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“What pictures?” I questioned, getting increasingly lightheaded by the minute as I tried my best to piece together his cryptic answers. “What articles?”
“So you’re just gonna play dumb?” He scoffed, his playful tone growing lower and more serious. “Reed Lawson. The pictures of the two of you are everywhere, people talking about how you left your boyfriend at the altar for this billionaire. And Jade’s brother, for God’s sake!”
“Don’t call him that,” I ordered. The response was automatic and, strangely, the only part out of that crazy rambling I felt the need to correct.
He was hurt—angered and upset by the idea I could have moved on with another man so quickly when he had just admitted to falling in love withmy best friend.
While we were together!
Chad’s eyes narrowed as though he was focusing me in his sights and preparing his shot. “So it’s true, huh?”
“That’s no longer any of your business,” I answered simply, then I took a deep breath. I stepped around him and, with my good hand, picked up my bag from the floor. I wasn’t going to play these games where he attempted to make me look like the villain so he could feel better abouthisfucked-up choices. Not that I cared anymore about him, per se.
“That’s it?” he taunted, following me as I walked to the front door and pulled it open.
I paused in the doorway, turning to face him one last time. “Yes! That’s it.”
My heart pounded against my chest. Was I ready to walk out of here and try to explain to the hot billionaire businessman waiting in the hall that, apparently, the world had assumed we got married? And instead of correcting that assumption, I decided to let my ex believe it to be true.
Hell yes, I was.
But there was a chance Reed would throw me out on my damn ass.
He would probably get a restraining order.
Or have me straight up arrested.
“Wow,” Chad said, shaking his head. “I never thought you would be so bitter about me withholding sex from you that you would jump into bed with the first guy you saw on the stree—”
“Watch how you fucking speak tomywife.” The deep, threatening growl was accompanied by two heavy hands that settled possessively on my hips. Instantly, the tightness in my body eased as they guided me backward, out into the hall. Reed then stepped around me, placing his body between mine and Chad’s like a shield of armor. He knew I needed that space. He also knew I needed room to breathe and to gather my thoughts before I let Chad’s idiotic accusations soak into my skin.
Reed was protecting me.
And it had been a long time since someone had given enough damn about me to do anything like that.
“I let Valen handle this because she insisted I not get involved, but now I am, here is your one and only warning…” Reed advised calmly, but there was no mistaking thetake-no-shitundertone that instantly chilled the air, “… don’t fuck with what’s mine.Understood?”
I couldn’t see Chad anymore, but I could hear him shuffling. “I… it… I’m—”
“Good,” Reed declared, turning to me and taking the bag from me before pressing his hand to my lower back. “Time to go home, honey.”
I didn’t argue.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure I could, even if I wanted to.
Instead, I let him guide me in silence back down the staircase to the foyer and out to the street where his car was parked. Karl was waiting with the door open, and he took my bag from Reed and closed the door behind us once we were both settled in the back seat.
The silence felt familiar, and I hated it. My mother had this wonderful habit of pretending everything was perfectly fine with the people around us while her anger at me bubbled and fumed on the inside.
Building and building.
Bubbling and boiling.
Until the second we were alone, it would explode like a volcano, her words like lava, burning and destroying everything in its path—which was usually only me.
As we pulled away from the curb, the silence within the car became too much, and I turned to Reed, expecting to feel the heat of his anger on my skin, and prepared to apologize profusely. “I’m really sorr—”
“Karl, we need to make a quick stop at Dolores’ Diner,” Reed said loudly as he casually typed away on his phone.
