Chapter 21
CHAPTER 21
NATALIE
Levi walked over to the small window in the conference room that overlooked the Boston Harbor. “You look beautiful, Natalie.”
I closed my eyes and reminded myself he was only doing this because I was with somebody else. He could have tried to talk to me weeks ago. Instead, he waited until I had moved on. I was finally happy, and I would never forgive him for pulling this stunt.
I turned to face him, unsure how I was going to keep my temper in check. I wanted to lay into him but that would only waste time. “The clock is ticking,” I reminded him.
He observed me carefully, waiting to figure out which direction he wanted to take this conversation.
“So, Rhett Daniels is the guy you’ve been dating? Is it serious?”
“You could say that.” I wasn’t sure what he wanted me to say, because if I told him the truth, he wasn’t going to like my answer .
He shifted on his weight and ran a frustrated hand down his face. “I wasn’t expecting you to look so happy.”
Of course he wasn’t.
“Were you hoping I would be lovesick and miserable?” I spat with enough hostility for him to get the hint.
He rested his hand on my arm, and when he saw my eyes narrow, he pulled it away quickly.
“Of course not. Regardless of what has happened, we share a history. I only want what’s best for you.”
If that were the case, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
“Maybe you should be more concerned about Brittany and your baby.”
He huffed. “I don’t want a life with her.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Well, too bad; you’re having a baby together. She’s going to be in your life whether you like it or not.”
“But we’re not together.” His voice sounded frustrated. “Did you notice that she isn’t here? I broke things off with her so I can fix things with you.”
“That doesn’t change anything for me because there is no fixing us. Not now. Not ever.”
His body tensed. “When did you become so cold and detached?”
“Maybe I’m just sick of playing your games.”
He looked at me with a bewildered look in his eyes. He wasn’t used to seeing this side of me. This was all new to me, too.
After spending so many years trying to balance my relationship and my studies so I could be there for him and his career, all the sacrifices, plane rides, tears, and heartache were all for what? So that he could toss me aside because he wasn’t getting enough attention? He thought that I would just walk right back into his arms like nothing ever happened.
Sorry, buddy, I don’t think so.
“I’m not playing games. The only person I want to settle down and have a family with is you. This baby doesn’t change that. If you give me another chance, we can find a way to make it work.”
I shook my head. “You’re too late.”
“Why?” he asked, narrowing his eyes. “Why does it have to be too late?”
“Your five minutes are up. I’m sorry.” I started to walk away, but he grabbed my arm.
“Natalie, wait.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box. He flipped it open to reveal a round, enormous solitaire diamond on a platinum band.
I would have thought I’d imagined this if I weren’t staring at it with my own eyes. “Why are you showing me this now?”
I truly had no idea why he was doing this. There was no way this was my life.
“Because it’s yours.” He dropped down on one knee. “It was always meant to be yours. You are the only woman I would ever want to settle down with.”
“What the hell am I supposed to do with that?” I managed to stammer out.
Slowly, he rose to his feet, the ring box clutched tightly in his fingers. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders, pulling me into him. I stood there, stunned. My mind raced, searching for words.
“I was hoping you would put it on your finger where it belongs.”
“That’s not going to happen,” said the familiar voice coming from the front of the room. I glanced over to see Rhett standing in the doorway with a murderous expression on his face.
Levi squared his shoulders. “I know you came with her, but this is none of your business.”
Rhett stepped forward; his hands were clenched into fists. He looked like he wanted to tear Levi apart, from limb to limb. “I beg to differ.”
“You can beg all you want. You’re just wasting your time, man. You don’t stand a chance. She still loves me.”
Levi clearly had no clue how wrong he was.
“You think so?” Rhett cocked his head to the side and I bristled at the vein popping out of his neck. Agreeing to hear Levi out was turning into one big mistake. I should have said no and walked away. I should have listened to my gut because deep down, I knew this would only end badly.
“Yeah, so why don’t you go back and enjoy the open bar.” He sneered. “Maybe find someone to take home. There are plenty of single ladies to choose from.”
“Sorry, I can’t do that.” His deep brown eyes locked on Levi’s. “Because Natalie is my wife, and unlike you, I’m not a cheater.”
His face fell. “What?”
I swallowed, noticing the genuine confusion on his face. This wasn’t what I had in mind when I said I was ready to stop hiding. We haven’t had a chance to tell our families yet, and the last thing I needed was Levi running his mouth.
“Rhett is my husband,” I said, taking a step back because, Jesus Christ, the testosterone in the room was off the charts.
“No.” He shook his head; his face was still full of shock.
“Yes.” I swallowed. “We got married in Vegas a little over a month ago. We haven’t announced it yet because we’re taking some time to ourselves.”
