The Wolf and His Wife (Wolf 2)

“I’m sorry about your father… I know it must be hard.”

Slowly, he turned his head back to me.

“Even if he is wrong, even if he is an ass, he’s still your father…and I’m sorry.” I wasn’t entirely to blame for the divide. His father had turned into an asshole a long time ago. I was the only one who’d stood up to him, who’d done the right thing when even Maverick didn’t care, but I didn’t want to see my husband suffer.

“Whatever.”

I knew it hurt him more than that, but he obviously didn’t want to talk about it. “Maybe you should tell your sister what’s going on.”

“Like she doesn’t have enough on her plate already.”

“It’s still good to tell her…in case he contacts her. I was also hoping I could meet her.”

He kept watching me, slightly surprised by what I’d just offered. “Why would you want to do that?”

“She’s my sister-in-law, right?”

“Because of a sham marriage.”

Like a drop of acid in my eyes, the comment burned. “Still…until death do us part. If she’s important to you, she’s important to me.”

He faced forward again, his eyes on the ceiling. He turned contemplative, his mind a million miles away. Even though there was only a foot between us on the bed, it seemed like we were on different planets. “I’ll think about it.”

Today had been a lot harder than I expected.

I’d been dreading it all week, but I didn’t think it would be as painful as I feared.

Somehow, it was.

I drove to a flower shop in the city and stared blankly at the selections, unsure what to get. Knowing my father, it wouldn’t matter. He would tell me not to waste money on something he would never see.

But it made all the difference in the world to me.

On the verge of tears and unable to make a decision between the selections, I just grabbed a bouquet at random and paid for it. By the time I made it to my car, my tears had destroyed my flawless makeup.

Was I an idiot to think I could do this alone?

I hadn’t been to my father’s grave since the funeral, and of course, Maverick had been with me. With his hand holding mine and strength in his touch, he’d carried me through that day because I was too weak to do it myself.

Now I realized I couldn’t do this without him.

I needed him like I needed air.

I stemmed my tears and made the call, the phone pressed to my ear as I watched people walk up and down the sidewalk. It was a sunny day and the temperature was mild. The phone rang as I waited for him to answer.

When it seemed like voice mail was about to pick up, he answered. “What is it?” Fiery and pissed off, he sounded like his day wasn’t going well. Men spoke in the background, running their mouths as they argued about something.

“Uh…everything okay?”

“Arwen, I’ve got shit to do, and I don’t have time for a heartfelt conversation. Call me when you actually need something.”

Shocked by the cold way he spoke to me, I was nearly speechless. Tears were in my eyes once again, and the shock constricted my throat. It was difficult to get any words out, so I was only able to say one. “Okay…”

He hung up.

I set the phone in the center console and felt the tears burn my eyes. Drops of sorrow ran down my cheeks, and I felt stupid for calling him. Maybe I could never trust Maverick to be the same person every single day. He changed too much, flipped a switch without notice. I wiped my tears away and got on the road, my chest tight because of the pain.

My phone started to ring. His name was on the screen.

I was in full sobbing mode, so I ignored it, wanting nothing to do with him. I was an idiot for thinking I could call and ask him for support. I’d become used to his kindness, but I’d forgotten how quickly it evaporated.

He called again.

I ignored it.

I was just a few miles from the cemetery when he called for the third time. He’d ended our conversation so abruptly that I didn’t understand why he wanted to talk to me so much now. Did he realize he was an ass the second he hung up on me?

I got tired of listening to the phone ring through the car system, so I answered. “What?” I kept my voice strong and disguised my tears as best as possible, but I was still heartbroken that the one person I relied on was so cold to me. I shouldn’t have allowed myself to count on him in the first place.

There was a long pause. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing…” This time, I could hear silence in the background, as if he’d excused himself from whatever business he was doing to give me more than a few seconds of his time. Hot tears rolled down my face and slowly approached my lips, full of my heartbreak. Now I wasn’t sure what I was more miserable about—the date or my husband.