Chapter 72 Astrid
ASTRID
“Astrid, wake up.” Someone touches my face. “Astrid, you need to wake up. Seán is here.”
My eyes spring open, and I bolt upright. “What?” Seán’s supposed to be in Canada on business this weekend.
“I was woken by the buzzer at the front gate. Your fiancé threatened he’d break it down if I didn’t let him through.” He hands me my dress. “You better put that on ASAP.”
Tires spin on the gravel outside as I stare through the gap in the curtains, noting Seán’s enraged face when he jumps out of his car. “Too late. Oh fuck, he looks really angry.”
“I’ll handle him. Go get dressed.”
I hop up as Callan goes to answer the door. I’m halfway across the living room when an almighty crash sounds from the hallway. Dropping the dress, I race out of the room, terrified Seán is going to kill Callan.
“Stop!” I shriek when I arrive, finding Callan sprawled on his back on the hall floor.
Blood is oozing from his nose, and his hands are bleeding where they’ve landed in the shattered pieces of a glass vase.
Callan’s hall table is on its side, the contents scattered and broken.
“This is not what it looks like,” I say, crouching beside Callan, taking care not to step in any of the glass.
“I’d say it’s exactly what it looks like.” Seán’s angry gaze roams over my bare legs and Callan’s T-shirt, jumping to conclusions that are wrong. His suit is crumpled, like he slept in it, his hair is askew, and there are bruising shadows under his eyes.
“I spilled water on my dress, and Callan gave me this to wear. I fell asleep on the couch, and I just woke up. Nothing happened.”
“Astrid is telling the truth,” Callan says, taking my offered arm as he scrambles to his feet.
“She fell asleep while we were talking. I put a pillow under her head and covered her with a blanket before I went upstairs.” He winces, hobbling to one side, leaning against the wall as he removes a piece of glass from the underside of his foot.
Straightening up, he glares at Seán. “All of which I would have explained if you hadn’t punched me the fucking second I opened the door. ”
“You must think I’m an imbecile.”
“You are if you think Astrid would ever cheat,” Callan retorts.
“Shut your face.” He jabs his finger in Callan’s direction.
“Seán, stop it. Please. I can explain.”
“Oh, please do. I can’t wait to hear the reason why you’ve been in your ex’s house for the past fourteen hours and twelve minutes.”
I narrow my eyes in suspicion. “How did you know I was here?” I left my cell at home on purpose to avoid this very thing.
“I have access to the tracker in your car.”
“Without my knowledge or permission?”
“Most rentals have them, and sue me if it’s a crime to worry about my fiancée!”
“Don’t raise your voice to her,” Callan says.
“Thought I told you to shut the fuck up.”
“Seán! This is Callan’s house.”
“I’m well aware, Astrid,” he snaps. “Why the hell are you here?” Pain flares briefly in his eyes, and it helps to cool my temper. I put myself in his shoes, understanding what this must be like.
“Callan told me the truth about what happened all those years ago, and it was stuff I needed to hear.”
“Don’t insult my intelligence. You expect me to believe that took all night, and it required you to sleep over?”
“I hadn’t intended to, but we were up late talking, and I guess I fell asleep, but I swear, nothing happened. I would never cheat on you.”
He folds his arms across his chest. “I don’t believe you.”
“Let’s go home. We can talk about it there.” I turn to look at Callan, silently conveying I won’t tell my fiancé the entire story because it’s not fully mine to share, and I know Callan doesn’t want him to know.
He nods, and Seán scoffs.
“What the fuck is that?” he snaps.
I whip my head around to my fiancé. “I think you should wait outside while I get changed.”
“So you can align your stories?”
“So you don’t trash any more of Callan’s home or throw any more punches.”
“Always quick to defend him.”
“You attacked him in his home, Seán. It’s not unreasonable to ask you to wait outside so you don’t do it again.”
My fiancé ignores me, raking a derisory gaze over Callan’s sweatpants and shirt. “In case my right hook was too subtle for you, you’re fired. Get your men and your equipment off my premises by close of business today.”
“What? No. You can’t do that!” I say.
“I can, and I am.”
I march up to him, pushing my face all up in his. “Take it back, Seán. What’s going on here has nothing to do with the professional agreement you have with GH Construction.”
“I want this prick out of our lives, and you don’t get a say in this matter.”
