The suitcase on Susan’s bed overflowed with clothes she’d pulled from her drawers and her closet.
Bethany stood in the doorway with a cup of tea. “Drink this and calm down.”
“Tea isn’t going to make me feel better and neither is bending over with my butt in the air in some ridiculous yoga pose. I’m leaving. I have to get out of here.”
“Just tell them what you were doing at the Morgan’s and they’ll be over it.”
Susan pushed down on the top of the suitcase as if it would magically close—but to no avail. Instead of zipping the case, she tossed it open again and began pulling things out and throwing them on the bed.
“I have a confidentiality contract they wanted signed. Who the hell makes a caterer sign that?” she asked with a bra dangling from each hand. “It’s food!”
Bethany stepped in and set the tea on the dresser before moving to her and taking the bras out of her hands. “You need to relax. Sit down and breathe,” she said easing her to the bed. “Just drink the tea.”
Bethany picked the cup up from the dresser and handed it to her. “Sip.”
Susan willed her breathing to slow as she lifted the cup to her lips. “He hates me. I didn’t do anything, but he hates me.”
“I think that’s the problem,” Bethany said as she sat down on the bed next to her. “I don’t think he hates you at all.
“I didn’t hurt his horse.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“I don’t really know the Morgans. Elias called then said Lydia would be in touch. We met her at the book club and then I drove out there today. I didn’t know he was there. I…” she didn’t want to disclose more than that. But her head had been in the clouds. She didn’t see his truck.
They both raised their heads when they heard knocking.
Bethany stood. “I’ll get rid of whoever it is. When I get back up here, we’re going to put your room back together and we are doing yoga. You can’t say no. You need to.”
She disappeared and Susan sipped the tea. It was kinda nice to have someone fuss over her, though it did make her miss her sister.
Susan looked around the room. She had completely destroyed her dresser and closet. Covering her mouth with a hand, she let out a little sob. Nothing was worth this. A week ago she had a perfect life. There was no reason to throw it all away over a man and his family.
“Your housekeeping skills seem to have slipped.”
Susan’s attention snapped to the door where Eric stood, his hat in his hands, and his head bowed.
She jolted up off the bed. “What are you doing here? Go. You just need to go.”
He didn’t move. His large frame encompassed nearly the entire doorway. If she tried to run past him, he’d stop her with a simple movement.
“I’m not here to fight with you.”
“Good. You look as if you’ve been in enough fights this week and you didn’t win any of them.”
Eric stepped into the room, closed the door behind him, and set his hat on the dresser. Susan quickly moved to set the cup down, just in case she needed both of her hands.
“I was wrong to accuse you like that,” he said, still standing by the now closed door with his head hung low.
“Damn right you were. Where do you get off thinking I’d do something like that? You know, you were in my bed too. I didn’t come crawling to you in the middle of the night.”
He pursed his lips. “You’re right.”
“And how dare you say those things in front of your parents. They must think I’m some kind of slut thanks to you.”
A smile formed on his lips. “I apologized to Glenda first. She doesn’t think anything of the sort. In fact, she thinks that if I come back from apologizing to you with my manhood still intact then I should marry you.”
Susan gasped loud enough Eric lifted his head. “First of all I wouldn’t poison a horse and I wouldn’t dismember you either.”
“I didn’t assume you would.” He wrinkled up his nose. “Actually, I accused you of the latter and I can’t apologize enough. I just don’t know what to think of all this.”
She wanted to hate him. She wanted to throw that teacup at his head and make him bleed. That was the wrong thing to want when she also wanted to just scoop him up and hold him.
“Eric, you’re under a lot of stress right now. I can’t even pretend to understand it. And when you get it all sorted out then maybe…”
“No,” he moved to her quickly and gathered her hands in his. “Don’t dismiss me.”
“You did that when you walked into your parents’ house accusing me.”
“Susan, I need you. I love you.”
“Now who is easy with the words?”
“I’m not kidding. I’ve never felt this way before.”
“You’re emotional. Come back tomorrow when…”
Her words were cut short when his mouth came to hers. She wanted to push back, but he still held her hands in his. Or maybe she wasn’t trying hard enough. Or maybe she loved him too much to try and break free.
Susan felt herself sink into the kiss as he released her hands and pulled her in close.
There was no use wanting to fight him. She loved him and she couldn’t be sure it wouldn’t be the biggest mistake of her life.
Eric’s lips moved from hers and traveled down her neck. Her insides melted into goo, forcing her to lift her arms around his neck just to keep standing.
“I’ll say I’m sorry for the rest of my life if you’ll just forgive me,” he whispered in her ear.
“I want to hate you.”
He pressed his forehead to hers. “You want to, but you don’t?”
“I love you, you ass. You hurt me worse than my ex hitting me, but…”
His hands came to her arms and he pushed back to look down at her. “He hit you?”
“Once. Just once. I’m not one to put up with crap like that. Not from him. Not from you,” her voice was solid as she delivered her ultimatum.
“I’d never hit you.”
“I believe you. Though looking at you, I shouldn’t.” She lifted his hand and examined the stitches on his finger. “What happened to you?”
The corner of his mouth curled up. “I thought Dane looked so fierce with stitches I thought I’d get a set.”
Susan narrowed her gaze.
“Fine. A bowl from breakfast broke and sliced it open. Not a glorious story.”
“You didn’t come by and tell me.”
“I was mad. And I did drive by. You weren’t home.”
“Would you have stopped?”
Eric shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Susan fell against him, resting her head on his chest as he pulled her close. “It’s too late to say let’s start slow.”
She felt the rumble in his chest as he chuckled. “You’re right.”
“Besides, it sounds like your step-mother has us married.”
A low hum resonated now. “Mother. I think it’s far past time I just consider her my mother.”
Susan stepped back and looked up into his dark eyes. “That’s quite a comment.”
“In this past week the losses and gains seem to be keeping me in check.” He ran his hand over her hair. “I need to know why you were at Elias’s house.”
“I can’t tell you. Not because I don’t want to. I can’t legally tell you.”
Eric nodded. “I’m going to assume Lydia is throwing a surprise tea party. I’m going to just go with that to settle my nerves.”
She smiled up at him. “That would be good.”
“You can’t trust him,” he said.
“Maybe not. But I really like her and I don’t think she’s part of anything going on with you.”
“Don’t get hurt, Susan.”
“I already have been.”
“Not anymore. I promise.”
There was no logic behind the promise or her belief in it, but she did believe. Love made a woma
n do crazy things. This might have been the craziest.