“You don’t need to explain. I’m so happy for you. Is she a doctor too?”
“She is, a very smart one at that. How about we go to dinner and catch up? I can tell you all about her and you can tell me about Vegas. I’d love to hear what happened.”
Holding onto his arm, I walked with him to his car. “Brace yourself because it’s one long, crazy ride. I might need a blood orange margarita or twelve to get through it.”
He chuckled. “I have all weekend.”
“You sure you’re okay?” Adrian asked, helping me up the stairs. We’d eaten at my favorite restaurant in Hallowell that was positioned right on the Kennebec River. They made the best margaritas in town.
Giggling, I reached for one of the patio chairs and fell into it. “I’m fine. I think those margaritas were a little strong.”
Adrian sat down in the chair beside me and laughed. “Well, you drank four of them. I don’t blame you after what you’ve been through.”
Sighing, I leaned my head against the house and looked out at the stars. They were so bright in the dark sky. It was something I missed in Vegas. With all the lights, you couldn’t enjoy the true beauty of night. My head was fuzzy from the alcohol and all I could concentrate on was Jason. I wanted to know what he was doing and where he was at. Most importantly, I wanted to know if he missed me as much as I missed him.
“Are you thinking about him?”
“It’s hard not to,” I confessed.
“Then why did you leave him? You ran away when you should’ve stayed. It doesn’t look like it made things easier. If anything, you made them a whole hell of a lot harder.”
“Gee, thanks for the pep talk, pal.” I shook my head and shrugged. “I don’t know . . . I guess I didn’t want to get hurt. At least this way, I didn’t have to pretend to be strong when he turned me down. I didn’t have to look in his eyes when he said it.”
“Who says he was going to turn you down? You never gave him a chance.”
I scoffed. “He had plenty of chances. He had the whole week.”
“Maybe,” he said. “I guess you’ll never know.”
“I guess not,” I whispered. The night air grew colder and I shivered. “You about ready to head inside? I can get us some wine.” I tried to get up but needed a little assistance. I wasn’t drunk, but with the jet lag and time difference, it was all wearing on me.
“I think you’ve had enough. How about I help you to your room?”
“Sounds good. It’d suck to survive being attacked in Vegas only to come home and die from falling down the stairs.”
He guffawed. “You’re absolutely right. Come on.” We started for the door, but a set of headlights flashed behind us. “Who would be coming in this late?”
“It’s probably just some of the guests.” I opened the door and took a step inside, only to be stopped by the sound of my name.
“Aylee!”
Frozen in place, I sucked in a breath, afraid to turn around. Adrian nudged me with his elbow. “Aylee, it’s Jason. He came for you.” Jason’s footsteps grew closer until I heard him step up onto the porch. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Adrian step forward, his hand extended. “I’m Adrian, Aylee’s friend. I wanted to thank you for saving her.”
Jason shook his hand, his focus completely on me. “There was no other way.”
Clearing his throat, Adrian backed up toward the door. “I think I’ll just go to my room and give you two some privacy.” Once he stepped inside, he winked. “Good luck. See you in the morning.”
As soon as he was gone, I turned to Jason, my heart thudding in my chest. His clenched jaw and tight fists spoke louder than anything. “Are you angry with me?” I asked.
He scoffed. “You mean for leaving me in the middle of the night? Yeah, just a little. What the fuck, Aylee? I woke up and you weren’t there. And I guess you’re back with your ex now too?”
“No! It’s not what it looks like. He came here to welcome me home and to also tell me about his new love interest.”