An Exceptional Twist (32 page)

Hearing muffled voices, Stefen realized the
threesome was still in the room. Standing closer to the door, he
heard Caleb ask why Leah had given into Stefen and why Abby hadn’t
told him everything.

Abby’s response nearly knocked Stefen on the
floor. “It was Leah’s story to share, not mine.” There was a pause,
then an even softer whisper, “She fell in love with him.”

The hell?
The wood of the door dug into his ear as he
smooshed himself against it. He felt like a little kid, but
couldn’t care less at the moment.

“Abby, don't exaggerate. I
couldn’t have fallen in love with him. We didn't even know each
other that long.”
Why doesn’t she sound
convincing?

“I call bullshit, Leah. I can see right
through you. Besides, you’re telling a girl who not only met, and
fell in love with the man of her dreams within a year, but also
married him, and is pregnant with his child.” He could imagine Abby
rubbing her still flat belly.

Quietly, Leah murmured, “It doesn't matter
now. That’s over, and I have someone else to focus on. So let’s put
this crap behind us and not look back.”

Someone else?
Her high school crush? Moving in front of the
mirror once more, he leaned onto the counter, closed his eyes and
let her words sink in.

It’s over. She has someone else. It’s for
the best. I won’t ever be able to give her what she deserves.

Stefen threw the shorts on, washed his face,
and brushed his teeth before picking up his eye patch. Popping it
over his eye, he prepared himself to face another miserable day.
Maybe a little less miserable with Leah.

Caleb and Abby went downstairs to make
breakfast, leaving Leah to pace back and forth in the room while
Stefen dawdled in the bathroom.

He spends more time getting ready than I
ever do.

As much as she wanted to rip his arms off
and beat him with the bloody stumps, her heart was overwhelmed.
When she walked through the door, the humiliation on his face was
enough to make her want to bolt and never come back. He looked so
lost and hopeless and nothing like the confident cocky man she was
used to.

Honestly, she was shocked by the damage
those assholes had caused. Not because he looked like shit—though
he kind of did—but more because he looked miserable. Even with his
droopy eye, scars, and cast, his new slight imperfections didn’t
really change much. He was still gorgeous.

“Of course he is,” she muttered dryly under
her breath.

And now she had all these jumbled up
emotions after hearing about his stupid flower pot. When she
listened to him fumble out his reason, she wanted to grab him and
never let go. It validated that he did care about her once, it
hadn’t just been her imagination.

Shaking her head, Leah pushed those thoughts
out of her mind. She needed to concentrate on her purpose here, not
on the feelings she still had for Stefen.

The bathroom door opened and he came out,
wearing an eye patch. Glittering jewels bedazzled the entire thing,
and she couldn't help but laugh. “I take it Madison made that for
you?”

He smirked, still looking sexy as ever.
“Yep. She said I looked like a pirate, so she added the skull and
cross bone charm, then felt the need to dazzle it up with the
rhinestones.”

He would do anything that
little girl asked. Leah had to admire that. “Well it's
very
stunning. I can't
wait to take you out in public with it.” She snickered because it
was also funny as hell.

He shook his head, laughing a little. “Uh,
no. If Madison isn’t around, I wear the cloth one the doctor gave
me.” He looked down, admitting, “Besides, I don't feel comfortable
leaving the house unless it's to the doctor's office.” He continued
to look at the floor when he touched the eye patch and frowned,
breaking her heart.

He’s really lost. How can I go from being so
pissed at him to wanting to help him get through this?

He finally looked up and ran his hand
through his messy, overgrown air. “I’ve been wanting to go out for
a haircut, but that can wait. The idea doesn't thrill me.”

Leah smoothed her palms on the front of her
jeans, nervously offering, “If you really want one, I can do it. I
used to cut my dad's hair before he died. I even got my Cosmetology
License when I turned eighteen, so I could make a few bucks on the
side during college. I cut all the guys’ hair in our dorm.” She
rocked back and forth on her heels as she rambled on. “It's been a
while, but I got pretty good at it. I can’t do anything fancy, just
trim up what you already have.” He seemed unsure until she asked as
she twiddled her fingers, “Don’t you trust me?”

“With every part of me,” he blurted.

Her eyes widened, and she took a slow breath
as their eyes locked. He seemed to be begging her to believe him,
but she couldn’t. How could she after what he’d done to her?

Still, the honesty in his eyes…he looked
raw. She had to give in, even if just a little.

Recovering quickly, she let out a breathy
laugh. “Okay, then.”

He was exactly what she
wanted—as a
friend
.

Initially, when she'd
suggested the haircut, Stefen wanted to scream,
are you out of your damn mind?
He
went to professionals who had celebrity clients.

