I didn't know who the man in that picture was, but she was going to get that bastard killed with her bullshit. Juliet belonged to me. Blossom Brooks belonged to me. That was the truth of the matter.
No other narrative could exist.
I wouldn’t let it.
Gritting my teeth, I headed straight for my beach house. I was done waiting. Done hoping she'd tell me the truth on her own. I was done pretending this would somehow work itself out.
I was done trying to handle this as a normal man would. It was time to move forward with my plan. When she’d hacked me,she’d placed one foot into my world. That had sealed her fate. There was no getting out now.
It was time to bring Blossom home, where she belonged. I'd keep her there until she finally told me the truth. Until she finally admitted who she was. Until she finally admitted who she belonged to.
As for the man in that picture...
I chuckled, a dark feeling coming over me.
I hoped that wasn’t a relative of hers, or a family friend, because he was as good as dead. And it was all her fault. Once she was settled into the beach house, I would give her his head as a gift to show her that lying to me was never the answer.
This woman owned me, body, heart, and soul. I demanded the same in return. I would never lie to her, and I expected that same level of honesty from her. I would never do anything to break her trust. I expected that same level of respect from her. I would not feel guilty about what came next.
She’d forced her way into my life.
And now, I was going to force her to stay.
CHAPTER THIRTY
ROME
––––––––
By the time I pulled into the garage of my beach house, I was ready to kill someone, anyone. Blossom's voice kept replaying in my head during the entire drive. I couldn’t shut her words out.
I have a boyfriend.
Even after the garage door closed behind me, I sat there for several minutes, gripping the steering wheel, jaw clenched, heart racing.
I have a boyfriend.
Did she really expect me to believe that after everything we'd shared? After the way she'd smiled at me today. After the way she'd stood beside those tulips and stared at me like I was the very fucking air she breathed.
No. I wasn't buying that shit. I refused to let her use some lame ass excuse to push me away, to shut me out. I don’t know how long I sat there in my car, staring at the wall but not seeing it. Instead, I was seeing that lone tear run down her face as she begged me to leave.
“Fuck!” I slammed my fist against the steering wheel.
I had to get it together. I took a few deep breaths, trying to force the darkness away, hating when it came over me like this. This feeling always reminded me of my father, and I was not him. Closing my eyes, I took another few deep breaths.
Once I was calm enough to think straight, I forced myself out of the car, taking with me the red tulips from the passenger seat. After slamming the door, I stared down at the flowers. I’d purchased three dozen of these damn flowers.
Her favorite flowers.
The flowers she'd told me represented undying love, loyalty, and trust. And then she’d lied about having a boyfriend and told me to leave her store. Where was the love, the loyalty, the trust?
There was that dark feeling again.
Forcing those thoughts away, I unlocked the side door and stepped into my beach house. All was quiet inside, but I could tell the staff had been there. I could already see the changes they’d made.
Sally had done exactly what I'd asked. The place smelled lemon fresh. As I walked through the house, I noticed that she’d purchased new furniture throughout the house. I placed the flowers on the kitchen table, then checked the refrigerator and the cabinets.
The kitchen was fully stocked. Everything was in place, ready for me. Ready for us. I carried the tulips into the living room and set the vases on the center table. For a moment, I stood there, staring at them.
