“Who the fuck is Connor, anyway?” I demand. “Callin’ you babe? I mean, how come he’s allowed to be here and I’m not?”
“He’s a friend, not that I have to answer to you.”
“A friend… or afriend?”
“I’m not doing this.”
“Did you tell him you’re still married?”
“I said goodbye, Haze.”
“It’s just a question,” I call after her. I don’t like seeing her walk away, but she started it. I wasn’t here to cause trouble, and I don’t see why I should remove my cut just to make her life more comfortable.
Willow has made it very clear we’re not a thing, but that doesn’t mean I can’t support her victories. Granted, I probably shouldn’t have flipped that asshole the bird, but he had it coming.
“Way to go.” Sawyer slaps me on the back. “I can see you may need to brush up on your fraternization skills in a public setting, but it could’ve been worse.”
“She won’t shoot him in front of people,” Brew mutters.
“She’s ungrateful if you ask me,” I say, watching her cross the floor, back to the podium. “Which reminds me, Sawyer, I need to find out who that douchebag is in the blue suit right there. Goes by the name Connor.”
Sawyer’s eyes drift across the room until he’s nodding. “Got it.”
“That her new boyfriend?” Brew asks, but I don’t acknowledge him.
“I’d say our work here is done,” I say. “Gettin’ eyes from too many cops.”
“It was your idea to come,” Brew reminds me. “Not the most genius of plans, but you never think things through.”
“Shut the fuck up.” I run a hand over my face, giving one last look at Willow as we start to walk. Her eyes flick to mine, but shelooks away. No matter what she says — I saw the look of horror on her face when she saw me. I know where I stand now, and I stand absolutely nowhere.
I don’t see her parents here. No doubt her father would’ve found a million excuses not to come and cheer her on and celebrate her success, and her mom? Don’t even think about it. She remarried a few years back and spends half her time in Europe.
I know it must hurt not having them here, which is why I wanted to show solidarity. Fat lot of good that did me.
“No need to snap at me,” Brew says, falling into step beside me. “Maybe you just have to finally get it through your thick skull she ain’t comin’ back.”
“You think I don’t know that?” I shake my head. “Who even said I want her back? It isn’t illegal to come to your wi?—”
“There you go again,” Sawyer sings. “With the ‘my wife’thing. Play a different tune,old man.”
If we weren’t surrounded by a few hundred cops, I’d turn around and punch him in the face.
“Who are you callin’ old?” I throw back.
Brew thumbs at me.“Yeah, and I’m older than him, so what does that make me?”
“Ancient?” Sawyer snickers.
The ride back to the office is uneventful. Sawyer splits to keep tabs on Connor and find out where he works. I can’t stop thinking about Willow and what she’s doing with that Connor guy. Granted, we haven’t been intimate for a long time now. I didn’t agree it was best to take a break, but that’s whatshethought was best. My girl, always overthinking things.
“You think Wills is mad about her parents not bein’ there?” Brew asks as we’re about to pull into the lot.
“They’re assholes, why would they care?”
“It just kinda sucks for her. I know we don’t love cops around here, but she’s one of the good ones.”
“I know that, hence the reason I wanted to go. She’s worked hard.”
