I hatedhim.
Sobering up slightly as I grabbed things, I pushed my hair out of my face, annoyed.
What the hell has gotten into me?Metaphorically, that is.
Standing up, I fixed myself up. But as I walked over to the doorway, the sound of the patio door sliding open stopped me in my tracks. Gavin made eye contact with me and slowly looked back at Beckham.
My eyes were wide in shock. My hands twitched at my sides, instinctively smoothing down my dress, tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear.Did he see anything? He doesn’t seem too upset.
“Rosenna, I was looking for you. What are you doing out here with Beckham?”
My throat went dry.What was it that I was doing out here with Beckham?Pining after him? The same way his father said his date was? Only I probably seemed more desperate.
“She wandered over here a bit earlier, and I came over to ask her a few questions about the exhibit. She may have slipped in a few times about how excited you were for me to join guys’ night…” Beckham smoothly put in behind me.
I gave a subtle wavering grin as Gavin laughed.
“That means you’ll be there, Garcia. No ifs, ands, or buts.”
Beckham let out a chuckle. Gavin turned and walked back inside, signaling Beckham to follow. As he passed by me, my breath hitched as he ran his hand over my waist and gazed down at me, an alluring, dangerous glint in his eyes.
I shook my head as he closed the patio door.I needed to snap out of it. But as Kira even said, drunk thoughts are honest thoughts. Regardless, I needed to reevaluate said thoughts…and maybe put the wine down, too, Rose.
After gathering myself for the hundredth time, I walked back inside and made my way back to the party. As I opened the other patio door, I noticed Beckham and Gavin still talking by the bar. Beckham’s date walked over to them and smiled as she held onto his arm.
Maybe it was the wine talking through me, but my feelings of jealousy started coming back. I did my best to ignore them, but I couldn’t as Gavin waved me over.
Reluctantly, I joined the throng, standing beside Gavin as he wrapped his arm around my waist.
“Jessica, this is my wife, Rosenna. Rose, meet Beckham’s date, Jessica,” Gavin introduced.
I did my best to smile as I greeted the woman who seemed only half interested in getting to know who I was.
As Gavin continued talking to Jessica, I saw Beckham’s eyes harden, and I noticed it was because Gavin had his arm around my waist. I had half a mind to step out of his embrace, but I didn’t. If he was okay with her feeling up on his arm, he should be more than okay with my actual husband holding his wife.
“You own your own law firm?” I heard Jessica’s voice.
Gavin chuckled. “With a few other partners of mine, yes. We practice different types of law. We’re well-versed in the major fields.”
Jessica beamed happily as she batted her eyelashes subtly. “You must be very busy then?” She caressed Beckham’s bicep; he remained unresponsive.
“Ask the wife. She knows better than anyone how busy it can get.” Gavin looked over at me with a smile, and I gave a smaller one as Jessica glanced over at me with a grin.
“Rosenna, you’re so lucky to have a husband who is so knowledgeable and caring.”
Gavin squeezed my hip softly—the same husband who ridiculed me for wanting to work more, threw me under the bus to appease his parents and believed in prehistoric misogynistic beliefs and ideas of what an ideal wife should be or how she should act…
Nodding, I responded, “The luckiest…”
Jessica turned back to Beckham. “They’re so cute, aren’t they, babe?”
Babe.
Beckham’s eyes landed on Gavin’s hand, still resting on my waist for a split second, and he gave her a smile.
“They sure are…”
I immediately felt my jealousy skyrocket. How he was able to smile and laugh at her freely was beyond me. Maybe I wouldn’t be so reluctant to be around him if he showed me more positive and lighthearted emotions… rather than the overly obsessive, dangerous, and lustful ones.
