One Night with His Ex

by Katherine Garbera

  “Damn. I know I’m the smart one, but I never thought of you as dumb until you said that,” Alec said.

  “I know. I hate that part of myself,” Mo admitted. “But you know me. I always think I’m God’s gift.”

  “You’re being too hard on yourself. I’m sure there is more to it than what you’ve said. But now that you know what’s wrong, you can fix it,” Alec said. “Don’t discount yourself, Mo. I know you, and you’ve always adapted when you need to. If you want Hadley back for good, you’ll figure it out.”

  He hoped so. Because as he’d been vocalizing what had gone wrong, he realized that he wasn’t the same man he’d been eighteen months ago when she’d left. He’d changed. And partying and his image as a player used to seem so important weren’t compared to having Hadley in his life.

  Ten

  Hadley got back from Houston later than she expected thanks to the traffic, which was no one’s fault but her own thanks to her dawdling at one of the large shopping centers on the outskirts. At least she had the test; there was no more putting it off. She could take it and find out the results. But Mauricio wanted to be there when she did. She picked up her phone and sent him a text.

  Back from H. Do you still want to come over when I take it?

  He responded right away.

  Yes. I can’t be there until after nine.

  Okay. Text me when you are on the way.

  She put the test on the counter in the bathroom and walked away from it. It was six o’clock. That meant she had three hours to kill. Helena was working late since their mom had hijacked her workday earlier.

  She texted Zuri and Josie to see if either of them wanted to meet for dinner or go to the gym.

  She heard back from Josie first.

  Dinner. I need to talk.

  Then Zuri replied.

  Gym? Who are you kidding? We aren’t the gym type.

  Hadley laughed as she typed.

  Wanted to give you options. So where for dinner? I think I can get a table at Hinckleman’s on short notice.

  Her friends thought the farm-to-table restaurant was the perfect choice, so she texted the head chef who was a friend of hers and got them a table. Then she touched up her makeup and headed out. Hinckleman’s was near the highway, which made it more convenient for the ranchers and farmers who didn’t always like coming into town for dinner.

  Josie was already seated in a highbacked booth when Hadley arrived.

  “What’s up?” she asked after they exchanged pleasantries.

  “Z said if we talked without her, she’d shoot me. And you know, I think I believe her,” Josie said.

  “That’s right. I did,” Zuri said as she slid into the booth next to Hadley, hugging her and reaching across the table to squeeze Josie’s hand. “Now spill. Is it about Manu? It has to be.”

  Hadley thought it was about the football coach, as well. Of all of them, Josie was the most cautious when it came to men and dating. Her mother had remarked one time that it was no doubt due to all the books that Josie read. They gave her higher standards when it came to the men she wanted to date.

  “Yes, it is. He asked me to go with him to the Hall of Fame dinner this year. His team is getting an award,” Josie said.

  “I think there is only one answer and that’s hell, yes,” Zuri said with a toss of her head. As her long silky black hair swirled around her, the fragrance of roses wafted toward Hadley.

  “No, there isn’t. We’ve all seen what famous football players’ wives and girlfriends look like and I don’t fit the mold,” Josie said.

  The waitress arrived and they all ordered a glass of wine and their entrées. When she left, Josie didn’t say anything.

  “Okay, so do you want to go?” Hadley asked, realizing how grateful she was to have her good friends here tonight. When she’d moved to Manhattan, she lost touch with them, and when she came back, and everything had happened with Mauricio, she hadn’t wanted to reach out with a problem. But they had both come to her when they’d realized she was back in town. It made her realize how lucky she was to have these women as friends.

  “I think I do,” she said. “It’s an important night for him and I want to help him celebrate, but I don’t want him to see me with other women and...”

  “And what?” Zuri asked. “Because, girl, I know you’re not trying to say that he might reconsider. That’s an insult to you and to him.”

  “Don’t you think I know that? I feel stupid even thinking that I might not be able to fit in with that group. I mean, I know that Ferrin is going to be there and she’s super sweet and nice.”

  Ferrin Caruthers was the wife of former NFL bad boy Hunter Caruthers—Mo’s brother-in-law. Hunter and Manu used to be teammates.

  “Then it’s not about who’s going to be there, is it?” Hadley asked. “It’s you. You’re afraid that if you go, you’re not going to be able to keep things casual with him.”

  Josie nibbled on her bottom lip. “I think you’re right. I mean, we’ve both been very careful at school and it’s not like dating is prohibited between teachers. But what if it doesn’t work out?”

  “What if it does?” Zuri asked. “You’re one of the most solid people I know. You really know what you want and how to go after it.”

  “I do?” Josie said.

  Hadley knew exactly how her friend felt. Once emotions were involved, it was harder to trust that she was making a smart decision. “Definitely. We’ve known each other since Brownies. Z and I know you better than you know yourself at times. I think you’re hesitating because once you commit to this, you’ll be risking your heart.”

