“Don’t sit there and tell me my faults. Your father was a worthless scumbag who didn’t give a damn about you. If he had, he wouldn’t have pissed away every penny he had so his daughter would be left destitute and married off to a stranger. Judge me all you want, but I can do the same to you.”
“I’m not judging you—”
“You are judging me—and I don’t like it.” He rose to his feet and got out of the booth. “Your little ploy worked this time, but if I see you again, I won’t hesitate to put a bullet in that pretty mouth of yours.”
My good intentions evaporated in my face, and I seemed to have made everything worse, not better. I’d made Caspian feel insulted, and I only boiled his rage at a higher temperature. “I want my husband to have his father. Forget about me…and think about him.”
He stayed near the table as he looked down at me. “You’re the wedge between us. You’re the reason my wife didn’t get the justice she deserved. If you want to make this right, if you want your husband to have some kind of relationship with his father, then you’ll do the right thing.”
“Even if the right thing would devastate him?” I challenged. “I’m the best thing that’s ever happened to your son…and he’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Tearing us apart would accomplish nothing. Your son’s happiness should be the most important thing to you.”
“No,” he said coldly. “My wife’s memory is the most important thing to me—not the opinion of a whore.”
The curtains fell, and I headed backstage to dab at the sweat that marked my forehead. I pulled the pins out of my hair and let it come loose from my scalp. People gave their congratulations as they passed by on their way to their stations.
I looked in the mirror and wiped off the bright lipstick with a tissue. I tore off the fake eyelashes too. As more pieces of my stage makeup came off, I started to look like myself, like the person I actually knew.
The second I stopped hustling, I thought about my conversation with Caspian yesterday.
Nothing had changed.
If anything, that man wanted to kill me even more.
I didn’t risk my neck to save my own ass. I wanted to fix the broken relationship between father and son, to give Maverick what he wanted more than anything. But it blew up in my face…because Caspian was the biggest asshole on the planet.
I felt a presence in my vanity mirror, a dark expression that followed me everywhere I went, even in my dreams. My gaze lifted, and I spotted the espresso-colored eyes staring into mine. With a slight smirk on his handsome face, he was delighted to catch a glimpse of me when I hadn’t noticed.
My heart raced as I stared at Maverick, the butterflies soaring in my stomach and my blood running hot. He made me feel weak in the knees but strong everywhere else. He made my breath hitch slightly, like I didn’t get quite enough air with every single breath. My hands pushed against the vanity as I rose to my feet, feeling the faint smile form on my lips as I met his gaze.
Even in heels, he was still taller than me. With that dark hair and those dark eyes, he was lethal in his charm. When he wore a black suit, it only made him more appealing. His smile widened as he stepped toward me, his arms circling my petite waist as he pulled me into his chest. My husband held me tightly then kissed me.
Kissed me good.
His hand gave my ass a gentle squeeze before he pulled away.
I liked it when he did that—even in public.
“You were great, Sheep.”
“Thank you…”
He stepped to the side and revealed his friend Kent. “You remember Kent. You met a couple of months ago.”
“Yes, I remember.” We hadn’t talked much, but I remember him sitting across the table, his lips locked with a pretty girl’s. He was Maverick’s height with the same level of attractiveness—even though he wasn’t my type. “Nice to see you again.”
“You too.” He smiled before he leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. “Damn, you can sing. It’s incredible that such a small woman can make such loud music. You must be tired after singing for two hours.”
“I usually have some lemon and water after a night like that, but I love every minute of it.” I felt Maverick come to my side and wrap his arm around my waist, playing the dutiful husband in the public eye. But his affection didn’t feel forced or fake. Now it felt natural…like he wanted to hold me at his side.
“Do what you love and never work a day in your life, huh?” Kent stood with his hands in his pockets, glancing at the pretty girls as they walked by. He turned his attention back to me. “Maverick and I were going out for drinks but decided to stop by and see the show.”