Ronnie sat huddled against Alston on the couch feeling her eyelids drooping closed. The soft throw blanket she had on her had fallen down to her legs so he reached down and pulled it over her shoulder. She sighed feeling content in his arms and burrowed deeper into his side.
"I don't think you are going to make it much longer, my dear," he rubbed her arm to warm her up. She tried to answer but it came out as a groan. "I think we will have to wait till tomorrow to finish this charade."
Ronnie yawned while nodding her head in agreement. There was no reason to keep waiting. It was already an hour into the morning and she wouldn't be surprised if Will had decided to spend the night with Annie. Yuck! Just the thought of him sleeping with her made Ronnie's skin crawl.
Alston stood to his feet and grabbed the remote so that he could turn the T.V. off. The room that had been filled with light was now in semi-darkness because of a small wall sconce on the back wall. He looked down at her for a minute and she wondered what he was thinking. They had once been lovers. Obviously before she had become round with Will's child.
On nights that they spent together did he reminisce about the nights they used to share? Did he even remember them the way she did? Although he was no Will, Will was no Alston. The man in front of her was a true romantic.
"Let me get you to bed," Alston bent down and picked her up in his arms. Ronnie breathed in his scent while resting her head on his shoulder. He smelled amazing. It was a mixture of male and aftershave.
"You smell good," she mumbled.
"Well, thank you. I thought it was time I took a shower."
Ronnie smirked not fully capable of a hearty laugh. She felt him push against her bedroom door as he turned the dimmers on. Alston leaned over the bed and placed her gently on top of the comforter.
"Sleep well," he whispered over her and then placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
Ronnie rolled over and stuck out her arm towards him. "Stay."
Alston took her hand in his and ran his other hand down his face. "Making Will jealous is one thing. Sleeping with the woman he loves is something completely different."
"Not to make Will jealous. You look tired and I don't think it would be a good idea for you to be driving."
He seemed to contemplate it for a second and then started walking towards the door. "I'm going to lock up the house. I'll be right back."
Ronnie closed her eyes and listened to Alston move about the house. It was faint until she heard him come back upstairs and into her room. He lightly settled on the other side of the bed while he took his shoes off and pulled off his button down shirt leaving him in his undershirt and pants.
The bed moved under his weight and Ronnie felt her body slide back against his. He tucked her against him and pulled the cover over the two of them.
"Sweet dreams, my love," she heard him say before falling asleep.
Will unlocked his front door wondering why the house seemed so quiet for eight in the morning. Usually Ronnie was up by eight since she had been having a hard time sleeping lately. He could understand since he had spent the whole night in his office. Annie had not been happy that he had to cancel their date the night before but he had been backed up at work. There were papers to fill out and reports to run that had kept him there till three in the morning and ended with him sleeping on the couch in his office.
Will sauntered into the kitchen and dropped his computer bag on the countertop. He stretched his hands over his head feeling the pull through his aching back. Sitting on the couch in his office was one thing, sleeping on it was a form of torture.
He rubbed his eyes while trying to find the stairs. Everything in front of him seemed to be moving to the point where he had to cross his eyes to see straight. Now all he needed was to find his bed.
Breathing a sigh of relief, that he had made it up the stairs, he crept forward and opened up the door trying to check in on Ronnie. Then he saw Alston and his senses seemed to kick back into gear. The day didn't seem as fuzzy as it had a moment ago.
"What are you doing," he bellowed awakening the sleeping pair. Alston had his arm slung over her swollen belly making Will even angrier.
Ronnie seemed confused by his sudden appearance until she saw Alston behind her. Will watched her face turn red in embarrassment. "It's not what it looks like."
"It better not be. This is my house. You want to sleep with your boyfriend do it elsewhere."
This seemed to wake her up because she got awkwardly to her feet and stood toe-to-toe with him, or as close as her belly would allow. "We have our clothes on. I didn't sleep with him or least in the way you are alluding to."
"Good to know," he bit back sarcastically. "Get out of my house Alston."
"What is your problem? She is a grown girl. She can make her own decisions."
"Not in my house," Will stepped right in front of Alston. His face was a few inches away and he could feel the adrenaline running through his body.
"Fine. Ronnie, you want to take this back to my hotel room," Alston asked with an arrogant smirk on his face.
