The Man Who Has No Heart - Victoria Quinn Page 0,84
family. But no, that won’t happen, Valerie. And it’s a disservice to you because you deserve to be with a man who loves you.”
“What if we tried therapy?”
“No.” I couldn’t give her any hope. I was too tempted to tell her about Cleo…that she was the only woman for me. But I didn’t, knowing it would just make the situation worse. “I’m willing to do that to make a better relationship for Derek, but not for romantic reasons.”
She inhaled a deep breath, her fingers digging into her arms.
“But I would like to be friends…someday.”
She watched me, a tear coming loose.
“You need to stop interrogating me about my life. You need to respect me as a person. You can’t just walk into my bedroom and look through my stuff. It’s completely inappropriate.”
She had the humility to look away like she was embarrassed. “When I thought you and Cleo were together, it just drove me crazy. She’s a very attractive woman, and hearing Derek go on about her…made me feel replaced. And I just…couldn’t handle it.”
I wanted to be honest and tell her the truth. I wanted to tell her that her suspicions had been correct—and Cleo was the best thing that ever happened to me. But that would accomplish nothing. “Valerie, I’ve been with other women since we’ve gone our separate ways. Whether it’s Cleo or someone else, I don’t see why it matters. I’m a single man who has physical needs.”
“Flings don’t matter. They mean nothing. But the idea of you feeling the way I want you to feel about me…with her…is what I don’t want.”
I couldn’t believe how correct Cleo had been about her. She could read Valerie better than I could—and I had been married to her. “That’s going to happen someday. You’ll get remarried…and I might get remarried. You’d rather me be alone forever?”
“No,” she whispered. “I’d rather you be with me.”
Since I had been such a shitty husband, I didn’t understand why she wanted me so much. She never seemed happy, and neither was I. “That’s not going to happen, Valerie. You need to let it go.”
“There’s nothing I could do?” she whispered. “If we started over?”
Even if I weren’t with Cleo, my answer would be the same. “No.”
Her eyes fell.
“But like I said, I’d like to be friends.”
She was quiet.
I waited for her to say something more, but she never did. “We still have this weekend. Let’s make the best of it.”
“Why did you invite me out here if you don’t want to be with me?”
I didn’t tell her about my endgame. If she knew what I was really after, she might be purposefully spiteful. It was the first time I was manipulating her, even though she’d been manipulating me since the night we met. “Because I want us to be a family, Valerie.”
After I dropped Valerie and Derek off at the hotel, I walked to Cleo’s apartment.
I didn’t want to go home—not after that.
When I got to her door, I pulled out my phone and texted her. Are you awake?
Yes. How’d it go?
I’m outside your door.
That bad, huh? Her footsteps sounded a moment later, and she unlocked the door. She was in a long t-shirt with her hair around her shoulders. Her makeup was gone, and she looked tired, like she’d had a long day. “Hey.”
“Hey.” I let myself inside and shut the door behind me. “Can I sleep here?”
“You think that’s a good idea?” she whispered.
“I’ll leave early in the morning.” I didn’t want to sleep in my big bed without her, especially now that all her stuff was gone. Her presence seemed to have been erased by Valerie’s visit.
She didn’t fight me, her eyes shifting back and forth as she looked into mine. “What happened?”
Too much to recount. “Did you take your stuff back?”
“No. I put it in one of the spare bedrooms.”
“Why?”
“Because I knew Valerie would look through your stuff…if she had the chance.”
I sighed. “Well, you were right.”
Her eyes fell. “Wow. You had a really bad night.”
I shook my head. “I don’t like the way she acts around Derek. She cusses, she’s rude—and then she marched through my condo, searching for evidence of your presence. It got to the point where Derek yelled at her…” I took a deep breath so my eyes wouldn’t water. “And told her to stop making me sad.”
Her eyes immediately softened, turning emotional. “God, he’s so sweet…”
“I know he is.” I took another deep breath, controlling my emotions, keeping my face impassive. “It prompted a