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Apparently, Braxton was officially on his bad side.
Good.
The asshole.
“It’s not my fault I date—and marry for that matter—weak women,” Braxton snapped.
Every man in the room went absolutely wired, including the one that was across from me that had helped birth Braxton and the man that was now squeezing my hip so hard that it hurt.
“Bain,” I said carefully, patting his hand. “That hurts.”
He immediately let me go, a rough sounding “sorry” leaving his lips as he stood straight.
I smiled, then turned to Braxton and said, “Maybe you should finish your discussion then leave. That is, if you’re free to go.”
I looked at Sunny questioningly, and he nodded. “Right now, we have nothing to hold him. Circumstantial evidence at best. But we can look into the girlfriend. Which we haven’t been able to locate as of yet.”
“I gave you complete access to everything that you asked for.” Braxton narrowed his eyes. “I even gave you the app location of the phone that she’s using. I’ve cooperated fully.”
I’d been around Braxton enough to see that it irritated him that Sunny didn’t fully believe him. It was honestly quite comical to see that someone didn’t fall into his hands and roll around in his greatness.
Though, normally that particular thing only happened when it came to the opposite sex. That’d been why he found me so flawed. I hadn’t ever rolled over and given him exactly what he wanted.
“What else can you give us?” I asked.
“Nothing,” Braxton said stubbornly.
“I can give you access to all of his stuff at the bank. I’m still cosigner there. In case you need it,” I said to Sunny, sensing more than seeing Braxton stiffen. He hadn’t remembered to take me off his bank accounts and I still got mail at my address since I’d changed my address at the bank and they’d assumed that was where Braxton’s shit should be moved to, too. “I can also give you access to all of our old storage buildings, the lease on their apartment and any other information you might need. Braxton’s been a little remiss in taking me off all of that. I can also give you access to our phone records, too, since he hasn’t gotten himself off of my phone plan yet.”
Luckily, he paid for it. But he was lazy and anything that required him to actually do anything other than saying it verbally while in person? That was completely out of the question for a man like Braxton.
“You should’ve taken yourself off,” Braxton snapped at me. “You shouldn’t have access to any of that.”
I rolled my eyes. “Braxton, you’re on my phone plan because you’re too lazy to get your own phone plan and set up your own line. You also like the fact that I have to see your stupid line on the bill every month. I know. You’ve been gaslighting me like that since we were teenagers. And, joke’s on you, but you give me a discount, so that’s the only reason that I allow you to stay. I could use every cent that I can get right now.”
I felt Bain’s arm slide around my hip and then tighten over my belly.
Then he kissed my throat as he said, “You can join me on Mom and Dad’s plan. Then we can all get discounts and numbnuts can figure out his own plan. And starting tomorrow, you’re on my bank account, too.”
What he didn’t say was, “I don’t like to see you struggling.”
But I heard it loud and clear anyway.
“I have to go to work,” I finally said instead of the instant denial that wanted to spring from my lips. I’d been taking care of myself for a while. And not even would I take the offering from my parents—even though they’d done so half a dozen times since my divorce with Braxton. “And I need to go get my apartment cleaned up after yesterday.”
“That’s already taken care of,” Cassius, of all people, said. “We just came from there. Directed the cleaners on what to do. But there’s some bad news. There’s some structural damage to the walls and the door. Something that came about because apparently there are some termites in the walls, as well as some toxic mold that was also found by the inspector. You’re not going back there for a while.”
I felt myself flinch.
Where would I go…
“You’ll stay with me,” Bain informed me. “Until you don’t like me anymore and I can’t get you to stay.”
I snorted. “That would never, ever happen.”
Not ever.
“This is all sickeningly sweet and all,” Braxton butted in, but Wake spoke over him. “And we have your furniture getting sent to Bain’s garage. It should all fit if he doesn’t park his truck in there.”
I snorted and almost laughed out loud at that. “Just donate it. There’s nothing besides the knickknacks and personal items that I would really want to keep. I had to scrimp and save after the divorce and most of that is garage sale secondhand items anyway.”
