Chapter 40 Rob
ROB
“Stop pouting,” Becky snapped as I slumped in my chair, pretending to work when I was really staring at my wedding pictures. “You’re driving me insane.”
“I’m not pouting. I’m actually doing something very important.”
She snatched the phone out of my hand, ignoring my protests. “Right,” she snorted.
Turning the phone, she showed me a picture of Krista and me at the altar, kissing like newlyweds in love. Which we sort of were, but not really.
“You’re pining for a woman who doesn’t want to be here.”
“Can you blame her? Maggie scared the shit out of her.”
“I think it was more than Maggie. This isn’t exactly a normal place to work.”
“Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean we’re a bad group.”
“Bad? No. Crazy? Absolutely.”
“If we were crazy, then none of you would have gotten married.”
She twirled in her chair, smirking at me. “If you look at the reality of it, most of us have gotten together with someone under extreme circumstances.”
“Not true. Derek fell in love with Claire, and she was just someone he met in the grocery store.”
“Yes, but then they went on that crazy adventure together. Hell, they jumped off a building!”
Okay, that was true.
“Storm and Jessica.”
“Haunted house,” she countered.
I grit my teeth in irritation. “Burg and Emma.”
“Fine, I’ll give you that one, but still, she had cancer. Extreme circumstances.”
Man, this was really difficult. I ran through all the couples in my head, desperately searching for one of them. There had to be someone who was just a normal, ordinary couple.
And then it hit me.
“Gabe and Isa.”
She thought it over and nodded. “True.”
“Ha! Gotcha!”
“Right, but then her daughter wanted to become an assassin like Knight, so probably not the best example of a normal family.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I snapped, even though it really did.
None of us were normal, and it was glaringly obvious that we were the problem in all of this.
I would never find another woman like Krista, not when she had her shot at any man she wanted, but I was limited to those who would put up with crazy children, confinement standards, and the one creepy possibility of making money selling dildos with the other women in their online shop.
I really hoped none of them had told her about that.
“Look, if you want her, you have to go get her.”
“That’s not a possibility. She’s gone by choice. It’s not like I pulled out a gun and forced her to leave.”
“No, but you didn’t actually put up a good argument. Hell, if I were you, I’d be out there in a heartbeat after I saw the man who’s been walking in and out of her house all week,” she smirked.
I nearly fell out of my chair at her words. “The what?”
She cocked her head at me, a smile playing on her lips. “Oh, you didn’t know about that?”
“What are you talking about?” I growled as my anger spiked.
She pulled up some footage from God knows where, showing the outside of Krista’s house. And right there, walking in and out as if he owned the joint, was a tall, burly fucker.
“I’m gonna kill him,” I sneered.
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far. You don’t even know him.”
I shoved my seat back, my fists clenching at my sides as I paced like a caged animal. “Who the hell does she think she is?”
“Um…probably a single woman.”
“With that fucker? I mean…who is he?”
“I could always track down his information if you’d like.”
No. No, I would not do that. I didn’t care who he was, and it didn’t matter. We were only married in name.
“It doesn’t matter who he is,” I said calmly, taking my seat and pulling it back to the desk. “If she wants to hook up with someone a week after she leaves me, that’s her prerogative.”
“Exactly,” Becky chuckled. “I mean, if it weren’t for the fact that you’re still married.”
Something like hope bloomed in my chest, but I had no idea why. It didn’t matter if she was married to me or not. We didn’t even have rings. And yet…
“You’re right. We are married. She’s cheating.”
“You could get her for spousal abandonment.”
“Is that a thing?”
“If it’s not, it should be.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, getting to my feet once again. “I mean, the least she could have done was wait until the papers were signed.”
“Exactly. She got you into this mess. She can get you out of it.”
“Precisely. It was her fault the mafia was after us. It was her doppelg?nger that got us into that mess.”
“That’s just what I was going to say.”
“I was just there having a good time, blowing off some steam. You know, it’s because of her that I missed that trial.”
“I heard. It really caused a huge mess that Cap had to clean up.”
“Yeah,” I scoffed, shaking my head at the ignorance of this woman. “And she had the nerve to leave me without even giving this thing a chance.”
“Who does that?” Becky huffed.
