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I swallow, staring at him with what I hope is a blank expression.
Jared leans back, palming his mouth as his shoulders slump. “You slept with Oliver.”
My eyes prick at the anguish in his voice, and I hate myself for it. I don’t want to believe he is hurt; he doesn’t have a right to be.
“Don’t. Don’t you dare try to act like the fucking victim,” I grit out.
His stare snaps to me, the water gathering in his eyes making my breath catch. My mouth dries, my tongue stinging as we look at one another. Both of us are displaying our misery, and for a moment, I remember the teenager I fell in love with.
I clear my throat, rolling my shoulders. “I know you can bury the rumor. Just do it for all of us.”
“Why?” he spits out. My eyebrows raise.
“Why?” I repeat, astonished. “Because you owe me this. You betrayed me. Pregnant, Jared!”
I sniffle as hot tears roll down my cheeks and blow out a shaky breath to lower my voice. “You took her to our bed, you gave her my ring, and then you knocked her up. And now you fucking ask why? I gave you everything.”
A sob escapes, and I angrily wipe my face. Titling my chin up, I clear my throat again. “The worst part is we were discussing the color of our wedding napkins and potential baby names the night before. And the whole time you were worried about what time you could bring her over in the morning.”
Tears trail down his face as he watches me. I look away from him, blinking out the window that I can’t see anything through.
“You owe me,” I say again. “And your brother doesn’t deserve to be dragged into all this. He would lose his team. You know he would.”
“Okay,” Jared says. The hushed agreement has me glancing back at him.
I nod and move out of the booth. “Thanks.”
He grabs my wrist, and I flinch.
Jared drops his hold. “Wait–”
Pulling my arm away, I shake my head. “There’s nothing left to say.”
“I still love you,” he rushes out.
I close my eyes for a moment, rubbing at my chest. Sighing, I give him a bitter smile. “If that’s how you love someone, then I don’t want it.”
The Man in the Shadows
Sighing, I put the groceries on the counter, open my fridge, and grab the wine. I don’t feel any better about what happened between Oliver and I. My mind keeps wondering if I pressured him into crossing a line he normally wouldn’t. I take a swig of the wine, setting the bottle on the counter as I shove my cold items away. I decide that is the maximum effort for tonight; I want a bath and then eat my feelings in front of my TV till I get over whatever the hell is wrong with me.
I turn on the light in my living room and then stiffen at the figure sitting in the chair.
Carson watches me with cold eyes, taking in my dress and heels as he leans back.
“Jenica,” he says hoarsely.
“Carson, how did you get in?”
It’s a stupid question. Carson is a dangerous man, we all know it. He’s never confirmed he works for some kind of organized crime, but there’s huge speculation. It's why we rarely saw him after high school. I suspect he kept his distance from all of us as a safety measure. He even has the whole bad-boy look. His dark hair cropped on the sides, but longer on top. Muscles that flex under shirts, that scream fighter more than bouncer. When we were younger, people said his dark eyes matched his dark soul, but I also thought they were beautiful like the midnight sky. The only difference is the black ink lining every inch of visible skin, but his perfect angular jaw and face.
“I needed to see if the rumors were true.”
I raise an eyebrow. “I didn’t take you for gossip. Must be your old age.”
His lip twitches and my heart does a little flip. I knew he always found me amusing. “So Jared has cheated on you.”
I glare at him. “Knocked her up, put my ring on her finger, the whole shebang.”
