Page 19 of Flashback for the Forward

“The opposite, actually. She’s married.”

My brother hissed out a curse. “Shit, that sucks.”

“Yeah,” I breathed. “But I have to say, her husband rubbed me the wrong way.”

A snort came from the man at my side. “You not liking your ex’s new man? Color me shocked.”

“It has nothing to do with the fact that he’s not me.” Though that certainly had me eyeing him more critically than I normally would have any other person I’d just met. “He barely let her speak, kept cutting her off. And when she did get a full sentence out, he was quick to correct whatever she said. It almost felt like he was controlling the narrative. Possibly even controlling her.”

Crew absorbed that information. “You think she’s in trouble?”

My head fell back against the seat. “I don’t know. Maybe you’re right. Maybe my perception is skewed because of our history.”

That was probably it.

Seeing Bridget again was a double-edged sword. It proved that I was still just as much in love with her as when we were teenagers, while also slamming the door shut on any chance that we might ever find our way back together.

She was with someone else now. She’d moved on.

I had tried to do the same and failed miserably.

Bridget Russell was my one true love, my soulmate. No other woman could fill the hole that losing her had left in my heart; it was like attempting to force a square peg into a round hole.

It didn’t matter that I still carried a torch for her all these years; there was no future for us.

But my brain refused to accept that it was finally time to say goodbye.

Chapter 6

Bridget

A metallic ping sounded, and I glanced up from my plate to find a diamond ring clattering to the wooden surface of the kitchen table.

Terror pierced my heart at the sight. With my windpipe closing up, I managed to croak out, “What’s that?” even though I already knew.

Aiden barely paused eating to reply. “Exactly what it looks like. An engagement ring.” He gestured a hand toward the offensive item. “Put it on.”

Nervous laughter rushed past my lips. “I think you skipped an important step.”

His eyes lifted to fix me with a glare, his jaw working to finish chewing the food in his mouth. “You lost the right to a romantic proposal after the stunt you pulled at brunch with my boss last week.”

“That’s understandable,” I conceded, treading carefully through the minefield set before me. “But generally, both parties need to be in agreement for an engagement to be official.”

“Agreement,” Aiden repeated the same word slowly as what I implied sank in. Then his voice went lethal, “Are you saying you don’t want to marry me?”

My brain screamed that I was in danger, demanding a switch to self-preservation mode. But the signal must not have reached my mouth because I said, “What’s the rush?”

“What’s the rush?” There was a loud scoff. “Are you fucking kidding me with this shit, Bridget?” When I merely blinked at his rhetorical question, he continued, “If anything, it’s long overdue that we make our arrangement official. We’ve joined our lives together, acting as a married couple for years now.” He shook his head. “We’re trying for a baby, for Christ’s sake.”

I pulled in a steadying breath. “I just—”

“Just what?” he demanded, eyes narrowing. “Do you honestly think you can do better?”

“N-no. Th-that’s not what I meant.” I silently cursed my voice for breaking because Aiden loved to feed off my fear.

He shoved back from the table, his chair clattering to the ground as he stood. Closing the distance between us, he picked up the ring before leaning in menacingly, his fingers digging into my cheeks in a brutal grip so I couldn’t look away. His hot breath hit me square in the face as he seethed, “Without me, you’d be nothing.”

Swallowing thickly, I rasped. “You’re right.”