  Wow. It was so much easier to see it from the outside. But this was why she’d been reluctant to take the pregnancy test. She hadn’t realized it until this moment. Taking the test meant things between Mauricio and her would change—one way or the other—and she wasn’t completely sure she was ready for that.

  “I agree,” Zuri said. “When did Hadley get so smart?”

  “When she got her heart broken,” Josie said. “That’s wisdom tempered by experience.”

  “Yes, it is. No reason y’all can’t benefit from my mistakes,” she said, but she wasn’t sure she’d classify her time with Mo as a mistake.

  “No reason at all. But I don’t think it was all bad for you,” Zuri said. “I mean, I’m pretty sure you guys are moving forward now, right?”

  “Maybe,” Hadley said. She wanted to see what happened tonight before she committed in front of her friends. “Josie, are you going to go to the awards dinner?”

  The waitress dropped off their wine and some pimento cheese and crackers before Josie answered.

  “Yes, I think I am.”

  * * *

  After Alec had dropped him back off at his penthouse, Mauricio almost texted Hadley using the lateness of the hour as an excuse not to stop by. But of course, that wasn’t an option.

  He’d changed.

  Alec’s launch had gone very well, which hadn’t surprised any of them, and they’d ended up at their parents’ house celebrating the good news. Mo felt better than he had in a long time. The breakup with Hadley had unmoored him, shaken the very foundations of his life. He’d been drifting for a while, even though he was keeping his business on top of the real estate market, working with his charities. And then last fall, he’d given into the jealousy and anger that came from seeing Hadley moving on, while he was stuck.

  But tonight, he saw the seeds of his future, the man he was regardless of whether or not Hadley was pregnant. And that made him feel content. Which was something that had eluded him for way too long.

  He was parked behind the retail shops where the entrance to Hadley’s loft was located. He was sitting there in his Bugatti, letting the engine run, trying to decide if he should text first or just go up, when his phone pinged.

  Wh
en are you going to be here?

  I’m here. Was just fixing to text you.

  Come on up, I’ll buzz the door.

  He got out of the car and walked to the security door Alec had designed. It had a camera and intercom for visitors, but for residents it had a retinal scan in case they forgot their key.

  The door buzzed and unlocked as soon as he was in sight of the camera, which meant she’d been watching for him.

  He took the elevator up to the residential area. There were only six loft apartments in the building. He was still hoping to develop another plot of land opposite this one with a similar structure. Hadley owned the adjoining land, so maybe that was a project they could work on together.

  He knocked on her door when he got to it and she opened it, stepping back for him to enter. He realized she was in an odd mood. And he totally got it. He wasn’t too sure what he wanted the outcome of the test to be.

  “How was your day?” he asked, trying to be chill.

  “Okay. I slept through my alarm. My mom thought that I was dead and came over here banging on the door to wake me up,” Hadley said. “But otherwise not bad.”

  He had to laugh at that. “Moms always think the worst.”

  “They really do. I pointed out that I’m pretty tough, but she said she can’t help panicking.”

  “I get it. I think I’d probably react the same if I couldn’t get in touch with you. You’re usually so reliable.”

  “That’s me,” she said. “Reliable.”

  There was a sadness... Maybe that wasn’t the right word, but there was something in the way she said it that made him realize she was in a funk.

  “Hey, there’s nothing wrong with being reliable. I like that about you. In fact, it’s probably one of the things that I took for granted when we were together. Like because you were solid I didn’t need to be. I’m sorry about that.”

  She went into her living room area and took a seat in the large armchair, crossing her legs underneath her. He sat down on the matching couch. Her apartment was a hodgepodge of furniture that seemed to come from one of those furniture places that sold pieces by the room. It was nice, but it wasn’t Hadley with her artsy eclectic taste.

  “Thank you for apologizing for that,” she said after a minute. “I think I sort of wanted us to be this picture-perfect couple too, so I was forcing both of us into things that weren’t really us.”

  He didn’t know about that, but just nodded. “So...”

  “I guess I should just go do it,” she said.

  “If you want to,” he said. “Do you want to talk first?”

  “I don’t know,” she said at last. “I mean, chances are really slim that I’ll be pregnant, you know?”

  “I do. But that hasn’t stopped me from thinking about a baby with you, darling,” he admitted.

  “And what do you think?”

  “I keep coming back to the fact that I have rotten timing when it comes to you,” he said. “I don’t want anything to complicate this new thing you and I have going.”

  She nodded. “Me neither.”

  “So whatever happens, I don’t want to go back to living separate lives,” he said.

  “Okay. Whatever happens, we won’t,” she agreed. “Let me go pee on the stick now. I’ll let you know when it’s done.”

  When she stood up, he did, as well. Reaching out to catch her hand, he drew her into his arms, wrapping them around her until they were pressed together. He rubbed his hands down her back and then leaned down to kiss her long and slow, because this was a moment that they’d never have again. One where they were on the cusp. He wanted to remember it forever.

  She returned his kiss, her hands tunneling through his hair and holding his head so that she could deepen the embrace as she came up on tiptoe. Then slowly she pulled back and stepped away.

