He ignored my utter shock as he remained fixated on my eyes, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t do the same. His eyes flickered down to my lips for a moment, and I gulped softly as he tightened his fist on the blanket even more.
The moment we shared, however, was cut short as his phone rang. His eyes lingered on me for a short while before he pulled away and answered the phone angrily.
Taking that as my chance to get dressed, I walked into the bathroom and threw my yoga attire back on in haste.
When I stepped out, he was waiting by the door, keys in hand.
“I’ll take you home. I have to plan the next setup I want for you.”
I exhaled sharply. “And what did I say about you not taking no for an answer?”
He didn’t respond, just walked past me, opening the car door.
When we stood only a foot away, he leaned in, his breath ghosting my ear.
“You can say no all you want, Flower, but you and I both know you’re not done with this. No matter how much you try to convince yourself.”
A day or so had passed, and I was slowly easing back into my regular routine. After a long day at the gallery, I slipped into a burgundy long-sleeve top and black leggings, throwing on a white cardigan for extra warmth. Grabbing my planner, laptop, and notebook, I headed to the kitchen to work while the water boiled for tea.
The soft whistle of the kettle broke the silence, and soon, I was settled at the kitchen island, mapping out the next week with Kira’s shared calendar. Stirring honey into my tea, I sent off a few urgent emails, taking slow sips, allowing myself a moment of calm.
Then, the door unlocked.
I glanced over my shoulder to see Gavin stepping inside, his expression tense, almost panicked.
Placing my mug down, I furrowed my eyebrows. “What’s wrong?”
He hurriedly approached me, his hands gripping my shoulders.
“Promise me you won’t be upset.”
I tilted my head as I heard distance voices from outside as well as two car doors closing.
“Gavin,” I cautioned as the voices got louder.
He rubbed his temples. “They just dropped in, and I couldn’t say no. It’ll only be the afternoon, I swear.”
My mood instantly went south as the two people who I wanted to see least in the world entered into our home.
“Goodness, it’s such a mess in here. Where’s a good wife when you need one?” came a treacherous voice.
I turned a deathly glare to Gavin.
“Oh, Rosie, I didn’t see you there! How are you!?” She smiled beside her husband, her voice like nails on a chalkboard.
I mustered up the best grin I could as I stood from my chair, ignoring Gavin’s guilty gaze. Doing my best to relax my shoulders, I reluctantly walked over to greet Gavin’s parents, akamy in-laws from hell.
Chapter thirteen
Rosenna
“Oh,it’sbeenagessince we’ve seen you two. It’s so nice to catch up. Tell me, Rosie, what’s for dinner? Gavin has been complaining about not eating much, and I can tell he’s starting to lose a bit of weight,” Nancy, his mother, rambled, giving me a hug, her sleek platinum bob perfectly in place just as her skin was flawless thanks to the expensive creams she would wear.
Definitely not from the botox she claims she never had done.
Her piercing, scrutinizing blue eyes and the overwhelming smell of Chanel No. 5 were just the icing on the cake.
I sighed internally as I remained quiet and hugged his father, Patrick, as well. He was the more reasonable one. Still as judgmental as his wife under the surface, but less blunt about it. He had similar features to Gavin, so much so it felt like looking into the future when we talked. However, that often led me down a hole of comparing my own future to Nancy… and I didn’t want to be that miserable.
