“Get the fuck out,” I shout, aggressively pointing at the door.
Dom raises his hands in surrender, but does as I ask. Axel is quick to follow, no doubt about to chastise his friend. My dick of a best friend remains.
I shoot Ryker a pointed look.
“You can’t fire me. I own half the place. What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing. Don’t you have somewhere to be?”
“Eh. Bella is working and she’s meeting me here after work for some VIP room time, if you know what I mean. I have at least a few hours to kill.”
“You’re annoying.” I snark.
“And you’re a fucking grumpy asshole lately. I’m going to venture a guess and say this has to do with yourgirls,as Axel put it.”
My eyes drift to the stack of papers that have been burning a hole in my desk since the day Raegan showed up. I’ve forgotten them more than once and I’m starting to think I’m subconsciously sabotaging my own divorce.
Then there’s the matter of a certain little pixie that has effectively injected my days with energy and humor. She’s so fucking infectious in the best way. It’s hard not to love her. The problem is… she left us.
Demi’s been gone for almost a week and I haven’t heard from Raegan since she left. I’m not even certain she’s still in town.That’show radio silent she’s been. And my days have been considerably long–and boring.
“I’m not a grumpy asshole,” I counter. “I just have a lot going on. The owner of the land is itching to sell to someone else if I’m not able to get the paperwork finished soon. He won’t give me an exact timeframe, but he’s pushing–hard.”
My door swings open, yet again and I’m suddenly fucking over it.
Without looking up, I shout, “No. Get the fuck out! Whatever it is… it can wait.”
“Hayes–” It’s the same angelic voice I’ve heard in my dreams for the past two decades. Raegan.
“That’s my cue,” Ryker cuts in, standing and sliding past her to get to the doorway. “If you need me, I’ll be… somewhere.” He’s gone before I can stop him, leaving me alone… with my wife.
Raegan doesn’t move. She just waits, her feet anchored to the floor. Waiting for what? I’m not sure.
Eventually, I tip my head up to regard her. She’s not dressed in her usual pencil skirt and blouse ensemble. Fuck. This time, she’s sporting a skin-tight baseball tee with high-waisted jeans and tennis shoes. With her hair down, draping over her shoulder in soft waves, she’s all casual, all damn day. The sight of her like this, instantly transports me back in time to the day we met. And most of our time together, if I’m being honest. The Raegan I married had a freedom to her that I haven’t quite seen since her return… until right fucking now.
The fluorescent light of my office bounces off her auburn hair and fair skin, casting a glow that has me itching to call her my angel again. She’s so fucking stunning, but I have to remember she doesn’t want to be my wife anymore and I definitely deserve to lose her… again.
“The papers are right here.” I tap my index finger against the simple, yet elusive stack of divorce papers. “I’ve marked the pages that need signatures. Once we’ve both signed, I’ll make sure they’re filed and I’ll obviously cover the filing cost.”
“How gracious of you,” she responds harshly before taking another few steps toward my desk. “Except, I don’t really give a fuck about the papers right now, Hayes.”
My eyes snap to meet hers, attempting to decipher what I’m seeing in them. If she’s not here for the papers, why is she here?
“I’m about to ask you a question and let me make myself perfectly clear when I say I expect the complete truth. No more of this vague, non-committal, skirting thing you usually do. Are we on the same page?”
“I guess that depends on what you’re asking, Raegan.”
“Promise me,” she commands firmly. I don’t miss the slight tremble in her lips, betraying her otherwise stoic stance on this.
I nod subtly. “Fine. What’s your question?”
She pauses, closing those sparkling emerald eyes that I could get lost in–for just a moment–before sighing. “What made you leave me?”
Every muscle in my neck tenses along with a very rapid rise in my blood pressure. Not this. Anything but fucking this. “Why does it matter? It doesn’t change anything.”
“No,” she stops me, pointing her index finger at me, full of accusation. “That. That is exactly what I didn’t want. It matters because I said it does, Hayes. We got married so fucking fast, but the month we were together was the happiest I’ve ever been. I thought you were happy too.”
“Raegan, I was hap–”
