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I shift away, afraid for my dick’s and my safety. “Again, thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“I’m sorry, but there is no way that dirty she-devil would sign this without—” When he pauses midsentence, I see the light bulb. “I take it back. You smart motherfucker. You totally used your smarts on her, didn’t you?”
I nod. “Just like she did, I used sex—well, the illusion of sex—to get what I want.”
“Holy shit.” He whistles, appearing genuinely impressed with my mastermind plan. “I guess they don’t call you Dr. Love for nothing.”
I chuckle, rolling my eyes. “No one calls me that. I’ve got the legal side covered, but I still have to ensure she won’t tell Maddy.”
Hunter sips his beer, deep in thought. “So you’re totally ignoring Finch’s advice, then?”
Feeling like a total ass, I confess, “Yes and no. This is the only way I can tell Madison the truth, Hunt. I can’t lose her, and I know that’ll happen if I tell her everything. There are some things people can’t forgive someone for, and this is one of those things. And even if she does accept it, it’ll change everything between us. She’ll never look at me the same way again. Especially if that baby is mine.”
Hunter shudders. “You think Juliet’s really knocked up with your kid?”
I raise my shoulders in defeat. “I think there’s a good chance that it’s mine.”
“Fuck.”
“My thoughts exactly. Can you now see why I’m doing this?”
Hunter nods, although he looks a touch disappointed. “I get it, man, I do. But Finch was right. How can you trust Juliet? What are you prepared to do to keep your secret under lock and key?”
“I don’t have a PhD in psychology for nothing.”
He blows out a deep breath. “So you’re going to take my advice and use your psychobabble bullshit?”
Running a hand through my hair, I reply, “Yeah, man, I am. There’s no other way. The truth will fuck me over. This is theonlyway.” I look at him intently, hoping he agrees with me. Hoping he tells me that I’m not as messed up as I feel.
“And you think she’ll fall for it?” he asks, narrowing his eyes.
“She already has,” I declare, rubbing the back of my neck.
“Well, fuck me with a cherry on top. This plan of yours, although completely and utterly unethical, just might work. You’re totally playing on her weaknesses to break her down. It’s quite an ingenious plan.”
His comment makes me feel like Dr. Evil, so I feel the need to clarify. “I’m not a total bastard. I do intend on getting to the root of her issues. How I deal with them, well, that’s still undecided.” I know I’m abusing my knowledge, but what other choice do I have? Telling Maddy the truth is no longer an option. It never was. So at this stage, this is the only plan I’ve got.
Hunter brings forward a question I’ve desperately been trying to avoid. “That’s great and all, but you need to ask yourself if you can really do this. You may get away with it, and Madison may never find out, butyouwill know the truth. You will know what you’ve done. For the rest of your life, you’ll know you lied to the one person who has never lied to you. Can you live with that on your conscience?”
Sighing, I run a hand down my face. “It’s a small price to pay. I’d rather that than lose her forever. I was kidding myself, Hunt.”
Hunter raises an eyebrow.
“I tried to tell her the truth, but it was like some higher powers from above stopped me,” I openly explain. “And besides, telling her is the right and honorable thing to do, but I never said I was honorable.” There, I said it. Do I feel better about it?
No.
“It’s your call, Dix,” he replies with a shrug. “I can see why you’re doing it, as I tend to agree with you. I don’t think Madison will forgive you for what you’ve done, but you just need to think about what this will do toyou. Sooner or later, you won’t know the truth from the lies you’ve told. Just be careful, dude.”
I want to tell him to lighten up, but I can’t. His concerns are the same ones that have plagued me all week. But there’s no other way. In this circumstance, there is no gray matter—only black and white.
If I tell Maddy the truth, I lose her. If I lie to Maddy, I lose myself. I know which option I would rather.
A knock on the door gives me the pardon I need. “Must be the pizza.”
Hunter casually nods and turns up the TV when baseball comes on. And just like that, this conversation is over.
Reaching into my back pocket, I pull out my wallet and open the front door. However, my neighbor, Mr. Amos, stands before me. Unless he’s now delivering pizzas, I have no idea why he’s here.
