a crime. But I still didn’t trust her and felt betrayed she so easily turned on me, but at that time I wasn’t completely sure of her role in it.” He licked his lips. We strolled down the street, Goat’s sniffing keeping us at a slow pace. “It wasn’t until four months ago, when Becca came running to me, everything came out. Bryan had been arrested, caught trying to steal money from another guy. That’s when I discovered they were partners in bed and out. He told the police she was his accomplice.”
My jaw dropped, my hand going to my mouth. “Wow.”
“They had a twisted relationship. I’m still not sure who is telling the truth. According to him, she was the one leading the scams. From her, she was blackmailed and manipulated by him.”
“What do you believe?”
“Neither. Both.” He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me anymore. They have been caught, and I can finally move on.”
I shook my head, not able to fully compute his tragic story. His best friend and the wife he loved more than anything, betraying him so deeply. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Not something I wanted anyone to know. I spent three years in jail coming to terms with it. I just wanted to move on.”
“I know, but I still…” What did I feel? He was obligated to tell me? That I was different and he should have confessed this secret?
“I’m not much of a sharing kind of guy, only to very few do I let it out.” He’d always been like that, even as a teenager. Silently taking his father’s abuse, acting like he was fine. “And you and I? Well, I really didn’t want you to know, not even earlier, that I had been locked up.”
“Why?”
“At first because you were Kyle’s baby sister, and I thought after the trip I’d never see you again. You were just a girl who annoyed me when we were young. But when I saw you and we started to spend time together, it became more because you already had such a bad opinion of me. Hated me, if I recall.” He peered down at me. “I guess I felt it would only confirm what you already thought of me. Not that I could get much worse now.”
“You’re right; you can’t.” I let a smile curve my mouth, our eyes catching.
He smirked, his head dipping. We crossed the street to the park, watching Goat run around.
“I thought about you all the time,” he said hoarsely, watching Goat chase after a squirrel. “My friend was about to drive me up here himself so I’d stop being such a bastard.”
My chest filled with emotion, not able to respond.
“Kinsley.” He touched me.
“No.” My throat and eyes burned. “I can’t do this.” I backed away. “I can’t do this with you… nothing changed.”
“What? Why?”
“Because.” I nipped my lip. “You’re still having a baby with her.
“Kins—”
I thought I could handle that…”
“Kins—”
“The baby should be your priority.”
“Kinsley!” He put a hand over my mouth, a bewildered smirk on his face. “Fuck. Let me get a word in, okay?” He waited until I nodded then dropped his hand. “I thought you understood… Guess I didn’t make it clear. I’m not the father… Bryan is.”
“But—”
“She just wanted you to think I was. We haven’t been together in more than three years.”
“She said…”
“And you believed it,” he replied.
I did. Taking the tiny morsel she showed me, I filled in the rest. So used to being hurt, I instantly accepted the bad, turned Smith into another asshole, when I shouldn’t have taken Becca’s statement as the full truth.
“I don’t want to think or talk about regrets or the past. That’s not why I came here.” He swallowed, peering down at his boots. “I came here because when my lawyer called me late last night with some news, I found myself in the car heading for you, hoping I wasn’t too late.”
My lids fluttered, my head turning to the side.
“Kinsley?”
“What was the news?” I still couldn’t look at him, trying to keep my voice steady. I stared at the famous Painted Ladies, the row of houses famous from TV and movies.
“My divorce is official.” He cleared his throat. “He was able to push it through faster than normal because of her being sentenced.”
My lids squeezed together, my heart flipping and aching at the same time.
“Kins…” He turned to me. “You were the last thing I thought would happen or I’d even want right then. Besides my life being such a fucked-up