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Her heart clutched and her coffee mug slid from her fingers and shattered on the doorstep. She leaped back and shoved the door shut.
Doug’s hand caught the edge of the door before she could slam it in his face. “Sophie, please. Just give me ten minutes. Please.”
“There’s nothing you could say that I want to hear, so just get out of here.” Tremors ran through her. She rooted her feet down into the floor.Pull it together.
“Please. Closure. Just give me ten minutes for both of us to have some closure. I think you’ll be happy to hear what I have to say.” Doug pressed the door further open.
Fury roared through her. “Closure? Oh, I got that on our wedding day, thank you very much. You can go to hell. But how did you find me?” Who had given him her address?
His expression was contrite, his tone sincere. “Just hear me out and I’ll tell you. Can I please come in for a few minutes?”
“Fine, ten minutes and that’s it. Now how did you find me?” She stepped back and crossed her arms across her chest. Not that she cared about his bullshit, but she needed to know how he’d found her.
And perhaps a small part of her wanted to see him grovel. Well, maybe a gigantic part. Enjoying a little begging from the jerk before she booted him out of the cottage didn’t make her a bad person, right?
“Follow me. And watch out for Zack. He still hates you.” Sure enough, Zack perched on the couch, his back arched, his emerald eyes shooting daggers at Doug.
She reached the large picture window and turned to look at him. “You’ve now got eight and a half minutes.”
He wore dark jeans and a snug black T-shirt. Objectively, the guy was tall, dark, and handsome. Except because she knew his soul was as dark as his outfit, nothing fluttered at the sight of him.
No attraction. No desire. Nothing.
An epiphany struck her like a thunderbolt. She’d agreed to listen to his story because she no longer loved him. Was truly over him. He no longer had the power to hurt her, at least not where it counted.
In her heart.
He flashed his old-school Tom Cruise smile, one of his arsenal of manipulative tricks. Funny now that she wasn’t involved with him, he looked cheesy. Had she been blind before?
“Okay, first, tell me how you found me? Did Elizabeth give you my address?”
“Elizabeth? No. She was a total bitch to me,” he narrowed his eyes. “No, it was your landlord’s office manager.”
Fury bubbled up in her gut. “My landlord? How did you find my landlord? And Heather gave you the address?”
He shrugged, as if hunting down your ex-fiancée was a run-of-the-mill occurrence, not borderline stalking. “Don’t get hysterical. Does it matter? My old college buddy Ben saw you in downtown Laguna and texted me. It just took a little research after that to track you down.”
“You’re crazy, you know that? You ditch me on our wedding day after cheating on me for months, and you have the nerve to show up here? You had me. I loved you. You didn’t want me. Your loss. You humiliated me in front of everyone.”
She paused and inhaled a steadying breath. “I’ve moved on with my life, and I want you to get out. I shouldn’t have let you in.” She marched toward the door, eager to pound the final nail into the coffin of their shared past.
Doug didn’t budge and he reached one hand toward her. “Hear me out. I’ve been in therapy for these last months. I was wrong, but it was my parents’ fault––they screwed me up. I made a mistake and blew four years of commitment to you. You’re the perfect woman for me. Give me another chance. We can drive to Vegas right now––I’m ready to marry you.”
Sophie burst out laughing. Had Doug actually convinced himself his reality was real? More likely he’d practiced that facial expression in the mirror before he’d arrived.
The bottom line—he was delusional. Elope? Even if she were still in love with him, which thank the lord she was not, she wouldn’t take him back. Cheaters didn’t change.
Her feelings had changed. Bottom line––she loved Nick.
“You’ve got to be kidding.” She doubled over now, bordering on hysterical. “I’m glad you’ve gotten some therapy because you need it, but this is about your ego. You’re like a spoiled five-year-old. You only want me because you can’t have me anymore.”
He flinched, and something flickered behind his pale blue eyes. “Stop cackling like a lunatic. I know you’re embarrassed. I’ll make it up to you. You can trust me… I’ve got your ring.” He reached into the front pocket of his jeans.
She straightened and pointed to the front door. “My ring? Have you listened to a word I’ve said? Forget it, Doug. I don’t love you anymore. You should go.”
His jaw dropped. Another bubble of laughter caught in her throat. Was she having an out-of-body experience? Standing outside of herself watching this ludicrous conversation unfold? Doug’s gargantuan ego knew no bounds. He’d believed he could show up and spout his crap and she’d pop that meaningless diamond back onto her finger.Unbelievable.
When he didn’t move, she brushed past him toward the door, and he grabbed her arm, spinning her to face him. She tugged, and he tightened his grip. His pupils dilated as he gazed at her mouth.
