Free The Bishop Affair (Dominated by the Billionaire Brothers - Part Three) by Jennifer Simms

Chapter 5
     
    I stood face to face with my ex-boyfriend, mouth agape. Eric Tipton was always fond of surprising me—in a good way, usually, like chocolates on Valentine’s Day kind of stuff—but this was questionable.

“Lorikeet?” The familiar pet name and a warm hand on my arm jolted me out of my shock.

“Eric, what are you doing here?”

I’d only seen him a handful of times since our breakup half a year ago. We stayed in regular contact over the phone, but I realized that I hadn’t called him since I started my job. I’d had way too much on my mind with Jordan and Trevor demanding my attention.

He stepped out from the doorway and joined me in the apartment hall.

“Sorry, it was short notice, but I didn’t know if they were going to approve my time off until this morning. The last time we talked, you said you were lonely here in the big city. I thought I’d take a little vacation time and help keep you company as you get adjusted to the city.” He shrugged like it was no big deal—taking time off from his demanding marketing position at IBM, driving three hours from Binghamton to New York City, and arriving unannounced at my apartment.

“You can’t just show up without warning. You should have called first,” I insisted.

His voice softened. “I know...”

His features registered deep pain. Or was it regret? “Lori,” he began. “I know you’ll probably never trust me again, and I get that. I’m the only one to blame.” He exhaled deeply, round hazel eyes at his feet, searching for the words that came next. “I know I’ve said it before, but I’m sorry for everything. I mean really sorry. That night was the biggest mistake of my life.”

Unwillingly, I was transported back to the boozy college party at the Alpha Pi Epsilon house that had spelled the end of our relationship. Seeing him locking lips with some drunk tart had broken something inside of me. It was like watching a hammer shatter a big part of my future right in front of me. I remembered the dull roar in my ears that had drowned out the thumping music. And I remembered the look on his face when he realized I’d witnessed his entire indiscretion. My heart constricted.

What could I say to him? Our communication had been strained the first few months apart but the more time that passed, the more I was able to open up to him again. Still, a part of me wanted to tell him off. To tell him it was totally not cool that he came without prior notice, especially when we broke up months ago. If I didn’t know him so well, I’d probably think this was borderline stalker behavior. But I knew Eric. I knew he knew better. He must’ve thought that if he asked over the phone, I would’ve told him not to come. And he would’ve been correct. If he was serious about trying to make amends, showing up in person would’ve been his only option.

He rummaged around in his pocket for something.

“I’m sorry, you’re right, I should’ve called. But please take this. I brought it for you.” He held out a brightly colored carving of a bird I recognized.

“Is this a—?”

“A lorikeet,” he finished. “A lorikeet for Lorikeet.”

To anyone else, he would’ve sounded ridiculous, but I suddenly felt my resistance softening as I gently took it from his outstretched palm. “Where did you—?”

“The Binghamton Zoo. I went back by myself a little while ago. It was a walk down memory lane. That was where we had our first date.”

I couldn’t stop the corners of my lips curling upward. “My mom dropped us off. We were still too young to drive.”

He shook his head. “Your mom pretended to drop us off. But she parked the car and sneaked in behind us, spying to make sure I wouldn’t try anything funny.”

I laughed. The memories started coming back. That was so like my mom. I would believe that story even if it wasn’t true.

“She’s ridiculous.”

“Remember the time when I came over to my house to watch The Princess Bride and