Perfect Fit (2 page)

“I’m not the one who wouldn’t talk when we went to therapy,” she defended.

“That was a last resort, Regina. We’d lived in silence for a year before we tried therapy. I gave it a shot for a year, but I couldn’t any longer, so I left a year ago. Three years of this. Isn’t that enough, Regina?” He briefly closed his eyes and when he opened them, the sadness in them made her throat clog. “Shouldn’t we move on and be happy again?”

Regina took a shuddering breath and shook as she realised that she was losing everything. “I… Don’t you love me anymore?” She held her breath, waiting for his answer.

Spencer averted his gaze, and Regina locked her knees as she faced the reality that she had lost the man who was her soul mate.

“Love has nothing to do with this.” Spencer looked back at her then shook his head. “Sometimes love isn’t enough.”

“Love is always enough. Spencer, we’re the perfect fit for each other. From that first moment when I met you when we were both fourteen, I knew we were.” She smiled wryly. “You, on the other hand, took some convincing.”

“That is the past, Regina. W—”

“Our past. You’re trying to make me believe that you don’t think it matters what we had.” Regina stepped to him and, with a shaking hand, cupped his cheek. “You didn’t say that you don’t love me, Spencer.” He hadn’t said the words, and that gave her hope that he did.

“Lov—”

“Don’t say it again.” Regina placed her hand on his chest, and when she felt him shudder, she stifled a smile. He wanted her. “I know you, Spencer, and even as you said it, I could tell you didn’t believe it.”

“I can’t, Regina.” He circled her wrists with his fingers.

Regina shivered, lust filling her. She hadn’t felt his touch in so long. Her body craved to be near him. Regina fought her instinct to press herself against him. “You can. All you need to do is give us a chance to work through this.”

“We had chances, Regina.” He shook his head.

“We did, but at that time, neither of us were ready.” Regina pressed her hand, palm flat, against him more firmly on his chest, over his heart. She tapped her finger on his chest. “I’m ready now.”

“Are you sure?” Spencer looked doubtful but thoughtful before he spoke again. “Are you really ready to talk about everything? And I mean everything, Regina. The reason why we let silence linger so long that it caused the end of us.”

Regina flinched and hesitated. She was ready…but ripping open the wounds that almost killed her was something she didn’t want to do. She didn’t know if she had the strength to face it.

“Let us go, Regina.” Spencer gently removed her hand and pressed the papers into them, then moved her hand off his face. “Sign the papers and find happ—” His voice cracked, then he blinked, his eyes slightly reddened. He stepped back, releasing her. “Happiness with someone else.”

“How can you say that to me?” Regina stared at him, shaking her head.

“Because one of us has to.” Spencer touched her check gently. “I wish you had just signed instead of putting us through this. Let it go.”

“Spencer…I…don’t…” She couldn’t form a coherent thought. She was shaking. Regina folded her arms across her body, the papers almost burning her as they touched her skin. “How can I let you go?”

Spencer didn’t reply—he stepped back and waited by the door. Regina walked to him and stopped in the open doorway. She placed her hand on his chest.

“You don’t want to fight for us. Is it really so easy to let us go?” Regina fought to keep her tears at bay as she walked out of the house.

She went to her vehicle and got in, then started it and pulled out. Not really registering anything, she drove home. With her mind in turmoil, she wondered what she would do. While they’d been living apart, she’d had hope that they would find their way back to each other. They were still married, and time would heal what was wrong. But today that had changed. Bleary-eyed, Regina saw her turn and took it, driving up to her house. She parked, grabbed the papers from the passenger seat then went up the steps to her house. Mechanically, she unlocked the door and went in. Closing the door, she set the alarm, then walked through the darkened house, moonlight filtering in through the windows and bathing the hall in light. In the living room, she flopped onto the couch. She put the papers on the centre table, then leant back and clasped her hands, hanging them between her spread knees. She sat in the silent house she had built with Spencer and felt the emptiness echo. It was something she’d have to get used to. Blinking quickly, Regina’s eyes burned as she gave into the tears.

“Oh, God, it’s over…really over…” The thick sound of her tearful voice filled the room. Wetness dampened her cheeks as she wept. Sliding forward, she dropped to the floor, shaking her head, rocking back and forth and hugging herself.

