Page 59 of Hendrix
I sighed. “I think the sooner we get out of here, the better.”
“Is it difficult for you?” he asked.
My eyebrows pulled together. “Is what difficult?”
He leaned forward and covered my hand with his. “Being confronted with other women your boy fucked.”
My heart sank. “It burns so bad I feel like I’m on fire, but I was married, and I didn’t abstain from sex either. I used to lie awake at night thinking about whose bed Hendrix was in, but all it ever did was torture me. He is who he is, and I got obliterated by him, so I moved on with somebody else. I could hardly expect him to stay celibate in loving memory of the wonderful times we shared.”
“Still don’t know how it happened, Banana.” He shrugged. “Especially since he still looks at you like you’re the only woman who exists for him. When you were together, you’d say something to make him laugh, and afterward, he seemed almost stunned, like he couldn’t fathom how you made him so happy. I saw you two as couple goals until he fucked everything up, which, incidentally, I’m still smarting about, seeing as I’m never usually wrong about that shit. I called it with all of ‘em. Meredith, Doe, Farrah, Wildcat, and Toots. So for fuck boy over there to make a liar out of me is damned embarrassing.”
My head cocked to one side. “Who’s Toots?”
“Maeve, my new BFF,” he explained. “You know, the little sweetheart I told you about who married Callum O’Shea last year... twice. Well, I’m her hairy godmother.”
“I thought I was your BFF,” I snapped, tone affronted.
He waved a nonchalant hand. “You left me for a Polish gangster. Suck it up, buttercup. You can be my OG BFF. Maeve’s my fresh meat.”
I burst out laughing. “How fickle can you be?”
He shrugged, his lips twitching with humor. “You know you’re my number one bitch, bitch. We’re family.”
A warm feeling settled in my belly. “Love you.”
“Love you too, babe.” He nodded toward the tray. Now, let’s eat. My stomach feels like my throat’s been cut. Much like your asshole of a dead husband.”
I winced. “Jesus, Tris. Have some respect for the dead.”
“Too soon?” he inquired casually, picking up a sandwich from the tray. “Sorry, but I can’t bring myself to give a shit about any asshole who hurts my girl.” He shrugged daintily before taking a huge bite.
“You’re incorrigible,” I grumbled, picking up the flatbread and stuffing it with cheese before taking a bite. “God, this is good.”
“Dunno how you can eat that shit,” he said through his sandwich. “Gluten-free bread tastes like carpet. In actual fact, gluten-free anything is the spawn of the Devil. It’s either soggy or has the texture of cardboard.”
“I agree,” I replied. “It’s why I don’t eat much bread and pasta. It’s not the same as the regular stuff, but this is really good. I’ll have to ask for the recipe.” I took another bite and almost groaned out loud. “Praise Jesus, I think I just discovered my first pregnancy craving.”
Tristan’s mouth hitched, and our gazes locked. “I’ve missed putting the world to rights with you. Hardly seen you for the last few years, then suddenly, the old gang’s back together, and your hubby’s deader than a dodo. It’s not lost on me how well you’re doing with all this. I know you loved him and that you’re putting a brave face on things.”
Tears prickled behind my eyes. “I miss who I thought he was,” I blurted out.
“Oh, babe,” Tristan murmured.
“After Hendrix, I gave up on everything; I lost faith. Then Toni came along and made me believe again. You saved me, Tris, but he did too, just in a different way. Then it turned bad, and I realized it wasn’t real. It was all an act. He lied about everything. What he did, who he was, and his intentions. How am I supposed to grieve a man who didn’t exist?”
“I’m so sorry,” he breathed.
“When he beat me, something changed inside,” I admitted. “It stopped being about him and became about me and my baby surviving. What happened to him did so because it had to. Antoni told me he’d never let me leave him and that he’d kill us all if I tried. I knew there was no choice. Also, it hasn’t hit me yet. Everything’s happened so fast and I’m sure it will catch up with me, and I’ll have a meltdown at some point, but at the moment, I just feel numb.”
“You’ve got a long road ahead,” Tristan pointed out. “But I’ll be there, and so will all the girls.”
I smiled at the thought of going home. “Can I stay at the apartment with you for a few weeks? I need to get back to work and save some money to set myself up again.”
“I wouldn’t let you go anywhere else,” he assured me. “I feel awful that I have your old apartment and the salon.”
“Don’t be silly, Tris. I’m having a baby; the apartment’s fine for a single person, but I want a house and a garden. I even want a dog.”
“As long as I can fit the dog in my bag, I’m down.” He grinned. “Now, answer me. Should I book us a couple of flights?”
