by Lindsey Hart
“Are you going to tell your family about it?” Mandy asked.
“Hell no.” At least that she was sure of.
“I wouldn’t either,” Jaz admitted. “My mom would be so pissed that I was married and divorced over the course of a weekend.” She slapped a hand over her mouth. “I mean- I didn’t mean- that sounded really bad. It just came out wrong.”
“It’s okay. I know what you meant. I’m not glass. I might be pissed off and confused and- and- god, I don’t know. All sorts of fucked up, but I can handle the truth. Although to be fair, the divorce might take longer than the weekend.”
“It’s too bad,” Mandy said, far too dreamily. “I really liked him. He was nice. He was funny. He was really, really hot.”
“Yeah- uh- well, we all know not to fall for good looking guys. They are never what they seem.”
“Did you find something out? Something bad?” Jaz craned her neck back so far it was a wonder it didn’t snap.
“Uh- no. Not really. I just- came to my senses and decided it wasn’t going to work. The whole thing was ridiculous. No one gets married to a stranger when they’re completely drunk and lives it down. It was never a good idea. Obviously.”
“It’s still too bad,” Mandy reiterated. “I wouldn’t have minded seeing him around.” She winked into the mirror and June had to smile again. Her friends were doing their best to cheer her up.
“I wouldn’t have minded a chance to kick his ass,” Jaz added. “For whatever he said or whatever you found out, or even for marrying you in the first place.”
“Kick his ass with kindness and flirty smiles?” June rolled her eyes and Jaz let out a snort of embarrassed laughter. “It’s okay, I forgive you. He was charming. He was good looking. He was- yeah. I guess he kind of fooled us all.”
“What did he do?” Mandy sensed blood. Her eyes flicked to the mirror and June looked away quickly. “It’s obvious that you didn’t just change your mind. He must have done or said something. Was he secretly an escaped convict? Did he kill someone? Or did you find out that he’s on the wanted list for fraud or something? Was he using someone else’s credit cards?”
“Did you guys go out and did he flirt with someone else? Hit on them? Get drunk and try and take the wrong girl home?”
“Did he confess that secretly he’s gay? Oh shit,” Mandy scrunched up her face. “Fuck. Sorry. I didn’t mean to bring that up.”
“It’s okay. It wouldn’t be the first time.” All June could do was smile, because if she didn’t keep smiling, she knew she was going to cry. “I don’t know that he really did anything. He just- it was just like I said. It was never going to work. The whole thing was crazy. I should have demanded a divorce the second I woke up, not let him sweet talk me into trying to convince me that I could have fun with him.”
“But you did. You did have fun.”
“We all had a great time.”
“It was a good show.”
“And the shower you guys had…”
June squeezed her eyes shut. She clenched her hands tightly together in her lap and bit down on her bottom lip to keep from saying something that wasn’t kind or forgivable. “I didn’t say that he wasn’t good in bed,” she finally ground out to keep her friends from asking any more questions. “It’s just that- when it comes down to it, being good in bed doesn’t really count.”
“Really?” Jaz’s eyes were wide when she turned again. “Because if I had a guy like that who knew how to use what God gave him… I don’t think I’d be able to leave, even if he was an asshole.”
“I don’t know that he’s an asshole,” June said. “I just know that- it’s- I need to get a divorce.”
“But- but he looked like a god…” Mandy protested.
“Yeah. He was amazing. Dreamy. Oh my lord, just imagining him in a shower…”
“Stop,” June pleaded. “Please. He was sexy. We had a good time. That’s what the weekend was all about, right? Getting my shit back together. Proving to myself that I don’t have to think about my ex leaving me for a man anymore. Get under someone else to get over the trauma. That’s what it was. That was the plan. I did it. I’m good now. I can move on.”
June studied the passing scenery so that her friends would take the hint and end the conversation. Mercifully, they both fell silent. The car hummed along, eating up the miles back to San Diego. Back home. Back to her regular life. To a shit apartment and a crappy job. Back to being alone.
