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Lucas grinned. “Yep, me.”
His gaze ping-ponged between us. “Are you together?”
“Let’s file that under none of your business. You’re down to ninety seconds. What do you want?”
“Can we have a moment of privacy?”
“Nope. Lucas is my guest, and you’ve already rudely interrupted our plans.” I let the word hang there while watching his cheeks redden. No doubt he’d heard us through the door.
“Fine. I need you to talk to your sister.”
“About what?” If it was about the baby, there was a small part of me that might feel compelled given my profession.
“She believes I’m a cheater.”
I glanced toward Lucas to confirm those had been Mike’s actual words. Judging from his arched brow, I hadn’t been hallucinating. “You are a cheater.”
“Once. But she thinks I’m going to do it to her, and no matter what I tell her, she doesn’t believe me. It’s probably the pregnancy hormones or something making her irrational.”
I let out a humorless chuckle. “Let me get this straight. You want me, the woman you cheated on, to reassure your wife, the woman you cheated on me with, that you are not in fact a cheater.”
“One more use of the word ‘cheat,’ and you get a prize,” Lucas quipped, earning my grin and Mike’s scowl.
“I’m afraid I didn’t catch your name. I’m Dr. Mike Lansky. And you are?”
Of course he had to mention he was a doctor. What did I ever see in this man? “Stop. This isn’t a dick-measuring contest. Frankly, if it was, you’d come up short, Mike. Way short.” There was some amusement in the way my ex’s entire face went beet red, but not enough to prolong the conversation. “We’re done. The answer is no. I won’t talk to my sister, on your behalf or at all.”
“You’re—what? Shunning your niece or nephew too?”
Nope, I refused to feel guilty. “Don’t pull that shit on me. It won’t work.”
“I can’t believe you’re cutting off your entire family.”
The same family who wouldn’t recognize my nephew, Henry, because he was adopted, who’d made my life miserable, and who didn’t add any value to my life. Yeah. I was done.
“Believe it.” I moved to the door and opened it. I wouldn’t be emotionally blackmailed. I didn’t owe anyone a thing in this fucked-up triangle I’d never signed up to be a part of.
He turned at the threshold. “Your mother was right. You really are the most selfish person.”
A few weeks ago I might’ve felt offended, but now I took pride in those words. They meant I was doing things for myself for a change instead of being influenced by people who only sought to use me.
I shut the door behind him with satisfaction. My next act was to grab my phone and change my Ring pass code so he would no longer have access.
Turning back to Lucas, he stood up, flashed his trademark sexy grin, picked me up, and took me back to the table. “Now, where were we?”
“What wouldyou normally do on a Saturday night off?” Lucas inquired.
We were in my bed propped up on pillows against the headboard, eating Chinese takeout and sipping wine while watching a marathon of The Big Bang Theory.
“After my engagement ended and it became apparent how terrible I was at the rebound phase, I’d order in Thai food, drink some wine, and binge on television right here in this very bed. Often, my friend Addison would come over, and we’d pig out together.”
“What was the rebound phase?”
“Went out in really short dresses and slipped my hotel room key to waiters.”
His eyes narrowed almost like he was jealous. “How many waiters?”
“One.” And I hadn’t gone through with it, but telling Lucas would only convince him I wasn’t cut out for casual.
