Kyle's body had stiffened, and his voice had turned harsher than she'd ever heard it before. He swears he never touched Gwen.
She'd been upset that he'd defended his brother, when they both knew Todd wasn't exactly a stand-up kind of guy. Well, my sister said he was the father of her baby, she'd refuted, her tone sharp and firm.
Come on, Ella, Kyle shot back just as heatedly. Let's be honest here. It's not like your sister is pure and innocent. I've known guys in school that she's slept with going back at least two years. Unfortunately, your sister has a reputation for being a slut, and there is no telling who the father of her baby might be.
Ella's reaction had been swift and immediate. She'd slapped him across the face, hard enough that her palm stung from the impact and his head snapped to the side. When Kyle eventually looked back at her, they were both breathing hard, their anger equal in intensity. Her insides felt raw, her emotions in a turmoil. She'd been so furious with him in that moment, so hurt and betrayed by his words and how he could so easily lay the blame all on her sister, that she was shaking with shock and disappointment.
The ringing of her cell phone had jolted her out of their quiet and intense standoff-the first fight they'd ever had, and it couldn't have been any more devastating. When she answered the call, it was the hospital informing her that her father had walked into the waiting area and asked for Gwen's room number, then had collapsed-from a stroke. He was in critical condition and was being taken into surgery as they spoke.
Ella could still remember how that second round of shock had seemed to paralyze her. As soon as she'd blurted out what had just happened to her father, Kyle had insisted on accompanying her to the hospital. But knowing that her dad's stroke had most likely been induced by the heated altercation at Kyle's place, the last thing Ella had wanted was Kyle, or any of the Colemans, anywhere near her or her family.
Ella, please let me take you to the hospital, Kyle had said, the biting edge to his voice now gone. You shouldn't be by yourself right now.
The only thing I want right now is for you to get out of my life, she'd said, knowing now that her words had been driven by fear for her father's life and anger over the entire situation. At seventeen, her entire body and mind had been filled with terror over the possibility of losing her only living parent, and at that moment in time, Kyle and his family were too much a reminder of how they'd affected her dad's and sister's well-being.
There had been other things she'd said to Kyle to push him out of her life that day-hurtful things she'd wished she could take back days after the fact. But by then it had been too late. Kyle had left town early, a good month before they'd both been scheduled to leave for college, without saying good-bye. She'd been grief-stricken by his abrupt departure, even if she'd been the one to push him away.
That quickly, that easily, it had been the end of them.
Ella groaned softly as it all played back in her mind. The pain of those memories had certainly dulled with time, but seeing Kyle again, and listening to his sincere apology and the heartfelt things he'd said, made her realize just how much she'd loved Kyle. That a small part of her probably still did. I never should have left despite you wanting me gone. I should have been there for you when you needed someone the most.
Ella believed him, because his regrets were equal to her own. They'd just been too young to figure it out in time. His earlier words had melted away her anger and made her feel lighter than she had in a long time, despite losing out on the Piedmont building. They'd never be able to change the past, but like Kyle had said, it would certainly be nice to at least be friends. And friends had dinner together all the time, right?
The vibration of her phone in her hand alerted Ella of an incoming text. She glanced down to see it was from Claire.
So, how are things going in the city with Kyle? her friend asked.
Typing out everything that had just happened would take her forever, so Ella narrowed it down to the most important facts. Well, he won't be selling me the building, and I'll explain the details later. The rush-hour traffic out of the city is horrible, and he invited me to dinner. I'll be back in a few hours.
Dinner, hmmm? I take it you two no longer hate each other. She added a cheesy grin emoji to the end of her text.
Ella had never hated Kyle. Ever. I think we've agreed to a truce, LOL.
A truce is a good place to start. It could lead to all sorts of interesting . . . things.
Ella rolled her eyes at Claire's sexy insinuation, even though her friend wasn't there to see it. It's not like that.
But it could be? her friend persisted.
There was no refuting her attraction to Kyle in the present, and she could easily appreciate how gorgeous he was, with a hard, solid body she'd no doubt enjoy feeling pressed against hers. Back in high school, being with him had made her feel light and giddy. But now, recalling the way his warm fingers had brushed across her cheek earlier in a simple caress, there was no denying the way her breath had hitched in her throat and her nipples had tightened into stiff peaks.