Amanda was crazy; I knew that all too well. And I also knew my fiancé didn’t stray because that wasn’t like Korbin.
I crossed the floor and took him into my arms, allowing my body to fade against his, and Korbin held me against him, his chin resting on top of my head as we stood together in the middle of the kitchen, simply holding one another in comfort.
“I’m glad you’re not mad,” he murmured. “It didn’t dawn on me to tell you because there was nothing to it. I was—disgusted, I guess.”
“You’re a good man.” I placed the palm of my hand against Korbin’s cheek, feeling the stubble beneath my fingers, the familiar groove of his face. “You’re a good man, and Amanda won’t be able to take you down. I promise. She can’t beat both of us.”
Korbin closed his eyes, pressing his forehead against mine with a soft sigh. “What did I ever do to deserve you?” he asked quietly. “I can’t think of a single thing.”
I was just about to answer when my cell phone rang, jolting us out of the moment. I glanced at the screen. It was Remington.
“I should take this,” I said with a humorless chuckle. “He has no idea what’s been going on.”
“Take it,” Korbin said, kissing me gently. “I’m going to go take a shower.”
“Hey, Rem,” I said, my eyes on Korbin’s back as he walked away, admiring how his muscles flexed when he moved. God, I needed him. I wanted to chase after him, run my hands all over his body, take off his clothes, and fuck him like we’d hadn’t fucked in some time.
“What’s going on, sugar?” Rem asked. “I haven’t been able to get ahold of you in a couple of days.”
I sighed wearily and sat at the island, resting my elbows on the countertop. “It’s been crazy,” I said and then told him everything that had happened with me, my mom, and Amanda.
“Jesus,” Rem said when I had finished speaking. “I don’t even know what to say.”
“Yeah, well, at least she’s secured now,” I said with a groan. “But even from jail, she can still accuse my fiancé of sexual assault.”
“Are you kidding me?” Rem asked, and I shook my head before realizing he couldn’t see me.
“Not even a little,” I said.
“Are you okay?” Rem’s tone was strained, anxious. “Are you really okay?”
“I am,” I promised him. “Things will get better, right? Anyway, Korbin told me he wants me to start planning our wedding. Probably as a distraction, you know?”
“Well, yeah,” said Rem. “And it’s not like you shouldn’t. This is a big deal, regardless of what happened with Amanda.”
“I know,” I said with a sigh. “It just doesn’t seem like something I can really focus on right now.”
“And that’s exactly why you should.”
“Thanks for the words of wisdom,” I teased, getting up to finish slicing the veggies for dinner. “I’ll need your help, you know. Korbin has a friend who wants to help, but I need my best friend there too.”
“Baby, you know I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” said Rem. “I’ll try to figure out a time to come out.”
“Thanks, Rem.”
“Send Susan my love.”
“I will.”
Chapter41
Korbin
Peyton’s mom Susan was released from the hospital a few days later, alert, coherent, and mumbling about how silly she felt ever trusting Amanda.
“Nobody had a real reason to doubt her,” Peyton said, holding her mother’s arm as they went into the house. “She played us all, Mom.”
Susan shook her head and cussed, hanging up her jacket in the closet by the front door before slipping her shoes off. Peyton grabbed her slippers by the door, and we helped her put them on before walking with her to the couch, where she sat down, breathless, dragging the throw blanket over her lap.
