Marriage For One

I crossed my arms against my chest. “The right thing to do would’ve been to be honest with me from the beginning.”

Cool as a cucumber, he pushed his hands into the pockets of his pants as red-hot fury licked over my skin.

“You’re right, which is why I’d like you to sign the papers.”

“No.”

His brows drew together as he looked at me from across the space. “No?”

“No.” I was very good at being stubborn. I was like a cow—if I didn’t want to be moved, you couldn’t move me, no matter who or what came.

“Rose—”

“No.”

He gritted his teeth. “Why?”

I shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “I don’t think I feel like signing anything today. Maybe some other time.”

“Rose, it needs to be today.”

“Really?” I asked, making a thinking face and then grimacing. “Ah, I’m so sorry. I’m busy today. Maybe some other time.”

He looked truly taken back. “Why are you doing this? I thought this was what you wanted.”

No wonder I had thought him to be a cement block in the beginning—not only did he not show his emotions, he didn’t understand them even when they slapped him in the face.

Something wet slid down my cheek and, appalled at myself for crying, I wiped at it angrily with the back of my hand. That’s when Jack’s face changed and his entire body tensed. He lost the frown, the anger, the disbelief and hid behind his mask again.

I wiped off another wayward tear and lifted my chin high.

He shook his head then rubbed the bridge of his nose. Next thing I knew, he was moving toward me. I did my best to breathe in and out normally and stayed put. Even when he was standing right next to me, his chest almost resting against my shoulder, I didn’t move. I stopped breathing too.

“Rose,” he started in a low voice, his head bent closer to mine.

I stopped trying to clear the tears away. They were only angry tears, and maybe stress, nothing more, and the same reasons applied for the trembling, too.

When I felt his lips against my temple, I closed my eyes. “You’re breaking my heart, baby, trying to hold on to something that should’ve never been. Sign the divorce papers, Rose. Please.”

“I won’t,” I whispered.

“Why?” he asked again.

“I won’t.”

I felt the gentle touch of his fingertips as he gripped my chin and turned my head. I opened my eyes and looked straight into the dark blue eyes of the man I had irrevocably fallen in love with.

I wanted to say so much to him.

“Do it. I’ll send someone to pick up the signed papers.”

He held on to my chin and seemed to map out my face in his mind as his eyes touched every inch. Then his hand slipped forward, cupping the side of my cheek.

My eyes closed on their own as he pressed a kiss to my forehead then the next second he was gone. I was too scared to open my eyes, to face the reality of the hell that had been my life for the last week.

He could send his entire firm to my door if he wanted to. I was not going to sign those damn papers.

“Rose? It didn’t go well, did it?”

I took a few deep breaths and opened my eyes, feeling more determined than ever.

Sally was standing right where Jack had stood just moments earlier. I picked up the papers, holding them out for her to take. “He wants a divorce.”

She seemed to choke up before she took the file from my hand. “But, he said…how would—did you sign them?”

I shook my head. “Nope.”

“Are you going to?”

“Nope.”

That evening when we closed the coffee shop, no matter how hard I looked, I couldn’t find Jack anywhere, and I took his absence as an invitation.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Jack

She hadn’t signed the papers.

I knew that because the guy I’d sent to pick them up had returned empty-handed. So, I headed out to face her myself—again—and when I found her, this time I wouldn’t walk away until I got a damn signature. The divorce had to happen, and it had to happen soon.

But before I could deal with Rose, I needed to make a quick stop.

I knocked on his door and hoped he’d be inside.

He opened after a few seconds and looked shocked to see me.

“How do you know where I live?” Joshua Landon asked with a furious expression on his face.

I smiled at him and blocked the door with my foot before he could shut it in my face and shouldered my way in.

“You couldn’t stay away from her, could you? Your greed will cost you, Joshua.”

“Listen to me you—”

I wasn’t there to have a nice long chat. I had better things to do so instead of wasting my time I grabbed him by his shirt before he could back away and ignoring his loud protests punched him straight in the face.