The first to step out is Glory, and then Ames follows with her camera in her hand. They both give me a glare when they see me. I'm not shocked. I don’t think the looks have anything to do with Gabriella and me. If they knew we were married, I know for damn sure I'd be getting a lot more than a few mean stares from them.
“Watch yourself, Kenton.” Glory points her finger at me. “Try to object to this wedding today and see what happens.” I hold my hands up at the same time I see my wife slipping out of the suite. Her head is down, all of her attention focused on her phone.
“I’ll be in line with you if someone tries to stop this wedding,” I tell Glory.
Gabriella’s head snaps up at the sound of my voice. Her eyes widen for a moment before anger settles into place on her pretty face. It doesn’t matter which expression she makes, she's always breathtaking. Even when she looks as though she wants to cut my balls off. There’s no doubt that she’s seen the article.
She holds her chin up high, not even acknowledging my presence. She tries to walk past me behind the other girls. I let her pass me, but she doesn’t get far before I wrap my arm around her, pulling her back into me.
“Don’t. I saw the pictures.” She tries to wiggle away from me. I give her some space but only enough to turn her in my arms. “You make me wear this stu-” She cuts herself off, unable to call it stupid. “This ring. But you don’t wear yours.”
She can’t get those words past her lips because she feels this crazy thing that we have too. It’s real. She’s pissed and has every right to be. I’d lose my mind if this was the other way around. It would drive me insane thinking she had something going on with another man. But on some level, she has to know there is an explanation for all of this.
“You noticed I didn’t have my ring on?” She really must have checked those pictures out. Her lips purse. Fuck. I’m not trying to piss her off more. “I have my ring.” I lift my hand to show her. “It needed to be sized. It kept falling off,” I rush to say. For the first time in my life, I feel nervous. She does that to me. “Hated not having it. I didn’t think I’d grow used to it so fast, but I did.” I lean down, my grip tightening more around her waist to press her into my cock. “I enjoy the band against my skin when I jack off to thoughts of you. All the while telling myself soon I’ll get to fuck my wife and not my hand.”
“Kenton.” She lets out a breath before melting into me.
“I love you,” I say. It's the fastest way I know to tell her this isn’t a game or that I’m cheating.
“Kenton.” She whispers my name this time.
“I love you,” I say again. “I promise. More than anything else in this world.”
“But—”
“Kenton.” I don’t have to turn around to see who called my name. I’d know the shrill voice of Stacy York anywhere. I release my hold on Gabriella, to shove her behind me. She doesn't go easily. “Who is this?” She motions her hand toward Gabriella. “Are you cheating on me?”
Stacy's eyes fill with tears. As always, she’s done up, looking as though she’s ready to walk a runway as she used to do years ago. I was really hoping last night when she showed up that I’d made things crystal clear for her to stay away from me. That there was never anything between us and never would be. But obviously she didn’t get the message.
Last night when I stepped out of my car to go into my building, she was waiting for me. She must have followed me home from the restaurant. That’s the only way I could think of how she knew where I lived. I’d run into her when I was at dinner with one of the partners at my firm. He’d gotten up to take a call, and she’d slipped into his seat while he was gone.
I dismissed her and told her I was in a dinner meeting and if she needed to speak with me to reach out to my assistant. He’d then hand her over to another lawyer at the firm. She didn’t want to get up, but she also didn’t want to make a scene at a very popular restaurant.
She’d clearly bided her time and followed me home to try again. I don’t think Stacy is used to men saying no to her. I truly thought I’d be done with her after that conversation. I hadn’t held back when I told her to stay the fuck away from me.