Through The Grapevine: A BWWM Romance by Sherie Keys

thoroughly repulsed, but more than that, he was hurt. His heart ached deeply for the loss of what he thought was love and had discovered was nothing more than a lie.
     
    Colby walked down the street in the pale light, and with every step his heart began to change bit by bit. He found himself thinking that he might well be very lucky that he had so narrowly escaped being bound to a woman like Tiffany. She was beautiful and fun, but he dearly wanted someone who wanted him back; someone who would cherish him and love him just as much as he loved her, for all of their days.
     
    He had learned just in time that the right girl for him was not Tiffany, and he began to be thankful rather than angry. Perhaps her boyfriend might be alright with sharing a woman with another man, but Colby was not alright with it, and the fact that she had lied to him and then chosen Ron anyway, told him just what he needed to know about how she felt about him, and it shed clear bright light on his future.
     
    His future was going to be incredible; of that, there was no doubt, but he now knew that   he was going to be alone for a while.  He felt secure in that, hoping that one day the right woman would come along and share his life, but also knowing that if she never did find him and join him, he would be just fine on his own.
     
    Colby returned to the hotel room cold and almost refreshed. He found Shannon in bed reading a book. When he closed the door behind him, she tucked her bookmark into the thick pages and set the book down beside her.
     
    "Well?" she asked curiously. "How did it go? Were you able to find her?" she asked. "You must have found  her; you were gone for ages. I had decided that if you weren't back in the next two hours that I was going to call the police to look for you." She had a serious expression on her face and he appreciated it, smiling at her thoughtfulness and compassion.
     
    He took of his coat and shoes and unbuttoned his shirt most of the way down, and then he sat beside Shannon on the bed, stretching his feet out in front of him.
     
    "I found her,” he  quietly, reaching his arms up and tucking his hands behind his head as he laid back on the stack of thick pillows at the head of the bed.
     
    "Where was she?" Shannon eyed him with interest.
     
    He looked off into nothing as he stared straight ahead and said quietly, "She was at the ski lodge, just like you said. I went in and waited for a while and then she showed up. Ron was with her. She saw me and sent him away, and then came over to me. We went to a cafe and talked for a while, I told her how I feel and I said that she had to make a choice, him or me, and it had to be a permanent choice. I told her I didn't want to marry anyone who wasn't going to commit fully to me. She said she was going to break up with him.
     
    She said she wanted me. I believed her, but I wanted to be sure she was telling me the truth, so I followed her back to her condo and waited outside, sort of on surveillance, just to see if he left her place or not. I wanted to know what she would do."
     
    Shannon listened intently and nodded. "What did she do?" she asked, her heart anxious to hear the answer.
     
    He sighed quietly. "She went out on her deck and screwed him in her hot tub."
     
    Emotion reeled through Shannon as she let the words sink in. They had come this far, and he had tried all that he could to show her his love, to win her back, and then she had promised him to his face that she would be his. She said  she would let Ron go and marry Colby, loving him only for the rest of her life. Then she had sneaked away and gone straight back into Ron's arms.
     
    Shannon was livid. "I can't believe it! After she promised you? After she said she would let him go and be with you? How could she do that? How could she lie again and go right back to hurting you and cheating on you with him?" She got up out of the bed and began to pace the floor angrily.
     
    "I'll call her. I'll go see