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Chapter 20
Vale
I'm not sure why I feel so buoyant all of a sudden
Waityes I do know It's aht that can be lifted off your shoulders when you unburden a secret Telling Hawke about the e and, more important, how bad that doctor made me feel about it, and even more important than that, how that drove my decisionswell, it was practically cathartic
Hawke reacted exactly as I expected hirief for a life lost Then the outburst of anger for not calling hi him to be my man in all respects
The horror over the doctor pinning the concept of fault on er on my behalf that I bore that alone
The revisited pain from my unilateral decision to cut him froone fro he was the worst
Then he reacted in the way that defines the true essence of the man known as Hawke Therrien
He comforted me
Held me
Told me none of this was my fault
He accepted , no e of twenty He told iven I watched him cry tears for a baby that was never rief, and yet he wassure I was okay
Hawke told me he wanted to move forward, whatever that may mean
He absolved ive this another shot The rin, stuck his hand out for me to shake, and said, "Hi My name is Hawke Nice to meet you," Ito bring any more hurt down upon either of us I decided in that o, just the way he was
That ument about his own abandonment of me after I reached out to him via phone and email I couldn't do that to him, not after I just dropped on his shoulders a baby created of love never meant to be and watched hi about I just didn't have it in ainst us like barbed wire
He said it was tiressive train
I decided it was time to leave the past behind me
Knowing Hawke the way I do, I ell aware that it wouldn't do any good to put my clothes on He said he wasn't done withSo I grabbed another towel out of a small pantry closet that sat to the left of his vanity and wrapped it aroundthe end into the top just between my breasts
Dying of thirst and a little hungry, I headed down the stairs toward his kitchen, intent on finding so to alleviate both needs Three steps fro your fridge, okay?"
He doesn't answer , ht toward the kitchen Just as I round the wall separating the staircase fro room, where the entryway sits on the other side, I' there in his toith another woman
With her fingers in the edge of the towel
And a sexy look on her face
And Hawke ers or wipe said look off her face
Tall, lithe, silky auburn hair, and crea at Hawke and he's staring at her, and I just hate her And I' too kindly toward him either
We all have bodily reactions that cos to happen, but our bodies betray us It could be the often a belch after drinking so fizzy to the completely dreaded sound of flatulence fro there is with each other, but I guarantee you he has never heard the sound that involuntarily rises out of me
Like a screa full of outrage and hurt, Isound that I had no idea existed Hawke turns to me with a shocked look on his face The wos wide open to seethere
"Move forward ain, and it's so loud and abrasive my own teeth hurt fro and getting the hell out of here
But Hawke's words stop me dead cold "Don't move another step, Vale, or so help me God, I will chase you down"
Indecision rules, and even though I cast a glance back over my shoulder, I take a half a step toward the staircase Hawke's eyes narrow at me and he warns, "Go ahead, Vale Make a break for it, but I will catch you, and you'll end up right back down here, so you ht as well just stay put"
"You've got a lot of nerve--" I start to hiss at hiuard
Scratching his hand through his hair and shooting me a sheepish look, he says, "Vale This is Michelle We sort of see each other casually when our schedules allow"