Page 210 of Rising Heat

“Ty,” Mack says.

Tyler lifts both hands in surrender, but he doesn’t take a single step back.

I look at Brett again and only then realize my hands are shaking, pure feminine rage threatening to boil over.

“You thought I’d come back…”

His silence answers fast enough.

“Oh my god.”

I laugh again, softer this time, because the whole thing feels like a sick joke.

“You really thought this was temporary.”

“I thought you needed space.”

“I moved to another state, Brett.”

“You were overwhelmed.”

“I ended our engagement.”

“You weren’t happy.”

“Yes.” My voice sharpens. “With you.”

For the first time since he showed up, he doesn’t have an answer waiting.

I watch his expression change while he stands there on my stoop, flowers now sagging in his hand while he looks at me like some part of him honestly thought this conversation was going to end with me realizing I’d made a mistake by leaving.

“You’re serious…”

Before I can answer, Tyler’s hand brushes lightly against the back of my arm, just enough to let me know he’s still there.

Brett follows the movement this time, his eyes traveling from Tyler’s hand to my face, then past me to Mack, lingering there a beat before they come back again. I watch him trying to make sense of the picture in front of him, like somewhere in his head there’s still a chance that I hear him out and we drive back to Philly together.

Instead, he looks at me like he’s looking at a stranger.

“This…” He lets out a short, disbelieving breath. “This is what you blew up your life for? Our life?”

The words are meant to hurt more than they do. Instead, I keep thinking about the way Tyler laughs into my neck and the way Mack grabs my hand, and falling asleep, tangled between both of them, holding onto me.

Blew up my life?

No.

I think I finally started living it.

“You don’t get to talk about my life like it belongs to you anymore,” I say quietly.

His eyes flick toward Tyler, then Mack.

“You think these guys are serious about you?”

Every muscle in my body tightens.

“Brett—”