“Oh.” He pinched his lips together and scowled to himself. “I chickened out because I wasn’t sure if he wanted to showcase anything where Mister Rigger could see.”
Considering I’d just witnessed the man turn around in the doorway, presumably after seeing Ash and Jordan, that wasn’t a bad line of thinking. Even though being online buddies didn’tmean a damn thing. But sure, if I walked a mile in Nathan’s shoes and watched my ex befriend Littles online…
What a fucking mess.
“Fingers crossed this will be over soon,” I said. “Once he and Nathan are back together, I’m sure he’ll wanna parade you around.”
He snickersnorted and shoved playfully at my chest. Then he tilted his head, spotting something behind me, and it made me look over my shoulder.
A young woman appeared from the side of the building.
“Holy crap, makeup face alert,” Jordan mumbled.
My mouth twitched. If I had a nickel for every time he commented about someone having a “makeup face,” I’d be a rich man.
I liked to catch a football game here and there. My little husband studied bone structure and facial features as if people were his next canvas.
“Hi!” She walked closer. She was short and petite, and her hair was almost black. “Are you by any chance James and Jordan?”
She knew who we were?
“Yes…?” Jordan asked rather than stated.
The woman beamed. “It’s so nice to meet you! I’m Nora, part of the welcome wagon here at Mclean. As in, Ash asked if I wanted to come out and make you feel at home. Where is he?”
Jordan and I exchanged a look as the amusement trickled in.
CHAPTER 4
Ash Riley
Twenty-five minutes, three traffic jams, and fourteen unanswered calls later, I was struggling to keep my shit together.
He’d fucking seen me run out of the house. He’d heard me call out for him. He’d driven off anyway.
You’re not getting away from me this time, baby.
“This is Nathan Riley. Please leave a message after the tone, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”
I growled and ended the call before I redialed.
No one says that anymore, Dad. Where’s the dial?
Shut up, Hallie. You didn’trolldown your window either.
“This is Nathan Riley. Please leave a message after the tone, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”
“Goddammit!” I took a deep breath and waited for the beep.There—fine, let’s do this instead, then.“This is your fucking husband calling. I swear to Christ, I’m gonna hunt you down, Nate. Weneedto have this conversation, and it’s not what you think. So if you give the slightest fuck about our future, blow pastyour exit and drive to my house—right fucking now. You know my address.”
With that done, I ended the call, trapped my phone against the wheel, and sent a voice-to-text.
“If you ever loved me, you will listen to the voice message I just left you—send.” Fuck, I wasn’t done. New one. Okay. “I’ll never ask for anything again if you just do this for me—send.”
That last part might be a lie. It was up to him. I just needed him to feel the gravity of the situation.
He could ignore my calls, but I knew those texts popped up on the center display.
I blew out a breath and rubbed at my chest.
