Semua Bab Fighting History (Fighting For Love 4): Bab 31 - Bab 40

“OK.” He drank some wine. “Truth? I fucked it all up because I could.”Maggie stared. “That’s – that’s it? You cheated on me because you could?”“Yeah. I wish there was more to it than that, but there’s not, really. I mean, I treated you like crap in so many ways, and the cheating was just one more way.” Joe cocked his head at her. “Can I ask you something now?”“I guess so.”“Why did you?”“Why did I what?”“Let me treat you like crap.” He ran his hands through his hair. “Why did you put up with it?”She was stunned. “So – what? You’re saying the cheating was my fault? I didn’t stick your dick in those women, Joe.”“No, that was all me. But I disrespected you long before you caught me that night. I was always late, I stood you up, I cancelled dates at the last possible second. I missed your first really big exhibition, for Christ sake, and my excuse was fucking lame. And whenever you so much as protested about anything, I shut you up with sex.” He met her eyes. “Why did you let me do

Maggie watched Joe take the food out of the oven, taste it, add something, taste again. He nodded to himself and she smiled at the look on his face. It was one that she remembered well; it was pure happiness, and she’d only ever seen him look this way when he was cooking.As he plated up the food, her mind started to wander over their conversation, and she thought about his question to her: why she had allowed him to treat her badly. It hadn’t been an accusation, she saw now, or an excuse for anything that he’d done. No, quite the opposite, actually – tonight, Joe had taken full responsibility for his own behavior and decisions while they had been together. But she hadn’t.“Joe?”He heard something in her voice and turned. “Yeah?”“I want – I’d like to answer your question now.” Joe gazed at her. “OK.”“But first, I want to call the hospital… check in.”“You do that.” He sprinkled something on the dishes. “Give this a minute to cool down.”Maggie didn’t even bother to put a few symbo

“God, Joe.” She gestured at him, irritated at having to point out the obvious. “Look at you. You’re handsome and sexy and your body just doesn’t quit. You’re rich, a known chef, a celebrity. You’re damn near on-paper perfect, and that night we met, I almost ran and hid in the bathroom when you smiled at me and said hello.”“You did?”“I did. Mia forced me to stay, told me that you were just a guy. Told me to relax and just talk to you. So I did.”He recalled how nervous and shy she’d been that night, and how much he’d liked it. Joe had been sick to death of predatory females at that point in his life, and this sweet, quiet woman with the stunning eyes and gorgeous curves had taken him aback. He’d been interested in her from the first, mostly because she’d been the exact opposite of his usual type. Her talent had blown him away, too: all that passion and strength tempered with grace had been overwhelmingly sexy. Nobody had been more surprised than Joe when he’d asked her out for dinn

In the hospital elevator, Joe watched Maggie closely. She was shaking and pale, her eyes fixed on the floor numbers as they ascended, stopped, ascended again. He knew she was feeling every second of every delay as people struggled on and off on crutches, or were rolled in and out in beds. At one point, he seriously thought she was going to bolt out and make a dash for the stairs.They got off on the ninth floor and Maggie shot off to the right, straight down the hall. A tall blonde nurse rushed to meet her.“Hurry, Maggie… hurry!”Maggie broke into a run now, and Joe let her go, watched her move farther away from him. She disappeared around the corner and he followed, his heart in his throat.Fuck. I hope I got her here in time. I’ll never, ever forgive myself if she doesn’t get the chance to say goodbye to Rita. She was at the restaurant tonight because of me.He turned the corner and blinked at the long hallway in front of him. He passed room after room, peering in, looking for Magg

When Joe came back into the room, he found Maggie sitting next to the bed, holding her mother’s hand in both of hers, pressing Rita’s hand against her cheek. She was silent and still, almost cold in her lack of emotion. He paused in the door, uncertain, and then he looked at the monitor.“Oh, Maggie.” His voice was rough. “Baby…”She didn’t seem to hear him, and he set the tea on the small table next to the door. Joe walked over to her, not sure if he should touch her. He stood next to Maggie, waiting for her to tell him what to do, to say what she needed.He heard a sound behind him and from the rubber-soled foot falls, he knew it was the nurse again. He didn’t turn around; he knew she was there to start the process of forever separating Maggie and Rita and he closed his eyes.Joe almost sighed when a doctor walked over to the monitor, turned it off, and then checked Rita. He glanced at his watch.“Time of death… three forty-three a.m.”Maggie didn’t give any sign that she’d heard hi