Chapter 13
CHAPTER 13
HUNTER
Dorothy shakes her head and pushes off the bed. “I don’t want to talk about Jami.”
I pull in a rush of air. I’ve only just started with everything I need to come clean about, and my heart’s already about to fall right out of my chest.
Standing, I prepare to give her more, even though I could lose her. “I wish I would’ve talked to you in the beginning, but that’s why I’m doing it now.”
She takes a sip of her coffee, then puts the cup down and stares out the window.
“So many things could’ve been different.” There’s sadness in her tone.
“I know.” Guilt squeezes me. “And you need to know that because of my past, I have an extreme fear of losing the woman I love.”
She turns, her emerald eyes meeting my gaze. “I’m sorry your mom did that to you.”
“I know.” I step away from the bed to ease my anxiety. “Because of that fear, I’ve done other things that were designed to make me feel like I was in control. Since I’ve been going to therapy, I know those things are wrong. ”
Her brows pinch together. “Why do I get the feeling you’re trying to tell me more?”
I run my hand over my sore neck. “Because you’re right.”
She releases a laugh like she can’t believe anything that’s happening. “Well, give it to me and let’s see how much I can take.”
I find her hardened gaze and get ready for her to run out the door. “I’ve been ruthless with Jamison, threatening and manipulating him so I could have you to myself. I haven’t believed in your love for me, so I sabotaged your relationship with him, tracked your phone, manhandled you, and chased you down so you wouldn’t leave me.”
“What’s this about Jamison?”
I swallow and face my fate. “When you came back from Denver and told me about being with him, I threatened him so he would stay away from you. I told him I would ruin his career if he went near you.”
Her cheeks burn red. “I know you threatened him, but how were you going to do that?”
“Not only was I going to destroy his career, but I found out things about him I knew you wouldn’t like. I told him I’d tell you if he didn’t give us space to work it out.”
She shakes her head and balls her hands into fists at her side. “He told me that, but with everything else, I forgot. And I obviously know what those things are now. Fuck, Hunter. I’m so angry.”
“You have every right to be.”
“And he was just okay with that?” she asks through clenched teeth. “He didn’t fight or give a fuck about us. He just cowered away, taking the easy route out.”
She’s mad at him?
My eyes narrow. “Um…no. He dug up information about me and held it over my head.”
She sneers. “And what does that mean?”
“It means he came to me and told me to back off. He said he would keep his distance from you if I did too. We kind of made a truce.” I still myself because I have no idea where her head is.
She plants her hands on her hips. “What things did he find out about you?”
“He knew I was tracking you, and he saw me coming home with Isabella?—”
“He saw you with her and didn’t tell me?” She storms out of the room and down the stairs. “Not only does he keep his fucking life from me, but he keeps your affairs from me too. Un-fucking-believable.”
And we’re back to her confusing the fuck out of me.
I follow her down the stairs. “Dorothy, we both had things we were keeping from you.”
What the fuck am I doing?
I reach her on my main level and shut my mouth.
“So you threaten Jami and he just backs off so his secrets stay locked away?”
She stomps in a circle around the living room. “Here you are baring your soul, and you’ve only known me for less than a year. He’s known me forever, and that’s how he sees our relationship? Something he can just step away from because I might find out something he doesn’t want me to know.”
Fucking hell.
I never would’ve seen this coming.
My mind is blown. I thought she would run out of here so fast I wouldn’t see her leave, but somehow, this is all about Jamison hurting her more.
She continues, “And not only that, but he keeps it from me that you were here with Isabella. He knows how much that type of thing enrages me, but he still cowered away.”
I want to respond, but I’ll only make it worse for myself. I stare at her in silence, waiting for her to direct her tirade in my direction.
“It was all for his benefit. When was he ever going to trust me and tell me the truth?” She cracks in half, falling to her knees and balls up on the floor. “I never meant anything to him. All I thought was there between us was just me hoping for something more than it was. He had no intention of telling me the truth.”
I rush to her side and take her in my arms. She clutches my sweatshirt and weeps.
“Did he think I wouldn’t find out?” She takes a deep breath. “Maybe he had a plan for how he could keep me from finding out. He kept the ruse up for nearly a year. He could’ve done it for longer because I’m so stupid and refuse to look the truth in the eye.”
She buries her face in my lap. I give her the time to break apart while she allows me to comfort her.
The situation should feel like a win, but her heartbreak has me twisting in a tornado of sadness and hopelessness. I’m not sure how I can put her back together.
I step into Jonah’s kitchen an hour later, wondering if Dorothy will have left by the time I get back. “What’s the plan for tomorrow night?”
He sits at his circular table and gestures to a seat across from him. “I thought you’d have it all worked out. It’s for you and Dori. Melanie and I are just along for the ride.”
