Page 15 of Restless Ink

“Just go,” she said. “Because…well…you just need to.”

“We’re not through with this.”

“We already are.”

He let out a breath, rolling his shoulders back. “No, we aren’t.”

She didn’t say anything else, but he wasn’t sure therewasanything to say. He needed to go to his ex-wife’s house to take care of his dog. The same ex-wife that stood between him and Thea. He wanted to be Thea’s friend, and yet…and yet, that had changed, hadn’t it?

He didn’t know what he was going to do after he left Thea’s place, but he knew he needed to leave, to give her space.

And then, after that? He really didn’t know. But when the door closed behind him, he heard her lock the deadbolt into place, and he prayed he hadn’t just fucked everything up. He slowly walked to the end of the street and ordered a Lyft to his house so he could get his car. He was sober now, so damn sober that he felt every mistake he’d made by not voicing his thoughts.

He’d fucked up.

And he had no idea how to fix it.

Chapter 7

Dimitri pulled into Molly’s driveway and tried not to think about what he’d just done with Thea. He knew that, at some point, Molly might need to know since she was friends with Thea, but it wasn’t his place to say anything. Somehow, he’d put Thea in the middle of everything, though he’d done his best not to do so since the divorce.

To say he’d fucked up was an understatement.

He liked Thea, always had, but he’d never looked at her the way he had tonight until recently. She’d always been his friend.Molly’sfriend. Dimitri had loved his wife and had been faithful. He’d never even thought of being with another woman while he was married. And when the divorce came, when he and Molly didn’t love each other anymore, he’d tried to figure out what had gone wrong, only to realize there wasn’t a clear answer.

Some relationships just didn’t work. And he and Molly didn’t work at all. Not anymore. And the more he thought about it—something he did more often now that he was alone—he wasn’t sure they’d ever fit. He’d loved her with everything he had at the time, but he’d always been on the periphery of her life. The same with her in his. They shared friends, friends that had all gone to Molly after the divorce. They’d shared Captain, but he was really Dimitri’s dog—hence why Dimitri was here late at night, about to go into the home he’d once shared with Molly to feed his best friend.

Molly should have called earlier, but it was almost as if she’d known exactly the worst time to call and interrupt. The time that it would have the most detrimental emotional impact on his life—on Thea’s life. Of course, his ex hadn’t known, and it had just been a horrible set of circumstances, but there was nothing to change that now.

Dimitri had to go inside, get the dog he wanted by his side to eat, and then leave before there were too many questions asked that required answers he honestly didn’t have for Molly.

And, frankly, he wasn’t sure if it was his ex-wife’s business at all what happened between him and Thea. That thought made Dimitri sound like an asshole since common decency dictated he should walk away and not let it happen again and make sure Molly knew, but he wasn’t sure he could do that. Not when hefeltlike there might be something between him and Thea. He’d been trying hard to make sure they could remain friends, but apparently some part of him wanted more.

He needed to get home and think on it, try to piece together exactly what he was feeling so he didn’t mess up what he already had with Thea—beyond what he’d torn away.

And that meant not telling Molly a single thing until he talked things over with Thea.

This isn’t going to be awkward at all.

He ran a hand down his face, aware he hadn’t changed or even brushed his teeth after Thea’s place, but he hadn’t had time. It was late, and his dog needed him. He hoped to hell that he’d be able to find a new place soon with his limited funds because he wanted Captain to live with him. Molly couldn’t get him to eat or walk some days, and it was killing Dimitri more each day to witness it. Captain was suffering because Dimitri wasn’t there. Enough wallowing. Dimitri needed to get inside, no matter the awkwardness.

He got out of his car and headed to the front door. Molly opened it without him even knocking, as though she were waiting for him. He held back a sigh and raised his chin.

“Where is he?” he asked, his voice a little gruffer than intended. He was tired, off-kilter thanks to Thea, but he knew he shouldn’t take it out on Molly. She hadn’t done anything wrong, and if anything, she just wanted Captain to be happy and healthy.

He cleared his throat and started again. “Sorry, thanks for calling. Where is he?”

She just shook her head. “Don’t be sorry. It’s late, and I hate that I had to call you at all. I thought you’d be in Denver with your brother, actually.”

He blinked, not remembering if he’d told her those plans or not. But it had been a long day, so he let that thought slide from his brain. He’d probably mentioned it earlier when he picked up Captain up for their hike. The fact that he’d spent a few hours with Captain today, and the dog still wouldn’t eat worried him, so he made a move toward the den.

“I decided to stay in town.” To see Thea, but he didn’t mention that to Molly.

“Then you made it to game night?”

He stiffened. “Yes, actually.” Thea must have invited Molly, as well. After all, they were friends. And…this was getting far too complicated. The smart thing to do would be to stay out of Thea’s life, but he honestly didn’t know how smart he was anymore when it came to Thea Montgomery.

He purposely let his shoulders relax. “The Montgomerys were there in force. Adrienne and Mace won. They’re all very competitive. Not surprisingly.”