King of my Heart

SIXTEEN

Ty didn't think she would ever want to talk to him again, but there he was, reading a text that Elsie had just sent him. Asking him to meet her for coffee so they could talk. Ty knew he owed her that much. He did break her heart. He sent her a text back to ask when and where. Elsie sent one back about a minute later with her favorite coffee place in Charlotte and in an hour. Ty told her he would be there before stuffing his phone back into his pocket as Jocelyn walked into the kitchen. She had her appointment with the doctor today. They were both nervous about what news she was going to receive.
"Hey, you." Jocelyn pressed a kiss to her husband's lips. "What do you have planned for today?"
"A friend asked if I wanted to join them for coffee in about an hour."
"You and coffee. I remember when you never drank coffee."
"You know I started drinking coffee just so I could talk to you that morning at the shop." Jocelyn just smiled. "What time is your appointment?"
"Three." Two hours from now. "I'm honestly nervous about it."
"I know, I am too. But, this is the beginning of everything." Jocelyn nodded. "I'm going to shower and change before I head out for coffee, okay?"
"Okay." Ty walked past her, grabbing her arm. He couldn't remember the last time he showered without her. Except for the Denver and Toronto trips, he hadn't been solo. "Ty."
"Hmm."
"I don't need a shower." Ty didn't answer her as they headed to the bathroom. Ty turned on the shower as Jocelyn stripped down. "You going to have to shower on your own at some point."
"Now why would I go and do that?" He asked, pulling his shirt over his head. Jocelyn stepped into the shower, letting the hot water wash over her. She pushed her now wet hair back, tilting her head back towards the shower head. Ty soon joined her, tangling his fingers into her wet hair. He tilted her head up, capturing her mouth in a kiss. Jocelyn leaned into him, deepening their kiss. Ty backed her up and pinned her between the shower wall and him.
"This isn't what we're supposed to be doing in here." Jocelyn said against his lips as he wrapped both of her legs around his waist.
"This is more fun." The water ran cold before either of them got out. Now, Ty had to rush to get dressed to head out for coffee. He pressed a kiss to Jocelyn's lips before heading out the door. He sent Elsie a text to tell her that he was on his way. The drive into the city was a silent one, Ty using the silence to prepare himself for the conversation he was about to have with his ex. Elsie was already there by the time Ty pulled into the parking lot. "Shit." Ty realized that he wasn't wearing his wedding ring. He didn’t put it bacl on after their shower. He got out of the Supra and headed inside. He found Elsie sitting in the corner of the coffee shop with her favorite drink in front of her. Ty just ordered a regular coffee before joining her. "Hey."
"Ty!" Elsie stood up and gave him a hug. "Sit." Ty sat in the only other chair at the table, which was next to the one she had been sitting in. There was barely any space between them when Elsie sat back down. Definitely not ideal.
"So."
"So." Neither of them knew exactly what to say.
"Elsie..."
"I thought I would be more upset seeing your face after three months. I even deleted pretty much all off my social media and muted your name and NASCAR from my Instagram feed. I stopped watching and I avoid all NASCAR news."
"Why?"
"I needed that clean break. We're always so into what's on our phones. It's exhausting."
"I'm sorry about what I did. It was a dick move and..."
"Ty, it's okay. I'm glad you were honest with me. Really. I just wish you were honest with me earlier in the relationship."
"Elsie..." Ty's coffee was set down in front of him.
"I'm willing to wait."
"What?" Ty was confused. What was she talking about?
"I pushed you towards something you weren't ready for and I'm sorry."
"Elsie, please."
"Let me finish. I talked to God a lot over the last three months. So, maybe if we let this play out and..." Elsie reached over and took his hand in hers.
"Elsie." Ty slid his hand away from her. Clearly, she didn't know. "I'm sorry for what I did. I truly am. But this," Ty gestered between the two of them, "isn't going to work out. You're with someone, Els."
"I broke things off. It wasn't serious. We just went to church together and some youth group stuff."
"Elsie..."
"Ty, this is where I'm supposed to be. This is where God want me to be. We don't have to get married right away."
"Elsie..."
"Ty, just give this a second chance."
"I can't."
"What?"
"I can't do that."
"You used to tell me that I was your future."
"I know."
"Then what's the problem?"
"We both want different things, Elsie. We've always wanted different things from each other. You wanted a companion and..."
"You needed an escape from her." Elsie sat back in her chair. "That was all I ever was going to be."
"Elsie..."
"I get it. I feel so stupid."
"Don't say that."
"I do, Ty. I made a move on you when you're clearly moving on."
"I'm really sorry, Elsie. I should go." Elsie only nodded. Ty stood up. "Bye, Elsie." Ty turned and left the coffee shop. Ty was regretting agreeing to meet her for coffee. And now, he had to tell Jocelyn. Ty headed to the shop for a workout to keep him busy. Jocelyn should be heading to the doctor. Ty greeted Marlene when he walked in. He walked through the double doors, finding his crew standing around.
"Gibbs! We're going to do an extra pit practice. You in?"
"Sure." Ty followed his crew out to the back of the building to help with practice. They had been out there for a solid hour by the time they decided to be done. Ty grabbed his phone out of his pocket, seeing he had a text from Christopher telling to call him. Ty called his teammate.
"Ty!"
"What's up?"
"What did you do?" He asked.
"What do you mean?"
"You were with Elsie looking pretty damn cozy with her."
"I did have coffee with Elsie, but nothing happened." Ty told him. His phone vibrated in his hand. Ty looked seeing Christopher sent him pictures.
"What the hell is this then?" Someone had taken pictures of him and Elsie at the coffee shop. "Hugging, holding hands, sitting close to each other. And no wedding ring."
"She hugged me, she reached for my hand, and that was the only spot to sit. And I forgot to put my ring on after my shower this morning, Christopher."
"This looks bad, Ty. Really bad. You broke up with her and less than a month later, you get married to someone else. Now this."
"Shit." Ty ran his fingers through his hair. "Has Joce seen these?"
"I don't know. I would assume so since Morgan sent me these. She got them from Taylor."
"Fuck."
"You need to do damage control. Now."