Back to trying to figure out what she wanted to do with her life.
Back to trying to forget about a set of haunting midnight-blue eyes and a smile that never failed to make her stomach and heart turn over.
Once again, she was alone. Despite her confident tough exterior, she knew she was completely and utterly lost. The sadness of it took her breath away, stopped her heart and churned her stomach.
Rock fucking bottom. June thought she’d hit it before when she found out her boyfriend was cheating on her with a dude. She glanced down at her empty ring finger. The missing weight of that gold band shouldn’t feel so hopeless and so heavy, but it did.
When the hell had everything gone so… so painfully wrong?
CHAPTER 21
Brock
Owen was a genius. The guy had June’s address before Brock even got out of the shower. He figured she wasn’t that far ahead of him, but he couldn’t be sure. He’d taken the rental truck out of the city and set out. The drive was going to be obscenely costly, given the kilometers he was racking up, but of course, he didn’t give a shit.
Just over six hours later, Brock stood in front of a crumbling brick apartment building. It looked like it had been built in the sixties and it appeared to have had just one renovation. The neighborhood wasn’t great, and he kept an eye on the truck, though he had insurance on it. He could deal with a smashed-out window or a knife in the tire if he had to. What he couldn’t currently wrap his mind around was just how he was actually going to get inside to speak with June.
She probably wasn’t ever going to let him in, but if he had to, he’d stand there and ring the buzzer until she called the cops. He gave the buzzer a try, number twenty-three, but of course, no one answered. He rang a few more times for good measure. Maybe the thing was broken. He stepped back, staring at the panel. He honestly considered buzzing apartments until someone let him in. He could always say that he’d locked himself out. Maybe some kind-hearted soul would have some misplaced pity. He’d be able to walk right up to June’s door that way. He could listen, see if she was inside.
God, that’s creepy. And desperate. He realized that he should have had a better plan. He’d driven straight from Vegas, so worried about actually getting to June’s address that he never really considered what he’d do when he actually arrived.
Brock stepped back and glanced up at the sky overhead. It was blue and cloudless, overly cheerful. It didn’t match the fist of desperation, panic, and sadness that was lodged in his chest. His insides were so tied up that he actually felt physically sick.
He tried the buzzer once again for good measure. It made a noise on the outside, so the thing must have worked. June either wasn’t home or she wasn’t answering.
Plan B wasn’t a good plan, but he wasn’t above ringing the other apartments. He’d start at the top of the list and work his way down. It was just after five on a Sunday afternoon. Someone had to be home.
His finger hovered above number one, but a light blue sedan caught his eye. He paused as it pulled up to the sidewalk. Maybe he could get in if someone was going into the building. He’d play the whole forgotten keys card.
He braced himself, carefully putting on what he hoped was a panicked face. Hell, he didn’t have to really fake anything. He legitimately did feel distressed.
He gaped in shock and stunned surprise as the driver’s door opened and a woman he recognized got out. Mandy. June’s friend. Brock couldn’t believe his luck. He started for the car and when Mandy saw him approach, she froze. She lo
oked torn like she was trying to decide whether to get back in the car and drive off or go through the showdown with him.
Brock knew he couldn’t let her get away. This was his chance. It might be his only chance. He ran over to the car and threw himself in front of it. There was a car parked behind Mandy, so she had nowhere to go. She stood frozen, one brow raised, face pinched, half in suspicion and half in amazement.
“Brock?” She stared at him like she didn’t actually believe it was him.
He was half in shock and didn’t realize that there was another person in the car until the passenger door opened and Jaz stepped out. “Oh my god. Brock! What are you doing here?”
“Is this some kind of trick?” Mandy’s eyes narrowed.
“Yeah, is this a joke?” Mandy and Jaz exchanged a look.
