Page 34 of Heavy Crown

“Was the grocery store trip an indication of a future relationship?”

“No… I—” I’m too stunned over Derrick’s outlandish claims and the unending questions for a moment to finish. “No comment. I have no comment.”

He opens the door and leads me inside. He’s laced his fingers with mine without me realizing he’s done it. When his first foot hits the stairs, I tug my hand out of his, and he lets me.

“What was that about?” I ask.

“The truth. We’ve had a misunderstanding.”

“There was no misunderstanding. I walked into our apartment to witness your bare ass pumping into Janessa on my birthday. I can’t unsee that, Derrick.”

“She came onto me,” he says, glancing at me over his shoulder before we reach the landing for our apartment.

“I’m not coming back here to the apartment or to you. I’m getting my things. Prince Alexander has offered me a job as a pastry chef. They’re letting me rent one of their estate apartments.”

Derrick eyes me as he lets me into the apartment. “He’ll use you and discard you, Rory. You’re too good to have a man take advantage of you like this.”

Heat creeps into my cheeks. “You cheated on me. I can’t think of anything worse.”

He takes a deep breath and shoves his hands into his pockets. “Why would you tell Prince Alexander we don’t treat our employees properly? You know, better than anyone, that’s not true.”

I take a deep breath and go into the open kitchen, behind the island to get a glass of water from the fridge. What did I tell Alex? My memory of that night isn’t as clear as I’d like. Didn’t Alex already know the McGuinty family violated employment laws?

“Why would you tell all those people out there that we’re getting back together?” Defending myself over something I can’t remember is impossible. “We’re not getting back together.”

Derrick grimaces. “I made a mistake with Janessa. She stuck her hand down my pants and started talking dirty. I just”—he shrugs his shoulders—“fell into an old habit.”

“What’s the old habit? Fucking your ex-girlfriend on your current girlfriend’s bed?” I raise my eyebrows.

“It’s not going to happen again.”

“You’re right,” I say, “because we’re done.” Instead of waiting for a response, I head to the wardrobe and drawers. The suitcases are in the bottom level storage, so I grab some reusable bags from the kitchen and start stuffing my clothes into those. “You couldn’t even get my suitcase? You knew I was coming.”

“I don’t want you to leave. We can work this out. I was hoping we’d talk. One slipup doesn’t have to break us. You moved here to be with me. I made a mistake. We can work this out. Come on, Rory. We’re going to get married.”

I flash my bare ring finger at him as I pack. “No ring. Lucky escape on my part.”

He grabs my elbow. “If you need to get back at me, I’ll give you a pass on the prince. Okay? If you’ve fucked him, I don’t care. Or if you want to fuck him… I can… I can accept that as your revenge.”

My laugh comes out stilted with disbelief. “I almost died. I could have died. You haven’t asked me how I’m feeling or if I’m okay. You’re not worried about me; you’re worried about you. How you look, how you appear.”

He runs a hand through his short hair and says nothing.

“My concussion is serious. The car is totaled.”

“Yeah, we’ll have to work something out with my parents about the vehicle since it belonged to the golf course. But it’ll be fine. I already told them we’d cover the insurance deductible.”

I suck in a sharp breath. Was he always this dense? This stubborn? “That’s your primary concern? The car? An insurance deductible? If I went over the cliff with the car, would you be wondering how much you had to pay?”

“Look, Rory. You’re angry right now. I get it. I do. If I’d walked in on what you saw, I probably would have beat the shit out of the other guy. It must have been awful for you.” He splays his hands wide and gives me the puppy-dog eyes that used to make me melt. “Janessa has been all over me since we moved to the island. She’s a weakness, but seeing you walk in the door the other day was a moment of absolute clarity. I fucked up, but I love you. I love you. Just you.”

Something about the way he says it makes me wonder how many times he succumbed to his weakness. My phone beeps in my pocket as I shove more things into my bags. I take it out, and there’s a text from a number I don’t have in my phone. Puzzled, I stare at it for a second until the words register.

Sent Kane back early. He’s coming up the rear staircase to help you pack. Dumbass Derrick proved true to his name. Not sure you should be alone with him.

Relief rushes through me, and I’m heading to the door before the knock sounds. When I tug it open, Kane is there with a bag.

“I understand this is yours?” Kane lifts a large suitcase which isn’t mine but is far better than what I’m using.