"What the hell did she do to him?" he asked with a furrowed brow.
"Let's just say that she did her damnedest to destroy him." I felt anger toward Paige, and a deep protectiveness over David surged up inside me. "I'm the first girlfriend he's had since she dumped him last year."
"Wow, she must have really fucked him up."
"You have no idea."
"You really care about him, don't you?" Ford's voice softened, and he put a comforting hand on my arm.
"I love him, Ford," I said with a bone deep certainty that shook me to my core. "I love him so much."
"Wow, Natie." He leaned back and looked at me intently for a second. "I've never heard you talk like that about a man before."
"I've never felt this way about anyone before." I gripped my brother's hand firmly. "I would do anything for David, even suffer living with his psycho pregnant ex-fiancee."
"Well, I hope for both your sakes that she's not there long." He put an arm around my shoulders and pulled me in against his side. "I'd hate to see something mess things up with David for you."
"You approve of him?" I looked up at him with a smile. He'd never said that about any of my other boyfriends.
"I do, Natie," he said softly. "I like him a lot, and he's good to you. He makes you happy." Ford leaned his head against mine.
"I love you, big brother." I wrapped my arms around his waist and snuggled in close.
"I love you too, Natie." He placed a gentle kiss on the top of my head. "But don't think for one second that I won't kick his fucking ass if he hurts you." His voice was deadly serious now. I couldn't help smiling at my over-protective big brother.
"If that happens, you'll have to wait your turn," I added with a wicked smile. "Because I'll kick his ass so hard before you get a hold of him, that he'll never walk right again."
"Have I ever told you how scary you are?" he asked in amusement. "I've been terrified of you since you were three years old and stomped on my toy cars for pulling the arms off one of your Barbie dolls."
"That was my favorite doll," I growled out. "And I'm still kind of mad about that."
"I'll buy you a new one for Christmas."
"You better," I warned him.
We sat and chatted for a little while longer, before A.J. stuck his head in to tell Ford that his next appointment just showed up. A.J. graced me with a wicked smile and a wink before walking out. Ford growled under his breath when he was gone.
"That guy is going to get his ass beat one of these days." Ford rolled his eyes and shook his head in annoyance. "He's literally incapable of not flirting with every girl who walks in here. If he wasn't so damn talented, I'd can his ass."
"Give him a break, Ford," I said with a shrug. "He's harmless."
"Yeah, until someone's boyfriend or older brother decides they want a piece of him."
"You have a point, but I can handle him." I gave him an evil smile. "I'm terrifying, remember?"
"How could I forget?" He leaned back with a mock look of fear and lifted his hands in surrender.
"Don't worry, you're safe from me." I leaned toward him with a hard stare and an arched brow. "For now."
"That's why I try to stay on your good side," Ford said with a wry smile as he stood to walk me out.
"You're smarter than you look," I said as I stood and reached up to pat his cheek as I passed him to leave.
"Thanks," he grumbled out as he followed me out of his office and out to the reception area. "See ya later, Natie. Good luck," he called as I approached the front door. I waved good-bye, thinking I'd need all the good luck I could get, or I'd end up with an assault charge against a pregnant woman on my record.
*********
Tuesday night was another fun round of Paige sucking up to an annoyed David and snubbing me. David ended up dragging me with him to hide in his room for the rest of the night yet again. On Wednesday night, we finally got a break from Paige, thanks to our weekly dinner with Jensen and Sydney. She had whined and complained when David told her we were going out, but he had been firm and uncompromising. I wondered if she had acted like this when they were together, and if it used to work, because she seemed honestly shocked that she didn't get her way. Once again, I could feel her glare on my back when we left. I think she thought David's change in attitude was my doing, but the truth was she had made David this way. At least one good thing came out of their break-up, if it taught David to stand up for himself with her.