“If it is, I’m not in on it,” Brock assured them. “I was just wondering if you could help me get up to June’s apartment. I mean that in the least creepy way possible. We- uh- she left this morning before I was awake. She didn’t say a word. I- she might have seen something that made her angry and hurt and I didn’t have a chance to explain. I called the hotel, but they told me that you’d already checked out.”
“That’s a breach of privacy, I’m sure,” Jaz said sarcastically.
“I think it one hundred percent is. Should I phone and complain?” Mandy asked.
Jaz shrugged. “I guess not.” She turned back to him and her frown intensified. She looked adorable, her sweet pixie features pulled into something that she wanted to look menacing and black. Of course, he didn’t laugh. He needed them on his side. “Did they give you her address too?”
“That is definitely a breach of privacy,” Mandy confirmed.
“No, they didn’t give me her address.”
“Did she? I’m pretty sure she didn’t unless this is a huge joke and you were meant to meet us here.”
“No. It’s not a joke.” It was his turn to frown. He had no idea why they kept saying that. Unless… the back of the car was tinted out and it was hard to see inside, but suddenly it made sense. They weren’t actually ahead of him. They were behind him. They must have stopped along the way and he’d driven straight through. He’d beat them home. Which meant June was in the back seat.
“How did you get it then?” Jaz crossed her arms.
Desperation warred with an odd sense of exhilaration. Brock held out his hands. “Look. I’m not a creep. I- I just want to talk to June. I know she’s angry with me. I know she thinks it is the truth. She thinks I lied to her, but I just needed more time to explain. I was going to tell her everything.”
“My god, you’re already married?” Jaz’s mouth opened in shock and her scowl turned intense. The blackness in her gaze was almost frightening.
“You’re a killer?”
“You don’t like babies?”
“You weren’t really drunk when you tricked her into marrying you?”
“You- you recently got out of prison?”
“No.” This was just getting out of hand. Brock sighed. “I- she asked me if I was rich and I told her that I was alright. I blew it off. I didn’t want to tell her who I really am. I- I thought she’d look at me differently. We don’t know each other. The marriage was- well you know what it was. I just wanted a day where I could try and prove to her that I’m me and I might be worth getting to know.”
Mandy scowled at him, a matching expression to the one on Jaz’s face. “Why would being rich change that?”
He shook his head and scrubbed a hand over his face. “I- it just would. It has for other people.”
Mandy’s eyes widened with sudden understanding. “How rich are you?”
“Rich enough that she could look me up online when she finally decided to figure out what my last name was. She saw the marriage certificate, which I wasn’t trying to hide. I would have shown her if she asked. I wasn’t trying to hide anything or pretend to be someone I wasn’t. I was just- I just wanted to be me. I didn’t want to be that guy, the Brock that sold his software company for six billion dollars… that kind of money, it changes what people want and expect from you.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Jaz screeched. “Six billion dollars? Like you - Like you have that kind of money? Like this whole time, we’ve been hanging out with a billionaire? Like my best friend married an actual real-life billionaire?” She had to reach out and grip the car door. “Holy shit.”
Mandy shook her head. “That’s fucking crazy. June has the worst luck with guys.” She slowly walked around and opened the back door. She reached in, bent over and after several minutes of conversation, pulled June out beside her.
June refused to look at him. Her eyes weren’t red or swollen and he was relieved she hadn’t been crying. He never wanted to hurt her. Mandy wrapped her arm protectively around June’s waist and he knew that he had to make whatever he was going to say good or he might lose her forever.
“I- June. I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry. What I did was stupid. I should have told you. I just- it was nice to just be me. To not have that wall between me and the person I care about. I didn’t think we could actually get to know each other if I told you right off the bat. I haven’t been- honestly… I was scared.” He thumped his hand over his heart, which ached so fiercely it was hard to breathe. “I was scared because I’ve been hurt in the past. I’m honestly pretty jaded. I don’t trust people easily. I get defensive. I didn’t tell you the truth because I wanted you to decide whether you wanted to do this, whether you could see yourself with me, honestly. I didn’t want the money to be a factor.”
