It's About Time (Blossom Peak #4)(85)

Her silence makes me nervous, though, like maybe I’m pushing her too hard. But finally, she speaks. “It took me a while to realize that my relationship didn’t work because Vinnie was threatened by me.”

I huff out a laugh. “I could have told you that.”

“Yeah, well, when you’re blinded by love, it’s difficult to see what’s been in front of you all along, wouldn’t you agree?” she says with an arch of her brow in my direction.

“Touché,” I grate out.

“Once some of the anger subsided, I had to work really hard to learn that Vinnie’s actions had much more to do with his own insecurities than t hey had to do with me. Therapy is worth every penny, in case you haven’t figured that out.”

“Yes, it is. But beating up a car helps too,” I say as I run my hands along her thighs now.

She chuckles and lays her head back against my shoulder, her body starting to relax more, and fuck—holding her like this, being in this moment with her is making me want this with her even more.

Dilynne Clark might just be the woman I’ve been looking for, and it’s taken a failed wedding, one year of her annoying me, and this entire arrangement for me to admit that.

“The junkyard and I became good friends after Vinnie and I split. But after a while, I realized that I just want a man who can accept me for the strong woman that I am, but still lets me lean into my feminine side, you know?”

I let my hands settle at her waist beneath the water. “Can I be honest for a minute?”

“Sure…”

“For a while, I wasn’t sure you had a feminine side.”

She slowly turns her face so I can see the warning in her eyes. “You’re in a very vulnerable position right now, Elliot. So if I were you, I’d choose your words carefully.”

Smirking down at her, I brush my thumb along her jaw. “What I mean is, you’ve always led with your strength, your sarcasm, your attitude. But when you took care of me after Tori left…” My gaze flicks to her mouth before finding her eyes again. “That’s when I realized there’s a side of you most people never get to see.”

Her expression softens. “It feels good to hear you say that.”

I drag my hand lightly over her hip. “It’s the truth. And I don’t know that I’ve ever said thank you, so…” I take a deep breath. “Thank you. ”

She looks away from me, and I hate that I can’t tell what’s going on in her mind right now. “I guess I just know what it’s like to get your heart broken.”

“And did you vow to never open it back up again?”

“I did.”

As her eyes meet mine again, I toy with her bottom lip. “Do you think you might change your mind down the road?”

Her gaze moves down to my mouth. “I honestly don’t know. It’d have to be someone pretty spectacular for me to entertain that idea again.”

We sit like that, staring at each other as I war with what to say to her next. But she’s the one to speak first.

“Did you learn anything from your relationship with Tori?”

I huff out a laugh again. “The question should be what didn’t I learn from my relationship with Tori.”

“Explain, please.”

Moving my gaze from her face, I stare across the bathroom as a year’s worth of internal thoughts and therapy pour out of me. “I realized that I never really knew her and was so blinded by the external factors of our relationship that I overlooked the important things. Looking back on our conversations, they were always about me, and she would always agree with me on everything, except when she convinced me to have kids. We never talked about her or her feelings. She plucked information from me like a leech.” A sigh leaves my mouth. “It’s like she couldn’t think for herself. I—I don’t even know if she knows who she is.”

“Well, I know enough about her to know she’s a horrible person.”

“Wow. That seems like a pretty mild description, even for you.”

“I get that people make mistakes, but I also believe that actions speak louder than words, Elliot. She showed you her true colors over and ov er. Hopefully, you’ve got your fucking eyes fixed now so you can actually see the truth.”

“My eyes are just fine, thank you.”

Dilynne huffs out a laugh. “Yeah, okay.”

“I’ve definitely seen the truth now, though,” I continue. “In fact, today I met with my dad’s friend that was the executor on my grandfather’s will, and he confirmed that there’s something I’m not privy to.”

Dilynne sits up and twists slightly to face me. “What do you mean?”

I recap the meeting, and then Tori’s attempt to smooth things over after what she said to me at the winery.

“I didn’t realize you two spoke again at the winery.”

“It was brief, and that’s when I let it slip that I overheard her and my dad talking. I shouldn’t have, but I was so irritated that it just came out.”

“So what happens now?”

“I called Rhonan earlier and asked him to get some dirt on Tori, my dad, and Greg. He said it might take a few weeks, but I hope it’s enough for me to be able to confront them.”