Bitter Hearts (A Southern Loving Book 3) (24 page)

“Morning
sunshine,” she moaned, rubbing her hand up and down his arm.

“What
the hell are you doing in my bed?” He untangled their bodies and stood up
wearing nothing but his birthday suit.

“Now
sugar, don’t act like you don’t know what happened between a man and wife last
night.”

“We
did not sleep together.”

“How
do you know?” she asked with a sly grin, “You was drunk as a skunk.”

Hank
remembered drinking a lot last night, but he didn’t recall sleeping with
Natalie.  “Get dressed and get out.” He went into the bathroom and turned the
shower on. Stepping under the hot spray of the water, his mind drifted back to
last night.  Lathering the soap in his hands, he remembered Natalie coming back
to the ranch with boxes to pack. The countless bottles of beer and shot of
tequila hindered his judgment last night. He remembered kissing Natalie, who
came onto him, but when she kissed him he felt guilty afterwards and
immediately put a halt to her.

“Oh
god,” he moaned. Hank couldn’t remember anything else happening between them.

Stepping
out of the shower with a towel wrapped around him, he strolled into the bedroom
and froze where he stood. Standing in the doorway in the bedroom was Kari with
vacant look on her pretty face.

“Kari,
it’s not what it looks like,” he started to say.

“Don’t
talk to me!”

“Kari,
come on,” Hank said, following her like a puppy downstairs, wearing only a
towel. “Will you please let me explain?” he begged as she put on her coat.

“Explain
what? That you were in a compromising position with you ex-wife?”

“Honey,
Hank is still my husband so that makes me his wife,” Natalie interrupted.

“You
guys can have one another,” Kari bellowed, her hand grabbed the doorknob,
pulling the door open only to have Hank come up behind her, slamming it shut
again.

“Sit
down and let me explain,” he commanded.

Rolling
her eyes, she turned to face him, crossing her arms as she leaned against the
door. “Fine…Three minutes and then I’m leaving.”

“I
had a lot to drink.”

The
look on Kari’s face said yeah right. “I’ll give you a point for originality.”

“I
was drinking until midnight. Thinking about us! She came here to finish packing
her belongings-”

“And
I just happen to fall on his dick,” Natalie interrupted.

Kari
sighed, she wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe that he was innocent,
but the scratch marks on his back told another story. Why should she believe
that Hank was different from Sam?

“Baby,
please,” he begged softly, seeing the doubt written all over her face. “I love
you. I don’t want anyone else. Please…just think about it this and trust me.”

She
nodded her head. “I need some space.”

Hank
opened his mouth to protest again, he was ready for her to forgive him. Instead,
he opened the door allowing her to escape the confines of his house.

“I
don’t know why you’re looking like that,” Natalie hummed walking down the stairs.
“Kari is a spoil brat, who thinks she can get whatever she wants.”

“Natalie,
pack you shit and get out before I have you moved forcefully.”

“She
offered me a million dollars to leave you and right now I’m think I should have
taken it.” Natalie stormed up the stairs.

Taking the stairs two at a time, he
opened the door so hard that it slammed against the wall. “I don’t believe you
or your lies.” He stood there with his fist balled up so hard his knuckles were
becoming white. “I chose to be generous in the divorce decree, but today that
pretty red wagon has come to a screeching halt.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’ll show you better than I can
tell you,” Hank snapped, his face was beet red with anger.

“Fine, we didn’t sleep together,”
she chuckled uneasily, “Do you want me to call that gullible woman?”

“Stay away from her or there will
be hell to pay.” Hank turned to walk out into the room but stopped. “I’m sorry.”
He turned back and looked at her. “I’m sorry that I dragged the end of our
relationship out, as I contemplated our relationship. The many fights and
hurling insults at one another. We were stuck in this realm where we thought
our relationship was perfect.”

“It wasn’t.” Natalie sat on the
bed with her head in her hands. “It wasn’t working but we tried so hard.”

Hank took a seat next to her, in
a friendly gesture he reached for her hand. “It’s took you being unhappy and
running into another man arms, for us to realize this.  We should have done
this much sooner. I don’t blame you.”

“I tried to change you, when I
should have been trying to change myself.” Natalie pulled her hand from his. “I
fought you and hated you because you thought you knew what was best for me, for
us.”

Hank nodded his head and agreed
with her. “I want you to be happy and I mean it.”

They both sat there in silence,
the only sound coming from the room was the ticking of the clock on the wall. There
were no tears or fighting anymore just acceptance that they weren’t compatible
anymore. “I don’t know if Dwight is good enough for you…but you deserve someone
who will love you to the moon and back.”

“Do you want me to talk to Kari?”
she sniffled and blew her nose.

“No.” He stood up and began to
walk to the door. “Right now Kari and I just need someone space.”

***

“Are you sure you have to leave?”

Kari ruffled Corey’s hair before
she walked pass him with a handful of clothes. “You act like I’m not coming
back,” she smiled.

“Are you? Shit, the last time you
left you moved almost 2500 miles away.” Corey pulled clothes out the suitcase.
“If you love him then why leave?”

Sighing, she put down a pair of shoes
that fell to the floor with a thud. “I’m going on vacation to Mexico to visit
Rita, plus if you haven’t noticed that temperature outside is 30 degrees…I just
need a little TLC in Mexico.”

“You say you’re not running away
but you are.” Corey took another piece of article out the suitcase. “Do you
think he slept with her?”

“No,” she replied, putting
clothes back in the luggage. “I don’t question his integrity. Earnest
Hemmingway says “
The only way to know if you can trust somebody is to trust
them.”

“That’s not telling me anything.”

