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I laugh without humor, blowing my nose with a tissue noisily. “You know a guy? I know plenty of them, trust me.”
She holds up a finger. “Ah, yeah. I forgot that.”
We sit on her couch and binge on pizza and chocolate and watch Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
“Why is your Dad such a fucking prick? I can’t believe he wants you to marry that asswipe Brian. Did you tell your Mom?”
I shake my head. “Not yet. She’ll go postal on his ass. The things he said about her…” I shake my head.
“Babe. You know he’s just using manipulation to get what he wants. That’s what he does. Any man who could offer you a deal like that is clinically insane. It’s all about prestige for him. None of this is about you or your happiness.”
“I know.” I sniff. “But two million dollars?”
She gives me a look of horror. “Don’t tell me you’re considering it?”
“No. of course not. I could never look at Brian again, much less have his children.” I shudder at such a thought. “I just don’t get how my Dad is so evil. How he can hold my inheritance over me like this. I don’t need money that badly.”
“It’s a lot of money,” she agrees. “But marrying that asshole would be like selling your soul to the devil. You can’t just get it back once you sign on the dotted line.”
I gulped on more of the red wine, knowing it would give me a headache later on. “I know that. But it isn’t like Tag is offering me anything more than his dick.”
She gives me a sympathetic look. “Have you talked to him about it?”
I laugh. “Talk? Tag doesn’t talk, Pay, he barks.”
“Well, bark back. I know you can, LuLu. I don’t get why the two of you haven’t just bitten the bullet and gone for it by now.It’s obvious he has feelings for you if he’s being all possessive and shit.”
“That’s just Tag.”
“Really?”
“He’s the Sergeant at Arms, it’s his job.”
“I don’t think so, babe. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. And that night after Solo? He broke into your house to tell you that he was sorry…in a roundabout way.”
I narrow my eyes. “Sounds like you’re sticking up for him?”
“I’m not. I’m just saying. He doesn’t tell you how he feels, he shows you. That’s how you can tell he cares. He might not say it, but he stole your goddamn skirt, for pity’s sake.”
I almost choke on my wine with laughter. “It was a fair swap.” I shrug. “He did leave a very expensive car in my driveway.”
“Pre birthday present?”
“He would never drive a G-Wagon. He claims it’s his, but he’s a bad liar.”
“Hey, being a bad liar isn’t a bad thing.”
“There you go again.”
“Tag is never gonna let you see anybody else,” she goes on. “I think you need to ask him why. Seriously. Make him admit he has feelings, and when he does, you need to work through them.”
“He won’t.”
She squeezes me on the arm. “He will if he wants you. The question is, are you prepared for more heartbreak if he doesn’t?”
I shake my head. “To be honest, I’m not. Every man I’ve ever known in my life has let me down. If Tag hurt me again…even by just being honest or trying to protect me, I don’t know if I’d recover this time… I didn’t mean to…” I trail off.
Payden links her fingers through mine and holds my hand. “You’re in love with him.”
