“But… they were delivered today… I just assumed they were from you.”
“No…” he answers, his gaze flicking to the flowers on the desk before dropping to the trash can. When he meets my eyes again, his eyes are narrowed and he takes a step toward me. “Who the fuck is sending you flowers, Pip?”
I shake my head. “I don’t know. I thought they were from you.”
“Obviously not,” he snaps, staring at the lilies again as his nostrils flare and he clenches his fist. He turns back to me, glaring daggers into my skin. “Who the fuck is sending you flowers and vases with cute little fucking hearts on it, Pip?”
“I don’t know!”
“You don’t know? Well, he obviously knows you well enough to know that calla lilies are your favorite fucking flower, doesn’t he?”
My eyes widen. “He? Are you accusing me of something right now?”
His lips flatten into a straight line as his gaze bounces around the studio like he’s looking for something and when his eyes finally land on me again, they are cold and hard. “Just tell me who sent the flowers, Piper.”
“I don’t know!” I scream, balling my fists up and gritting my teeth. Wyatt has been the only man to ever own my heart and I thought he knew that. I thought we were past all of this. He sighs, shoving his hand through his hair.
“Is it James? You leaving me for that fucker?”
I stare at him with wide eyes. Jesus Christ. The man has lost his goddamn mind. “Are you kidding me? I fucking love you, Wyatt, and only you. You know that.”
“Then why is some other fucking man sending you flowers?” he roars, pointing to the bouquet still sitting on the counter. He glares at it for a second before scooping it up and chucking it at the wall. “Fuck this. You know what I don’t need, Piper? I don’t need to get my heart pulverized by you again. If you want this little pissant, then get your shit out of the house and go be with him.”
He spins on his toes and walks out of the studio without another word and I stare after him for a few seconds before pain splinters my chest and tears sting my eyes. As I stumble back to my chair, I gasp for air and try to work through the last five minutes in my mind over and over again.
Where in the hell did it go wrong?
My hands shake as I pick up my phone and dial Eden’s number. I’m not leaving Wyatt and I’m not giving up on us but there is no way in hell that I’m going back to the house tonight.
“Hello?” Eden answers and I suck in a stuttered breath.
“Edie… can I come stay at your place tonight? Wyatt and I… we had a huge fight and I…”
“Of course,” she says, cutting me off. I thank her and tell her I’ll be there soon before hanging up and burying my head in my hands as a sob rips through me, echoing around the empty studio before being swallowed up by the upbeat pop music that only amplifies just how shitty I feel. The tears trickle down my cheeks and the pain in my chest grows as his words play on a loop through my mind. God, he was so cold, so sure that I would betray him like that I can’t help but think this is my fault. I lied to him about the real reasons I left for ten years and during all that time, it is all he’s known. I can’t help but wonder if he is still holding onto some resentment about all of that and if we’re strong enough to overcome it.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Wyatt
I clench my fists to keep my hands from shaking as I stomp out of the studio. The door slams behind me but I ignore it. Images of Piper with another man flash across my vision, fueling me as I jump behind the wheel of my truck and peel out of the parking spot. Pain blooms in my chest, pain like I haven’t felt in ten goddamn years and I grit my teeth as I peel out of the parking space and press the gas pedal all the way to the floor. I’ll be better once I put a little distance between me and my lying wife. My mind spins as I fly down the quiet street, going over the last ten minutes again and again in my mind and wondering where the hell I went wrong. Things have been so damn good between Piper and me but those flowers tell a different goddamn story. My knuckles turn white from gripping the steering wheel so hard and I wish I could just crack it in half as rage flows through me. I feel like my hand is attached to live wire, electricity sparking through me and making me want to crawl out of my own skin. My mind spins as I try to put it all together but it just doesn’t make any sense. Who the fuck is sending my wife flowers?
And more importantly, why would she do this to me again?
Why would she do this to us?
My heart cracks in half as I think about going back to the way things were before she walked back into my life and I shake my head, fighting the urge to throw up.
Why would she do this to me again?
The thought bounces around in my head, driving me to the point of madness, before reality crashes down on me and I suck in a breath.
Oh, fuck…
Piper never cheated on me.
Almost like I’m walking through a haze, things become clearer and I run a hand over my face.
Jesus Christ.
What the hell did I just do and what was I thinking?
Piper wouldn’t cheat on me. Not now that we’re back together and trying to have a baby. Not when she could have had anyone she wanted only a month ago.
“Fuck!” I scream, punching the steering wheel so hard I hear a crack but I ignore it. It’s not what is important right now.
Goddamn it.
I fucked up so bad.
Shaking my head, I slam my foot on the brake and as soon as the truck slows down a little bit, I yank the wheel to one side, flipping around right in the middle of the street before flooring it to head back to the studio. Maybe she will still be there and I can apologize for being such an epic dumb ass.
I can’t believe I yelled at her like that.
What the hell was I thinking?
My chest feels tight as I race back toward her, hoping and praying that she will hear me out long enough to make it up to her but when I get back to the studio, her car is gone.
“Goddamn it,” I growl, pulling my phone out of my pocket and dialing her number as I head for home. My parting words ring in my ears and I hope to God she’s not there packing.
Fuck.
I can’t lose her again.
Her voice mail picks up and my heart climbs into my throat as I toss the phone into the passenger seat.
Oh, this is so, so bad and also, perfect with all the other shit I’m dealing with. I feel like I’m losing my fucking mind and I don’t know what to do with all this goddamn guilt and worry twisting itself into a poisonous little cocktail inside me. Spots flash in my vision and panic claws at my throat as I reach over and grab my phone before dialing her number again.
“Please, Piper,” I whisper, my free leg shaking like crazy. Just as I pull up in front of the house and park my truck, her voice mail picks up and I grit my teeth, almost crushing the little piece of plastic. Her car isn’t here either and my heart kicks against my ribs as I wonder if maybe I was right.
What if she went to him?
Shaking my head, I push the idea from my mind as I grab my phone and pull up the tracking app I put on her phone right after the break-in at the club. She doesn’t know about it yet and I know she’ll be pissed but I really had the best intentions. There is also a tracker on her car, in her purse, and embedded in the necklace I bought her in Charleston. Getting that one was kind of tricky, though since I had to do it in the middle of the night and hide it well enough that she wouldn’t see it.