She picked up the dress Corey
pulled out and hit him with it. “With Hank I learned what it meant to trust.
Remember when I fell and he caught me?”

Corey nodded his head. “That day
he showed up and had my back, even when we weren’t on speaking terms. I trust
him with my heart.”

Corey applauded. “It’s like
watching you grow into this new woman.”

Kari laughed. “I wasn’t that bad.”

“Girl, it was like an ice queen
times two.” Corey pursed his lips together. “Thought we would have to do an
exorcism.”

“I wasn’t that bad.”

“The devil is a liar,” he howled.
“I’m allowing you to go on your vacation but remember…”

“I know I will bring you back a
souvenir.”

“Or a nice cabana guy,” Corey
said, with his hands clasped together. “But on the real, don’t worry about the
studio, I got all your sticky notes and I know you will micromanage from afar.”

“I was thinking you can become a
partner, if you want.”

Corey’s eyebrow furrowed. “K, what
are you talking about? I already have a partner, you know Tony.”

“I’m meant being a partner in
K-design.” Kari knew that Corey couldn’t’ draw worth a damn, but his business
degree came in handy. Especially, when all she wanted to do was focus on the
design aspect of the business.

“Whaaaat?”

She stopped packing, “You don’t
have to if-”

“Uh-uh, we’re partners now,” he
said excitedly. “Now daddy can buy himself a nice ass Michael Kors bag.”

“Corey, I want you to know that I
value our friendship. I trust you with all my deep secrets and you trust me
with all of yours.”

“Girl, we know each other’s dirty
laundry.” Corey laid back on the bed, Kari sat on the other side and laid down
too.

“Our history runs way too deep,” Kari
said.

“You my sister,” he sighed.

“You my sister too,” she giggled.

“Argh!” Corey rolled onto his
side and looked at her. “Buckaroo really likes you, and I gave him my piece of
mind a few weeks ago. He’s handsome and not the most successful guy I would
have saw you with but in all reality he loves your little quirks.”

“A buck-awhat? And I don’t’ have
any quirks!” she nudged him. 

“Shh!!! I’m not done.” Corey
nudge her right back. “Crinkling your nose when you in deep thought  and
watching those damn old movies on a Friday night instead of hanging out….Oh you
don’t know how to cook, not too many man go for a woman who can’t even boil
water.”

“I’m saving a life when I don’t
cook,” she joked, hitting him with a pillow. “Hold up, you cry watching movies
too!”

“Kari, tell me you don’t see a bright,
loving and happy future with Hank Jackson. He said ‘I rather hurt myself before
I hurt her,’… For once did you see a picture of you guys together picking out
paint colors for the walls, naming your future children? K, we both know you
didn’t see those things with Sam.”

“You’re right,” she said. “Hank
fills me completely.”

Corey sat up and looked at his
best friend with confusion. “Why are you sitting here packing instead of
running to him? Don’t be questioning him and yourself, if it was me I’ll be running
right in that bronco’s arms.”

“Corey, you’re too much.”

“I should be going,” Corey said
as he slipped into his coat. Kari walked him to the front door where he gave
her one last look. “This is exactly the kind of love you deserve.”

She didn’t know what to say but
only to give him a quick hug before closing the door.

***

Early
in the morning, Kari was lugging her suitcase out the door when she spotted a
familiar red haired woman standing by her car. Grimacing, she squared her
shoulders and sauntered over to her truck.

“Going
somewhere Mrs. Hayes?” Natalie questioned, eyeing the luggage.

“Is
there a reason why you’re here?” Kari asked, putting the last of her luggage in
the trunk.

“Well,”
she said, running crimson nails along the side of the window. “I was coming
here to tell you that I’m letting you have Hank.”

“This
is a human being we’re talking about not a game, he has feelings.” There was
much more that Kari wanted to say but instead she bit her tongue.

“I’ll
give you a few months before you get bored with Hank.”

She
stood there in the cold early morning struggling not to feel anger or
resentment with Natalie. Kari told herself to find compassion and empathy for
this woman, but she couldn’t. “Your ex-husband is my soul mate. You were a
season or stepping stone for him to learn from to be a better husband.”

“He
will never marry you.” Natalie’s face became green with envy.

“Time
will tell.” She opened her car door, before she could leave her heart went out
to Hank’s ex. “Open your eyes Natalie, you had a Prince Charming the type of
man every woman wants.”

“Hank
is not a Prince Charming,” she interrupted, flipping her hair off her shoulder.
“You’ve only known him for a split second.”

 “Instead
of keeping your legs closed and eyes and heart open to see that you had a
great, generous, loving man who respected and cherished you.” her voice softened
as she looked at the woman who she could never be friends with, “you chose to
enjoy the comfort of another man who could never teach you to love life and
enjoy the moment. You’re right when you say I only know Hank for a moment but I
will be with him for a lifetime.”

“Darling,
will see about that.” Natalie voice was southern but lacked the charm. “You
will always be second best.”

Kari
couldn’t contain her laughter. “How old are we again?” She stopped laughing and
looked at Natalie seriously. “A man who was broken, bruised and bleeding from
the betrayal of the bona fide first wife. I’m the woman he took a chance on
after that emotional rollercoaster ride. I don’t know what’s in store for Hank
and I, but I’m willing to take the
chance
.”

“About
time you said that.”

Both
woman turned around to see Hank standing looking directly at Kari. “What is up
with everyone showing up unannounced?”

“A
little birdy flew by my house last night and told me about the trip you was
taking to Mexico for some R&R.” He took a step closer to her. “I decided
that a trip to a sunny climate is just what I need.”

“Corey,”
she said under her breath.