Dinner with Jensen and Syd was easy and relaxing with no one bringing up Paige once, but I guess that was too good of a thing to last forever. When I followed Syd out of the kitchen after dinner, leaving the guys to clean up and do the dishes, she finally asked about it.
"How's it going at David's house?" Syd asked as we sat on the couch.
"Shitty," I grumbled as I sat down.
"That bad, huh?" she asked with a grimace.
"Was she always whiny and manipulative?" I asked in annoyance.
Sydney let out a sigh. "She was with David. Especially if she wanted something from him. He had love blinders on and let her get away with it. He would have done anything for her, and she took advantage of that."
"And you were friends with her?" I asked incredulously.
"She was my best friend's girlfriend, and he adored her," she said with a shrug. "I didn't want to hurt him or piss him off, and she wasn't all bad. No relationship is perfect, and he was happy, so who was I to judge? Of course, in hind sight, maybe I should have encouraged him to dump her ass. Then again, maybe he wouldn't have met you when he did. You make him happier than I've ever seen him before."
I felt a blush color my cheeks at her compliment. "He makes me happy too," I whispered as I fought a sudden surge of emotion that made my eyes well up a little.
"You two were meant to be together." She smiled warmly. "I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, no matter how insignificant or earth shattering it seems at the time."
"Is that how it was with Jensen?" I asked curiously. They were so good together, so in tune to each other, that it was amazing.
"It was a brutal roller coaster in the beginning, but it all led to us being there for each other when we needed it most. All the hardship just made us stronger for it."
I nodded. I didn't know all the details, but I knew the beginning of their relationship had been difficult, especially considering Jensen's suicide attempt. At least, David and I weren't dealing with something actually life threatening to either of us.
Sydney reached over and covered my hand with hers. "Don't worry, Natalie. This is only temporary, right? Paige will be gone soon and you guys can focus on each other again."
"She can't leave soon enough," I grumbled again. "She's snide and rude when David's not around, then when he is, she acts like I don't exist and sucks up to him. I'm pretty sure she thinks she can get him back."
"Are you serious?" she asked with an incredulous look.
"I think so."
"Well, she's barking up the wrong tree." Syd shook her head with a look of disbelief. "David would never take her back, not in a million years."
It was good to hear her say that. David hadn't shown any interest in her overtures, but it still worried me that Paige was pursuing him. They had a history and had been together for a long time before she left him.
"If she's stays there much longer pulling all this shit with David, she and I are going to have it out." I growled as I felt myself getting angry about it again. "If she's still there all weekend, she may not survive it."
"I have an idea," Sydney suggested with an understanding smile. "Why don't Jensen and I come over Saturday so you guys have a buffer. We could have brunch and hang out all day. I've been dying for David to cook breakfast for me anyway. His eggs are the best and Jensen's been dying of morbid curiosity to meet Paige."
"Believe me, he's not missing anything," I said with a wan smile.
Thankfully, Syd dropped the subject after that. By the time the boys joined u
s, she was telling me horror stories from nursing school, and David was more than happy to join in himself. He was smiling and animated. It was nice seeing him act like himself for once, instead of the tense subdued man he had been at home all week. He was still in a good mood when we got back to his house. Of course, that died the second we walked in the door, and Paige came marching into the living room. She looked livid, with flushed cheeks and her dark eyes glittering in outrage.
"David," she cried angrily. "That...that...cat pissed all over my goddamn bed!"
My initial instinct was to laugh, but I had the good sense to refrain from that unhelpful reaction. David tensed immediately, and wadded his hands into fists at his sides. At first, I thought he was angry at George, but the glare he leveled at Paige erased that notion.
"I'll clean it up," he answered her tersely, and headed toward the hallway. Paige followed hot on his heels, obviously still angry. I trailed behind to see what she would do next.
"I don't understand why you would let that disgusting animal into your house, David," she said with distaste. "When I lived here, you would have never..."
"Stop," David snapped out and turned back to face her abruptly. His eyes were hard, his voice filled with bitter anger. "I don't want to fucking hear it. You gave up any right to dictate what goes on this house when you left me, so shut the fuck up."
