“Son, if you don’t shut up.” Haddie takes a deep breath before continuing. “All this one-upmanship is childish, and it stops today. This thing where you both hurt each other to get even will get you nowhere. If you two are old enough to be married, you’re old enough to work this shit out.” I gasp at her language. “Yeah, I cuss, too.” She takes my hands, and herwarmth spreads over me. “I love my son, and I love my daughter-in-law. That means I want you two together, and Cori, I promise that my son will be the best husband you can dream of.”
“He’s the husband of my worst nightmare,” I mutter, and Haddie chuckles.
“Honey, you just told me you were happy in the marriage.” I try to look away, but she grasps my chin. “What you have to ask yourself is, do you want to be happy, or do you want to be right?”
“Both.” I give her a sheepish smile. She lets my chin go and pulls me into her arms.
“Sometimes, sweetheart, we have to compromise in life. I get it. My son is not perfect. He did things. He acted like a spoiled child. But you admitted you chose to marry him and that you’ve done things too. What I suggest is that you both stop trying to outdo each other with petty behavior and talk. The man who listened to you, made you happy, and wants you to succeed is a few feet away. I know that he will do everything in his power to give you everything you want.” She looks past me and yells, “Daxton, get your nosy ass in here right now.”
Like a petulant child, he enters the room, and I look away. He drops himself into a chair.
“Talk to your wife. Apologize and fix this.” Dax opens his mouth. “I don’t care who did what. This is a marriage, not kindergarten.” He shuts up. “I raised you, and I know you’re no saint, and you’ve finally met your match. If you two would stop fighting each other, you’ll see how good you can be together. Both of you need to grow the hell up and fix this now.” She taps the table. “Today, before I get mad.” She stands. “I’ll be in the other room watching my shows until you both fix this mess. If you don’t figure this shit out, I’m never leaving.”
She leaves the living room without another word.
Chapter 52
Dax
Of course, she crosses her arms and looks away, but I can’t stop thinking about what I overheard. It’s not all fake, and I have a chance. She purses her lips shut, and I know she’s waiting for me to talk first.
“I don’t want you to go,” I say softly. I meant what I said about burning Selene’s house down, but I don’t voice that threat. I already know someone who can do it. Of course, I can’t do it with Selene in the house, unfortunately.
“I’m done with it, Daxton. I’m tired.” She lets out a breath. “I’m tired of fighting. I’m tired of lying to everyone, and I’m tired of being used.”
“I never used you. I would never do that, and I never gave a damn about the motel chain. I was ready to let it go, and then I met you. Our marriage has nothing to do with business.”
“You also treat me like dirt, and you think I’m easily controlled and manipulated because of my history.”
I sit next to her and rest my hand on her knee. When she doesn’t push me away, I continue.
“I’m sorry for a lot of things, but I never treated you like dirt, Cori. I never meant to hurt you or make you feel like I was using you. I’m not. Never. I married you because I wanted to. Because I fell deeply in love with you so fast that I couldn’t think of anything else.” Her eyes widen, but I nod my head. “It’s true. That’s the reason, and I figured I could get you to fall in love with me, too. You wanted me, and I knew you enjoyed being with me. I took that and ran with it. I had no idea about the history with your parents and Devin. Had I known, I wouldn’t have done it. I would have found another way, but when I realized it, I convinced myself I did the right thing and that I could be your person. I could show you how much I valued you and how important you are to me.”
“You just want everything your way.” She crosses her arms and looks away.
“What the hell is my way?” I snap. “Not a single thing. If it were up to me, we'd plan vacations and family photo shoots in color-coordinated outfits, instead of this civil war. The truth is, I’ve been worshipping you since—”
“Since you kidnapped me?”
“Yes, I did, and you said you were done with the lies. So, be done. You enjoyed being with me that time and every time after that. Even before those first few days, there was no one else for me. You’re all I've thought about since I realized you were following me. Since then, I gave you everything, and you tried to manipulate my feelings and steal my dog. That’s bullshit.”
“Yeah, and you didn’t do anything to earn my wrath.” She rolls her eyes to the ceiling.
“I told you both to stop bringing up old shit!” Mom yells from the other room. “He did what he did, and you did too. It’seven. Enough. Neither of you is a saint. It’s all water under the bridge.”
“Can we start over, Bella?” I run a hand over my face. “I want the woman I had from the time we were in Chicago. You said it wasn’t all fake.” I take her hands in mine. She whimpers, but she doesn’t try to pull away.
“It wasn’t,” she reluctantly admits. “It backfired because I liked that version of us. I meant what I said to Haddie. I was happy.” She closes her eyes as if the admission pains her. “Happier than I’ve ever been, and it wasn’t because of the things. I was happiest when we talked, and you listened. It felt nice when you showed interest in designs, and I appreciate you wanting me to go to fashion school.” She shivers as if she’s cold. “That made me really happy.” She lets out a shaky laugh. “That’s why I decided to ditch my plan to bring you to your knees.”
I bring her hands to my lips and kiss the back of them.
“Really?”
“Really.”
“I won’t apologize for marrying you. That’s the one thing I won’t do.”
“That’s old shit, Daxton. What are you going to do from now on? Do I need to come in there and knock your heads together?” Mom yells again. “You’re both getting on my nerves, I swear.”
