“It’s fine. I’ll wait for you downstairs,” I say a little more harshly than necessary. I know I probably look angry right now, but I don’t care. I turn and rip the door open, striding out and back down the elevator.
I get outside to my car and pace a few times, unsure what to make of her and that guy.Is he her boyfriend? I thought she didn’t do boyfriends. Hell, didn’t she go home with that Jessie guy the night of the gala? Morgan’s billionaire neighbor. Maybe they aren’t exclusive? Ugh!
I pass my hands through my hair, then reach into my car for the two travel mugs. Leaning back against my car, I take a sip from mine and wait, keeping my eyes on the entrance door of their building.
Five minutes later, the door opens, and Veronica walks out with that Nathan guy beside her. They stop, and he opens his arms for her. She seems reluctant at first but finally steps into his embrace. Although she doesn’t hug him back, keeping her hands tight around her body.
I can’t help the smirk that forms on my lips. She may be intimate with him, but he doesn’t give her the same sense of security I give her.
He lets go of her and walks to his car that’s parked two vehicles ahead, while Veronica walks slowly over to mine. “Hi,” she says softly. “Sorry I made you wait. I didn’t know what time you’d be here.”
“It’s fine.” I hand her the travel mug. “It’s for you. I wasn’t sure how you took your coffee, but you look like a sweets kind of girl. So, I put a bit of cream and two sugars.”
She smiles down at the mug as she takes it. “Your assessment is right, but it’s three sugars.”
I grin back at her before pulling the passenger door open. “I’ll remember that.Come on, let’s go.”
“Nice car. I’ve seen it before; I just wasn’t sure if it was yours or Gabe’s,” she says as she sits in carefully.
“Mine, and she’s my baby.” With a wink, I close the door and head to the driver’s side.
“Ah, so I’m guessing no one gets to drive her but you?” She smirks with a knowing look.
“That’s right.” I nod and start the car, pulling out onto the street.
Veronica makes a weird sound, then lets out a shaky breath. I look at her as we stop at a red light and notice she looks different today. She’s not wearing her usual high skirt, stockings, and heels. Instead, she’s wearing black and pink leggings with a pink sports bra and sneakers. Her complexion seems pale, her face is makeup free, her hair is down and looks finger-combed, and a lost look fills her gaze.
“Hey, are you okay?”
Her head rests against the seat as she looks out the window. She turns to me, offering a small smile that doesn’t reach her eyes as she says, “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine,” I tell her.
“Thanks, Casanova.” She gives me an annoyed look before turning back to the window.
“Kitten.” I place my hand gently on her thigh and give it a small squeeze. She looks down at it, then up to me. “That’s not what I meant. I just meant that you look tired, maybe even sick. If you want to take the day off, you can.”
Her hand comes down above mine. “It’s okay. I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me.”Yeah, that’s not possible.
“Okay,” I finally say. Clearly, she won’t admit what’s wrong, so I’ll just let it go for now. “Have you had breakfast?”
She shakes her head. “No. Not yet.”
“Okay, we’ll stop to pick you up some food. Ellis isn’t home right now, so he won’t be able to make you something. And the groceries aren’t set to arrive until later this afternoon, so there’s not much in the fridge.”
Thanks to the app she’s put on our phones, we can see when the deliveries will be made. And yes, I called it home, because even if she doesn’t know it yet, that’s where she belongs.
“Okay, thank you,” she says quietly.
More proof that she isn’t doing well. Veronica never speaks in a small voice. Yes, she can be tender and delicate, but she’s never sounded like a wounded animal.
VERONICA
A few minutes later, Noah pulls up to a breakfast place and stops the car before turning to me. “Do you want to eat here or at home?”
“At the penthouse, if that’s okay?” I’m really not feeling up to sitting in a restaurant around all those people.
As if on cue, my lower abdomen contracts and a blinding pain shoots through me. I fight the urge not to bend in half or cry out by taking deep breaths through my nose. My menstrual cramps have always been tremendously severe.
