Chapter 32 Go Away!
Go Away!
Greer
The vendors' bids each came in slightly under what I expected, even with the travel, because the event didn’t need to cater to snooty rich people.
Everything is set that way, and all the bills are getting sent directly to Rothswyler. I just need to take care of a few things in town to make sure the local vendors profit from this event.
Kia. I need to make sure she can come.
She answers on the first ring. “How did you know I was just thinking about you?”
“Because I was doing the same. Where in the world are you today?”
Her laughter is this combination of raspy sweetness. “I’m in a little beach town in the middle of nowhere. My parents can’t even find it on a map. This place is perfect. It’s a mixture of a small town and a beach resort. Living here is like a perpetual vacation.”
Living? “You bought a house?” Kia isn’t the type of person to set down roots. She’s a wanderer. A free spirit sharing her gifts with the world. In order to convince her to settle down—“You met someone!”
“Not just met him. We got married. It was sudden, but…I think he might be the best thing that ever happened in my life. Even better than my music.”
Wow. I never felt that way about anyone, especially not Darrel.
“I need to introduce him to my parents. Mom is going to love him—” She sighs. “—I’m pretty sure Dad will hate him. At least I’ll have Gran in my corner. How are you doing? I heard about the divorce. You’re better off without the creep.”
When it first happened, I wasn’t sure. “I am. I can’t believe how much freer I feel without him in the picture.”
“My parents have pulled all their business from his family’s company in solidarity.
What he did was so wrong. But now that you’re free, you can find someone wonderful.
Because this love thing is the best. I just want to sing it from the top of every building I can find.
You won’t believe how much I’ve been writing.
It’s like being in love inspires me. You should hear some of my new stuff.
I should come up there and do a concert.
But then my parents will want me to visit with them for a while, and Mom will talk me into attending a half dozen boring social events. ”
“That was actually one of the things I was calling about. I’m helping with a charity event.”
“If you’re asking me to put on a dress and heels, you can forget it. I just got these locks done. I’m not taking them out to make my mother happy.”
“Did she lose her mind when you went to a ball with them in? Mine would have probably killed me on the spot.”
Kia laughs. “If Gran hadn’t loved it, she probably would have passed out on the spot. Dad laughed the entire time.”
Her dad would, but then again, he’s an artist as well. The difference between Kia’s parents and mine is the fact that hers actually love her. “What if I promise no dresses are required?”
“Now you’re talking my language. What’s the event for?”
“It benefits one small-town kid. We hope to raise enough to fund their college dream.”
“That’s a nice chunk of change. Is it your charity running things?”
This she won’t believe. “It’s a bit of a silent backer, but most of it is run by this biker gang.”
She whistles. “You weren’t kidding about not having to wear a ball gown.”
“They do this whole winter festival every year. I just thought I would amp it up a little bit.”
“You amping it up. Do they know what they got themselves into?”
“Not even a little bit. I’m having more fun planning this one than any others I ever have. Plus, the entire town thinks I’m dating one of the bikers.”
“WHAT? That is the kind of information you lead with. Spill, lady. Tell me he’s hot with a beard and tattoos.”
Bram with a tattoo is impossible to picture. “No tattoos. He’s more of a stuffy professor, but before you get excited, we aren’t dating. We’re divorce buddies.”
“Well, that just ruined it. Unless you’re buddies with benefits. Tell me there are some benefits to being friends with a biker.”
“You’re a nut.”
“That’s why we’re friends.”
My doorbell rings. That’s odd. My last appointment was a while ago. “There’s someone at my door.”
“Okay, send me the details. I’ll be there to drool all over those hot bikers of yours and help you pick one. Wait, why isn’t Winnie all over that?”
“Bye, Kia.”
“I’m calling Winnie.”
And now my life is over. Between the two of them, we’re going to have a biker dating show with me as the prize…
I open the front door, and my phone slips out of my fingers.
“I must say, you’re slumming it in this hick town.”
My eyes are playing tricks on me, because that looks like Darrel and it sounds like Darrel, but Darrel is smart enough to know we’re over and done with.
