Page 35 of One Weekend in Los Angeles

He heaved a sigh as he caught the eye of his investors. “Shit. Fine. If you agree not to fight me on the bar investment, then I’ll give you what you want with the house and the dog.”

“I’ll have my lawyer draw up the division of assets. In the meantime, I’ll be taking residence in the home. I expect you to move your things out in the next two weeks and the house to be listed in the next thirty days.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine.”

“Goodbye, Jeff.”

“Wait.”

I paused, wondering what parting words he had. Would he say he was sorry? Reflect on over a decade of love lost? “What is it?”

But he capped off our relationship by acting like the flaming asshole he’d become. “I definitely want my car and all of my frequent flier miles.”

He made it so easy to walk away for good. “I’m sure both can be arranged.”

Walking out of the bar, it felt as if a weight had been lifted. Both Deacon and Lawrence were waiting for me outside.

Chapter Twenty

DEACON

Iwas so freaking proud of Andrea I was nearly bursting with it. And although I selfishly would’ve loved to have been inside to see the smugness wiped from Jeff’s face, I knew it was something she’d needed to do on her own.

Equally as selfish, I wished I could have had her all to myself for the remainder of the day, but watching her smile and laugh with Lawrence and Ollie as we all met for lunch and champagne made the sacrifice of time worthwhile.

As we arrived back at my house in the afternoon, I could feel the remaining hours of the weekend slipping away. Taking her into my arms in the middle of my living room, I intended to spend the next few hours with her naked in my bed, in my shower, and wherever else the mood struck us.

But as soon as I started kissing her, my gate bell rang. I had every intention of ignoring it.

“What’s that sound?” Andi asked.

“Someone who is trying to suck time away from us.” It couldn’t be anyone I actually wanted to see because they would’ve texted or called first.

“Don’t you want to find out who it is?”

I should’ve said no, but I made the mistake of thinking I could deal with it quickly and thus end Andrea’s distraction. I took out my phone and brought up the app for the gate. “Hello?”

“Hi, it’s Nina.”

My wide eyes met Andrea’s. “She should be on her honeymoon, for Christ’s sake,” I grumbled.

“Are you going to let her in?”

The bell rang again, then again. “I could have security remove her.”

Andrea’s face softened. “But that could end up in the tabloids, and probably upset Bryce and your mom.”

She wasn’t wrong about this being a potential mess. Better to simply meet this head-on. “You’re right.”

“Do you want me to give you two privacy?”

“No, I’d rather you stay.” Not because I wanted to sell a fake relationship any longer, but because I honestly wanted Andrea by my side.

“Then I’ll stay.”

I pressed the button to open the gate and waited for her to drive up, physically flinching when the knock came. Dread wasn’t a strong enough word.

After I opened the door, Nina walked in as if she owned the place, only stopping in my living room when Callie puttered in to check out the houseguest. “Whose dog is that?”