The Problem with Fire - M.E. Clayton Page 0,49

ruin what we had. I was just…in a very bad place at the time.”

“So…so what happened?”

“She tried to slap me, and that’s when I knew I had to get out of there,” I told her. “I stormed out of the building, and I was so goddamn furious, I hadn’t seen you or your car in the parking lot. But I found out later from Garrett that she had seen you, and so, she had run up to me in the pretense of an apology, and when she got close enough, that’s when she kissed me.”

“It was one of the worst things I’ve ever had to witness,” Monroe confessed, and I really had to work hard on not wishing any ill on Daria.

“When I realized what was happening, I pushed her away, but you were already down the street.” I stepped closer, but this time, I place my hands on her arms. “It had been a mess with shouting and…it was just a mess. I had told Chief I was transferring, and I had left to chase you. I was home, staring out my window for hours, before it had dawned on me that Leta was with Thomas and you had no reason to come home. I didn’t know where Karma lived, so I could hunt you down, so I had gone back to work.” Her lips twitched, and I took that as a good sign. “I asked for my transfer because no way would I continue to work where someone was trying to undermine you by hitting on me all the time, but Chief had informed me that, after interviewing everyone and finding out what was going on, he had fired Daria.” I grinned down at her. “Our new administrative assistant’s name is Russell, and he’s happily married to a female, so no possible drama there.”

“That fight-”

“Monroe, I was wrong,” I said, interrupting her. “That fight was just a fight. I was wrong, and I was going to beg for forgiveness like any man who valued his balls. Daria doing what she did doesn’t take away from the facts. Our fight was just a fucking fight, baby. I get you thought it might be more because of what you saw, but it wasn’t what you thought.” Monroe eye narrowed thoughtfully. She was absorbing everything I’d just thrown at her, and I prayed she believed me. Especially, since it was the truth.

Please, God, let her believe me.

After a few tense seconds, she asked, “What were you going to apologize for?”

“For not trusting you enough not to let Thomas get inside my head,” I admitted. “I knew you’d never go back to him after what he’d done to you, but you…”

“What? Me, what?”

“You’re always so calm with all of this,” I told her. “I was going crazy with not having you every day. I was going crazy with not telling Leta. And I was definitely going insane when Thomas talked about getting you back.” I shook my head. “And there you were, all calm and shit, and I was worried that this wasn’t as serious for you as it was for me because I couldn’t understand how you could be so damn calm while I was losing my shit.”

“It’s because I’m older and wiser, Sayer,” she said, her voice like an experienced counselor.

One…two…three…

I grabbed her around the waist and hauled her to me. Her laughter filled my house, and I felt like I could finally breathe for the first time in three damn day.

“You’re a dick.”

She laughed louder. “I was just teasing,” she lied through her bouts of mirth. But her arms were around my neck, holding onto me, and that’s all that mattered.

My face was buried in her neck, and everything felt right with the world again. “I love you, Monroe,” I breathed against her skin. “I fucking love you, baby.”

She hugged me tighter. “I hope so,” she whispered into my chest.

I wasn’t going to make a big deal about her not saying it back. She was fighting demons I’d never understand. She had obstacles in her way that I didn’t.

I could wait.

Chapter 25

Monroe~

I knew I should have said something, but the words got stuck in my throat.

It wasn’t that I didn’t love him, or that I didn’t believe him when he told me he loved me. I wanted them said when we were clear of emotional discord. Sure, I believed him about Daria, and he was honest about how doubt had led to our fight, but the timing still didn’t