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“It’s over,” I said roughly, choking back my tears. “This was always just temporary and we all knew it. One day you’re going to toss me away and find some new…” I glared over my shoulder at him, “…publicist.”
His jaw went tight. “That’s not fucking fair. You’re nothing like Geena and we don’t treat you anything like her.”
My heart wanted to believe it. But life had taught me differently. Men could say nice words. My dad used to talk so sweet about my mama when he was up in front of the congregation. About how he loved her like God loved the church and other beautiful words.
But when push came to shove, he wanted her in his kitchen doing his laundry not saying a word back to him, never going out, raising his babies—
Baby.
“I’m leaving.”
The elevator pinged again and the doors opened at the lobby.
Right into the bodies of Janus and Milo. “What’s going on?” Janus asked, eyes on Leander. “Why’d she run?”
Milo alone was looking at me. “Are you okay, honey?”
“She’s coming back up with us and she’s going to finally tell us what the hell is going on in that head of hers,” Leander said.
Janus nodded, stepping on the elevator and crowding me backwards so that I had no choice but to back up to the corner. Milo followed him in and the elevator doors closed.
“Apparently, she didn’t learn her lesson about running and not talking to us,” Leander said, his voice low and dangerous.
“Leander,” Milo warned.
“Enough,” Leander snapped. “She’s going to learn one way or another. No matter how red her ass gets learning the lesson.”
“No!” I objected, and all three men looked at me in surprise at my outburst. But I wasn’t standing down. I glared at every single one of them. “None of you is laying a fucking hand on me.”
The tears I couldn’t keep back finally exploded over the rims of my eyes and flooded down my face.
But I’d had enough. Enough of their cocky attitudes and just— Enough!
“You wanna know why I’m running?” I asked, laughing bitterly through my tears. “Fine.” I reached in the one bag I’d brought and rustled around, then when I couldn’t find it, I dramatically dumped it all out on the floor of the elevator right as it pinged on our floor.
That didn’t stop me. I kept rifling through the few pairs of underwear I’d packed and lip gloss and— There!
I held up the positive pregnancy test in triumph, then yanked off the little protective plastic cover so they could see the results. I skewered Leander and Janus with my gaze.
“One of you barbaric bastards knocked me up.”
28
YOU DON’T KNOW THE MEANING OF THE WORD
Leander took a step backward like he’d been struck, shaking his head no back and forth. But Janus, Janus got the biggest smile on his face.
He immediately dropped down and started shoving crap back into my bag.
Milo just stared at all of us, his mouth dropping open in an O of surprise. Frankly, I’d expected all of them to act like that.
I looked back at Leander, who’d suddenly crossed his arms over his chest. The elevator had started beeping from Milo pressing the Door Open button while Janus gathered the rest of the things and shoved them in my bag.
Leander snatched the pregnancy test out of my hand and looked at it closer. “How do we know it’s real?”
“Jesus fuck, you goddamn idiot,” Janus looked up from where he was perched on the ground. “Of course it’s real. She was a virgin.”
“So she says,” Leander said cooly.
And if I wasn’t so tired and emotional, I would have slapped the bastard.
“If you weren’t paying attention, you mean bastard, I was trying to leave.” I shoved Leander hard in the chest and then pushed my way through Leander and Janus, who had just stood up. I yanked my bag from Janus as I went.
“So it isn’t ours after all,” Leander said, and he sounded like a stranger. “She’s exactly like Geena, fucking other men behind our back.”
The obsessive man demanding I stay only minutes ago was completely gone. It hurt more than it should, even though I knew this was where it would all eventually lead. They’d go cold and hurt me, and I was right to have tried to leave first.
I shrugged and tried to be as ice cold as he was as I glared back at him. “I guess that’s the only explanation you’ll accept.”
“All of you shut up,” Janus said. “And let’s get back to our hotel room.”
I huffed out a laugh. “Fat chance. I’m outta here.” I hiked my bag up on my shoulder and then I started down the hallway. If they could take the stairs, so could I.
“Don’t you dare go anywhere when you have our baby in you,” Janus said, arm winding through mine and stopping me before I could go even one step.
