One Night With My Alpha Ex

#Chapter 6 – Covering my mistakes.

Gavin’s POV

“Wedding ring? What wedding ring?” Gavin asked, a coy smirk on his face.

“My wedding ring,” Erin said; he could tell she was talking through her teeth. He heard the noisy restaurant in the background and knew she was still at work.

“I don’t recall giving you a wedding ring,” he replied, teasingly.

“You know what I’m talking about, Gavin.”

“Though, I suppose I could have given you a wedding ring back when you wanted one. Remember, when we were 18 and you wanted to marry me? But then decided I wasn’t good enough for you, so you dumped me? Have you changed your mind after all these years?”

Erin was quiet for a moment, but after a beat, she replied, “You know that’s not what I mean… we are over.”

“It didn’t feel quite ‘over’ last night.”

“Gavin—”

“You know, now that you’ve mentioned it, I do remember seeing a diamond-encrusted ring. I thought it couldn’t be yours because you never mentioned being married,” he said mockingly. “So, if that’s the case, I’ll have your ring mailed to your f*****g husband.”

Before Erin could utter a single word, Gavin had hung up the phone.

He felt pleased for having the last word; as he shoved his phone into his pocket, he was stunned as arms were wrapped around his broad body. The familiar scent of vanilla filled his nose as the tight embrace continued; he didn’t need to turn around to see who it was.

“Surprise!” Susanna said excitedly from behind him.

…

Erin’s POV

I involuntarily trembled as I stood in the back corner of the restaurant, hidden and out of sight of the customers. I kept my phone in the tight clutches of my hand, pressed to my ear, long after Gavin had hung up.

Was he really going to mail the ring to Henry?

No. He didn’t even know my address…

“He’s Gavin Pierce,” my wolf, Emily, reminded me. “He can find this information quickly. I do believe you are truly in deep water this time.”

She was right. What was I going to do?

Last night was truly a mistake; I don’t know what I was thinking, going to his hotel suite. The memories of last night surfaced in my mind, causing my body to grow warm. I don’t remember the last time I felt like that.

I truly loved my husband, but we didn’t have much of a s*x life. I suppose I was to blame for that. Henry tries to have that intimate relationship with me, but I could never give myself fully to him.

Eventually, he just stopped trying.

I don’t know what would compel me to do what I did with Gavin; maybe I just wanted to confirm that he really was the same Gavin I was in love with all those years ago.

“I could have told you easily that he was,” Emily teased. “I can still feel his mate pull. He hasn’t marked another and you won’t allow Henry to mark you. Perhaps there’s an underlying reason behind that?”

“Henry is my husband,” I shot back. “I don’t need him to mark me to know that I love him.”

“But Henry is romantically boring. Gavin on the other hand… he’s so… not boring. He makes your lady bits tingle.”

“Enough,” I scolded my wolf; sometimes she can be too much. “Boring is exactly what I wanted. That was my plan from the beginning.”

“There you are, Erin,” my boss, Kelsey, said as she walked around the corner, peering at me. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes,” I answer quickly, shoving my phone in the front pouch of my apron, which matched the black and gray waitress uniform I wore. “I’m sorry. I just had to make a quick phone call. I’m coming right back to work right now.”

The other waitress on duty was finishing her rounds when I came back. Like me, she had her hair up in a bun, but she had a thick layer of makeup on her face, which was unlike me. I only kept my makeup light and blended in with my natural features.

There were a couple of empty tables that needed clearing and washing so I went ahead and did that. They had left tips as well. Per usual, I pocketed half and threw the rest in Kelsey’s tip jar that she kept on the front counter for to-go orders.

“You really don’t have to do that,” she said with a wary look. “I know you need the money too.”

“I only need the money for myself,” I remind her. “You need the money for your entire family. You are a single mother of 3 and you don’t make that much more than me. You don’t get as many tips as I do. I really don’t mind.”

She gave me a kind smile, but then she frowned as she glanced at my naked hand.

“What happened to your wedding ring?” She asked, narrowing her eyes at me. “You never take that thing off. Even when you wash dishes.”

“Oh, I misplaced it,” I told her, which wasn’t a lie. 

“Your husband must be so upset.”

“He will be when I tell him,” I breathed. I glanced at my hand with shame. “I haven’t figured out how to tell him yet. I keep thinking that maybe I will find it again. But I’ve looked everywhere.” 

Now, I was lying.

“Why don’t you just buy a new one?” She suggested. “There’s a huge jewelry store in the city. I’m sure you can find the same ring.”

That idea was brilliant; I made a mental note to stop by the shop in the morning. It was my day off tomorrow and Henry was working. I just had to keep him from seeing my finger for the rest of the night.

…

I took my car into the city the next evening.

The jewelry store was huge and gorgeous; it had rose-gold marble flooring and a giant crystal chandelier in the center of the room. The lighting from the chandelier made the jewelry shine that much more.

The woman behind the counter looked to be middle-aged; she was dressed in a shimmering golden dress and her long blonde hair fell to her waist. She had a heavy layer of makeup and she was speaking to another customer as I approached.

She glanced at me and frowned as she stared at my appearance; it was obvious I didn’t belong there. I wore a sweatshirt with a pair of old jeans that had holes in them. My hair fell messily around my face, and it was still wet from my previous shower.

“Can I help you?” She asked, narrowing her eyes at me.

I cleared my throat and showed her the picture of the ring on my phone.

“I’m looking for a ring that looks like this,” I answer, as confidently as I could. “Do you have something like this in stock?”

She stared at the image for a moment and rose her brows.

“That’s a Tiffany collection. It’s very expensive,” she told me.

She went around the counter to the other side of the ring case and pulled a ring out of its casing before returning it to me.

It was the exact ring that Henry had gotten me.

For a moment, I felt nothing but relief. I could get away with this after all. But then as soon as I saw the price, my heart fell into my stomach.

It cost way more than I had in my entire savings.

The woman didn’t say anything; she just made it a point for me to see the price. She stared around my reddened face with a glare that could kill. Her eyes pierced into my flesh and her mouth was formed into a thin, unamused, line.

“I don’t have enough for that…”

“No kidding,” she said, glancing at my clothing once more. “Now if you’ll excuse me. I have real customers to help.”

She turned away without another word.

I felt nothing but shame at that moment. I turned away as well and went back outside. My heart was heavy in my chest. This was it… I had no other plan.

What was I going to do?

Just as I turned back in the direction of my car, I froze when I saw Gavin walking in my direction. He was holding two bags from a boutique in each of his hands. Walking beside him was a young, stylishly dressed, woman.

“Hi, Erin.”