“Alejandro.” She tried to come in farther. To challenge my current shit mindset.
I lifted my hands in a request to back up. “Ineedyou to leave.”
Beth had cheated. Shot me. Fucked me over. None of that hurt as much as losing a woman who was never mine to begin with. Not even close. And I didn’t know how to wrap my head around what that meant. It made no damn sense.
“O-okay,” she sputtered, and my heart fractured in half at the fact I was hurting her right back and she didn’t deserve it.
I waited for the door to click shut; then I went over and locked it before removing the ring box from my pocket.
I’d planned to give it to her tomorrow and savor the time we had together, even if it was pretend. But how could I pretend when her heart belonged to someone else?
It felt like cheating, and there was one thing I’d never be, and it was a cheat. I wasn’t like my ex-wife, or anything like Mitch.
But hell ... Iwaslike Trevor, wasn’t I?
And we were both in love with the same woman.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Audrey
“How’s Seraphina?” I asked after Ryder ended his call with her. I didn’t even know what time it was in New York. Heck, I barely knew what day it was here. Were we in Thursday territory now?
Ryder slid his phone into his pocket. “She really likes Constantine’s wife and son, so she’s enjoying herself. Probably getting baby fever, too, since Juliette’s pregnant. I’m looking forward to one day being a dad myself.”
Well, that was sweet. I couldn’t wait to be an aunt.
“But how are you holding up?” He rubbed a hand down his face, appearing as exhausted as I felt.
I dropped onto the edge of the bed and let my head fall forward. “You mean, how am I handling Alex being mad at me for some reason?” I’d gone back to calling him by his nickname. It was somehow a smidge easier that way. “Any idea why?”
Ryder sat beside me. “No clue. Something set him off, but he shut down on us, too. We tried talking to him.”
Yeah, I’d noticed. Both he and Reed had attempted to get into the second bedroom and had failed. He was ghosting us all.
“Maybe try and sleep? Trevor’s keeping watch on Eden. Chase is safe at the base. Gwen, Natasha, and Hollis’s twin brother are digging for more leads. There’s nothing you can do right now.”
“Why aren’t you digging, too?” I gave him a little nudge.
“Bah. I’m more of the rescue-or-kill guy. Give me a target package and send me on my way to execute the mission. A little intelligence gathering here and there is fine, but we’re outside my realm of expertise right now, and I’m fine with admitting that.” He peeked at me over his shoulder. “Find numbers inside numbers or ask me to be a Ghostbuster?” he joked. “Not my thing.”
“Good at making me smile when I should be pouting, so points there.” I rested my head on his shoulder. “Also, you’re selling yourself short. You’d make an excellent Ghostbuster.”
A husky laugh fell from his lips before we both sighed. “Anyway.”
“Ah, you use that awkward-killer the way I do. We must be related.” I lifted my head, stealing another look at him. “And also, since you’re not doing the heavy intelligence lifting with the others, then why don’t you rest, too?”
“I’d love to, but Alex locked us out of the other bedroom, and I can’t sleep in here. Hollis is taking the queen next to you later. My future wife wouldn’t appreciate me rooming with another woman.” His laugh that time was light but tired, cutting through some of the tension. “Reed’s passed out on the couch, somehow tuning out Gwen’s web call with Hollis.”
“You could kick him out and have him take the second bed in here,” I suggested.
“Let a guy sleep in the same room as my sister? Not a chance.” He gave me a funny look. “Don’t think Alex or Trevor would be thrilled with that, either.”
“I don’t think Alex cares anymore.” Even saying that tore me up on the inside. “Trevor wouldn’t mind. We’re just friends.” I closed my eyes, resting a hand on my shaky stomach. “Trevor kind of gave us his blessing, actually.”
Ryder was the one elbowing me now. “Elaborate.”
“Not that I needed him to, but he wants me to be happy, and he thinks Alex makes me that way.”
