‘It has everything to do with me.’
She whipped her head around to face him. Though her heels had added a couple of inches, he was still taller than her. Intimidating as hell. But damned if she was going to let him know it.
‘As long as Poppy is healthy and safe, it doesn’t. And if you hadn’t noticed, she’s happy. She’s doing brilliantly. So if I choose to spend time with another guy, you don’t get a say, okay?’
He shook his head, frowning. ‘No, it’s not okay. It’s not okay at all.’ He reached for her again, and she stepped back, flinching. When she looked at him, he had the strangest expression on his face. A mixture of confusion and something else. Was it panic?
She sighed. ‘Look, I know things are changing. It took me a long time to come to terms with the thought of you and somebody else. But you will, too. I don’t expect you to like the guys I date, I don’t even expect you to tolerate them. But I do expect you to respect my right to spend time with whoever I choose.’
He shook his head again. ‘No, I can’t do that.’
Her muscles tensed up in her stomach. ‘Why not?’
‘Because you’re my wife.’
‘I’m your soon-to-be-ex wife,’ she corrected. ‘And don’t forget, this was what you wanted. You chose Nicole, you want to be with her. We’re not puppets dangling on a string. You can’t keep changing your mind.’
There was a war going on behind his eyes. He reached up to rub the back of his neck, his suit jacket lifting with the movement. ‘I didn’t think … ’ He trailed off, frowning. ‘I didn’t think that you would move on. Not this quickly. I don’t like it.’
Her skin felt cold, and it had nothing to do with the air surrounding them. ‘I don’t understand.’
He stopped rubbing his neck, and reached for her face, cupping her jaw with his soft hand. ‘This isn’t what I want. I don’t want you seeing other guys. I don’t want you spending time with them. You’re mine, Juliet. You’re my wife.’
‘No.’ She shook her head. ‘No, you can’t do this. You can’t.’ He was playing mind games. Just when she’d gathered the strength to release herself from him, he was trying to drag her back in. ‘You don’t get to say those things any more. I’m not yours, and I won’t be your wife for much longer.’
‘But you can be, don’t you see? We can try again.’ His face lit up as if he’d had an epiphany. ‘You and Poppy can move back home, and we can be a family. Isn’t that what you want? For her to grow up with both parents?’ His voice softened. ‘We were happy once, weren’t we? I miss you both. I want you home with me.’
For a moment her thoughts went to that big mansion by the river. Happy memories sprung up ?
?? the ones she’d forgotten in the darkness of the last year – of Poppy as a toddler, running into Thomas’s arms as he got home from work each night.
‘I was happy,’ Juliet said. ‘But it wasn’t enough for you.’ The image of Thomas holding Poppy disappeared, followed by the memory of Nicole standing in their bedroom, wearing nothing but a draped sheet. ‘When were you planning to tell Nicole about this?’ she asked drily. ‘Or did you want us both in your bed?’
‘Nicole doesn’t mean anything.’
‘She meant enough to throw your marriage away.’ Juliet didn’t even know why she was engaging with him. Maybe there was some satisfaction from hearing him throw Nicole under the bus, but in reality it changed nothing.
‘It’s not too late. We can try again,’ Thomas was repeating himself. ‘Let me talk to Nicole. You could move back in next week.’
She could picture it all. They’d go back to the way it was, Juliet taking care of Poppy and the house, sitting on charities and making small talk with his parents. He’d go to work, come home, and expect to be taken care of. And all the time she’d be waiting for another Nicole to show up.
‘I don’t want to try again.’ Her voice was strong, even if she felt like a child inside. ‘I’m not the same woman you married. And you know what, Thomas? I’m so glad I’m not. Because I don’t want to be your wife, I don’t want to live in your house, and I don’t want to wake up and wonder if you’re going to be faithful to me today. I want so much more than that, and I’ve got it. Without you.’
His expression hardened. He leaned closer, his eyes narrowing as he stared at her. Goosebumps broke out on her skin.
‘You won’t get a better offer,’ he told her. ‘The older you get, the harder you’ll find it. You’re getting past your prime.’ He shrugged his shoulders. ‘Single woman with a kid – what guy’s going to stick around you with that baggage? And in the meantime, I’ll be battling off the women throwing themselves at me.’
‘Really, Thomas?’ She rolled her eyes. ‘Last time I looked, it takes two to make a baby, and from what I remember you were a more than willing participant. You’re a single father with a kid, too.’
He opened his mouth to reply when the rumble of an engine echoed from the road. They both turned to see Ryan pulling up on his driveway. His black truck came to a stop, and the door opened. He climbed out of his car, running his hand through his hair, unaware that he was being scrutinised.
‘Sutherland?’ Thomas said quietly. For a moment she’d forgotten he was even there. ‘That asshole.’
‘You need to leave now, Thomas.’ A sense of urgency washed over her. The two men being in one place was a really bad idea. Especially since Ryan had no idea she’d blabbed all about them to Thomas. ‘We’ll talk later, when we’re both a bit calmer.’
He shook his head. ‘I’m not going anywhere.’
Ryan turned and stared at them. She willed him to turn away, to walk up the steps to his house, to ignore them. If she could keep the two men separate, they all had a chance of walking away from this unscathed.