In my anger, I stormed forward, shoving Jeff against the wall with my one good arm. “It’s none of your fucking business,” I hissed. “I did what I had to, and it’s over now.”
“You fucking love her!” he shouted. “You took things too far!”
“She never would have let me go,” I hissed. “She would have kept coming back for more, and we both know that wouldn’t have helped a goddamn thing.”
“So, you purposely destroyed your life?” he argued.
“Better my life than hers.”
Slowly, I released him and stepped back. Things played out exactly as they should have. I couldn’t have planned it better myself, and while I hadn’t intended for Bailey to walk in on me with Ellie, it only made things easier in the long run.
The rumor mill would be working overtime to spread the word around town— in all likelihood, by Ellie.
It would get back to Austin in no time that Bailey was no longermine. He would leave her alone, and she would finally be safe. That was the point of this, after all.
My life would go on, and I would regret every second of it, but knowing she could move on and live her life would make it all worth it.
“I have to go,” I whispered, holding out my hand for Ellie to take.
As she slipped her fingers around mine, it all felt wrong, but it was a necessary evil to make it all play out the way I needed it to. Sidestepping my brother, I walked out to my truck and helped Ellie inside.
The disappointed look on my brother’s face was almost too much to bear, but I shoved away any lingering feelings and drove away.
“Maybe this was a bad idea,” Ellie murmured.
“Why do you say that?”
“Because everyone around town will know what happened,” she said in exasperation.
“That was the point.”
“I can’t believe I agreed to this,” she sighed, rubbing her hand across her forehead. “She was devastated. She’s going to hate me.”
I didn’t care if Bailey hated Ellie or not. She served a purpose, and now that it was over, everyone in town would know what I had done. Maybe that was horrible. Yes, I had used Ellie, but she agreed to it. There was no way to turn back the clock.
I parked in front of the tiny one-bedroom house at the edge of town and got out to walk her to the door. I had to make this look good. Someone was always watching.
Snatching her hand in mine, I eyed the shirt of mine she still wore. It looked wrong on her, but served its purpose.
“One more kiss,” I said as we reached her door.
If I was a better man, I would feel horrible for the way I was treating Ellie. Obviously uncomfortable with the whole thing now, her enthusiasm had dwindled quite a bit since last night.
“Thank you, Ellie.” I squeezed her hand in mine. “Truly. I can never repay you for what you’ve done.”
“But it’ll never be more,” she hedged.
“No, it’ll never be more.”
As I leaned in and sealed my lips over hers, I hated every second of it, but I played it up for anyone watching, slipping my tongue in her mouth to really give the town something to talk about.
“You’re an ass, Liam Parker,” she hissed as she tore off my shirt in broad daylight and tossed it in my face.
She stormed inside and slammed the door, giving an even better show than I could have planned.
I was just about to my truck when I saw him, across the street in the parking lot for the rec center. Standing there leaning against his own truck, the smug smile on his face sent rage coursing through me. I was across the street and shoving him against the truck in a matter of seconds.
Hatred unlike anything I’d ever felt before coursed through my veins. I could murder this man with my bare hands and feel absolutely no regret about any of it. I would end up in jail, but to have him out of my life would make it all worth it.
