“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
That makes me think, howdidLewis know I was gone all night the other night? How did he know I was home the next morning? And he’s here now. On a day I stayed home. “No,” I say with a gasp. He can’t still be tracking me. I deleted the app. I reach into my purse and pull out my phone. Sliding through my screens I spot the app again. “No!” I drop the phone on the floor like it’s covered in the plague. The noise was enough to draw attention to myself. I bend to pick it back up when I see feet. How can shoes show so much about a man? Lewis is in pristine, brown suede loafers with those tassel things, while Keeton is in boots that are rough and tumbled, thick, and masculine. Yeah, those belong to Keeton. The same man who just said he loves me. I look up at both men but focus on Lewis. “You’re still tracking me?”
“No, I…”
“How? I deleted the app.”
Keeton reaches out, palm up. I place the phone in his hand. I watch as he scrolls through the screens. Looking at Lewis he asks, “You do this remotely?”
“Yes.” Lewis replies sheepishly. He knows he’s been caught.
“Why?” I ask. “Why would you do that when we were married and especially, why now?”
“Because I didn’t trust you.”
“You didn’t trust me?”
“No. I found out you were going to college.”
“How?” I didn’t tell him. I only confided in my family.
“I found a letter from ASU. It upset me. I thought you were happy.”
Shaking my head, I think,he found a letter?I was very careful. He must have gone through my things. “So, you started to track me?”
Giving me a slight nod, Lewis adds, “I needed to know what else you were lying to me about.”
“Lewis. You could have asked me.”
“You would have lied,” Lewis scoffed.
“Maybe, but we’ll never know. Lew, you wouldn’t let me doanything. You were angry about the notion of me working. You talked me out of continuing my education. Heck, you didn’t even want me to spend time with my sisters.” Now I’m getting riled up.
Lewis glares at me. “Hey, I did that for your own good. Your sisters are a terrible influence.”
Yep, I’m getting riled.
“I kept monitoring you for your own good. I knew you were going to your sister’s bakery all the time. I can only imagine how many calories you ate while you were there.”
“You were keeping track of what she ate?” asks Keeton, but he shouldn’t be surprised. I told him as much the other day.
“Her weight was out of control.”
Keeton looks at me, then scans down my body. “Her body is fucking amazing.” Looking at me, his eyes are smoky and sexy, “Thank fuck for your sister’s bakery, babe.”
I blush at his words but turn back to Lewis. He and I stare at one another for several seconds. “Yeah, Lewis. Thankefffor Sadie’s bakery.” I arch a brow, daring him to say another word. “You want to know what’s sad?” I don’t wait for a response. “I only wanted you to be happy, Lewis. I married you so you could achieve your goals. We were friends, or so I thought. Even though you talked down to me and treated me like crap, I still wanted you to be happy. I hoped you’d meet the right person and you’d finally live the life you wanted. Instead, you tracked me? You monitored my life like I was doing something wrong?” I step closer to Keeton. “The thing is, Lewis, as stupid as this sounds, I still want you to be happy. I mean, is your job really more important than your happiness?”
“I was happy with you,” he says barely above a whisper.
That’s not true. “You divorced me.”
“I had to. Before you divorced me.”
“I wanted out, sure. But, I believed in the vows we took. For better or worse.”
“But, you just got the worse didn’t you, Lainie?” I’m shocked to hear those words coming out of Lewis’ mouth. “I got the better.” His head is hanging in shame. “I know I treated you like shit, Lainie. I consciously tried to keep you down. I said things that hurt you to keep you insecure.”
“It worked.”
