Page 70 of Bean

“I can’t wait. Be there soon.” I hung up, then turned a hard stare onto Gio, who actually looked a little…I couldn’t say hurt, but maybe disappointed.

He recovered quickly, and I saw him try to go for my soft underbelly of feelings. “Finally found someone sorry enough to?—”

“No,” I said, stopping him from being able to finish his sentence. “I’m not doing this with you. I’m not even going to entertain whatever fucked-up idea you have in your head that we’re going to stay in each other’s lives in any capacity. You made it very clear how much you respected me.”

“Baby—”

“I said stop calling me that,” I told him so firmly, his jaw snapped shut. That was satisfying. “I’ve moved on. This is my new home—a place you aren’t welcome, and I’ll have you arrested for trespassing if you show up here again. I’ll be deleting any apps you think you can track me on, and if you follow me ever again, I’ll make you sorry for it. I know people. You know I do.”

He studied me, and it took a moment, but I saw the way his shoulders fell and knew it had finally sunk in. It was over. I didn’t love him now and couldn’t even remember the last time I had.

My future was not with him.

I didn’t know if it was with the man currently waiting on me, but I could only hope it was. And that was another thing—there was finally room for that too. For faith and hope that things would work out. That I wasn’t old, washed up, and too used to be loved the way I wanted to be.

“I’ll show you out,” I said, and when I gestured for the front door, he didn’t linger.

That part of my life was officially, totally, and completely over.

And as much as I knew it wasn’t a game, it still felt like I won.

Bean was quiet on the drive to the rental, and I could feel the tension between us. I wanted to have a conversation with him, but not in the car. He deserved my full attention. I waited for him after shutting the engine off, and we walked inside together.

The last time we’d been here, it had all gone to hell, and I wasn’t sure how much of it he remembered.

“Did I leave a mess?” Bean asked softly.

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Uh…my seizure. I’d written down that we had a cooking lesson, and I’m pretty sure we didn’t finish it.”

I couldn’t help a small laugh as I led him to the couch. We sat a cushion apart, which felt like an entire ocean, but I wanted to give us both room to get back to where we had been. “There wasn’t much of a mess. You were halfway through showing me how to make chicken and dumplings.”

“Oh,” he said, looking a little sad. “I have a great dumpling recipe.”

“It looked good, but I wasn’t brave enough to try it on my own. I thought—Ihoped—you’d feel well enough to show me again.”

He grimaced. “I’m not sure I feel up for more kitchen stuff today.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” I said in a rush. “That isn’t what I meant. My appetite has been pretty crap since I last saw you anyway.”

He looked devastated. “Because of me?”

“I was worried. I mean, I knew you were fine. The paramedics reassured me, and Nash called to let me know it all went okay. But I wasn’t sure I handled everything the way you needed me to.”

His ears pinked with a blush. “To be honest, I don’t remember if you did or not. I didn’t get an ambulance bill, so that was a plus. But, uh…” He trailed off and shrugged.

I reached for him but pulled back when I realized I wasn’t sure I had permission anymore. “Can I?—”

He took my hand in a rush before I could finish, tugging me close enough that our thighs were pressed together. It felt warm and comfortable and right. I closed my eyes as I leaned in, breathing in his scent. He smelled like a kitchen, and I never thought that would be so attractive, but god, it was.

I was falling so hard.

I needed to tell him how I felt. I knew that. But now was not the right time.

“So, when we talked earlier, that person with you?—”

“That was my ex,” I said. He stiffened and pulled back, and I let him go. “I had an old app on my phone—Life360?”