Chapter 28
The drive towork is an anxious one.
I know I am going to have to face Titus, I can’t run and hide. I am a forty-seven-year-old man and I’m not going to lie, I am shitting myself just a little bit.
I deserve it all.
Still doesn’t make it any easier.
Slowing when I pull into my parking space, I inhale deeply and give myself a moment or two before I finally step out the car, briefcase in hand. Suited and booted. Ready to have my ass handed to me.
Fair.
Pushing the button for the elevator, I count how long it takes to reach me.
Seven seconds.
Nine seconds to go back up.
Give or take.
The doors ping and I step out into the office ready to have my face punched, but it’s calm. Nate sits at his desk. Kaleb is in his office, door pulled two and Titus’s desk is empty.
Odd.
“Morning,” I smile, nerves killing me on the inside and Nate’s eyes widen.
“Keaton, you’re back.”
I nod, walking behind him and gripping his shoulder in a friendly way as I walk across to my office, pushing the door to.
Unbuttoning the top button of my white shirt, I run my two fingers inside my collar that feels suddenly too tight, strangling me.
Maybe just getting me ready for my friend’s hands round my neck.
I’m not alone long when Kaleb pops his head round the door.
“My brother returns, I hear congratulations are in order for you and your beautiful wife,” he twists his lips trying his hardest to not break into a laugh.
“I wish that was the worst of it,” I mumble and yes, my answer could be coded. But I know what I am insinuating, Kaleb will think that I am on about Titus’s reaction.
“Where is he anyway?”
Kaleb looks over his shoulder and puffs out his cheeks, “Should be here any minute, he ran out to get coffees.”
“Cool,” I sound very unenthusiastic.
“He is angry.”
“No shit,” I scoff a laugh and scrub my face when I see my emails popping in.
“I wish you luck, brother.”
“Thanks,” I salute him off my temple, elbow resting on my desk as he ducks out and goes back to his office. I think.
The elevator doors ping and I know that my minutes are numbered so, instead of angering the beast any more than I already have, I decide to walk out and wave my white flag in surrender.
All it took was one foot out of my office for his pretty blue eyes—that are almost exactly the same shade as Arizona’s—to harden. Hers are more of a summer’s ocean blue, his more like ice.
Sounds about right.
“Well, well, well…” he whistles, placing the takeout coffee on his desk and I swallow the large apple sized lump. “Look who has returned.”
His eyes move to my left hand, seeking out the yellow band, but I fold it into my suit pocket in a poor attempt to hide it from him.
“Hey,” I just about manage, “did you get me a coffee?” my voice is tight and fucking hell what is wrong with me. I feel like I am back in sixth grade when I used to get beat up at lunchtime.
“No,” his eyes are thunderous.
“Standard,” I nod.
“Don’t get smart.”
“Hardly getting smart,” I scoff, rocking up onto my toes for just a moment and landing back on my heels.
“I’m warning you Keaton.”
“Or what Titus?” I raise my voice. “You’re mad, I get it, come and take it out on me. That’s what you want isn’t it? To lay punch after punch into my pretty face because I married your daughter.”
Well, fuck me, it was like waving a red flag in front of his eyes.
If you need more clarification, I’m the red flag.
He is the fucking bull.
He charges at me, his arms around my waist as he throws me to the ground and he knocks the fucking air out of my lungs as he winds me. I roll on my side, eyes crossing as I try and gasp for breath.
“You fucking married my daughter!” he shouts, and I swear spit flies out of his mouth and lands on me.
Deserved it.
If roles were reversed, I would have properly spat on him.
Inappropriate thoughts invade me for just one, split second at the thought of spitting, but I shut them down in an instant.
Not the time Keaton, not the fucking time.
“I did, yes,” I finally manage now I have caught my breath.
“I trusted you!” I wish his tone was softening, but if anything, it was getting more and more angry.
“I know,” I roll onto my front and slowly push myself up but then he gives me a blow to the ribs with his perfectly polished shoe. “Deserved that,” I grunt, pushing up again and this time, he lets me push to my knees.
“Seven and a half billion people in the world and you set sights on my daughter, why Keaton? WHY?!”
And I’ve had it.
I stand, squaring up to him, chest to fucking chest.
“You want to know why?” I seethe, eyes pinned on him.
“Yeah, I do.”
“Because I wanted to, because unfortunately for you, I love her. I’m in love with her. That’s it. No bullshit. No excuses. I LOVE HER!” and now it’s my turn to shout and shove him.
“You’re dead to me,” Titus growls, shoving me back a little harder, catching me off guard.
“Fine, that’s fine,” I shake my head, rage coursing through me now, but I can’t help but feel the hurt of Titus’s words. Slicing through my heart with a sword. Bloodied and wounded, I knew I wasn’t going to recover from this one.
Dead to him.
After everything we’ve been through.
“I never want to see you again!” his tone is sharp.
“Bit hard seeing as we work together.”
“Then I’ll leave,” and Nate’s head pops up over his computer.
Silence fills the room.
Both of us are angry. Chests rising and falling.
Sadness simmers my anger for a moment as Arizona pops into my mind.
“Do you know what Arizona thinks?” I pause, his angry gaze meets mine. “She thinks you don’t love her anymore. That’s why she hasn’t contacted you.”
“What?” Titus’s voice softens, his eyes locked on mine, and he looks as if the wind has been taken from his sails.
“Yeah man…” I pause, running my hand round the back of my head, my whole body aches. “She thinks you’re not going to love her anymore and feels like she is going to be replaced and left behind…” I pause, swallowing the large lump. “Just like her mom left her…”
Titus stumbles, falling back into his office chair, mouth a gape and shocked.
“That’s what she thinks?” and I can hear the defeat in his voice.
“Yeah man,” I repeat and tuck my hands into my pockets and we all just stare at Titus.
“Shit, I didn’t… I mean… fuck,” he scrubs his face with his hands.
“You did what I’ve done to you, sort of, in a nutshell.”
Nearly slipped up.
Fuck.
“Sorry?”
“Went away, got married, come home and sprung it on everyone…”
“Yours was plastered all over socials.”
“My bad, we had no idea…” it was the truth. We didn’t.
“Also, wasn’t your daughter I married, was it?” He seethes.
“No, but it was mine,” the gruff British accent that belongs to Xavier floats through the office and I bite the inside of my lip to try and stop the laugh coming out. Xavier continues forward and slaps Titus on the back, hard.
“Isn’t that right Titty?”
And he sighs, rolling his eyes.
Xavier continues forward and sets up camp in my office.
Not ideal.
Titus’s eyes find mine again and I give him a lopsided smile. I reach for my house keys and remove my car key before tossing the bunch towards him which he catches with one hand.
“She’s at home, go and see her.” I offer and he stands up, walking towards me and I open my arms ready to embrace him, but he plants a punch right on my jaw and it knocks me for six causing me to fall to the floor.
“That’s for marrying my kid,” he growls, pointing at me angrily before turning and walking away.
“Am I still dead to you?” I call out on a half laugh, half choked sob, but he just flips me off.
Standard.
Kaleb and Nate rush up and help me to my knees, Kaleb is angry as he goes to run after him, but I shake my head. “Leave him, I deserved it.” They look at me with furrowed brows, exchanging looks.
“He’ll be ready for round two in a few hours no doubt.”
“Whys that?” Nate asks.
“No reason,” I sigh, “no reason.”