Her vexation melts away…slightly. It’s still in her eyes. “I’d love to, but I can’t. I need to be with my friend.” She flicks her view to me for a brief second. “Maybe one day next week?”
My jaw is so tightly clenched, my teeth hurt.
“You have my number. Call me.”
She turns her attention back to me. “Are there any more places you’re going to pop up between now and tomorrow morning? I’d like to be forewarned of where I should be staying away from.”
Stepping closer to her and away from Cody, I bend, placing my mouth beside her ear. “Don’t be vindictive. Although you’re sexy as fuck mad, it’s not in your heart. I don’t know why you fight our attraction so adamantly, but I promise you I’ll have my chance again. And this time, I won’t screw up.”
“What makes you so sure?” she breathes.
“Because I want to right my wrongs,” I whisper before straightening up and peering down at her. “And after that kiss, we both know what’s there.”
A shiver visibly runs down her spine. Her eyes flutter.
I smirk, give her a wink and walk away without looking back or waiting on Cody. He catches up and falls into step beside me.
“What the fuck, man?” I sneer under my breath. “Are you trying to intentionally piss me the fuck off?”
He weighs his options as he stops at the back of my Range Rover.
“You don’t do much uncalculated.” I open my door but turn to face him. “And I know you don’t fuck with what I want.”
His brows jump high. “Seems to me that ship has sailed.”
I glower.
He puffs a chuckle. “She needed to see your reaction. Before, she didn’t know where you stood. I bet she does now.” He strides to his Durango. “You can thank me later,” he shouts over his shoulder.
SIXTEEN
I drew the short straw. Literally. We cut straws, held them up, and I’m the lucky one who drew the shortest straw. So, here I am in Aimee’s house waiting for William to arrive while Shyla takes her retail therapy shopping. Bitches. Both of them.
I’m grateful I had this weekend off, more so now since we stayed up past midnight to pack everything of William’s up. We lined him up to be here by eleven today. It’s ten after and my agitation has eaten away at my patience. First, he wants to screw my best friend over and now he wants to mess with my time.
Finally, a white box truck backs into the driveway. Just seeing him pisses me off and the urge to punch him in the throat deepens with each step he takes closer.
“Hey, Brooklyn.” He sounds nervous. “She wasted no time, huh?”
I cock my hip, resting my hand on my waist. “Do you blame her?”
His lips turn down and he shakes his head. “Where is everything?”
“We put most of it in the dining room.”
I lead him into the house and into the room stuffed full of cardboard boxes that we angrily tossed his things in. He drops his head and sighs.
“What happened, William?” I ask. “I never thought you’d be the type of man to do it.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I watch him hang his head. “Never believed I’d be that guy either, but it just happened. I don’t know how, but it did.”
“You slept with someone else for months and didn’t bother informing Aimee.” I keep my view in front of me, scared that if I just look at him once, I’ll either send myself into a rage, or cry.
“I didn’t want to lose her,” he admits, not looking at me either.
“When did you fall out of love with her?”
He takes a moment to respond. “I don’t know.”
I sigh, dropping my view to the floor in front of me, blinking away the tears I feel for my friend. “She thought you were proposing to her.”
“Yeah. She yelled that as she threw a vase at me.” He kicks the floor. “I truly didn’t mean for it to happen. Everything moved so fast, but the way I feel about…” he pauses and doesn’t give up the name. “It’s out of this world. I love Aimee, I really do, but I quit seeing a future for us.”
“And instead of not leading her on, you kept her believing she’d be marrying you.” The words burn my tongue. “You of all people…You looked at her like she owned the stars in your sky.” Tears prick my eyes and I blink to him. “How could you act so normal and so in love with her but share the same feelings with another woman?”
Sadness swallows him. “I was in denial. I denied it for a long time. I was wrong and I deserve all the hateful things she, and I’m sure you and Shyla, have said about me.”
He doesn’t want to know what we’ve said.
I blow a slow and steady breath. “Quit. You’re making me like you when I hate you. Let’s get started.”
Twenty minutes of heaving box after box into the truck, he blindsides me. “Are you going to be able to lift the cabinet in the hallway?”
My head swings to him. “Do what? I was instructed for boxes only.”
“That cabinet was my father’s.”
Well, shit.
Me: Double checking. The cabinet in the hallway?
Aimee: That’s his.
Me: I’d like a relaxing spa day for this. Jussayin.
“All set. I got the clear.”
William laughs. “Unless you have muscles in that petite frame of yours and you surprise me with superwoman strength, there’s no way you’ll be able to lift it.”
I purse my lips, stretching my arms out and cracking my knuckles. “Well, let me surprise you then.”
Gripping the sides and giving it a lift…yeah. That’s a definite no-go. “Shit,” I huff.
William taps his knuckles on the top of it. “Solid wood.”
“You knew you were getting this. Why didn’t you bring someone to help?” I ask.
“I wasn’t planning on getting everything, but apparently Aimee was.”
“So call a friend.”
His head falls to the side as he looks at me like I’m stupid. “It’s Sunday. All my friends are at the card game.”
My head falls back. “Shit,” I say to the ceiling.
Reluctantly, I grab my phone, knowing the one person who lives the closest is the same man I don’t really want to talk to. But…I need help.
Me: Um. You busy?
Nathan: No.
I shoot William a cold stare. I’m totally back to hating him in this moment. “You owe me so damn big for this.”
I swipe my finger and dial Nathan.
“Hi,” he answers and I have to fight from sighing into the phone at the sound of his voice.
“I, um. I need a man.”
Nathan laughs loudly. “Well, I’m glad you called then.”
“No. Not like that. I need help lifting something. Well, William, the douche who broke Aimee’s heart does,” I slice my view to him and scowl.
“How do I answer this? Do I help? I don’t know the proper protocol for pissed friend helping shithead ex-boyfriend.” I swear I can hear him smiling.
“Help. Please,” I reply. “Everyone else I know lives on the other side of town and will take forever to get here, and his friends are at some stupid card game. And since you’re practically stalking me, I know you’ve got to be close by.” I bite back my smile.