Chapter 40
forty
THE WATCHER
He had lost all interest in going on the weekend excursion with the club, but he knew if he stayed home, he would only stew on what she was doing and who she was doing it with.
He pitched in where he could, threw rocks in the ponds with the kids, and helped with the meals. It was torture to be doing all those things without Bébhinn.
He did them anyway, because he planned for them both to stay club members. It was their thing, after all, a beloved hobby that was all theirs.
She was with her boyfriend…that had to be a lie. It had to. He would have seen evidence of a relationship with the bedroom camera if that were the case.
No. She made up the story because she forgot about the trip, and spending the weekend with a “boyfriend” was an easy story for the other members to believe.
But what if she did have one? She had clearly packed a large suitcase. He’d seen it for himself. However, the case was big, too big for one or two days. Maybe she was packing for storage, or she had loaded stuff to take to her mother’s flat.
He stoked the fire while other campers added wood. He smiled and chatted, but his thoughts never strayed from her. He was done waiting for her to choose him, even though they had an undeniable connection.
There was another problem that he was struggling with. Rent was due in three weeks on their flat, and his funds were tapped.
He’d put everything on his credit cards to outfit the place. He wouldn’t take her to a new home filled with shabby seconds. She was used to a certain level of wealth.
Once they were married, her money would become his, and he could pay off the debt. He was beginning to panic because his timeline had been upset twice now. He couldn’t afford to wait.
When he got back from the hiking trip, and she was back from her…weekend getaway, he would be waiting.
Watching.