  He watched her walk toward the large screens that concealed her bedroom and her bathroom. He followed her after a minute, sitting down on her bed, feeling more awkward than he had before. At least the last time they’d thought she might be pregnant, they’d been living together and thought they had a future together.

  This time was so different. They already knew they could screw up a relationship and that made it harder to believe they could make it work this time.

  * * *

  She stared at the negative result for too long. The ache in her gut was a mix of relief and regret. Bittersweet, like so many things with Mauricio. Well, at least it would be much easier on both of them to not have to figure out a baby in the midst of everything.

  When she opened the bathroom door, he took one look at her face and stood up, coming over to her.

  “No?”

  “Yeah,” she said, feeling an odd burn of tears at the back of her eyes. She blinked a few times to keep them from falling. It wasn’t as if she wanted to be pregnant. Really. Or was it?

  “Well, hell,” Mo said. “I’m not as relieved as I thought I’d be.”

  She nodded. She wasn’t sure what she felt. He pulled her into his arms, hugging her close. She hugged him back and realized that there was something solid about Mauricio. She felt like she could count on him and that was new. There was so much familiar between them but this new thing, well, it made her realize how much he’d changed.

  “Obviously, this was for the best,” he said, but it felt like...well, like they’d missed a shot at having an excuse to get back together. Not just to be friends like she’d suggested, but as a real couple.

  He stood back, realizing that when it came to Hadley, he always hesitated. And maybe that was why they’d always been on again, off again.

  “I’m going to lay it on the line, Hadley,” he started, and she looked up at him with one of those expressions that always kept him guessing about what she was really thinking.

  “Okay.”

  “I’m disappointed, but more because if you’d been pregnant, I’d have had a reason to call you and be with you and I don’t think we would need an excuse to be together. I want to start over. I know I screwed up—”

  “You weren’t the only one,” she said.

  “Either way, I want a second chance. A real one. Not one where we just try to become friends, but the whole shebang,” he said.

  She didn’t say anything but just stood there with her arms around her waist. In a pair of faded jeans and a T-shirt, she looked lost and confused to him.

  Damn.

  Maybe his timing was off again. Should he have kept quiet and then...what? He wasn’t subtle. He never had been. He was blunt and quick to say what was on his mind.

  “Sorry if that isn’t what you want to hear, but I’m tired of pretending I don’t want you. I was doing an okay job of it until we slept together, and that night made me realize what was important...and it’s you.”

  She nodded.

  “Stop nodding and say something. Tell me to go to hell or you need time to think or you’re relieved that you’re not—”

  She closed the distance between them and put her fingers over his lips to stop him from talking. “Enough options. I’m sad because a baby would have been something special we had between us, even if we never figure out how to make a relationship work. I’m confused because part of me wants what you want but another part of me isn’t sure we can do it. And because I’m already sad that makes me more hesitant.”

  He kissed her fingers before drawing her hand into his and leading her over to the bed. He sat on the edge and drew her down on his lap. She easily sat on it and he held her like she was his. And for a moment everything was clear to him.

  It was just Hadley and him. That was all he needed in this moment. It might change at some other time but right now it was all about her.

  She cuddled closer to him and he held her tight. There was nothing sexual in the moment and she wasn’t making him laugh or doing anythin
g to make him feel like a man, but he didn’t need that. He simply needed to be here for her and he knew that he was.

  He finally knew what she needed from him.

  He was realistic enough to know this moment wasn’t going to last forever but right now with her in his arms, it was enough.

  He was enough.

  And that tight knot that he’d felt lately when he was around Hadley completely melted away. He just held her close, rubbing his hand up and down her back. She rested her head right over his heart and he knew that this was what he wanted.

  He wanted to find a way to do this.

  To be what she needed because it made something inside of him that had always been empty feel sort of full. Not like that aching knot that he usually carried around.

  Eventually they ended up lying back on the bed, her cuddled against his side, and realized that she was spent. He used his smartwatch to turn on some music, the soundtrack from an old movie that she liked, and held her until she went to sleep.

  As he watched over her, he knew that Hadley’s not being pregnant was probably about the best damned thing to ever happen because now he had a chance to do things right this time. To woo her as a man and not as a frat boy. And that was exactly what he was going to do.

  He could be subtle. It would be hard, but he would do it.

  For her.

  And for him. Because the old Mo had been out of control and it was time to grow up and start adulting for real.

  Eleven

  One week later, Hadley walked into the Jaqs Veerland Bridal Studio just off Main Street fifteen minutes before she was due to meet her mother and Kinley. She wanted to apologize to Kinley for her mother’s autocratic behavior and hang out for a bit before they got down to business.

  “Hello?” she called out. The door was open and some soothing Mozart was playing in the background. Hadley drifted over to the portraits of brides and bridal parties that hung on the wall. She recognized a lot of the famous A-list clients but also the locals. Ferrin Caruthers looked absolutely stunning in her simple and elegant Givenchy dress, which had caused a stir when she’d worn it at her wedding. It was all anyone had been able to talk about around town.