“My thoughts exactly. Who does that? Who just abandons their spouse after he saves her life and does everything possible to save a hooker from execution? You know, I could have handed Alicia over, and no one would have been the wiser.”
“And did she thank you?”
I scoffed again. “Alicia or Krista? Neither one of them was very grateful.”
“Not that you would want Alicia to be too grateful. Infectious diseases and all that.”
“Right, but Krista? She should have been on her knees, begging me to take her right there, on the spot. I brought her home. I shared my house with her. You know, she didn’t even stay a week! That’s not really giving me a chance.”
“Yeah, now we’re just going around in circles.”
“Well, I’m not going in circles anymore,” I scoffed. “We’re still married, and until the ink is dry on our divorce, she’s not shacking up with some buffed up He-man!”
“You tell her!”
I took off, ready to get my woman back and show her who was boss.
“Oh, and Rob?”
“Yeah?”
“I wouldn’t mention the part about this being all her fault. That’s not how you win her back.”
“Gotcha,” I grinned, racing out of the building.
I got in my truck and flew home, packing just enough for a quick trip out there. If I was lucky, I’d bring her back with me. If not…a trip to Vegas was in order.
I booked the flight and was just about to leave when Knight pulled up in his truck. He sighed, shaking his head at me when he saw the bag.
“I have something you need to take with you.”
Rain poured like a monsoon around me as I drove over the potholes on the driveway of Murky Falls Ranch. Beside me, Storm whimpered, covering his face with his paw.
I glanced over at him, shaking my head. “Seriously? You live in the wild, and you’re afraid of a little thunder?”
He whined louder, letting out a howl that I was sure could be heard all the way to Alaska.
The windshield wipers worked overtime to keep the windows clear as I took the fork in the road toward Krista’s house. When I saw her, I was gonna beat the hell out of whoever was staying with her, then demand she choose me.
“Yeah, that’s a great plan,” I muttered. “Beat up her new boyfriend, and then she’ll definitely want you.”
I couldn’t believe I was out here, contemplating moving back to the land of the frigid, but if I wanted Krista, this was the way it had to be.
There was no going back to the life I lived in Pennsylvania, to a sad, lonely existence.
I watched everyone around me get the girl, the family, and the happily ever after.
I wanted that.
And if I had to live in the mountains to get it, I would.
Happiness blossomed in my chest when I saw Krista run out of the house to her truck. She was so fucking beautiful, even caught in the rain.
Especially in the rain.
Her shirt clung to her curves, accentuating those tits I loved so much. And that ass…
God, it had been too long since I last had her, felt her body wrapped around mine. I had it bad, and now that I was out here, staring at her through the rain, I knew I could never let her go.
I could see it now. I would run up to her, tell her how much I loved her and needed her. And as the rain cascaded around us, I would pull her into my arms and kiss her until her toes curled. She would tell me she loved me, too, and then we’d go inside and practice making babies.
Not real babies, of course.
I needed a little time with her to myself before I added to our family.
And we should probably have a real wedding. A Montana wedding with flowers and sunshine and mountains brushing the skyline behind us. It would be fucking perfect.
And when I looked back at our wedding pictures, I would no longer see two people high on drugs, but a loving couple who couldn’t tear their hands off each other.
But that elation was soon replaced with anger when the douchebag ran out of the house after her, arguing with her about something as they stood in the rain.
In my rain.
I shifted into park and got out, stomping through the rain and the mud toward the woman I loved.
The man glanced over her shoulder, his eyebrow raising in question. And at that, Krista spun around, her hair soaked and clinging to her beautiful face.
“Rob, what—”
I snatched her around the waist and pulled her into my arms as my lips crashed down against hers. It was fucking perfect.
The rain.
The feel of her curves under my fingertips.
That tongue—
She yanked herself away from me and slammed her fist into my jaw. My head snapped to the side from the force of her hit, and as I stood there in confusion, I ran my fingertips along my jaw and grinned.
I fucking loved this woman.
“What the hell was that?” she snapped.
“Me?” I laughed. “What the hell is this?” I motioned to Mr. Douchebag, himself. “Moving on awfully fast, aren’t we?”
“What? Are you seriously accusing me of cheating on you?”
“We are still married,” I seethed.