I was happy that Paige's back was to me, so she couldn't see the smug look on my face right that second. She sucked in a breath in shock. He turned and continued down the hall with Paige following him into the guest room. Apparently, David had been pushed to the edge now, and had had enough.
I stood in the doorway and watched David start pulling the bedding off the mattress. His jerky movements made it obvious how angry he was, but Paige didn't have the good sense to leave him alone.
"David," she began in a pathetic whimper.
I glanced over to see tears in her eyes and rolled my eyes in annoyance. She was going to pull out the guilt card now. She was a real piece of work.
"What?" he snapped out in irritation as he stopped and glared at her.
"I...I'm sorry," she said as she began to sob quietly. "I've just been so stressed out and scared about Aiden finding me. I'm sorry I've been taking it out on you. I know this isn't my house anymore. You're the only one who decides what happens in your house."
I didn't miss her subtle jibe at me. She was making it clear that this wasn't my house either. Bitch. I wisely kept my mouth shut.
David let out a deep sigh, and his face softened slightly. "Look, Paige. I'm sorry George peed on your bed, and I'll clean it up. Just keep the door shut to keep him out of here from now on. Okay?"
She nodded and sniffled. I wanted to slap the shit out of her. David gathered the bedding into his arms and walked out of the room, giving me an apologetic look as he passed me. Paige went to follow him, but I stopped her with an arm across the doorway.
"I know what you're up too," I whispered viciously, a protective surge of anger coursing through me. "You're wasting your time. He'll never take you back, not after what you did to him."
"You don't know him as well as I do," she replied with a sneer.
I leaned in threateningly, and she shrank back from me a little. Score one for me. "The man you used to know is long gone. You made sure of that yourself when you destroyed him. I'm the one picking up the pieces and fixing what you broke." That shut her up. She glared at me, but didn't say another word. "Goodnight, Paige," I told her with little sincerity. I turned and walked to David's room, and shut the door behind me.
A little while later, David came in to find me curled up around George on the bed watching TV. He walked over to us and sat on the edge of the bed with a weary sigh.
"You know she's trying to manipulate you, don't you?" I asked him quietly without looking at him.
"I do, sweetheart." His voice was resigned and sad. "I'm just trying to keep the peace here, until she's gone."
"You're going to talk things out with her before then, aren't you?" I looked at his pained face and felt bad for him. He looked away from me and didn't respond for several moments.
"What if I can't?" he finally whispered dejectedly. "What will you do then? Will you leave me too?"
"David, I'm not going anywhere," I reassured him as I sat up and reached up to press my palm to his cheek. He met my eyes, and the deep pain in them broke my heart.
"Every time I see her, I think about the child she stole from me, and the pain feels like a knife stabbing into me," he said in a broken voice. "When she talks to me, it feels like it's twisting deeper inside me, and I don't know how much longer I can deal with it. I don't think I'm ever going to be able to talk to her, Natalie." His eyes glittered with unshed tears. "I didn't want to let you down. I'm so sorry."
With a sudden flash of clarity, I realized that letting her stay here was a horrible mistake. She was destroying him all over again by being here. She was toxic, and every second she was here was hurting him. Guilt swamped me, but what other choice had there been. We couldn't leave a pregnant woman in an abusive situation, even if she was a manipulative bitch.
"You don't have anything to be sorry about, but I do," I told him apologetically. "I shouldn't have pushed you into this. I didn't realize how much being around her would hurt you." I wrapped my arms around David and hugged him tightly, burying my face into his neck. "I'm so sorry, my love. I thought I was helping you, but I think I made things worse."
"Well," he said softly as he pressed a kiss to my temple. "Having her here has taught me one thing."
"What's that, my love?" I whispered into his neck as I breathed in his delicious scent.
"I'm glad she dumped me, so I could be with you."
