” My fork pauses almost to my mouth. Is that what this has been all about?

  “I’m sorry, Teddy, but I don’t have the funds to invest in something like that.”

  “Your husband is worth what now? Billions?” I actually don’t know what Con is worth. It’s never mattered. My stomach starts to sour. “But I’m not asking,” he quickly adds. “I’m still working on some stuff. I’m not going to jump in until I get everything sorted.”

  “That’s smart.” I take my bite of pasta. See, he has changed.

  Chapter 9

  Constantine

  Abigail looks tense. There’s a tightness around her pretty lips and a worry glimmering in her eyes as she pats her face cream on. That doesn’t sit right with me.

  “I’m thinking we should take a trip,” I propose. “Not anywhere fancy, but maybe to Maine or Rhode Island. We can walk along the beach, skip rocks, eat a lot of pancakes with maple syrup.” Make love in front of a giant roaring fire. It’s quiet and peaceful up there.

  “That sounds nice. Maybe in a couple of months? I’m still helping Orchard out with the grocery chain.”

  “I remember.” Abigail is so invested in this business, you’d think she was part owner. Blank’s words filter through my brain. “Isn’t Abigail an investor? I swear I heard that on the street.” It makes no sense that she would keep it from me, though. What do I care if she owns a grocery store chai
n or ten of them? I’d only be angry that she kept me out of the loop, not that she spent money on this. “Then as soon as you’re done with that project, we can go.”

  My wife gives me a small but genuine smile. “I’d like that.”

  “Come over here.” I pat the side of the mattress. She screws the lid back on her small pot and walks over to the bed, her sheer robe billowing behind her like a pair of angel wings.

  She curls into a small ball and puts her head on my stomach. “Let’s watch a movie.”

  “Sure.” I know what she wants to see. I pull up Hamilton on the DVR and as Lin Manuel Miranda raps about being a bastard and turning into a hero and scholar, I run my hand over her back, counting off the bumps of her spine in my head in time with the beat. The anxiety seeps out of her as the show plays on. Her body relaxes. Her breath evens out. Soon her chest is rising and falling in deep, soothing rhythms. Halfway into the show, she’s asleep.

  I pull a cover over her and slide down so that her head rests in the hollow of my shoulder. It’s too early to fall asleep so I do some work on my phone, reading a financial proposal from London, reviewing the financial news. There’s an email from my assistant. I open it and frown. Abigail’s brother is still in the city. He was spotted at a club last night, spending heavily. I don’t like that he’s hanging around. The longer he’s here, the greater the temptation for him to contact Abigail.

  I look down at the top of her blonde head. Maybe he has tried to connect with her and that’s why there are frown lines etched across her face. I send back a reply to have a body put on him. If he’s in my city, I better keep a close eye on him for Abigail’s sake. After a moment’s hesitation, I ask my assistant to check out the rumor Blank had heard. It’s not that I care that Abigail owns a damn grocery store--it’s the secret keeping that twists me up inside.