“On paper only! It was a Vegas wedding. None of it was even real!”
“It was real for me!” I retorted, my anger growing as the man moved closer to her in a protective stance. “Back off,” I snarled.
“Not until you check your anger,” he snapped.
“She’s not yours to protect!”
“Oh, and that job falls to you? Where the hell have you been?”
I surged forward, but Krista stepped in front of me. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to claim my moment in the rain!” My eyes slid to the asshole who stood there rather unconvincingly in his love for her. Total douchebag.
“What the hell are you talking about?” she screamed.
“You’re mine. This was supposed to be our moment!”
“Our moment?” she brushed the wet strands from her face, shaking her head at me. “Rob, we tried. It didn’t work!”
As she spun on her heel, I chased her down, rushing around in front of her as mud sloshed against my boots.
“It didn’t work because we didn’t make it work!”
“You don’t like it out here! I didn’t like it in Pennsylvania! Unless we move to the Bahamas, I’m not sure either of us is going to be happy!” she shouted.
“If that’s what you want, then I’ll do it. I would live in a tree if that’s what you wanted.”
“Rob, it’ll never work.”
“Yes, it will. You know how I know that?”
She didn’t say a word.
“Because I spent one miserable week without you, and it was one week too many. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I couldn’t eat or sleep. I was fucking miserable. And it hit me, I’d rather be miserable here in Montana with you than in Pennsylvania by myself.”
She snorted, shaking her head at me. “Rob, being miserable isn’t going to work. That’s not how a relationship is supposed to be!”
“I don’t care!” I said, running to catch up as she turned and stomped away from me again. “Don’t say it won’t work because the way I see it, neither of us is going to be happy unless we’re together!”
“And where will we be happy?”
“Here!” I shouted, lifting my head and soaking in the rain.
It was fucking perfect. “I’ll freeze and I’ll adapt.
I’ll find a way to bring my work here. Hell, I’ll build a fucking igloo if that’s what you want!
All I know is that I love you, and I can’t take another minute without you.
You’re it for me, Krista, and you deserve a man who’s willing to be anywhere you are. And that’s me. I only want you!”
She shook her head, staring at the ground.
“Baby, we didn’t fight for our lives only to end up apart. We’re right for each other and you know it. So does Storm.”
“Who the hell is Storm?” the douchebag asked.
I glowered at him. “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”
“Not really,” he shrugged.
My nostrils flared in anger. “He’s not staying. I know you think moving on to someone else will fill that hole inside you, but baby, that hole is there because you’re missing me.”
The man snorted. “Awfully full of yourself.”
I tugged her away from the asshole and forced her to look at me. “You know we’re better together. Kick him out and take me back. I love you. I want to be with you.”
“Rob, you’re misunderstanding—”
“No, don’t say that. I didn’t miss a damn thing!”
“Yes, you did,” she smirked. “Sam is Blake’s brother, and he moved into my house while I was in Pennsylvania. He’s staying in the guest bedroom.”
I frowned, putting the pieces together in my head. “So, he’s not your new boyfriend?”
“Not even if he weren’t a mouth-breathing neanderthal.”
“Not sure how the hell I got put in the line of fire,” the man muttered.
I tugged her away from the asshole and pulled her into my arms. “Krista, we can make this work.”
Her eyes dropped, smashing my hope. “Rob…I can’t be responsible for destroying your life. You would never be happy out here.”
“I’ll make myself happy. That’s not on you. I can work remotely or start up my own business out here. Hell, technology is developing every day.”
“But will it be enough?”
“It’s just a job,” I murmured. “I’ve been miserable since you left, and no job can give me even close to what I feel when I’m with you.
I’m not just saying this because I miss you or because my hand has been a sad replacement for the feel of your pussy around my cock.
I’m telling you this because I looked at those wedding pictures, and I wondered what it would be like to have the real thing.
To have you in a gorgeous dress, walking down the aisle toward me.
And not because we were on the run or high on drugs, but because you chose me.
And I’m fucking begging you to choose me, Krista. Pick me. I swear to God, I will—”
“Rob!” she shouted, covering my mouth with her hand.
“Yeah?”
Her lips curved up in a smile. “Shut up and kiss me.”
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