I lifted my head and smiled at him, thinking about what Syd said about us being meant to be together. "Really?" I asked him incredulously.
"Really," he nodded, his face serious and sincere. "I love you, Natalie. I love you so damn much. More than I've ever loved anyone."
David kissed me then, deeply and passionately. He pushed me back onto the bed and pulled off both our clothes. Then he proceeded to show me with his body how very true his words were, until I felt more loved than I ever felt before in my entire life. I fell into a sated sleep in his arms afterwords, feeling like the luckiest woman on earth.
*********
"Oh my God," Maggie blurted out in amusement. "I love that cat."
"I know, right?" I agreed with a laugh. "Who'd have thought I'd be happy for George to piss on someone's bed?" We were in the break room Thursday morning getting coffee and catching up before starting work. Every day, I'd been giving her the play by play of the soap opera going on at David's house this week. I was glad that I had someone to vent to that wasn't directly involved in the situation.
"What did David do?" Maggie asked as she stirred creamer and sugar into her mug.
"He told her to shut the fuck up when she started whining," I told her with a smug smile.
"Holy shit," Maggie blurted in surprise. "He must have been royally pissed."
"Yeah," I agreed, smiling at the memory of Paige's shocked face when he went off on her.
Then, I started thinking about the distraught look on David's face when he asked me if I was going to leave him, and my amusement died. I stood there staring unseeing into my coffee, fretting and worrying about David's mental well-being.
"Are you okay, Natie?" Maggie asked, breaking me out of my serious thoughts.
I let out a deep sigh. "No, not really." I met her worried eyes. "I'm worried about David. He's not coping well with her being there. Having Paige at his house is ripping him apart, and she needs to leave, but I don't think she has any intention of doing that anytime soon." I was sure she had an agenda, and I was afraid that it would end up hurting David irreparably before we could get rid of her.
"Maybe she needs a little push in the right direction," Maggie suggested with an arched brow and a hard glint in her eyes. "Maybe it's time someone fl
ipped their bitch-switch and went off on her ass."
"I think that's a great idea," I told her decisively. "And I think I'm just the bitch to do it." I felt a surge of protectiveness and determination. I decided right then to leave work a little early and have a come-to-Jesus meeting with Paige before David got home. He had been willingly working late the last few nights so that we both got to his place around the same time. It would give me just enough time to lay down the law, and make it crystal clear that he was mine, and she needed to get the fuck out sooner rather than later. Surely, there was someone else who could take her in.
For the rest of the day, my decision filled me with purpose, and it gave me something to do besides feeling hopeless and constantly worrying about David. By the end of the day, I was all wound up and ready for my showdown with Paige. Unfortunately, I didn't get out as early as I hoped, and I would only have fifteen minutes or so before David got home. It wasn't as much time as I wanted, but it would have to do.
Cold rain was sheeting down from the sky when I pulled into David's driveway, adding a bad mood to my already tense frame of mind. I threw the hood of my coat over my head and ran for the front door cursing under my breath all the way. I hurried inside and hung my dripping coat on one of the hooks on the wall near the door, still grumbling under my breath about the rain. I put my purse and computer bag down on the floor, and turned to find the living room empty. I scowled and went to the kitchen. Paige wasn't there either.
I sighed in annoyance and headed down the hallway to the guest room. The door was shut, and I glared at it for several moments. Part of me wanted to pound on the door and storm in on her, but better judgment prevailed. As satisfying as that sounded, if I went in like that, she'd get defensive immediately, and I probably wouldn't get anywhere. I turned and went to David's room to change clothes and come up with a game plan.
I immediately noticed that the bedroom door was open. I could have sworn I had closed George in there before I left this morning. I walked in and looked at the empty bed. Instantly, I knew something wasn't right. Usually when I got home, George either greeted me at the door, or I found my cat asleep on the bed. Neither of those things happened. Where was George?
You Are My Love: Breathless Book 2 Page 20