“Jeez,” Jaz breathed when June said nothing. “She’s scared too.” She pointed at June. “I can tell that she likes you, but I seriously think she only dates the wrong kind of men so that she doesn’t have to get overly involved. We say she’s unlucky. She says she’s unlucky, but the truth is, she likes it that way. She wasn’t thinking when she picked you. She was drunk and it was the best drunk decision she ever made because I’m willing to bet, for once, she took a chance on her heart.”
“Jaz!” June gasped. “Stop that.” She stepped out from beside Mandy but moved her hands to her hips.
“What?” Jaz shrugged. “We told you this already. I’m just telling him because you’re standing there acting like you’re not going to forgive him. I get it. I get why he wouldn’t want to tell you. I have things I wouldn’t tell someone right off the hop either.”
June looked to Mandy for help, but Mandy’s shoulders slumped in defeat. She dug her toe into the street and kicked around a few rocks that may or may not have actually been there. She spoke to the ground. “I’m sorry, June, I’m on his side here. I think it’s a forgivable sin. Plus, he has butt dimples. His ass deserves its own hashtag. He’s dreamy. He’s amazing. Plus, I’ve seen the way you look when you’re with him. You don’t even know it, but you look happy. You look like you’re meant to be with each other, or at least you look good together.”
“You do look good together,” Jaz chimed in. “You’d have the cutest kids.”
“Jaz!” June hissed. She turned to Mandy. “You’re no better. Egging her on like that.”
Mandy shrugged innocently. “I’m just saying you’d be crazy to give it up over a misunderstanding. You’re married. It’s real. You’d really be divorced if you just walk away now. I can tell that you don’t want to do that. You might have too much pride to admit you’d actually miss him, but we both saw how miserable you were on the way home. You missed him already.”
“And you’re glad he’s here. Your eyes are sparkling like they always do when you get excited.”
“Don’t forget,” Mandy grinned, “that we’re basically rooting for you now just so that we can ride your coattails into a better life where you give us really amazing birthday and Christmas gifts because your husband is a billionaire and you’re living the good life.”
“I’ve always wanted a pair of those really expensive shoes.”
“Or a nice ha
ndbag.”
“Or a new car.”
“Or a new house.”
“Stop,” June ground out. She heaved a long sigh. She finally looked right at him and seeing the pain and the tiny spark of hope in her eyes gutted him. He’d do anything to keep that spark alive. “So, what if I was willing to say that I could forgive you for lying to me? What if I said that I’d been hurt too and it does make me cautious. It doesn’t make me want to take risks. What would you do then? How could we make this work? You don’t live in the same city. You live halfway across the country and distance isn’t something I’m really willing to do. It’s hard. It’s so hard and it never actually works out.”
Brock stepped forward. All three women stayed where they were. He slowly stepped around the open car door and stopped right in front of June. He dared to reach out and take her hand. It was cold and so small and fragile in his. She stared up at him, her eyes boring straight through to his soul.
“I want to make this work. I want to give it an honest shot. I like you, June. Our marriage might have happened when we were both blackout drunk and neither of us knew what we were thinking, but maybe your friends are right. Maybe we were thinking with our hearts instead of all our walls and our brains and our previous hurts and wounds. Maybe we took a chance for a reason. I swear that if you want me to, I’ll never stop trying to make this work.”
“So you’d be willing to relocate because I’m not leaving my friends.”
“I would. I can work remotely. Most of my work is done from home anyway. It would be nice, to have a fresh start. If you’re willing to have me.”
“San Diego is really nice,” Mandy insisted.
“It’s extra nice. There are always things to do.”
“Please let us tag along with you.”
“You guys make the cutest couple,” Jaz pushed. “Please, tell him yes. Tell him that you want to stay married because I’m rooting for you.”
“You just want shoes,” June shot back, but she wasn’t really mad.
Jaz grinned back. “Maybe, but most of all, I want to see you happy.”