Page 106 of All Tied Down

I wonder if Garrett said something to Theo about what happened last night and he told Des or if it’s written all over my face. Either way, I steel myself for my soon-to-be ex-husband to walk through the door.

“I’d say good morning, but it doesn’t really feel that way,” Garrett says as he closes my office door behind him with a snick.

“Yes, well…” I let my words trail off, annoyed that he looks like he got more than a few hours of sleep.

“You’re still serious about going through with this?” He holds up a plain manila envelope in one hand and I’m stunned into silence. Roan must have worked overtime to get those done. “I mean, you must be considering you left your key on the counter.”

“It’s what we agreed,” I manage, every one of his jabs landing as he scoffs.

“Are you sure? Because yeah, it’s what we agreed to six months ago. Do you know how long six months is, Em?”

“Of course I know how long six months is,” I force out, pushing my chair back to stand. “You want me to change—to feel bad about who I am…”

“So you’re not the woman who rushes home because her husband is devastated about kicking someone out of his band? Spending every waking minute with him to make sure he’s okay and then rallying his friends for a guys’ night so he’s not alone?”

“I did what anyone would do. I’ve never said I don’t care about you, Garrett. We can still be friends but I⁠—”

“I had this crazy fantasy that I’d walk in here and you’d tell me getting divorced would be a mistake. Because honestly, Em, I don’t know if I can just be your friend.”

“Don’t.” The command, like the crack of a whip, is powerful—like a dare.

One he’s all too willing to take as we face off, my desk the only thing separating us.

“Don’t what? Tell you I’m in love with you? That I’m not just in love with you but that I love you with everything I am?”

“Garrett,” I gasp, straightening as the words repeat over and over in my mind, the fight draining from my body.

Has any man I’ve been involved with ever said they love me?

He stares at me, waiting for a response, but when the silence remains, he slams the envelope on the table, his wedding ring noticeably absent. “I kept my promise until last night. If this marriage ends, it won’t be because of me.”

And then he’s gone, his exit gutting me more than I ever could have imagined. But I have to pull myself together.

Pick myself up.

Because whether I like it or not, I have work to do.

42

EMERSON

In my entire life, I’ve never felt like I was making the wrong decision the way I do right now. College and internships and countless promotions have led me here.

To this office.

But it’s not just the office.

It’s my team.

It’s the people on my floor and in this building who make Andrews International a success. It’s our ability to do good in the world—donate and sponsor and provide accountability along the way.

And then I met Garrett and I liked spending nights in his arms. He invited me not only into his home but into his life with his friends.

But not his parents.

The little voice in my mind is unhelpful because even though we hadn’t met, he told them about me but respected their need for space. And there would be no reason to meet them if we were going to get divorced anyway.

“I had this crazy fantasy that I’d walk in here and you’d tell me getting divorced would be a mistake. Because honestly, Em, I don’t know if I can just be your friend.”