“Get out. Both of you, get out of my shop!” I swipe angrily at my tears, pointing them to the door.
“Kady, stop it. Listen to me, I asked you to listen to me,” Keegan softens his voice, again approaching me cautiously. “Can’t you do that for me, baby?”
“I don’t want to hear whatever you have to say. Youliedto me. That day, you were horrible and rude to me and you cost me this. And now you knew, you say you wanted to protect me, but you knew. So you lied to me. You took something from me,” I look away from him as the truth of my words hits me, “just go.”
“Baby, please,” he rushes me, hands coming to thread in my hair, tugging my head so my eyes meet his, “Idid notknow. Not until Oliver showed up. Let me explain and let me make it right. We can fix it. This has nothing to do with us. Christ, if you believe this has a single thing to do with us, I might as well go and not come back.”
I want to listen to him. I want to let him make it right. But, I can’t. Not knowing he lied. He knew something that affected my business, my life, and he chose not to tell me. I don’t even care that they got the permits—I don’t even think they plan to use them. Their build and my shop expansion, it doesn’t matter. What matters is before we even had a chance at something, he lied to me.
“So go anddon’tcome back!” I tip my head in a tiny nod, smirking at him in a show of defiance.
It’s protection, a last effort to save myself. It's too late, of course, but I can’t let him or anyone else know that.
I can’t protect myself from him when I am already in love with him.