Loyal

Chapter 32

Vera's POV

Stretching, I let out a long yawn and reach for Colin. He's not here. I feel around on the bedsheets for my phone and a text or call from Colin.

 Baby girl, I'll be there soon. Had to take care of some business.  I love u.

I smile and feel a lump rise in my throat at those three words. I Love u. HE LOVES ME!

I love u too. I reply, my heart beating as quickly as my fingers across the keyboard. Have I ever said I love you to someone and felt this way? I don't think I have. 

After going back to the messages in my phone I see a text from Cam. Rolling my eyes I press it open.

Is Colin there? 

            No.

He replies immediately.

Ok. Just wondering if he's gotten back from meeting w/ Trish. 

Wait. What?

            Who is Trish?

This time it takes Cam a little longer to reply. I watch the three dots appear at the bottom of our thread...then disappear...then reappear again. 

Colin's ex-fiancée. She's in town and they were supposed to meet sometime this morning.

Fiancee? Fiancee....

The front door opens and closes from downstairs. Colin's home. I lie back in bed, trying to process the information Cam just gave to me. My stomach hurts. Colin, has an ex-fiancée. Colin was engaged to be married and he never told me. Colin also left early this morning before I woke up to meet with her. I hear Colin's footsteps quickly come up the stairs.

"Hey baby girl!" he exclaims, jumping onto the bed and wrapping himself around me. I'm limp in his arms. 

"What's wrong?" he asks, immediately noticing my somber demeanor.

            "Who's Trish?" I ask, staring up at the ceiling. Please don't lie to me. Please don't make up some bullshit excuse. Colin sits up immediately, his body tenses at the sound of her name. Tears start to brim and I move away from him in the bed. "You didn't think it was important for you to mention that you had an ex-fiancée who you happened to meet this morning for fucking breakfast?" my voice is shaking now.

            "Who the hell told you this?" Colin's heated now.

                        "Cam did! Why the fuck does it matter who? All that matters is you didn't!" I'm yelling now.

            "Baby, calm down please. I need you to calm down," he reaches for my hand, but I'm in tears now, and I don't want him anywhere near me. "Let me explain, I promise all of this can be explained," he pleads. I calm my breathing.

            "Baby," he says, "Trish is here because she wants money from me. I promise...I fuckin promise, I've been done with her since.... years ago. She used me in so many ways, and I was blinded by my feelings for her. I thought she was it. I wanted to marry her. Then I realized she was manipulating and two faced. She fuckin started controlling everything I did, taking money from my bonus check when I was first drafted. I finally ended it when she slept with Cam," he finishes.

                        I sit back, taking in his words.  "Why is she coming back now?"

            "Because she thinks she can fool me into giving her some money, but I already told her I'm gonna take her to court if she tries anything funny." He leans forward and strokes my face. "She said she saw you at the stadium. Did she talk to you? Why didn't you say anything to me?"

            I remember the girl at the stadium who confronted me and then hurriedly left. The beautiful dark brown face that looked me up and down with questioning eyes. That was Trish.

                        "That was her?" I manage to say.

            "I promise, she won't be bothering you anymore," he says quietly.

                        "Colin. Is there anything else you want to tell me? Is there anything else I don't know about that I should know about?" He pulls me forward into a hug.

            "No baby, there's nothing else. I promise," he says. I put my arms around him and we hold each other.