That wasn’t a complete lie.
“How the fuck is that possible?” He looked between us, shoving his hands through his hair. “Were you cheating on me with him?”
I cringed. I knew this looked bad, but he had a lot of nerve making an accusation like that after what he did. “I can’t believe you would ask me that.”
“I’m so confused. There is no way you moved on that quickly. I don’t believe it.”
“Believe it.” Rhett came and stood at my side.
Levi stepped closer. “Tell me this is some kind of mistake that we can fix. Just say the word, Nat, and I’ll get you out of this. Just give me a second chance, and I’ll make it all go away.”
I could feel Rhett’s body shaking with anger. “I’m going to say this one more time. Natalie is my wife. You don’t get to plead and beg for a second chance, especially when I’m standing right fucking here. You had her. You lost her. Time to move the fuck on, dude.”
Levi seemed unfazed by Rhett’s threat. “Get an annulment, please, Nat. We spent years together. You barely know this guy.”
Rhett shoved him back. “You seem to have a hearing problem, so let me spell it out for you. You and Natalie are finished. She is my wife. One more word out of your mouth and I’ll knock out whatever real teeth you have left in it. Only a piece of shit would hit on another man’s woman while he’s standing right there.”
Levi held his arms out. “Go ahead, asshole, I fucking dare you.”
Rhett’s arm flew back and connected with Levi’s lip. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth and dripped down along his chin. Levi has had his share of fights, but Rhett was bigger and stronger. I didn’t even want to think about the damage these two could do to each other.
Levi wiped the blood off his mouth and shook his head. “There is a reason why I’m known to spend more time in the penalty box than on the ice, you motherfucker. And I promise there ain’t no ref in sight with a little yellow flag to toss in the air to save your ass when things get too rough.”
Rhett grabbed Levi by the throat and shoved him against the wall. “I could squeeze the living daylights out of you if I wanted to. Instead I’m going to give you one last warning. This ends today. Stay away from my wife. Do we have an understanding?”
Levi twisted his way out of Rhett’s grasp. “You want to fight me? Let’s fucking go.” He rolled his sleeves and lunged at Rhett. I screamed over the top of them as they tumbled to the ground, punching and kicking the shit out of each other.
The door to the room banged open. Gina’s eyes were wide with disbelief while Hudson raced across the room. “Hey, break this shit up right fucking now.”
Hudson’s arm came around Rhett, who was on top of Levi, and pulled him off his friend.
“What the fuck is going on?” Hudson’s face twisted in anger as he used all his strength to keep his body wedged between the two men.
Levi staggered back, breathing heavily. “He fucking started it, that’s what.”
Rhett swiped a spot of blood off his lip. “That’s what happens when you start shit-talking and don’t know how to shut up.”
Hudson stood between them, holding both arms out to keep them separate. “What the hell, man?” He turned to Rhett. “I don’t give a fuck what he said. This is my wedding, and I think it’s best if you leave.”
Gina stood in the middle of the room, frozen in shock. My body filled with regret. This was exactly what she feared, and while it wasn’t all my fault, I still felt the need to apologize.
“Gina.” I approached her tentatively. “I am so sorry.”
“I warned you.” The hurt in her voice didn’t surprise me. A part of me hated that she was right, but when I looked at Levi, he wasn’t Mr. Innocent—far from it.
“You did warn me, and if there was a way I could have avoided this, I would have.”
She glared at me. “I told you not to bring him.”
“And you know why he’s here,” I said, trying to defend myself. There was so much about this that was fucked up. I didn’t even know where to start. Not that an explanation would do any good.
“What I know is that you’re selfish. This was my wedding, my one special day. And you had to ruin it all because you were afraid to show up alone.”
She had every reason to be upset, and I wanted to cut her some slack, but I just couldn’t find it in me to do so. She had it all wrong.
Rhett’s hand settled against my back. “I think you made your point, Gina. But if you’re looking to blame someone, you’re looking in the wrong direction. I could have handled myself better and for that, I apologize. But that’s the only apology you will get from me. Maybe someday you’ll realize what a mistake you made by treating a girl who was supposed to be one of your closest friends like a second-class citizen. If you asked me, you didn’t deserve to call her a friend.”
No matter how hard I wanted to salvage what we had, I needed to accept that things would never be the same again. With a heavy heart, I allowed Rhett to lead me to the door. When he saw the tears slip from my eyes, he tucked me against his side.
“Are you okay?” he asked, rubbing my arm.
My body leaned into his for comfort. “I will be once we get home.”
I knew people drifted apart, and as heartbroken as I was, our friendship was turning into something unhealthy. It was no longer the safe haven it once was.
It was time for new beginnings and to start focusing on people who lifted me up and accepted me for who I was.