“Hell no,” Ashton said, and I didn’t turn around. I was too embarrassed I’d been telling the whole hospital we were married so I could get info on his dad.
“I’ll leave you two to talk.” The doctor must have assumed we were having marital problems and left the room.
My phone buzzed then and I wasn’t going to look, but I saw the words “911.” Opening the text from Julie, my stomach turned over. She’d texted five times and I hadn’t noticed.
Julie:Ashton knows!
Julie:He overheard me talking to John.
Julie:FUCKING CALL ME.
Julie:Millie, he just left in his truck. I think he’s coming to the hospital.
Julie:911 CALL ME.
I spun and my heart fell into my throat when I saw Ashton’s fury. He was pale, forehead beaded with sweat.
“Ashton…”
“Don’t. Just get thefuckout of my life and don’tevercome back.” His words were filled with such malice, I wasn’t prepared for it. My head reeled back in shock.
“Ashton, let me explain…”
He laughed, walking closer to me, and I was suddenly grateful we had the room to ourselves because I had a feeling I was about to get my ass handed to me.
“Explain what?” He reached up and gripped the neck of his shirt, yanking so that it tore open, revealing the scar. “This is why you’re here, right?” He tapped his chest. “Your dead husband’s heart?”
Nausea rolled through me at his words.
I lowered my head. “No.”
He stepped closer, jaw clenched. “No?”
I swallowed hard. “That’s why I came here, but not why I stayed.”
“Oh bullshit, Millie!” he shouted and I jumped. “You’rea psycho!” He seethed, “You’ve wormed your way into my life, stolen half my bar, and hadsexwith me, all in the name of getting closer to your husband’s memory.”
His words hurt; they weren’t true. But did I deserve them? I should have told him day one. I looked into his eyes and saw so much hurt there. I hoped he saw equal emotion swimming in my gaze. “No.” I shook my head fiercely, tears streaming down my cheeks. “I didn’t know you were going to be good looking, I didn’t know we would have chemistry, I … hated you when I first met you.”
“Ditto,” he growled.
This was going off the rails.
“That night with you … at your grandmother’s guest house, I neveroncethought of him. I—”
Ashton shook his head. “I can’t believe a word out of your lying mouth.”
Tears blurred my vision and I realized in that moment that I was going to lose him. Lose Ashton, the bar, his dad, everything I was trying to save. I had really started to fall for him, allowed myself to open up for the first time since Colin. I’d imagined a future with this man, and by withholding the truth I’d fucked it all up.
“I’m sorry.” Tears splashed down my cheeks. “What if it was Jenna. What would you have done?”
He seemed to consider it before that mask of anger was back. “Not this.Notfucking this.”
I reached for him, suddenly desperate to make him see, but he recoiled. “Get out. I want you out of the apartment by tonight or I’ll call the sheriff and have you evicted.”
My mouth popped open. “Ashton, let me explain. This wasn’t—”
He stepped forward, nearly slamming into me, and I froze.
