Easton

She whirled around toward him. “Don’t do this, I mean it. I don’t know what you’re trying to prove or what you hope to gain, but stop it.”

“Come on, Scar, I didn’t mean anything bad about it. I was just stating a fact.”

“Ugh, please, enough. Liam’s not the kind of guy that needs to get his man parts out and measure them, okay? You’re not going to win me back. I’m staying with Liam.”

Easton couldn’t resist taking a step closer. “There was a time you told me you loved me. That you’d fallen hard and fast, and you just wanted to spend the rest of your life with me.”

He saw the tears in her eyes and knew he’d pushed too far.

“Yeah, I know. I remember. You know what else I remember? You pushing me away, throwing my feelings for you right back in my face. Thanks for the reminder.” She moved to the edge of the pool and climbed out.

He watched her go, wanting to take it all back.

“Scar.”

She didn’t stop but kept on moving.

He wanted to call her back, to stop her from leaving, but he’d been a dick and now he had to suffer for it.

****

For the past three weeks, Easton had been coming to her and Liam’s house. After the disaster of the first week, she’d ignored him every single time he came around. She knew she was being a bitch and it wasn’t fair to him at all, but it didn’t change the fact he’d deliberately reminded her of a time in her life she wanted to forget, needed to forget, and would do anything in her power to forget.

It was already a problem because she knew deep down she should have done more in order to find him, at least to let him know she was pregnant. She’d been an idiot and stubborn, and now seeing him with their son made what she did that much harder to bear. She’d made a huge mistake, and she was going to have to live with that for the rest of her life. Easton wouldn’t ever get back any of the time spent with Junior.

This wasn’t how she wanted to live her life though. Junior talked about Easton constantly, and it was hard for her not to love hearing how animated he was when he did talk. There was a frostiness with him toward her, though, one she couldn’t control, not that she wanted to. She just wished she hadn’t been such a huge disappointment to him. She knew she’d made a mistake in keeping them apart. It was her biggest regret. Junior had even told her he wished she hadn’t kept him apart from Easton because of how awesome he was, and that he should have known.

She would deal with Junior’s disappointment, and hope in time, he would forgive her.

At least her relationship with Liam had only gotten better. Their sex life was amazing. Every single night, he teased her body, showing her things she didn’t even know she was capable of feeling, and she was addicted to his touch, craved it, yearned for it, and welcomed it at every single turn.

“I’ve got to take Junior out for an hour. He wanted to go to the store for something,” Liam said, coming into the kitchen.

“Can’t you order it online? Have it delivered tomorrow?”

“It’s okay. I’ll be an hour at most. I’ll call you when we’re on the way back.”

“Wait, what about Easton?”

“Invite him in. You know the drill, Scarlett.” Liam cupped her hip, kissing her cheek.

“What if I told him to stop coming?”

Liam sighed. He pulled away and rested his ass against the counter. “You want him to stop coming?”

“I’m thinking about it.”

“Scarlett, I love you so much, but I think you need to have a think about why it hurt you so much when he told you those things that he did.”

“You heard him?”

“Kind of hard not to hear him. You still have feelings for him.”

“No, I don’t. That’s just stupid and insane.”

“And yet here you are, upset, emotional, and all because of him.” Liam pulled her into his arms. “I won’t mind if you want him.”

She tried to jerk back in his arms, but Liam wouldn’t let her go. “I’m not going to judge your choices.” He kissed her cheek. “I think this will be good for the two of you to finally get this out.”

“Are you ready?” Junior asked. “Mom, I am going to make Dad go crazy with what I’ve got planned.”

“Just so long as it doesn’t blow up the house. I’ll be fine.”

Junior laughed, and she saw them both out of the door.

Alone.

She wrapped her arms around herself going straight to the kitchen. Her security blanket. This wasn’t supposed to be so hard. Not with Easton, not with anyone.

Why did he have to say those things?