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“The court ordered it, babe,” she said. “Remember?”
I bristled. Alimony was one thing, but buying new furniture just because she felt like it wasn’t a part of the deal.
“No,” I said.
She looked shocked. “Parker, babe, what’s going on with you?”
“Stop calling me babe,” I said.
“Parker?” Emily’s voice sounded from the front door.
Fucking fantastic.
I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment.
Emily came to us. She looked pale.
“Who’s she?” Brooke asked and looked Emily up and down like she was a bug that needed to be squashed.
“None of your business,” I snapped. “And the answer is no, Brooke.”
She narrowed her eyes at me before she plastered her fake smile back in place.
“I can see you’re a little busy. I have to run, but I’ll be back, and we’ll figure it out, okay?” She glared at Emily again before she left.
When Brooke was gone, I turned to Emily, who had questions in her eyes.
“An ex-wife who just won’t get the picture,” I said. “She’s nothing. She just wants my money.”
Emily nodded. I waited for her to shout at me about Brooke being here. She didn’t.
“Are you okay?” I asked. “You look pale.”
“I’m just ... a little rundown,” she said. “Can we go up? I want to talk to you about something.”
I nodded, and we turned to the elevator together. When I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, she leaned in. I loved having Emily with me. She made everything better. Right now, that was what I would focus on. Nothing else mattered as long as we were together.
Brooke was a bitch, but I would deal with her. I would put her and her money-raking claws out of my mind for as long as Emily was here.
We rode to the penthouse suite, and I opened my front door for Emily. She declined an offer for something to drink and walked to the living room. Something was up with her.
“Are you sure you’re not just rundown?” I asked when I sat down on the couch next to her, pulling her legs so that they were draped over mine. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m just under a lot of pressure right now,” she said. “This whole business with my mom and Ryan ... It’s really stressing me out.”
“He’ll come around, you know,” I said.
“Are you sure about that? Ryan can be stubborn.”
I nodded. “I’m sure. He tries to be a hard-ass, but he cares about you. And he’s one of my best friends for a reason. He’s a solid guy. He won’t be petty about us being together forever; it’s just a bad situation. He needs time.”
“My mom didn’t make it any easier,” Emily said with a sigh. “It’s a lot to have to deal with so early on. My family drama isn’t a party. Are you sure you want a part of it all?”
I cupped Emily’s cheek. “I want everything that comes along with dating you.”
Emily let out a breath. “At least, I don’t have to worry about looking after my mom now. When I lost the Richmond contract, I was terrified I would have to close up shop, and then what would become of my mom? But then you were there, and now Mom isn’t my problem anymore.”
“What do you mean by I was there?” I asked.
