Page 83 of The Grump I Got Stuck With

“I was a little busy having cameras shoved in my face,” he said.

Because you insisted on going to London instead of staying here with us, I wanted to say. I bit the inside of my cheek.

“At least now I know how the press found out where we were.” He took a long swig of his drink. “And how they knew you weren’t just some woman I met in London. They asked if I had any response to the things you’d said about me.”

“What?” I said in utter disbelief. “You actually thought I would speak to them?” He downed the rest of his drink and poured himself another. My stomach sank. Was he serious?

“No, I didn’t believe them,” he finally said. It made me feel a little better—but not much. “Town will likely be swarmed by morning,” he added, dropping the bottle of whiskey down hard enough to rattle the glasses. “It’s going to be a bloody mess.”

“We’ll figure it out,” I said, the words sticking in my throat.

He snorted, staring down at his glass. “This is all Jessica’s fault, and once again, she managed to wriggle out of having to deal with any of the consequences.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“She won’t be having a trial,” he said through his teeth, voice sharp, “because she’s taking a deal.”

“What kind of deal?”

“The kind that means there’s no red meat for the media to chase after except for me. It’s all fecking bullshit.” He downed his second glass and thumped it down. “Well, maybe this time around I, won’t be here to tear apart. Maybe I’ll just say to hell with it and leave.”

My pulse thumped harder. “Leave where?”

“Anywhere. Australia, for all I bloody care. Just somewhere I can get away from all of this until people forget who I am again. I can do angel investing from anywhere with an internet signal.”

What the hell was he talking about? Moving away had never been something he’d brought up before. Lockdown. Keep the media at an arm’s length. Yes. But not…running off to a different continent. His words rattled around inside my head, and I couldn’t tell if he was blowing off steam or seriously thinking about leaving Scotland.

He huffed a humorless laugh. “What’s that look for?”

“Leaving just doesn’t sound like a very good idea to me.”

“Good thing I don’t need your permission.”

I gritted my teeth at that. I knew he’d had a rotten day, but I wasn’t going to be talked to like this. We had yet to discuss what we were to each other, but I thought we had something growing between us. It wasn’t like I expected him to run every decision by me, but it hurt to have him be so dismissive of my input, as if my thoughts didn’t matter at all. “Look, the circle of people Kenna feels close to is already incredibly tiny. Are you really going to take her away from Aisling and Weston and Lena and Isla and Locke? That’s all she has in the world. It’s not fair to make her start from scratch.”

Alistair shook his head. “She’ll have me and she’ll have you. She’ll be fine.”

I let his words settle, waiting for a sense of relief that never came. Maybe under different circumstances, I would take comfort in the fact he was assuming I’d be with them. That I wasn’t being left behind or tossed aside. But how could I take comfort in being taken for granted? He was acting like there was no need for him to do anything but hand down the decision. Did he not think I deserved to be part of this conversation? Did I not deserve to have an opinion about where we went if I was truly his partner?

She’s just the nanny.

Was that really all I was to him? Because, while I initially didn’t believe it, it sure felt that way now.

I blinked hard, tears welling behind my eyes. “I’m not going to Australia.”

“Doesn’t have to be Australia,” he grumbled. “Just out of this bloody country.”

“I’m not leaving,” I clarified.

He frowned at me. “What the hell are you on about?”

I got to my feet, turning to face him fully. “You don’t get to decide where I go or what I do. I’m not going to chase you around the world, trying to outrun this story or lock myself away until you deem it’s safe.”

His cheek twitched, eyes blazing. “Forgive me for thinking you cared about Kenna and me.”

“Of course I care, Alistair. But if you’re asking me to pack up and start over somewhere completely different, then don’t you think I deserve a say in this decision?”

“If moving is what’s best for my daughter,” he growled, “then that’s what I’m going to do. Your opinion isn’t needed when it comes to her safety.”