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“Fuck Frankie,” I snarl, my reaction making his gaze widen. I’m giving myself away, but I don’t care, at least not this second.
“Okay,” he murmurs. “I wouldn’t trust him as far as I can throw him, either. But what if what he said was true?”
“What about it? It doesn’t change anything.”
“Are you sure you mean that? Because personally, it changes things for me.”
I ignore the tightness in my chest in favor of glaring at him. “How so? My grandfather’s still dead, regardless of whether he arranged for it to happen or not.”
“This isn’t her you’re talking to.” He glances up at the ceiling. “Maybe she would believe that—though I doubt she would. But I know better. And it changes a lot for me, thinking he might have been dying, which was why he set the whole thing up. Tell me that doesn’t sound like something he would do.”
Everything inside me feels like it’s on fire. “I can’t talk about this right now.”
“Eventually, you’re going to have to.”
“And exactly who are you all of a sudden? My therapist?”
He sips his drink, lowering the glass with a sigh. “I disagree with how he handled this. He should have been honest. He could at least have left a note, something to explain what he was thinking.”
Why won’t he let it go?“Too much is going on right now for me to afford the time to think about this. I’m going to need you to accept that. Do you think you can?”
He nods slowly. “Sure. Just be careful it doesn’t eat a hole in you when you aren’t paying attention.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” I empty my glass, which I then slam onto the desk. “Anything else?”
He turns the glass around in his hands. “Do you really want to know?”
“Something tells me I don’t.”
He snorts. “Too late. You already asked.” He tosses back the rest of his whiskey, placing his glass beside mine before facing me head-on. “Why don’t you give up the act and tell that girl you care about her? What’s it all about anymore?”
I’m ready to punch something or, better yet, someone, and Prince is looking real tempting. “Get the hell out of my study.”
“Make me.”
I can’t help but laugh. “Fuck off. Seriously, enough of this. We’ll talk about it another time.”
“I think we need to talk about it now because something became crystal clear to me tonight. You don’t have to agree with me, but don’t insult my intelligence by denying it. You have the right to remain silent,” he adds with a smirk.
I lean back in the chair, dread swelling in me though I do my best not to show it. “Speak. But make it good.”
He squirms a little like this makes him uncomfortable. “Things have changed. For you, for her. I’m the first to agree that it’s bullshit how you were tricked into marrying her. Yes, I said, tricked,” he’s quick to add when I lower my brow. “Can we please speak plainly? I think we know each other well enough to do that. I’m not her. I know you too well. And I know that when you threw yourself at her and pushed me out of the way, she was the most important thing in the entire world. Nothing else mattered. Not Alvarez, not Frankie, not even your grandfather. Only her.”
“She’s carrying my child.”
“I said what I said. I have never seen you like that. I didn’t even know you had it in you. And I’m sure she saw it too. She’s not a stupid girl, not even close. It might be a good idea to decide how you want this fucked-up relationship to go once and for all. Because I was watching her in the mirror on the way here, and when you changed your attitude, her face… crumpled.”
When I remain silent, he rolls his eyes and lets out a heavy sigh. “I don’t know who I’m becoming. I’m no matchmaker. But it seemed like you were being unfair to yourself, and I felt like I had to say something about it. Even if you don’t see it, I do. It’s all right to want her. Nobody would blame you for that. You’re nobody’s fool. But you’d be a damn fool to push her away if you actually care about her.”
With that, he stands. “I’m going to get some sleep. If you need me, try to at least wait until morning to bother me.” I hate the fact that I can’t come up with something to throw in his face. I want to—badly—but I’m too tired to lie. Too tired to make sense of how far I’ve fallen.
I learned this evening that my grandfather was quite possibly dying and decided to use his impending death to further our family’s position. I murdered our strongest rival and have every intention of absorbing his family business. I’m supposed to reflect on how deeply I’ve come to care for my wife?
And how much I regret hurting her?
It’s a relief when my phone rings. This, I can handle. This, I can do.
I clear my throat before answering. “Ms. Martinez. I thought we’d speak this evening.”
