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The weight of that single word nearly made Wade buckle at the knees. The storm brewing inside him raged and he had to swallow the bile that had risen in his throat.
Brielle’s eyes flitted up to meet his briefly. “It’s complicated.”
How was that any better?Complicated? Yeah, things were complicated. He cared about her and she wanted nothing to do with him.
Once again, the stranger brought his focus to Wade. His eyes swept over him from head to toe before coming back to his face. He flashed Wade a smile. “I can’t say I’m thrilled about this situation, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t expect it.” He faced Brielle. “I know this might seem like it’s coming out of the blue, but if you knew the way I was raised, you’d understand. I came from a broken home, and I vowed it would stop with me.”
Brielle flushed bright red. Every few seconds, she met Wade’s confused gaze. She shook her head, crossed her arms, then moved closer to Wade while still facing the stranger. “It was a mistake.”
“Not for me.”
She let out a sharp laugh. “We barely knew each other. We weredrunk. How can you evensaythat?”
“I wasn’t,” he murmured quietly.
Brielle blinked and her face drained of color. “Tell me you’re joking.”
The man shook his head slowly, side to side.
“You’re insane! What kind of person gets married to someone who clearly—” Brielle started to say before Wade cut her off.
“You’remarried?” Wade blurted.
Brielle flinched.
“Yes. We’re married. Have been for nearly ten years,” the man with the Australian accent said.
“Shut up!” Wade barked at the man. He faced Brielle, shock, hurt, anger, and betrayal playing through his head as he attempted to make sense of the situation. Brielle had dated her way through the town and then some over the last decade. No one was able to capture her heart enough to make her consider settling down.
He couldn’t decide if he was grateful that this particular bit of her past had been the thing holding her back or if it was enough to end his quest to make her his. She still wasn’t looking at him, the shame written clearly on her face.
Wade snapped his gaze to the stranger. “You’re telling me that you’ve been married to her fortenyears and you’re onlynowtrying to fill the role of her husband?” He shook his head and his lips curled into a sneer. “You’re out of your element here. You can’t just walk into town and expect to cart her off like some prize.”
For the first time since the Australian had arrived, his expression turned sour. He glowered at Wade and took a short step toward him. “Elle never served me with divorce papers. We didn’t get an annulment. According to the government, our marriage is as real as it gets.”
Red.
That’s all Wade saw.
He took two steps toward the man, grabbed him by the neck and shoved him against his Jeep. “You don’t know who you’re talking to. Show some respect,” he hissed through his teeth.
“Wade! Enough!”
The man clawed at Wade’s hand, squirming and kicking his legs in an attempt to gain some traction, but Wade wasn’t about to release him.
“You’re going to call your lawyer and get those documents written up. Then you’re going to sign them and never step foot in Copper Creek again.”
“I told you,” he said, wheezing. “I’m not going anywhere because I refuse to be part of a broken home.”
“Wade!”
A bark of derisive laughter escaped Wade’s throat. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re no better than the dirt beneath my boots. A man worth his salt wouldn’t have left his wife alone for a decade, and if he did, he doesn’t deserve her.”
The stranger glanced over to Brielle, then back to Wade. “I tried,” he rasped. “I spent my entire savings to find her.” His fingers continued to pry at Wade’s hand. “I love her.”
Love?
Wade released the man, who immediately buckled over and coughed. How could this guy say he loved Brielle when they barely knew each other?
