Page 133 of Nothing to Tell

She’d be the first to admit her headspace was a wreck when fleeing the house.That didn’t excuse the insanity of her leaving important things behind.

It didn’t matter.She was there now and would do her best to clear out as much as she could.She’d asked the cab to wait by the gate.He would.Wouldn’t he?The guy wanted his fare and this would only take a few minutes.

Bastian would be at work.

The house would be empty.

Reminding herself didn’t prevent her tippytoeing like a cat burglar in the cartoons.The building didn’t exactly echo, but it didn’t feel the same without him.Couldn’t that be said about any room?Every single breath was razor blades in her throat when her feet weren’t taking her to him.

Breathing only got harder as she moved deeper into the house.She could smell him, almost feel his presence in the air.All she wanted to do was fall into him and it was so selfish.Bastian wasn’t a man who needed someone like her in his life.

The trouble was his good heart.Her selfishness may never have had a chance to manifest if he’d been able to walk away from someone in need.

In need?God, it wasn’t like she’d been dying.

Ascending the stairs, she rested a palm on the banister then withdrew it.Why?Fool.Bastian wouldn’t be dusting for prints, sheesh.

“Robyn, you said this was urgent.”

Bastian’s voice came from somewhere upstairs, she froze on the spot.He was home?

“And you don’t think the rest of our lives is important?”a woman asked, clear as a whistle.

Robyn?He was with Robyn… and quite possibly in his bedroom.

She closed her eyes tight.Please don’t say this was post-coital.Oh, she wouldn’t be able to handle walking in on that.

“I thought you were in trouble,” Bastian said.“You haven’t been here for months.”

“You said it when we broke up, you said it’s time to figure out what’s important.I didn’t hear you then, I wasn’t ready to listen.”

“That’s fine.You didn’t have to call me out of the office in the middle of the afternoon to tell me that.”

“People are more important than work,” Robyn said.“We had a good thing going, we should never have ended it.”

“You were sure you didn’t want it.”

“What did I know?”Robyn asked on a self-deprecating laugh.“It didn’t consume me.Not until I didn’t have you anymore.These last few weeks, I can’t stop thinking about you.”

“I heard you were in Bali.”

“I was.”

“Finding yourself?”

“You could say that,” Robyn said, a smile in the words.“Isn’t that what you told me?We have to figure out what’s important.What you wanted, all of it, I didn’t see it, how important it is to—we have to do this the right way.”

“Robyn, we don’t—”

“I hurt you.I get that.You were trying to tell me we had a future and I wouldn’t listen.It’s no excuse, but everyone knows how your mom is…”

“How my mom is?”

That piqued her interest too.Please don’t insult Carolyn.If Robyn was trying to win Bastian back, deriding his family wouldn’t grease those skids.Walk it back, Robyn.Walk it back.

“She wants you settled down, she wants tradition fulfilled, and an heir and… I wasn’t sure I was ready for that.No.”Her voice strengthened.“I wasn’t ready for that.I wasn’t then.To see what I needed, I had to live without you.”

“To give yourself time to miss me.”