My heart broke for him, seeing the look on his face. A look he had never let me see before, probably hidden by the layers of masks he wore. It all made sense now. His lack of trust in people. His cold demeanor in an effort to push everyone away. He was protecting himself because no one ever had. Not his family. Not his only best friend.
He squeezed my hand and looked at me intently. “Now, do you see why I don’t want Anderson around you?”
I nodded.
“He’s trouble, Sadie.”
“But why is he trying to cause trouble now? Shouldn’t he bethankingyou for saving him?”
“Well, just like he took everything from me, I took everything from him.”
An icy shiver ran up my spine at his words. His tone.
“What did you do?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
“After I served my time in house arrest at a homeless shelter, I caught up with Anderson, who had moved in with his babymama. He tried to act all chummy when I showed up on their doorstep, like I hadn’t just served a sentence for him, but he quickly learned I was there with a vendetta. I told his girlfriend everything. How he had tried to induct us into a street gang, putting his baby and her in danger, and that he had been cheating on her with a stripper at a nearby club. She kicked him out, took his kid away. Just like me, he lost everything.”
“She deserved the truth…” I said thoughtfully, but I now understood the hate that was probably swirling in Anderson’s heart for his former best friend. Him being at our apartment building tonight probably wasn’t just coincidence. It made my heart leap to my throat.
“And he deserved everything else that came for him. When we went our separate ways, starting our own business ventures, I saw to it that I beat him to every punch. We were both underdogs, clawing our way to the top, but I was always one step ahead of him on the ladder to the top. I know it eats at him, even to this day.”
I shook my head, the corner of my lip tugging into a smile.
“What?” asked Jeremiah.
“It’s just crazy how you two managed to get where you are today. After the lives you’ve had. It’s almost unbelievable you both made it out. You’re a freaking billionaire and this guy writes a book about becoming a successful businessman.”
I looked to the book next to me on the couch, Anderson’s smiling face looking up at us both, and quickly turned it over. Asshole.
“Not as successful as me.” Jeremiah winked.
“I’m sure you’ll never let him forget it.”
“No. Of course not. But I can’t help but feel like he’s coming back for revenge.”
“But his book, spilling all these details…” I mused. “Surely, you’re even.”
“Not to him,” Jeremiah muttered.
I swallowed hard, my stomach becoming unsettled. “How far would he go to get even?”
“As far as he has to.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.”
“Me either. So please, stay away from him. If you see him again, avoid him at all costs. He’s a plague, Sadie.”
“Okay.” I nodded firmly, but his warning only made me feel more scared.
People did desperate things when they were poisoned with the idea of revenge. Everything I had learned about Anderson made him seem like someone we wanted to avoid. Possibly, even dangerous. I put my hand on my stomach instinctively. Protectively.
Jeremiah noticed. “I’ll do everything I can to protect us from what he’s planning,” said Jeremiah, placing his hand over mine.
It seemed like the perfect time to show him exactly what he was protecting. What webothwere protecting. I reached in my purse and pulled out the ultrasound scans. His blue eyes grew wide, their storm quickly dissipating as his eyes landed on the glossy pictures I held out to him.
“Wow,” he whispered in quiet disbelief.
“Pretty amazing, huh?” I asked, scooching closer. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder as we stared at the very first pictures of our baby.
