Who knew your best friend’s ass could be a great distraction from your fiancé cheating on you?
“Besides,” Dax continues, “my mom said he used the honeymoon tickets since you, in her words, refused to marry him.”
“Refused?” My voice gets abnormally high and shrieky. Something I’m finding happening more and more often. “I can’t believe her. Refused!”
“Just be thankful we can be in and out today without having to see him.”
“There’s that,” I grumble.
My nerves ratchet up as Dax parks in the circular drive. The all-black façade shines in the sunlight. A fountain burbles in front of the gray front door. All the curtains are drawn as I fish my key out of my purse.
“You sure you don’t want to stay here?” Dax jogs past me, grabbing the key from my hand and opening the front door. “Who wouldn’t love all of this?”
The entryway might be the most unwelcoming space I’ve ever been in. Solid black marble with a stone statue in the center greets us.
“Who looks at this and says they want it?” I curl my lip up in disgust at the horrible sculpture. “And he said I had no taste.”
“C’mon.” Dax grabs my elbow and steers me upstairs. “Let’s get your stuff and get out of here. It wouldn’t surprise me if a ghost lived here.”
I snicker as he walks up the equally garish stairs. “His name is Ralph.”
“Oh, you have a ghost then?” Dax smiles at me as I lead us toward the bedroom.
I nod. “Very friendly. Probably the only thing I’d want to take with me that wasn’t mine.”
Stepping into the main bedroom, I draw up short. It’s a mess. Sheets are in heaps at the foot of the bed. A half-drunk bottle of champagne sits on the nightstand. And lying in the center? A red, lacy thong.
“I cannot believe him!” I storm into the room, heading straight for the closet. All of my clothes are in piles. “He thinksIwas in the wrong for running out on him? When he clearly has already moved on?”
Grabbing my clothes, I chuck them behind me and start ripping things off the hangers. I can’t help it.
The man cheats on me and has the nerve to say if I come back, he’ll still marry me? Then moves someone else in here when I don’t come back?
“What. An. Asshole.”
I pull all of his clothes out of drawers. Pull every last one of Duncan’s precious sneakers from their place of honor on the shelves.
He probably loved them more than he loved me.
“Hey.” Dax grabs my hand before I can start in on whoever’s clothes now take up the small space where mine were. “Is this helpful?”
I glare up at him, letting out a deep breath. “Yes. How are you related to someone so terrible?”
“I don’t claim him.” Dax smiles at me, before pulling me in for a comforting hug.
“I wouldn’t either.”
I wrap my arms around Dax and let his strength keep me standing. How did I let myself get so taken by someonelike Duncan? Did I really think I couldn’t find someone better? Someone who treated me right?
When we got back together before getting engaged, my mom pushed me to lock him down. I guess she got into my head more than I thought. Telling me I wouldn’t find anyone as good as Duncan.
More like she wanted me to be financially secure. But when I was with Duncan, he was always so sincere in what he said and did that it was hardnotto believe him that he loved me.
Joke’s on me, I guess.
“Okay.” I push out of Dax’s arms, his cologne washing over me. The same cologne that he’s used for years. The clean, manly scent I always teased him about using too much of in high school. “Okay, no more thinking about Duncan. Let’s get my stuff and get out of here.”
“Without destroying the place, Sunshine.” Dax taps my nose. “I don’t want to have to bail you out of jail.”
