Page 76 of Let Me Keep You

“Just wanted to help the kid out. I know Katie’s not making much money at the bank.”

His rude comment catches me off guard. Katie might not be loaded with a hefty savings account, but she’s done damn well, given her situation.

“Actually, I think she makes great money, and if that’s the only reason⁠—”

“Gemma, not now. Smile, for Christ’s sake. Everyone can see you.”

My lips move into a frown as I glare at the man in front of me with disgust. I glance over at my friends and see Tyler watching us. His arms are crossed over his chest as he narrows his eyes with a shake of his head. There’s no way he could’ve heard what Robert said, but he undoubtedly sees how tense I am.

Between the disastrous double date and the fight with Robert, then my talk with Tyler afterward, my mind is a fucking mess. Robert’s true colors have always been right in front of me, and for whatever reason, I’ve turned a blind eye. I wanted to please my dad and make him proud, but it’s not his fault I ignored the red flags.

Robert isn’t a bad man, but he might not be the man for me. His intentions have always been very clear—he wants a wife, someone who will stay home with his children and have dinner ready when he comes home.

When the parade ends, we’re out of candy and money. All the children were so ecstatic over Robert’s gifts and how generous he was. Right now, I’m feeling too claustrophobic, and I think I need some space from Robert. Once we get home and I change, I’ll explain I need to do some laundry and clean before work tomorrow. Hopefully, it will give me the ability to clear my head.

“I wish you’d stay,” he says, repeating the words he always says when I leave. “Or move in.”

My jaw tenses at his constant pushing. “I’ll see you tomorrow, I’m sure,” I deflect, not in the mood to have the same conversation again.

He tells me he loves me, and though I repeat the words to him before closing the door behind me, it’s the first time in our relationship when I’ve second-guessed if I still do.

Tyler arrives at work the next day with a mumbled good morning and barely looks in my direction as he goes into the garage instead of making small talk. Over the past week, he’d make himself a cup of coffee or refill his tumbler and chat with me before starting with his first project. However, today he looks at me with an annoyed or pissed-off expression, though I’m not sure why.

Last night, I had hoped taking a hot bath would help me relax, but it only allowed me to overthink everything. For the first time in a year and a half, I cried about missing my mom. Before that, it was when Robert proposed, and I had wished more than anything she was here to celebrate with us. But now I’d do anything to talk to her about how I feel so she could guide and tell me what to do.

Although I don’t remember a lot about her, I feel the emptiness and ache in my chest from her not being here. Katie and Everleigh give great advice and tell me to do what feels right, but I still need and miss my mom. She had life experience that I’ll never learn from and stories I’ll never hear. After years of being married, having kids and a family, Mom would know what’s best and could give me the advice I need.

My father leaves work early to drive out of town for a custom part, but Tyler stays in the garage even after I lock the lobby. We hardly spoke when we were in the break room earlier. I asked him what he thought of the Labor Day parade, and he responded with, “It was eye-opening.”

Instead of asking him what he meant by that, I nodded and left the room. I don’t know how to fix the tension that swarms between us. The friendship, or whatever it is, gives me whiplash. One moment things are fine, and the next, it’s awkward.

After work, I stop by the store to pick up some groceries before going home. Robert texted earlier and said he had a work meeting and wouldn’t be able to stop by tonight but told me to be at his house so he could see me. Instead of agreeing, like usual, I declined and tell him I’m cooking dinner for my dad. We still haven’t talked about what happened yesterday at the parade because the moment I speak up about his behavior and the pressure he’s putting on me, it’ll blow up and turn into another huge fight.

Perhaps it needs to happen, but I don’t have the energy to deal with that right now.

As I load my bags into the back of my car, I notice a black SUV sitting across the street. I focus on it, trying to read the license plate, and swear it was parked near the garage today. It could be a coincidence, but my paranoia has me convinced Robert’s having me followed. There’s no other reason someone would park outside where I work for hours and then conveniently be at the store when I am.

Witnessing his temper at the double date and listening to his demands about firing Tyler or quitting already doesn’t sit well with me. But if he has the audacity to hire someone to follow and watch me throughout the day, I’m going to be at a level of pissed off he’s never seen.

As I drive home, I watch in my rearview mirror. They stay far enough back not to be obvious but close enough that I notice I’m being followed. Before making any false accusations, I decide to turn down a random street, and when they do too, my stomach clenches.

What the actual fuck?

Does he really think I’m going to cheat on him? Or that Tyler and I are hooking up in the work bathroom with my father nearby? Every time Robert says something negative, I second-guess marrying him, wondering if I truly know the man I’m going to spend forever with.

I turn again, and the SUV tails me, which confirms my suspicions. Whoever Robert hired more than likely already has my address, so I decide to end this and go home. Hopefully, once this asshole sees I’m not being joined by anyone, he’ll leave.

As soon as I pull into my driveway, I grab my three grocery bags and rush inside the cottage. I peek out the window and see the SUV park across the street.

“Seriously?” I mutter as my blood pressure rises. “This is an invasion of privacy.”

Grabbing my phone from my bag, I call Robert, and I’m sent straight to voicemail. Growing angrier by the second, I call back. Voicemail again. He’s at a dinner meeting, and the fact that he’d rather ignore my calls than interrupt his mealtime pisses me off.

Gemma

Call me as soon as you can. It’s important.

He reads it seconds later, but it takes him a few minutes to respond.