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Oh boy.
“Okay, I should have rethought sharing until tomorrow.”
“The hell you should. My wife meets with a man to view apartments, I should have been the first to know.”
“Evin, he’s Dante’s friend, meaning he’s not the kind of friend interested in women.”
“Bullshit, he takes one look at you and bet he’s rethinking that.”
“I’m sitting here, in my bed, locked in my house, safe, talking to you. Calm down.”
It’s apparent I said the wrong thing when he roars again. “Do you have any idea what it would do to me if something happened to you?”
My brain is screaming at me to be pissed, but my heart swells at his worry.
“Okay, sweetheart, it won’t happen again. But stop yelling at me or I’ll get pissed.”
He blows out a breath, and I can picture his beautiful face grinning at my statement.
“Now, are you ready to hear about your options?” I bite my lip, hoping he likes what I offer.
“Nope, did you find something you like?”
“I found two. One had a fabulous kitchen, but no office space.”
“Your kitchen is more important. I’ll make a workspace anywhere. Pick it and send me the paperwork. I’ll sign and give the deposit.”
Suddenly, my plan takes a nosedive and I try to evade the last part. He picks up on it. “Fuck me, Poppy, if you even try to pay for this, I’ll lose what’s left of my cool.”
“You have something left? That is surprising because you’re acting like a Neanderthal again!” I snap.
“Did you pay for anything?”
“I gave a binder to hold the two until we spoke.”
He’s quiet again, and I fidget. Maybe my way of working around was a bit risky.
“Tomorrow, you’re going on my accounts. I’ll order you a credit card and have it rushed. And when I get there, we’ll talk about your bills.”
“Do you want me to roll my direct deposit into your account?” A slight wave of panic sinks in. We have spoken briefly about finances but never delved deep into the subject. He’s got money, and from what I can tell, he has a lot. My accounts aren’t slim, but for years I’ve been stowing money in an account with Dante.
“No, I want you to keep your money. You’ll need it with the influx of gifts that hit Charleston today.”
“They came? They weren’t scheduled until later this week.”
“When my phone wasn’t blowing up with the drama, it was blowing up with messages of deliveries.”
“They were just pictures.”
“They were pictures of our wedding, which makes everyone happy. They provided a perfect distraction.”
“I’m glad.” My eyes go to my nightstand and the shot of us in the garden. It’s one of my absolute favorites because it’s candid. In this shot, Evin is the star. He’s gorgeous any day, but his expression at this moment was exquisite. There’s also something intimate happening. Something that will forever be between us. Every time I see it, I’m back in that moment.
“Did you get your delivery?”
“I did and was waiting on you to open it.”
“Are we out of the danger zone with your hissy fit to open it now?”
“Shit, Poppy, men don’t throw hissy fits. I will not apologize for being protective.”
“We are not going there again. Get the gift and open it.”
There’s rumbling on his end, and then the sound of crinkling paper and bubble wrap sets my heart racing.
“Jesus, fuck.” The emotion in his voice is undeniable.
“I have the same one at my bedside. I thought it would be beautiful on the far wall between the windows.”
“You building us a collage of memories?”
My gaze hits my wall. “If you want me to.”
“Have at it.”
“Evin, it’s late and you need to get back to sleep, but what happened with the Connie situation?”
“I got enough sleep.”
“It’s three a.m.; you have to sleep more.”
“Baby, tomorrow night, I’ll be on a plane. If my body needs rest, it’ll be after I walk through your door.”
“Tomorrow night?!?” I squeal excitedly.
“Connie may fuck with everyone else’s plans, but that bitch doesn’t get shit from me. All the adults and Maya shifted their travel plans to take a later flight on Thursday. It was easy to move my plans up.”
“Did Pierce give in into Connie?”
“No, Darby had a solution. Darby is the only person on this earth able to calm Pierce down and make him listen. Since Connie’s fake problem was Maya missing math, Darby called Maya’s teacher and arranged for Maya to meet with her after school the next two days, complete her assignments, and even go half a day on Thursday. Pierce took that shit straight to Connie and already contacted his lawyer. He played her at her own game because now she’s fucked. Pierce’s lawyer keeps an open file on Connie’s bitch-filled antics. He’ll be sending a message to her lawyer with no specific terms, but it creates paperwork. Paperwork means billable hours, which will invoice directly to Connie. Not to mention Pierce is adding in the cost of the ticket change fees.”
