The Marriage Rival

“Sounds fancy.”

“And a large hot tub… with wine.”

“I think you have to order the wine,” he tells me.

“Jacque is quick to bring it up.”

“Jacque?” He raises his brow. “Is this the point where I get jealous because another man is bringing wine to your room?”

“Maybe, if you think I’d have an affair with a man old enough to be my great-grandfather. Jacque is practically part of the furniture in this place.”

“Carry on.”

“Oh, and it has this huge TV with all these channels. Great for watching porn.”

Haden stops dead in his tracks, still holding my hand. “You must have really missed me?”

I wrap my arms around his waist. “I did.”

We take our time, walking slowly through the streets. It is very unlike Haden to be so patient. I half expect him to throw me over his shoulder and have his way with me, but he takes it easy.

As we walk, we talk about buying a place in the city next year if business goes well. I decide to let Haden handle the financial side of things, relieving myself of something which I don’t need to have on my plate. He enjoys it, and as long as we aren’t going bankrupt, I need to trust him.

We make our way back to the room. I swipe my card and pull him in. He follows but stops as soon as the door closes. His posture stiffens, his lips pressing together in a slight grimace.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, moving toward him with worry.

“When I went to find you, I thought you and Cassandra were…”

His stare falls onto the floor, his feet shuffling as he rubs his ear. I bring my hands to his face, lifting his gaze to meet mine. Guilt washes over me, I shouldn’t have been so careless, especially after Gemma warned me.

“I’d never touch anyone else, willingly,” I assure him.

“She said… well, she hinted something happened.”

I take a deep breath, trying to word this in my head, so I don’t hurt him. “She kissed me,” I admit. “It went longer than it should only because I was in complete shock before it sunk in to pull away.”

“She… she kissed you?” he stutters. “Is that it?”

“She tried to remove my blouse, but I stopped her. I never wanted anything from her but friendship. I was too blinded by my own problems to see she wanted more.”

Haden shakes his head with a tight jaw. “I knew it, Presley. I mean, I don’t blame her. You’re the whole fucking package. I’m just angry I let her manipulate you for so long. I should have pulled you away, made you stop hurting. You needed me.”

I place my finger against his lips to calm him down. “Nothing would have stopped the hurting. It still hurts, but the difference is that now I realize I do have you by my side. That’s what I need, Haden. I need you, all of you, by my side, being my partner.”

His expression remains hard. “I let her go. I’m sorry if that upsets you, but I had to make a decision that was best for us.”

I’m not surprised by his callous decision which will cost the business a lot of money, but I understand Haden needed to do this. I don’t blame him, working with her would have been difficult for me. I’m sad to lose her friendship but feel betrayed at the same time. She knew my vulnerabilities and played them well, almost costing me my marriage.

He takes a deep breath, bringing me in for an embrace.

“You’ve got me for life. Ride or die, baby.”

I pull away with a beaming smile.

“Ride or die, huh?” Playing with the buttons of his shirt, I watch his cocky grin fixate on me. “How about you run the bathtub, and I call Jacque. Red or white?”

“You,” he whispers. “I just need to taste you.”