“It’s okay, Elena. Me and you will be back in here shopping up a storm when she has the baby,” I say with a wink.
Elena chuckles. “I’m down for that!”
But then I think, I won’t be here when she has the baby. My heart constricts. I’m excited for Ava and Reaper, and even though I’m not a kid person, I’ll be missing out on so much after I leave.
“Can we go get something to eat now? I’m feeling a little nauseous,” Ava says.
I force a smile. “Sure.” We briskly go to the checkouts.
We order food and drinks at the local diner and sit at a table outside.
“Remind me to get the back seat of the truck cleaned,” I say. The women laugh, except for Ava, who smiles but averts her eyes. “Viper makes me so…” I fan my face. It was hot as hell.
“Do you know where Candy went?” I ask. “I must admit I feel a little bad about the man she left with.”
“I don’t know if she’s left for good,” says Elena.
Hoping I assumed wrong, I ask, “Did the men mention why the police turned up at the warehouse last night?”
Silence. Everyone’s eyes are shooting to one another.
“I knew it! It was my dad, wasn’t it?”
Elena’s eyes drop to the ground. Ava gives me a tight smile, so I glance at Zara. She gives me a small nod.
“I need to talk to him.” Even if the thought tightens my throat. “Do you mind if I leave soon? The whole incident has upset me, and I want to try and resolve it with Dad.”
After lunch, the women go back to the clubhouse, but I get the family’s chauffeur to pick me up. Once I take a seat in the limousine, I take my phone out of my bag and call Lawson.
“Hey,” he answers.
“Hey, do you know where Dad is right now?”
“When I was talking to Alec this morning, he mentioned Dad was at home today.”
“Thank you,” I reply. “Do you still want to offer a donation to Zara’s charity?”
“I do.”
“Great. I’ll call you later to get it sorted then.”
“To my father’s home,” I say to the chauffeur.
When we pull up outside, I open the door and get out. The sun instantly warms my skin. I take a moment and gaze out at the calm lake and let out a long sigh before making my way past the guard and inside.
“Dad, where are you?” I call out before the door closes behind me. As I walk through the hallway, I hear his voice. He’s standing in the living room, looking out at the lake while on his phone.
He turns, sees me, and nods in acknowledgment, so I take a seat.
My eyes latch onto a vintage whiskey decanter with two tumblers next to it. “Don’t mind if I do,” I mutter under my breath, knowing I’m going to need it. I pour a generous amount into the glass, bring it to my mouth, and shoot it back. I repeat the motion twice more, feeling the burn travel from my mouth to my stomach.
Once finished with his call, he walks to me and bends over to kiss my cheek before taking a seat next to me. “How have you been?”
My lips press into a thin line.I’ve been better, no thanks to you.My body tingles with anxiety. I pull the contract from my bag and pass it to him. “This is what you wanted. Please stop causing problems with the MC.”
He slowly takes the contract from me and flicks through it to the last page. He nods, then places it on the table. He says, “I’m surprised, but”—I sigh in disappointment; of course there’s a but—“I want you to get a divorce. I want it all over and done with.”
I peer down at my wedding ring and frown. “It’s between me and Viper… no one else.” I know I was planning on leaving after a month, but I’m faintly aware I’m not so sure what I want anymore. All I know is I don’t want anyone else to make that decision for us.