“The hell I don’t! You can’t do this. Callan has a daughter to provide for and—”
“It’s fine, Astrid. We’ll get by just fine without the project if that’s what your fiancé wants. Don’t go to war on my account. I’d prefer not to see his fucking face ever again.”
“Glad you remembered I’m her fiancé,” he says, grabbing me into his side and caging me with his arm.
“You won’t be for much longer if you fire him,” I say, trying to remove his arm.
“Don’t make threats you don’t intend to keep, darling. First rule of business.”
“Get your fucking arm off me, and I’m not bluffing. I mean it, Seán. If you do this, we’re done.”
“We’re done when I say we’re done.” He lets me go suddenly, and I stumble on my feet, almost falling.
I steady myself against the wall and turn to glare at him.
“You’re no longer worth the effort.” He eyeballs Callan.
“You want her so badly, you can have her. See if you can fix the mess you created because I’m done wasting my time.
” Seán grabs my hand and rips the ring from my finger.
“I’ll find someone worthier to give this to.
Melissa’s been angling for the position for a few weeks now. ”
“You fucking bastard.” Callan storms over, hands balled into fists, ready to let swing, but I’m not about to let that happen.
I step in front of Callan and keep him back.
“Don’t bother. He’s not worth it.” If Callan hits Seán, he’ll use it to break the contract without paying them what they’re owed, and he’ll probably even try to sue.
I straighten up and pierce my ex-fiancé with a confident look.
“Melissa is welcome to you. You’ll only ever be married to your job anyway.
I want a man who will hold me when I lose his baby, not prioritize meetings and say it’s for the best I miscarried because the timing isn’t right to gain Daddy’s approval.
You’re not a man. You’re a fucking puppet. ”
“I don’t know what I ever saw in you.” Seán sneers as he picks some lint off his suit jacket.
“Ditto, asshole.”
“You have twenty-four hours to get your things out of my house. I’ll send Paige your stuff in New York.”
“Fine.”
He turns to walk off before throwing one last venomous look over his shoulder.
“Oh, by the way, you’re fired too. You can collect any personal items from the hotel the same time your fuckboy is getting his shit off my property.
” He spears his last vindictive look in Callan’s direction.
“Good luck with my sloppy seconds. You’re going to need it. ”
I slam the door shut after his sorry ass, seething as I press my back to the wood and work to calm myself down.
Callan’s gaze bores into mine. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” I hiss. “I mean, I’m fucking angry. How dare he do this, but I’m also relieved. Things haven’t been right between us since I moved back here. It was obvious we want different things in life, but I was in denial, refusing to admit the relationship was drawing to a close.”
“I can’t stand that slimy fucker,” he admits. “I was tempted to fly to Switzerland and introduce him to my fist when he left you to deal with the miscarriage by yourself.”
“That’s when I knew for sure, and though it’s not easy to lose a baby, on this occasion, I am glad I didn’t have a child with him.”
“Unlike me.” He offers me a sad smile before kneeling and picking up the debris on the floor.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” I say, padding toward him.
“I know you didn’t. Doesn’t make it untrue though.”
“You love your daughter.”
He looks up. “I do, and I only see Darcy when I look at her, but there was a period where she reminded me of Gwen, and some days it was hard to look at her and not remember.”
I don’t want to admit I can relate because it would hurt Callan, and he’s been hurt enough. We both have.
He raises his palm when I move to bend down. “Don’t come any closer. You don’t have shoes on.”
Or much clothing. Feeling self-conscious, I tug his shirt down. “I’ll get dressed and come help. You should wash the blood from your nose so we can see what the damage is. Also, check for glass fragments in your hands and your foot.”
“It’s not broken, though I’m guessing I’ll have one hell of a bruise.”
After we clean up the mess in the hall and I tend to Callan’s wounds, he makes me a delicious ham and mushroom omelet for breakfast, and then he trails me to the house on Sweet Maple Lane in one of his company vans.
Travis and Riley are waiting out front for us.
“What are you doing here?” I ask when I get out of my car.
“Came to help you load up,” Riley says.
“And for moral support in case Devlin shows up,” Travis adds.
“He’s already left town. I checked before I terminated the location sharing app.”
“Damn, dude. He got you good.” Riley winces as he looks at Callan’s swollen nose and shredded hands.
“The prick hit me the second I opened the bloody door.”
“Incoming!” Jessie shouts, rounding the hood of Travis’s truck. She pulls me into a warm hug, squeezing me tight before releasing me. “I heard what happened,” she whispers, taking my hands. “Are you doing okay?”