What am I going to do now?

* * * *

“What the hell am I going to do now?” Spencer stared as the deep indigo Subaru Tribeca went down the circular drive and the taillights disappeared through the gates. Pain filled him, and he fought his need to roar and rage at the unfairness of life. He knew life wasn’t fair, but it sucked to know it. To live with the realisation that he was now losing the woman he loved more than anything in the world. He touched his chest where she had placed her hand over his heart. He felt as if it had been ripped out.

“Get your head out of your ass and go after your wife,” a man spoke behind him.

“Interfering son of a bitch.” Spencer slammed the door closed, anger filling him, and pushed away the pain. He turned, clenching his hands into fists.

“Our parents, if they were still alive, would take offence to that statement.” Driscoll Jacobs, his brother, crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall of the hall leading to the back rooms.

“Mom would call you the same thing.” Spencer mirrored him, crossing his arms.

He studied his brother and felt pang of loss as he saw a lot of their dad in him. Driscoll had their dad’s darker colouring—his skin looking like he had a permanent tan—while Spencer had the porcelain colouring like their mother. They both had the blond hair that their mom and deep blue eyes and lanky frame came from their dad. Driscoll was like their dad in other ways—for one, he thought he was always right.

“She probably would. But in this case, she would agree with me. You’re a fool to let Regina go. I never thought you would be a coward, Spencer.” Driscoll lowered his voice, the throaty growl that had sold millions of albums vicious and direct. “For over a year, I’ve let you stay here with me without interfering.”

Spencer snorted at that lie. Driscoll hadn’t outright interfered, but he’d taken many opportunities to bring up Regina. Spencer had ignored him each time, and sometimes they’d almost come to blows because of his pushing. Instead, by mutual agreement, they had worked out their aggression in the home gym. The hit of flesh against flesh as they boxed did a lot for Spencer’s disposition.

“You’ve been walking around half-alive, Spence.”

Spencer lowered his arms at the shortened version of his name—Driscoll hadn’t called him that in about a year. Spencer frowned as he realised it was almost since Regina and he split. The concern and seriousness in Driscoll’s tone registered, and Spencer took a step towards his brother. Driscoll held up his hand, waylaying him.

“It’s been hard to watch my brother wither and die.”

“Don’t be so dramatic, Dris,” Spencer interjected, moving closer, ignoring his upraised hand.

“Dramatic.” Driscoll’s eyes narrowed. “This is the first time you’ve called me Dris for over a year. When you moved in, every time I called you Spence, you flinched as if I was beating you. I knew it was because only Reggie and I call you that. That every time I called you that, it reminded you of her.” Driscoll pounded his fist against his chest. “I stopped because of that. I’ve called you Spence since you were born, and our parents called you that. Yet we lost that for over a year because of your stubbornness of not trying to work things out with your
wife
.” Driscoll took a step towards him, his expression rigid, making the network of scars that ran down the right side of his face from his lower cheek to his neck stand out. “You might not have said the words to her, but you still love and care about her. Stop hiding here from it and go home, Spence. Go home and work things out with your
wife
. I’m through watching you live half a life.”

They met just next to the couch. Driscoll placed his hand on Spencer’s shoulder and studied him. Spencer gripped his arm on his shoulder just above his wrist. He blinked at the familiar stance of offering each other support as well as showing the seriousness of what they were discussing. It had been one they’d often used, and it had been absent for a while. In that moment, Spencer realised he had been slowly losing a lot of things.

“Are you kicking me out, big brother?” Spencer smiled to show he was teasing.

“Now who’s twisting words?” Driscoll squeezed his shoulder. “Yeah, you’re sometimes an annoying little brother, but we’re family. You’ll always have a place with me here, no matter what happens between you and Reggie.”

Spencer squeezed his arms and sighed. “I… We need to divorce.”

Driscoll released his hold on his shoulder, then shook off Spencer’s hold on his arm before he swung.

“Ow!” Spencer rubbed the side of his head. “Christ, I hate when you do that.”

