20. Deacon
Iwas so freaking proud of Andrea I was nearly bursting with it. And although I selfishly would’ve loved to have been inside to see the smugness wiped from Jeff’s face, I knew it was something she’d needed to do on her own.
Equally as selfish, I wished I could have had her all to myself for the remainder of the day, but watching her smile and laugh with Lawrence and Ollie as we all met for lunch and champagne made the sacrifice of time worthwhile.
As we arrived back at my house in the afternoon, I could feel the remaining hours of the weekend slipping away. Taking her into my arms in the middle of my living room, I intended to spend the next few hours with her naked in my bed, in my shower, and wherever else the mood struck us.
But as soon as I started kissing her, my gate bell rang. I had every intention of ignoring it.
“What’s that sound?” Andi asked.
“Someone who is trying to suck time away from us.” It couldn’t be anyone I actually wanted to see because they would’ve texted or called first.
“Don’t you want to find out who it is?”
I should’ve said no, but I made the mistake of thinking I could deal with it quickly and thus end Andrea’s distraction. I took out my phone and brought up the app for the gate. “Hello?”
“Hi, it’s Nina.”
My wide eyes met Andrea’s. “She should be on her honeymoon, for Christ’s sake,” I grumbled.
“Are you going to let her in?”
The bell rang again, then again. “I could have security remove her.”
Andrea’s face softened. “But that could end up in the tabloids, and probably upset Bryce and your mom.”
She wasn’t wrong about this being a potential mess. Better to simply meet this head-on. “You’re right.”
“Do you want me to give you two privacy?”
“No, I’d rather you stay.” Not because I wanted to sell a fake relationship any longer, but because I honestly wanted Andrea by my side.
“Then I’ll stay.”
I pressed the button to open the gate and waited for her to drive up, physically flinching when the knock came. Dread wasn’t a strong enough word.
After I opened the door, Nina walked in as if she owned the place, only stopping in my living room when Callie puttered in to check out the houseguest. “Whose dog is that?”
Andrea came in from the kitchen. “Callie is my dog. Nice to see you again, Nina.”
Andi’s kind greeting was next-level high road. But she was the only one driving it as Nina instantly showed her annoyance by her presence. “I need to speak with Deacon alone.”
“Whatever you have to say you can say in front of Andi. Especially since you have ten minutes before we need to get back to our plans.”
She huffed before promptly bursting into tears, but I wasn’t dealing with her manipulative nonsense.
I took a seat on the sofa, with Andi beside me. Words could not describe how badly I wanted to spend time with her instead of dealing with my ex.
Nina immediately stopped the waterworks as soon as it was clear she wouldn’t get her way.
“What do you want?” I was out of patience.
She took a seat on one of the chairs. “Bryce and I fought on the honeymoon. It isn’t going to work between us.”
“Why would you come here?”
“Because I thought—I was hoping...”
I’d tried being nice. I’d tried being honest. Now it was time to be blunt. “Bryce is the best thing to ever happen to you. You should’ve seen the look on his face when you were walking down the aisle. But you didn’t see because you were too busy looking at me. He loves you.”
She dabbed at her eyes. “Did you ever love me?”
“No. And you are damn lucky to have someone love you the way Bryce does. But this—” I motioned between us. “Will never happen. Ever.”
“Are you really taking her to Australia with you?” Her gaze flicked to Andrea beside me.
I gripped Andi’s hand hoping she didn’t mind perpetuating the lie. “Yes, she’s joining me in a few weeks, and you need to go home to your husband, Nina.”
She seemed to realize this was the end of whatever fantasy she’d been perpetuating. “You won’t tell him I was here?”
“I won’t lie. If he asks, I can tell him you came here for advice. But no more bullshit. This is it.”
She nodded, real tears running down her face. “I understand.”
When I stood up to see her out, she went in for the hug. Although it went against every instinct for me to give it to her, I went along with it, hoping it would help provide whatever closure she was searching for. Once she left, I shut the door and leaned against it, relieved she was gone.
“How are you?” Andrea asked, concern etched on her beautiful face.
“Better now that she’s gone.” Gripping the back of my neck, I addressed the possible elephant in the room. “Sorry I lied about you joining me in Australia.”
Her smile was soft. “Not any different than the way I lied to Jeff about us being an item. It’s fine.”
I blew out the breath I’d been holding over her getting the wrong idea; thankful we were still on the same page about this being one weekend only.
I pulled her into my arms. “Now that we’ve completed our gauntlet of exes, and I’m about to turn off both of our phones, how would you like to spend the rest of our time together?”
She grinned. “Oh, I have some ideas.”