As Long As She Lives (full published version!)

Chapter 9

With one ear against Riley's robe and her sniffling and sobs filling her head, Cait heard only a muffled growl from the direction of the door, but she recognised it as Sean. She lifted her head, but turned away from him to wipe her eyes.

"Is she crying?" Sean said. "Why is she crying? Are you dumping her?!"

Dumping her? She shook the images of slaughter from her head and tried to focus.

"Sean, not now." Riley's exasperated tone and the sigh she felt through his chest made sense of the words. For weeks Riley had been rearranging his life to help her, and Sean was accusing him, not just of sleeping with her, but of dumping her? Anger inflated her limbs, displacing the despair that had weakened them, only moments before.

"She is right here," she said. "If you have a question about me, ask me, Sean!"

"I'm asking the man who looked me in the eye, barely four hours ago, and swore to me – no convinced me that you two weren't sleeping together."

"What?" She looked to Riley for answers who shrugged.

"If he won't tell you, I will. As soon as I got here, I asked him outright–"

"Hardly outright," Riley mumbled.

"The point is that he denied you were together – that's how proud he is to be with you."

"As soon as you got here? I told you we were alone down here and you suggested you come up. That's why you're here, isn't it? You're not here to spend time with me. You came to chaperone us!"

"Obviously too late for that."

Cait felt her rage rising. She knew she should try to calm down, but shouting felt too good. "What if we are having sex then?! Why has it always been such a god damned issue with you? He's your friend isn't he? You trust him with your children, why not with me?"

"Because you don't see him with women! His longest relationship was six months, and he's had nothing but one night stands for years now!"

"So?!"

"So he can't commit Kitty. He uses women. Why do you think you'll be any different?"

"Why do you think she wouldn't be?" Riley's voice was quiet, but his baritone cut through their squabbling.

"What?" Sean said.

"Why do you think Kitty wouldn't be different? How could she not be different?"

"Well– Because–"

"I asked you the wrong question before, didn't I?" There was sadness in Riley's tone and when Cait looked at his face, it pierced her heart. "I asked why you thought so little of Kitty that I'd only be interested in her body, but it's me you think so little of."

"That's not fair," Sean said.

"Isn't it?" Riley said, "You saw her crying and you assumed I was dumping her. Why would I have been doing that – to make my 'lie' to you retro-actively true, or maybe just for fun, because that's the kind of man you think I am?"

"You're twisting my words. I don't want her to get hurt. She has you on such a pedestal."

"Because he deserves it!" Cait stepped back into her place next to Riley and was pleased to see Sean wince. "He has never been anything but good, and kind, and there for me–"

"Because he wants to get into your pants, Kitty!" Sean's eyes flared. "He's wanted to since you were fourteen-years-old!"

"Hey!" Riley shouted. "You're out of order!"