Page 147 of The Path to Loving Him
Then I lean in and press a chaste kiss to his cheek.
He offers me a sad smile. I do the same, then exit his car, feeling Ryland’s eyes on me as I make my way up the stairs to my apartment. I unlock the door, shut it, then let out a deep, irritated sigh just as there’s a knock on my door.
I squeeze my eyes shut, my heart and head unable to take another fight with him.
But I should have known this was going to happen.
Turning, I open the door, willing myself to be ready, but then I’m met with the sad, confused expression in Ryland’s eyes.
Normally, this man airs out his pride every chance he gets. He’s confident, he’s unflappable, and he doesn’t show an ounce of weakness, but the man standing in front of me right now is not the man I’m used to.
Hollow eyes.
Bothered eyes.
Sunken eyes.
Depleted.
Restless.
But that doesn’t matter to me, because I can’t do this runaround anymore. I’m tired. I don’t have anything else to say. And I don’t have the energy to deal with how he’s feeling about me going out with Christian.
“Ryland, I can’t?—”
“I’m sorry,” he says before I can even finish. “I’m really fucking sorry, Gabby.”
I lean against the doorway. “Sorry about what, Ryland? About the way you’ve been acting or the way you’ve been leading me on?”
“I haven’t been leading you on. At least not intentionally. I told you that night it was the last time, and it has been.”
“Yeah, and you’ve been an ass ever since. And the way you stare Christian down, it’s just rude.”
Maybe I do have the energy to talk about it.
Maybe I’m just so fed up and frustrated that I don’t mind letting loose.
“I told you, Gabby, I’m having a hard time dealing with all of this.”
“And that’s not an excuse. You’re a grown-ass man, Ryland. Act like one.”
My phone rings in my purse, and I think about ignoring it for a second. However, I need to get out of this conversation, so I pull it out of my purse and answer it. “Hello?”
“Gab.”Bennett?
I lift the phone away and see his name on the screen.
“Hey, is everything okay?” I ask, recognizing the shake in his voice.
“Gab . . . I . . . I’m.” My heart pounds in my chest as I wait.
“What?”
“I’m playing tomorrow . . . in the big leagues. Gab, they called me up.”
Everything inside me drains as tears fill my eyes. My legs wobble under me, and I crumple to the ground before I know it.
“What the fuck,” Ryland says as he squats down next to me.