Will couldn't help himself when his fist slammed into Alston's nose. There was a satisfying crunch that told him he had broken a bone or two. He tried to go after Alston again but Ronnie moved between them.
"Just stop it. What is wrong with you, Will?"
"Me," Will pointed at his chest. "Nothing now. All of a sudden I feel a lot better."
Ronnie rolled her eyes and then helped Alston sit on the bed. He was holding his nose in his hand while blood trickled onto his white shirt. "Help me get him to the hospital."
The hospital was buzzing with activity in the emergency room and it took a whole hour before they took Alston back to a room. Apparently, unless you are not breathing, you don't qualify as a real "emergency." This had left Alston bent over in the chair beside Ronnie moaning in pain and Will trying hard not to smile each time.
He truly wished he could feel sorry for what he had done, especially since his parents had taught him better than to throw punches when you are angry with someone. Instead Will slouched back in the blue plastic chairs humming the tune of We Are The Champions by Queen. His leg was thrown haphazardly on the seat in front of him and his hands were intertwined behind his head.
"You're real proud of yourself, aren't you," Ronnie asked. Unlike him, she looked quite shaken with everything that had gone down. She had thrown on the clothes she had worn the day before but had done little else to clean herself up. There was no makeup on her face and her hair was sticking out in all directions from a ponytail she had most likely slept in. Her little foot was also bobbing her leg up and down in a rhythmic motion. It kind of reminded him of the time he found her sleeping on the beach after a night of watching over the sea turtles.
"I wouldn't go right to proud. I would make a quick stop at mildly pleased and "boy that felt good."
Ronnie scowled at him. "You really blew it this time. You hurt the man who is here to help you."
Will edged forward in his seat trying to understand her last statement. What was she talking about? Here to help him? The only thing Alston ever did for him was stand in the perfect spot so that he could punch him in the face. "Ronnie, what are you talking about?"
"Nothing, never mind," then she turned and walked away.
"Ronnie," he called out to her but she was already at the automatic doors.
"Will." Will turned to see Annie in her scrubs walking towards him and according to her face she wasn't happy. Her delicate hands were perched on her hips and all the other people in the room turned to stare at them.
"Somebody's in trouble," the man next to him sing songed.
"Let's take this into the other room," Annie turned on her heels and headed towards the double wooden doors that were only opened by a hospital keycard. She bent over and placed the card right in the center of the black square and the doors popped open. Without a word she led him down a long aisle of beds that were only separated by walls made of sheets. Then she abruptly turned the corner and headed across the hall to an empty room. "Well, you broke his nose in two places. That must have been quite a punch you threw."
"I guess he told you everything," Will asked while nervously rubbing the back of his neck. It was a nervous tick he had never been able to get rid of.
"He told me that you found them in bed together this morning and that you told them not to sleep together in your house. When he offered to take her back to his hotel room you laid him out. Does this sound about right?"
"It seems like he hit on the important points."
Annie had her arms crossed over her chest and for someone who was much shorter than him she was very intimidating. "I guess I got all the information then." Annie turned to leave but paused with her hand on the door. "I've never seen anyone fight over their ex the way you do."
"Annie…"
She turned back to him with tears in her eyes," maybe you need to figure out what that means."
"I know what it means," he snapped angrily. "Alston just pushed my buttons. It has nothing to do with Ronnie."
"Either way," she finished softly," I'm going to be visiting my family in Texas for the next two weeks. This gives us time to think about us."
"What is there to think about," Will asked, now pacing across the room. "She divorced me. Even if, in an alternate reality, I wanted her back it's not going to happen. You saw her with Alston. It's obvious she is ready to move on."
"It's an act, Will. If you could see what I see, the way she looks at you, you wouldn't believe that she is ready to move on." Annie ran her hands through her hair and breathed a deep sigh. "I got to get back to work."
Will watched her walk away unable to follow her. Had she seen something in Ronnie that he hadn't seen? The thought kept him rooted to the spot. What did this mean for him? There was no mistaking that he was still in love with her but could he trust her not to run away if things got rough again? That was one thing he loved about Annie. She wasn't afraid to deal with problems. If something stood in her way she faced it head on.
Will shook his head trying to clear his thoughts. When had life become so complicated? He was about to become a parent by the woman he thought didn't love him anymore. Now it looks like she does but he is also dating a woman he is sure is in love with him.
Could things get any worse?
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