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We don’t want to be done.
I take a deep breath. “I willnotbe the bride who has to tell guests a week out from the wedding that it’s off.” I jab my finger at him and he has the good sense to look fearful of another war with me. “You move out. You take a break. And you figure this out fast.”
He nods. “I do love you, Kristen.”
“Just not enough to know for sure that you want to marry me.”
While he packs his bag, I think about Julie and the fact we never did finish discussing her. I think about the fact I’m unsure I want to. It’s the kind of conversation I desperately know I need to have while also desperately wanting to run from. Because if my gut is right, it means Bradford was right all along. It means my fiancé has cheated on me, lied to me, and not respected my trust.
It means my entire life will come crashing down.
It means I will have to make the kind of choice I’ve avoided my entire life.
My self-respect or my father’s approval.
21
@thetea_gasp
Oh,my poor heart, girlfriends. It’s official: our girl @kristenblaise is single again. Rumors of splitsville circulated last week, but movers were spotted today at her condo. That’s after the hot mess of her annual Hamptons party for the sparkling people over the weekend. The mess in which Kristen got drunk and let her hair down like we’ve never seen. Photos were shared anonymously with us showing her grinding all over three different men #hellyeah #getitqueen We want whatever she was drinking. But then @johnathonswindle’s cheating #bodycount was the highest we’ve ever heard of, so we’ve no doubt that whatever she was drinking was needed #facts Sometimes, getting ghosted in the beginning of a relationship is the preferable option. Here’s our advice, honey: say good riddance to trash, wipe your hands clean, and find yourself a new #zaddy. Goodness knows the line for your affections is long. We’re staying tuned to see who you choose #zaddywatch
22
@thetea_gasp
Hell hathno fury like a woman scorned. Especially if her name is @kristenblaise TBH we can’t blame her, but holy wow, friends, have you seen her latest Insta post? #savageAF We bow down to you Kristen. We’ve never seen such bold moves. And we are here for all of them. In case you missed her post, girlfriend, she posted about burning @johnathonswindle’s belongings. She also spent a huge chunk of his cash on clothes, shoes, jewelry, and a European vacation. Kristen is our new CEO of moving the F on. We can’t wait to see her next move. And for those of you wondering what Johnathon is up to now… No one here cares, honey, and if you do, there’s something wrong with you. Didn’t you know? Girls run the world now.
23
Bradford
I throw some whiskey down my throat and wonder what the hell I’m doing in this club at one a.m. in the middle of the week. Nightclubs aren’t my scene but my brothers dragged me out tonight after telling me I’ve been working too hard lately.
The music that’s louder than I’d prefer, the bodies packed together, the sticky alcohol on the floor, the sweat that’s clinging to the air. None of this appeals to me and I make a mental note not to say yes to Callan or Gage again if a club like this is on their agenda.
Callan found himself two women to leave with forty minutes ago, and Gage’s assistant called him half an hour ago with an urgent problem she needed his help with. I decided to end the night with one last drink before heading home. I should have just skipped the drink.
I finish my whiskey and stand from the couch where I’ve been sitting. I’ve been watching one particular woman dancing with two guys. She’s sexy as hell but it wasn’t her beauty that caught my eye. It was the way she’s moving. Wild and free.
I continue watching her while I make my way out of the club. I’ve yet to see her face, and as I move closer, she turns in one of the guy’s arms. Her head is thrown back and my eyes are glued to the wide diamond choker necklace that takes up half her slender neck. It’s a bold statement piece that sparkles as much as the energy she’s bathed in.
She brings her head forward and curls her hands around her dance partner’s neck. I trace my gaze up her neck, to her mouth, to her eyes, and fuck me, my legs stop working.
It's Kristen.
She’s cut her hair. It’s short at the back and sides, and slightly longer on the top. It’s an Audrey Hepburn-ish cut but longer and edgier. She’s kept her same brunette color but has added hints of the sun in there. She’s stunning and I can’t take my eyes off her.
She’s wearing a slinky, shimmering black dress that ends mid-thigh. The frill at the bottom has had a lot of my attention. Almost as much as the three tiny straps crisscrossing her back. Now, I take in the V of the dress between her breasts. I’ve never seen Kristen wear something that reveals as much skin as this outfit does. I’ve never seen her breasts but I’m staring at them now because that dress does a hell of a job of showing them off.
I watch her with the two men for a few minutes, both loving and hating what I’m seeing. Kristen’s taste of freedom has been coming for too long, and while I’ve wanted it for her, I don’t like seeing her sample it with these assholes.
They’ve got their hands where no one’s hands should be on her. And their mouths that are all over her? I want to rip their lips from their faces.
I’m about to stalk over there and pull them both off her when she sees me. She doesn’t stop dancing but she doesn’t take her eyes off me once she finds me.
We watch each other for a few minutes. Every one of those minutes physically hurts me, in the same way every minute I’ve had to watch her with various men over the years has. When she kisses one of the guys, my body fills with an energy I’ve never known. It’s intense, fierce,feral. When the other guy joins in, I’m unable to control my own actions.
My legs carry me faster to her than they’ve ever carried me to anyone or anything, and I’ve wrenched both the men from her before my brain can catch up. This has been coming for eight long years. I’m not thinking anymore; I’m only feeling.