“You needed a good lick to knock some sense into you.” Driscoll grinned then he sobered. “You need to ask yourself this—is the divorce good for you both, or is it to protect yourself?” Driscoll pivoted then walked towards the entrance to the hall.

“It’s good for us.”

Driscoll stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Really? Then why didn’t you do it before now? This started three years ago. From what you have told me, you all lived in almost one year of silence, then another year of therapy and more silence until you finally left. You moved out over a year ago, and since then have done nothing to sever ties from Reggie.”

Spencer frowned. Then it dawned on him where he was leading. “It has nothing to do with Jules’ accident a few months ago.”

“Hmmmm…it doesn’t?” The disbelief was plain in his voice.

“Don’t use that on me. The reverse psychology shit.” Spencer crossed his arms over his chest.

“And there goes your defensive stance. I know it well. We both use it.” Driscoll lifted an eyebrow. “Get defensive all you want, but we both know seeing Reggie a few months ago after avoiding her for almost a year shook you. Made you feel things you want to deny.”

“Fuck you.” Spencer took a step towards him. “You opened the gate for her. Then set me up to open the door to let her in. Interfering fucker. Why don’t you get your own life and leave mine alone?”

Driscoll turned to face him and clenched fists. “Because I give a fuck about you. You stubborn bastard. I love you. You’re my brother, and I want what’s best for you. Even if you think it’s not.” Driscoll’s voice lowered as he spoke. “The most emotion you’ve shown in almost a year was when you saw Reggie at the hospital a few months ago. Since then, you were almost the old Spence again. Then when you told me your harebrained scheme of serving her divorce papers when she was at the Locke Family gathering to save you both pain, I knew it wouldn’t work. And even you knew Reggie wouldn’t accept it that way.” Driscoll moved closer, getting in his face. “You did this to save yourself from giving into your baser instinct and going to reclaim your mate. The woman who, from the time you met when you were both fourteen, knew you were the only one for her. You took some convincing, but once you came to terms, she was yours, and there was no dissuading you from having her. What happened to that man, Spence? The one who was fearless in claiming the woman he wanted despite everything that stood between them. Our parents didn’t think it was possible to find your soul mate at such a young age and did everything to keep you away from each other. Her parents didn’t want her to give up her dreams and thought she would for you. Both of you ignored all that and stuck to each other. Loved each other despite all the opposition. The parents’ plans were short-lived, and then both her and our parents accepted you as a couple, but that bond you all have because of what you withstood is unbreakable. It may bend, but never will it break.”

Spencer flinched. Another idiosyncrasy they got from their dad was the ability to make speaking low feel like you were being yelled at. It was so much worse than an actual roar, since it was so intense. Spencer hated being on the receiving end of it.

“That last line from your most famous song, and you delivered it just right. But you know that deep growly tone that made you such a famous singer that women threw themselves at your feet?” Spencer leaned closer. “It does nothing for me.”

Driscoll blinked, then put his head back and laughed. Spencer joined him. Driscoll, still chuckling, pushed his shoulder gently.

“Such a butthead.”

“Yeah, but I’m your butthead.” Spencer grinned, then it slowly faded as what he said registered. “There is so much we didn’t talk about. Even when she came here and I asked if she would talk, she couldn’t say that to me.”

“I know.”

“What?” Spencer recalled what Driscoll had said in their conversation thus far. “Wait…you were eavesdropping.
Driscoll
! You—”

Driscoll put up his hand. “I only kept out of sight, but close enough in case I needed to interfere. Things can get heated between you two.”

Spencer’s mind flashed to the more heated moments when he and Regina hadn’t been able to get out of bed because they couldn’t stop loving on each other. His cock hardened, and he was glad his T-shirt was baggy and covered him to mid-thigh. He stifled a shudder as his mind flashed to her touch and how it almost made him fall to his knees. He enjoyed the slow foreplay, kissing all along her body then to her inner thighs to where he knew she would be wet, warm and waiting for him. It had always been that way with them—all they needed was to be in each other’s vicinity, and they wanted a private place to strip and make love. Love…it had always been that since their first meeting, even if he hadn’t admitted it when he was fourteen. What fourteen-year-old boy would admit such a thing when faced with his destiny? Certainly not him.