I knew I hated the guy.
“Why doesn’t he?”
“He won’t bring any woman, even Lyla, to his house around his daughter unless he knows it’s serious.” Marissa shrugs. “He must see Lyla as a possibility, since he hasn’t even gone on a date in like eight months.”
I glare at him again. “He told you all of this?”
“No, but people talk. Everyone knows it,” she says. “Just like they know that Wade is in love with her. They have a bet going in the center about when she’ll finally cave. Cooper isn’t participating for obvious reasons.”
I feel my jaw tick. If she’s trying to make me angry, she’s succeeding and she knows it.
“She doesn’t like either of them,” I say, like a fucking child in the playground.
“You’re right.”
I take a breath. “She seems happy here.”
“What would make you think that?” Her brows pull together, and her voice finally softens.
“You’re her best friend. I guess you’d know a lot better than I would.” I look at Lyla again. She’s picking up the cones while Wade talks to the group of moms. “She just seems happy.”
Marissa doesn’t say anything. She just stares at Lyla with a sad expression on her face that I don’t understand, so I keep talking, because I need to know her thoughts on this.
“She smiles here,” I say.
“She smiles here?” Her wide eyes shoot to mine, “She has her moments, sure. She’s happy when she’s with the kids.”
“I’ve seen her smiling.” I stare at Lyla. “The other day Prescott posted a picture where she was laughing while shit-head number one was carrying her.”
“On my birthday?”
“Yeah.”
She blinks. “You thought she lookedhappyon my birthday?”
“I know what I saw.” I push down the urge to pull out my phone and show her the screenshot I took. She’s looking at me like I’m speaking a different language, so I repeat, “I saw her. She was laughing.”
“God, Lachlan. You’re so fucking stupid sometimes.” Marissa laughs, shaking her head. “She’s not happy. She’s just gotten very good at pretending.”
With that, she walks off. This time, I don’t stop her. I don’t even know what that means. I know what I saw. I know what Isee. Marissa helps Lyla pick up the rest of the stuff. I should have probably gone over there to help a few minutes ago when she started, but I don’t want to step foot on that field. I may be angry. I may want to see her suffer, but I don’t want to take this from her. By the end of this, she’ll either love me and stay married, or leave me and change her identity again. It doesn’t really matter. If she does that, I’ll just find her again, and next time, I’ll be a hell of a lot faster. I’ll catch her when she steps foot off the damn airplane.
CHAPTER33
DELILAH
I have a three-hour break,but I can’t go home. I don’t care if Lachlan follows me around the world, but I don’t want him there when I’m feeling like this. My apartment is my sanctuary, and he’s making me feel like a lunatic. I can’t stand him right now, but watching Tammy flirt with him was maddening. Instead of going home, I go to Marissa’s smoothie shop. It’s a bit crowded today, but thankfully, the two comfortable accent chairs in my favorite corner are empty. I grab my usual smoothie and head to the chair. Wade walks in and picks up the smoothie he ordered to go, and when he sees me, he comes over. I wish he wouldn’t. I just want to be left alone right now. He smiles as he walks over, though, and it’s so genuine that I push away my annoyance. Instead of taking a seat across from me, he sits on the wooden coffee table between the chairs and sets his forearms on his thighs as he looks at me.
“You good?”
“I’m good.” I take a sip of my smoothie.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay and help with the training session?” he asks.
“No. You already made plans. I’m fine,” I say. “I’m serious.”
“I can’t tell with you.” He exhales heavily. “Which makes me think you’re not joking when you say you don’t feel anything, but then he comes and. . .”
I don’t even bother to ask him to elaborate. I know how I am when Lach’s around. I mean, I don’t even need the chime of the door alerting a new customer’s arrival to tell me he’s in here, right now. My entire body comes alive in his presence. I hate it. I glance up, and sure enough, he’s standing by the counter, glaring at us as he waits for his smoothie.