I pull out my chair and sit. “That’s only if she’s still around when I get home.”
“What did you do now?”
“I came clean on some things I did while we were dating.”
He shoves the magazine he was reading over and rests his arms on the table. “Such as? ”
I gaze out his kitchen window to avoid his stare. “Just that I threatened Jamison in an effort to keep them apart.”
“Jesus, Hunter. This relationship of yours has you acting like an ass.”
“I don’t need a lecture, Jonah.”
“Fine, but now you’re dealing with all this shit. What if it doesn’t work and you lose Dori, anyway?”
“I don’t want lies between us—it tore Jamison and her apart. I decided to come clean with her, thinking she’d at least respect me if nothing more. But the crazy part is when I told her about the threats, she was more upset that Jamison didn’t tell her the things he knew about me.”
Jonah raises his brows. “Well, there’s a plot twist.”
“You’re telling me. She’s still mad at me, but not nearly as much as I expected. The problem is she has a tendency to run and close down when she’s upset.”
I push out of my chair to get something to drink. “I’m afraid giving her space today will only give her time to pack her bags and leave, but she asked me for some time alone, so I’m giving it to her.”
“If she leaves, then what?” Jonah stands and follows me to his coffee bar. “Here, let me make the coffee.”
“If she leaves, then anything else I need to tell her won’t matter.” A layer of anxiety mixed with guilt twists in my guts.
He takes the coffeepot and rinses it out. “Why do you say that?”
“Because the things I still need to tell her are worse. If she can’t handle what I told her today, then there’s no way she’ll accept the other issues.”
“There’s more?”
“Yeah, but I’m slowly working through them.” I rest my hand on the counter and lean into it.
Jonah grinds some coffee beans, the shrill of the grinder filling the air. Once he’s done, he goes about brewing a new pot .
“Hunter, I can’t imagine what other secrets you have. But I’m wondering what’s gotten into you.”
I move to the cabinets and get out two mugs. “Dorothy’s worth it to me. I need to take these measures so she sees I’m trying to be better for her. If there’s a chance I can win her back, I’m going to take it.”
“If she’s still at your place when you get back, I’d say you have a chance.”
“I hope she’ll be there. She still doesn’t want to talk with Jamison, and if she goes home, he’s likely to show up on her doorstep.” I place down the cups near the pot as I wait for the coffee to finish brewing.
Jonah rests against the island. “What if you do all this for her and you lose her?”
My throat constricts. “Then I guess it was all for nothing.”
“And if that’s the case, then what? How do you work side by side with her and not let these personal issues affect you?”
What would it be like at work if Dorothy pushes me away?
“Good question, Jonah. I haven’t gotten that far.”
He huffs. “You might want to get there because we have too much riding on this launch. If you two can’t work together and something gets fucked up, I’ll kill you.”
“She’s professional and won’t let her work suffer.”
He nods and crosses his arms. “Yeah, right. And her missed deadlines had nothing to do with the problems between her and her co-workers. Namely, you and Jamison.”
My chest hardens, and I swallow the sudden lump of dread. “I’ll figure it out, Jonah. I won’t let this launch fail. Believe me, I want it to be successful. It means too much to the future of our business. And that will always come first.”
He pushes off the counter and continues fixing us our drinks. “Finally, the Hunter I know has shown up. It’s about fucking time.”
“I’m still the same guy. If you think about it, you haven’t seen any of this affect my job. And before you make some smartass comment, my personal problems will never interfere with the business.”
“So you say.” He gives me a sidelong glance. “But you’ve never had to deal with working with the woman you love, knowing you can’t have her.”
“Our business and its success is always number one in my mind.”
He hands me a full mug of a much-needed caffeine boost, and I take it from him. We return to the table and take our seats.
“I hope you mean that, Hunter. If anything goes wrong, you’ll have to deal with Dad. You may have him on your side right now, but if he sees you slipping, he’ll be on your ass and won’t let up until he’s sure you’re in line.”
A picture of my dad raking me through the coals forms in my mind. I shudder. “I know that, Jonah. I won’t let it get that far.”
Jonah leans back in his chair, holding the handle of his cup and allowing the hot liquid to cool before he drinks it. “In that case, what are you thinking for tomorrow? Just how do you get Dori to go along with your crazy plans?”
I blow on my coffee and take a sip. “I just plan on being honest and hope it goes well.”
“You might want to see if she’s still at your place before we spend the next little while discussing our Christmas activities.”
I pull my phone out of my pocket. “Yeah, you’re right. Let me text her and see what she’s thinking.”
Me: Hey, Beauty. Just checking in with you. I’m with Jonah now. I’ll be back in a couple hours. Is there any chance you’re still there and we can talk when I return?
I press send, my heart hanging on for dear life as I wait to see what my future holds.