Page 50 of Thunder with a Chance of Lovestruck
LeAnne caught Drest’s attention and gave a rather blatant glance toward Rachael’s neck—specifically, the necklace she was wearing.
It was a small symbol that represented another Fae clan, different from the Nightshades. Drest knew of only one of the clans’ Fae in the area, and the second he clicked on who that person was, the ringing in his ears grew louder, drowning out everything else.
Robin Goodfellow.
The bastard had recently announced his departure from the district attorney’s office. His plan was to start the first leg of private practice. Drest wasn’t sure what that entailed, but he’d heard Robin had something lined up down south.
It took Drest what felt like forever for the dominos to line up. When they did, the ringing in his ears stopped, and he blinked in stunned surprise. “You’re dating Goodfellow?”
Rachael’s hand went instantly to the necklace. She toyed with it nervously. “We should be on our way now. It was, um, interesting running into you again, Detective Bright.”
It was evident she had no intention of answering his question. He looked to LeAnne instead. “Is she?”
LeAnne cringed. “It’s complicated.”
“You got a problem with her dating another guy, Detective Dim?” asked Sherri, stepping toward him, appearing more than ready to take him on.
“Detective Dim?” asked Rachael.
Sherri shrugged. “Hey, if the shoe fits.”
Rachael rolled her eyes.
“Sounds like the guy screwed up royally with you, Rachael,” said Sherri. “Makes him a dimwit if I ever met one.”
“Okay, you have a point,” agreed Rachael.
Sherri set her sights on Drest. “Listen, Detective Dim, I may not like Robin much, but he treats her like a queen, and he makes her smile. I noticed she’s not done any of that running into you today.”
Drest couldn’t stop himself from tearing up as emotions lodged in his throat. He wasn’t a crier, and he had no right to be hurt or jealous. He’d been the one who pushed Rachael away, keeping her at arm’s length and putting distance between her and himself. She hadeveryright to move on, even if moving on was with Goodfellow, of all people.
That didn’t lessen the sting of it all any though.
He’d been the one to screw everything up between them. Not her. She’d tried more than once to reach out to him. He’d ignored each attempt. Then he’d treated her like she meant nothing to him at the courthouse in front of Gil and Farin.
He should have sought her out right after it all and explained that he’d been trying to protect her. Instead, he’d let ten months go by before uttering a word to her.
He deserved far worse than hearing she was possibly dating Goodfellow.
Swallowing back a lump in his throat, Drest nodded and tried to force something close to a smile to his face. “If you’re happy with him, Rachael, then I’m happy for you.”
Rachael surveyed him cautiously, as if she wasn’t quite ready to believe he was telling the truth.
As much as he loathed the idea of her being with any other man, he ultimately did want the best for her. And he did want her to be happy. If that was with thepuckingbastard Goodfellow—fine. Drest would just need to learn to live with it.
Reaching out, Drest took Rachael’s hand in his. She didn’t pull away. He stepped closer to her and dipped his head, pressing a chaste kiss to her cheek. He lowered his voice as he spoke. “Please know how sorry I am. If I could take it all back, I would. And I meant what I said. I want you happy. If Goodfellow is who brings you that happiness, I’ll learn to be okay with that.”
Rachael’s breath hitched and she closed her eyes momentarily and leaned into him. Her free hand came to his chest.
He fought with every bone in his body to keep from dragging her against him fully and kissing her passionately. With strength he didn’t know he possessed, Drest managed to release her hand and step back.
Rachael looked pained, and for a second, he thought she might reach for him. She didn’t.
Sherri stared harder at Drest. Something in her gaze shifted and she took a step back. “Rachael, maybe LeAnne is right. Maybe you should take a little bit of time to talk with this guy.”
Rachael let out an annoyed breath. “You don’t like Robin. You’ve made that very clear. That doesn’t mean I should hear anything Drest has to say to me. You don’t know the whole story, Sherri.”
Drest fought a smile. She’d called him Drest. Not Detective Bright.
