“No,” I say with a smile, then look at Anderson. “You slept around. You cheated on me. It’s your baby. We all know it. So grow up and be a father, and stop letting your mother handle your problems.”
The bastard has the audacity to clench his fists on the table while his mother gasps at my words.
He wants to harm me.
I know he does.
But he can’t because there are too many people around.
Asshole.
“How dare you! You are meant to be his fiancée,” his mother says, nodding to the box sitting in the middle of the table.
The sight of it causes a shiver to run through my body that feels as if someone has just walked over my grave. It’s not a good feeling, rather one that makes me want to run and never turn back, so I say while glaring at Anderson, “That’s a hard pass.”
He stands, slams his fist on the table, and leans forward. “You don’t get a say in this. You will be my wife.”
“Nope. I think not,” I say, trying hard to keep my composure.
Anderson moves, pushes his chair out, which falls backward and slams onto the floor, then he rushes around the table. Before he can reach me, his father stands and steps out so he’s in front of him, blocking his path. He places a hand on his chest, and Anderson huffs with pinched eyebrows, so much so, they are almost a monobrow, but even more intimidating are his clenched teeth.
He’s angry.
No, he’s furious.
And if it wasn’t for his father, I’m sure I would be laid out on the floor right now.
“You need to leave,” Anderson’s father says to him, then he turns to me. “You would’ve been a great asset to our family, Rylee. I’m sorry it didn’t work out. Anderson will not bother you again.” His father drops his hand from his son’s chest and holds his hand out for his wife, who clearly wants to say more but holds her tongue. She stands, and they all hurry out, leaving me sitting with my mother at the table.
“How dare you. Are you trying to be like your sister?” my mother shrieks, her hands waving around like she’s some sort of madwoman. She reaches for the ring that was left on the table and opens the box.
It’s beautiful. The pink diamond is massive, but it’s not something I would choose. However, I cannot deny how stunning it is if you’re into ostentatious shows of wealth.
“You could have had this. Had so much.” She turns to face me. “Why would you ruin it?”
“He isn’t right for me,” I tell her. “We haven’t been right for each other for a long time. Mom, he cheated. He is going to have a damn baby with someone else. What part of that makes you think he could possibly be right for me?”
My father walks in and kisses the top of my head. “I couldn’t agree more,” he says, having heard what I said. My mother pins him with her death stare as I get up.
“I have to go. Work tomorrow,” I say, leaning down and kissing my mother’s cheek, followed by my father’s.
“You can still change your mind,” my mother calls out to me.
I don’t answer.
Because that is not happening.
Hell hasn’t frozen over the last time I looked.
Chapter 14
August
To say I haven’t woken up without my cock rock fucking hard since I last had Rylee would be an understatement.
Rich girl hasn’t called.
Rich girl hasn’t visited.
And for some reason, I like that about her.
I’m sitting at the front of the house waiting for Paige to finish school. Today’s the day she’s meant to come over, and she has been hounding me to get fresh pastry, and the other ingredients so she can make quiches.
However, I am unsettled as it’s getting late and she isn’t here.
Standing back up and going inside, I reach for my phone and call her. When the phone picks up, my heart almost stops.
“August boy, what you doing, my man?”
I pull the phone away from my ear to make sure I dialed the right number, and sure enough, I know it’s correct.
“Why the fuck do you have my sister’s phone?”
“Oh, come on, August… you know why. I fuck your mother.” He cackles.
That cackle makes me want to throw something, or better yet, break his damn jaw.
“Hey, look… I need you to do something for me.”
“No,” I reply while sliding on my shoes.
“Come on, August, just like old times. I need a favor, and, well… Paige isn’t in the mood to do it right now.”
“What do you mean… isn’t in the mood?”
“Like mother, like daughter. You should know this. Are you really that blind?”
“Where is she?”
“I told you, I need you first,” he says again. I hear a giggle in the background and close my front door.