Instead, he admitted that he trusted her,
because, well, he did. He had screwed her over, and now she was
here to help. Besides, he was already sporting a girly eye patch
and scars. Who the hell was going to look at his hair? He'd only
wanted it cut because it felt uncomfortable. Every time he moved,
it tickled his ears and neck.

Now Leah was towering over him in the
bathroom with a pair of Abby’s sharp scissors. He was sitting in a
chair, a towel draped around his shoulders. Running his hands
through his hair once more, he hoped he wasn’t making a mistake.
His knee bounced nervously despite himself.

Snipping away, she brought up the elephant
in the room. “So we kind of got off on the wrong foot.” She rested
her hand on his shoulder.

The connection
warmed
his skin, and he fought the urge to
pull her into his lap.

“We’re both obviously
looking for something different,
romantically
, but since we’re going
to be around each other a lot, I’d love if we could try to be
friends. Like real, honest friends.” She continued to move the
scissors through his hair. The feel of her fingertips on his scalp
calmed his anxiety over the haircut. “I could use another friend.
With the baby coming, Abby’s going to be preoccupied.”

After everything I’ve done, she still wants
to be friends? Hell yeah, I want her in my life, anyway I can have
her.

Placing his hand on top of hers, he
answered, “I'd like that. We were kind of great together before
that night. I mean, the sex was amazing. Best I’ve ever had, to be
honest.” She stopped cutting his hair and stared at him in the
mirror. “I’m sorry I went and ruined it, Leah.”

He finally got his chance to apologize and
it felt fantastic, until he saw her shaking her head out of
whatever thoughts she’d been having.

Blinking hard, she moved in front of him and
squatted down. She looked up, her hands on her thighs. “If we’re
going to give this friendship a go, you cannot say things like
‘sex’ when referring to us, okay? That's in the past and needs to
be buried.”

“All right.” He agreed, but that stung.

Still, he couldn’t fault her. The connection
they shared that night was unlike anything he’d ever had, then he
had to go screw it all to hell by turning it into something cheap
and meaningless. The memory was one he’d never be able to bury, but
he understood.

Leah patted his thighs, then stood and
maneuvered around him. She leaned into his body several times while
she cut his hair. Loving this closeness, he took a moment to close
his eyes and cherish it. He continued to fight his desire to pull
her onto his lap and cover her with kisses.

This friendship thing might end up being
more difficult than he thought.

It was difficult knowing that, because of
his stupid selfish actions, he and Leah would never be together
again, not in the way he found himself wanting more than
anything.

It didn’t matter anyway, the best thing he’d
ever had to offer was his nice-looking face and good body. Now that
was ruined. The injuries would heal, but he’d always have physical
and mental scars. Nobody would ever want to get close to him again,
not that he wanted anyone else but Leah.

In his heart, Stefen knew he would always be
a broken man, not fit for her.

They'd fallen into a seamless pattern this
past week, and Stefen was thoroughly enjoying his time with Leah.
When she wasn’t working or teaching her weekly dance class, she was
with him.

It was a little humiliating, though, being
so weak. A few days earlier, he was so dizzy and nauseous that he
rushed to the bathroom, barely making it in time to vomit in the
toilet. She’d followed him in, rubbing his back in the midst of him
puking his guts out.

Who does that? Certainly not any of his
caregivers growing up.

If the tables were turned, he wasn’t sure
he’d be able to reciprocate. Sensitive gag reflex and all. It
didn’t seem to bother her, though. She’d said it was because her
mom and Dani were always telling her stories about their patients
in the hospital.

Thankfully, they agreed to the friendship
part before she had to watch him lose his breakfast.

Today, she drove him to his first
consultation at UCLA Medical Center, about two hours south of Santa
Barbara. The doctor removed Stefen’s cast and assessed his future
care.

Leah was practically glowing when she saw
him walk into the waiting room, without the cast. “How does it
feel?” She lightly ran her fingertips up his forearm causing the
skin to prickle.

Damn, her touch makes me think dirty
things.

Clearing his throat, he deepened his voice.
“Fine.”

On their way out, she said, “You’re probably
hungry since all you’ve had today is coffee and that gross-looking
protein bar.” She stuck her tongue out and grimaced. “So we’re
going somewhere special for lunch.” Bouncing on the balls of her
feet as they walked, she explained why this place was so special.
“It’s a sandwich shop that everyone in my hometown loves. Honestly,
you’ll never find a better sandwich.”

She was absolutely giddy with her school
girl grin. According to her, they were only about fifteen minutes
from the city she grew up in. Hometown or not, he was starving and
willing to go anywhere she would take him.