The Promise (Wolfe Creek Duet #2)

33

THEA

The adrenaline of almost getting caught is still coursing through me. I’m hyper aware of everything. I still don’t feel like I got away with it. Somehow, I feel like Cole knows and he’s taunting me by letting me think that I’m in the clear. I’m probably being paranoid.

I’m in the Audi, backing out of the studio parking lot and heading home after Cassie dropped me off. My eyes search the streets for any sign of him. Instead, I see someone else. Wes. With a woman.

I nearly slam on my breaks, but it’s not because he’s with this woman. He has women clients. It’s him hugging her that throws me for a loop. Not a quick goodbye hug. Wes has both arms around her and they’re holding on for far too long.

She’s a stranger. I try to place seeing her somewhere, but I only have the back view of her. Although, that long, bleach blonde hair doesn’t look familiar. A new surge of adrenaline spikes, making my heart and thoughts race.

Doubts about everything creep in despite the desire to keep calm. That dinner he went to recently. His phone constantly going off. I don’t believe it. Wes wouldn’t do that. Unless… a chill slithers down my spine. Unless this is Victoria. I haven’t seen a picture of her, so I don’t know what she looks like. She’s the only person I can imagine him risking everything for. They all made it clear months ago that her departure destroyed him.

My eyes water at the thought—those old feelings of learning about Gavin’s cheating resurface. I could park the car right now and make a scene in the middle of the street. But that’s not me. I accelerate toward our home. I’ll wait for him there.

I’m sitting on Wesley’s bed when he arrives.

“Woah,” he says, clutching his chest, surprised by my presence. “Everything good?”

I take a deep breath, trying to keep my tone cool. “Yeah. You?”

He nods, kicking off his shoes. “Yeah. Long day.”

“Really? What did you do today?”

Wes takes his holstered gun from his waistband, placing it on his dresser before running a hand through his messy hair. “Took a client out for a two-hour hike. Then met with a guy who’s interested in climbing next month and kayaking in the spring.”

Lies.

Bracing my hands on the bed, I hang my head, preparing to confront him. “Why are you lying to me?” Looking up, I find his face perplexed. His eyes dart and it’s all the confirmation I need to know that I’m right. “Was that Victoria you were meeting with today?”

I wait for him to destroy me when he says yes. I wait for the truth to come out and wreck my world. My stomach knots and flips and churns. I think I’m going to be sick.

“What?” He seems genuinely confused. “Victoria?”

“Yeah. The blonde woman I saw you with not even an hour ago. The one you were hugging.” I’m not crazy.

Wes comes over, sitting down on the bed next to me. “Thea, do you think I’m seeing another woman behind your back?”

Looking over, I nod, trying to keep the tears in.

His arms wrap around me and… fuck, I can smell her perfume. I barely suppress the urge to gag.

“I’d never do that. I’d never cheat on you.”

He must know that he can’t downplay this. He’s not going to convince that she’s just a client. “Wes, please don’t lie to me.”

Letting out a sigh, he lets me go and turns my chin so that I have to look at him. “Blue eyes, I have been lying, but not about another woman. Well…” He rethinks his words. “Not in that way. My mom got in contact with me. I’ve met with her a couple of times and she’s been texting me.”

My jaw drops. Shamefully, I don’t believe him at first. Infidelity seems far more likely. But as I look into his eyes, I see that he’s being truthful. I don’t know what to say. I want to apologize for accusing him. I want to ask him how he’s feeling. I want him to tell me all the details.

Instead, I embrace him, pulling him close and rubbing my hand in circles over his back. “I’m sorry for thinking you’d do that. I’m so sorry.” I bury my face in his chest. He deserves better.

Wes pulls back. “Hey,” he says, his voice filled with concern. “I was lying to you. You don’t need to be sorry. I just… needed time to see if this was anything. I wasn’t sure she’d even show up or stick around or if she was worth a damn.” His eyes water more with each word he speaks.

“Do you want to talk about it? Talk about her?”

Secretly, I hope he does. I want to know everything, however, this is a sensitive subject and I’ll respect his privacy if he says no.

Wes is quiet for a minute.

“I don’t know what to think. I’m all over the place. One minute I feel like I want to get to know her. I guess anyone who doesn’t know their parents might feel like that. Then, another part of me wants to say screw her. I’m not sure why I even met with her. She probably doesn’t deserve it.” I watch a series of emotions play over his face—longing, anger, sadness, and confusion.

My fingers brush over his jaw. “These are all normal feelings. I can’t imagine how hard this has been for you. You know, you can always trust me and you can come to me with the hard stuff. I’m a safe space for you, Wes.”

That makes him smile a little.

“I know, thank you. I just didn’t want to pull all of you into this before I knew what this was. When I met with her today, I felt that longing to have a mom. That’s not something I’ve experienced before. I kind of just shoved that need down because I didn’t think it was possible.” The first tear rolls down his cheek. I want to wipe it away, but I think more than anything, he needs to honor his emotions. He doesn’t need to have them wiped away.

“Did she give you answers? For what she did?” It’s a delicate question, but I can’t help asking. I’m not just being nosy. I want to make sure Wes isn’t going into this blindly.

He sighs. “That’s one of the first things she explained when I first met her. She told me that she had addictions that she couldn’t fight at the time. She knew she couldn’t take care of me, so she gave me to someone who could.” My heart aches for him. On one hand, I commend her for not making him suffer for too long. On the other, I’m angry for him because I don’t understand how she couldn’t get it together for him. But it’s not my place to put the burden of my emotions on him.

“I’m sure that was hard to hear.” I lean in and kiss him. “You deserve all the love and support in the world. Whatever you need, I’m here for you. I—” I stop myself before the words slip out. Wes doesn’t seem to notice, thankfully.

“Thank you, blue eyes,” he whispers as he leans into me.

We lie down on his bed. I hold him while he lets his walls down. I hold him while holding in my own emotions that want to burst forth. Because now’s not the time for that.