“It’s a good thing I came to rescue you from your self-inflicted isolation.”
No, it’s Darrel’s face with my mother’s words.
“I know you must have been crushed when we broke up, but I want you to know everything is going to be okay. I’m here to take care of you now.”
Take care of me?
He hands the flowers to me. “We can restart our fertility treatments as soon as the wedding papers are signed. Why don’t you invite me in, and we can go over all the details?”
Wedding papers?
“Or we could just hop in my limo. I can buy you whatever you need when we get back home to Urbium. I’ve already looked into purchasing our penthouse again. My lawyer thinks the buyer will sell for the right price. Everything will be able to go right back to the way it was.”
The way it was. “Go away, Darrel.”
“Don’t raise your voice.” He looks around. “We’re in public.”
“I know exactly where we are. It seems you’re the one who’s confused. You need to leave my house, Darrel.”
“You haven’t heard. Of course, you haven’t heard. You live here. Who could possibly be around to tell you? I got divorced. It didn’t work out. It couldn’t work out. It was always meant to be you and me. Now we’re going to fix that. Aren’t you happy?”
Is he delusional? Probably. Darrel always thought the world revolved around him.
“This must be quite a shock for you. But don’t worry. I had my lawyers draw up the prenups. Everything is handled. We can go straight to the courthouse and get married.”
He isn’t delusional. He lost his mind. “Get off my property.”
“Greer, calm down. You obviously aren’t thinking clearly.” Darrel reaches out and wraps a hand around my arm.
“The lady asked you to get off her property. I suggest you do that.”
Havoc? That can’t be. But it sure sounds like him. Then again, everyone sounds wild today. I turn.
That’s definitely him in all his glory.
Some men were meant to sleep only in a pair of flannel pants…
Darrel wasn’t one of them. But Havoc…oh my. Winnie can’t see him like this. She’ll start drooling and that will be it for the hot biker next door.
And look at all those lovely tattoos. They really should be examined to appreciate their artistic merit.
“Go away. Can’t you see Greer and I are having a private conversation?”
“All I see is a man touching a woman without her permission and refusing to leave when asked.” Havoc crosses his arms over his chest, which only emphasizes his muscles.
Darrel must feel really inferior right now.
“What my wife and I do is none of your business. You can leave now before I call my driver over to remove you.”
Havoc chuckles. “He'd better have six friends with him.” Havoc moves forward. “Now take your hand off of her before I do it myself, and I don’t care if it’s still connected to your body when I do.”
Darrel’s hand drops to his side, and he backs away. “Greer, tell this lout that you’re my wife, and everything is fine.”
“Go away, Darrel.”
“That isn’t funny, Greer. This man looks violent.”
Deliciously so. “Go away, Darrel.”
“Greer, muffin, I came back for you. I can explain everything. I’m sorry—”
“I don’t care if you’re sorry. I don’t want to hear your excuses. Go away, Darrel.”
He looks at Havoc and then back at me. “You’re sleeping with him. I crushed you so badly that you’d accept anyone. Greer—”
I take one step forward until I’m right in Darrel’s face. “GET. OFF. MY. PROPERTY.”
He backs away. “You’re going to regret this.
You’re going to regret letting me walk away like this.
And when you come crawling back to me, remember this.
I’m going to make you beg me to forgive you.
” Darrel bumps into the limo and almost tumbles to the ground.
“You’re going to regret this, Greer.” He yanks the door open—something I haven’t seen him do in all the years we’d been together—climbing in like he’s hiding from a rabid dog.
“I’ll never regret this. Bye, Darrel.” But he can’t hear me as his limo races away.
Coward. I turn around and bump into fuzzy warmth.
Darrel wasn’t afraid of a dog. He was afraid of a grumpy biker.
One who likes to play knight in shining—well, that can’t really be considered armor, but it is sculpted to perfection.
Maybe if I don’t look up, he’ll go away, and I can pretend this was all a nightmare brought on by pregnancy hormones and too much chocolate cake.