Page 42 of Dirty Rotten Cheating Husband

I spun the car around to where her favorite taco truck was, swallowing hard. But some things had to change if I had the faintest chance of a real relationship with her.

“You know my parents are dead,” I said. “But actually I never knew them. As far as I can tell, my dad was never in the picture and my mom left shortly after giving birth to me. When I was able to do research later, they had both already died. My mother left me with my great-aunt. She was in her late 70s when she took in a newborn.”

I couldn’t look at Clementine. It was hard for me to share anything personal, and I had never told anyone.

“In her 70s?” Clementine asked, startled. “She must have been quite a woman.”

“She was,” I said. “She didn’t have much money but damn, she was a good cook. Taught me a lot of my dishes, and I learned how to cook at a young age.”

I swallowed. “She died when I was quite young. After that there was only group homes and then, as soon as I was 18, the military. So now you know. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. I want you to know everything about me. Also, I’m allergic to blackberries?”

“Allergic?” she cried. “You used to eat those all the time!”

“I know I did,” I replied, my hands tightening on the wheel, glancing over at where she sat like a little stone statue. “But you loved making that rhubarb crumble with blackberries so much, I couldn’t bear to say no.”

Flicking my eyes over to her, I saw a little flash of surprise in her eyes.

“I have a card with that info in my wallet if you don’t believe me,” I said, pulling it out to show her.

She didn’t say anything but I had seen that little spark in her eyes.

I had surprised her. She hadn’t expected me to say that.

But it was only the beginning. Even I wondered how far I’d go to show Clementine I cared.

CHAPTER 17

Clementine

It had been a very trying week. No matter what I did, Grayson refused to leave. I thought if anything might encourage him to take an evening off from guarding me, it was Liam’s weekly concert hour at the local coffee shop.

However, when I stepped out on the front porch to walk to my car, he was there too.

“Why are you coming with me to my boyfriend’s show?” I asked irritably.

“Because you’re going to be there,” Grayson answered.

“This is my boyfriend,” I tried again. “I love him very much. Won’t you be uncomfortable, since you say you want to get back with me?”

Grayson’s lips twisted up. “You do not love him, Clementine. And where you go, I go.”

“By all means,” I said. “I hope you like sentimental reflections on the life of an undiscovered musician.”

“Love them,” said Grayson, shutting the door behind us.

The coffee shop was in beside the old hardware store in our small downtown, and my vain hopes of being inconspicuous were immediately dashed.

This was about as dressed down as Grayson ever got. Polo shirt, slacks, even a hint of salt-and-pepper stubble on his face, but the coffee shop was very small and Grayson was very big. As usual, his size and how handsome he was attracted attention everywhere he went, and I felt very self-conscious as we made our way to one of the tables.

Liam raised his hand jovially from where he was tuning his guitar, and he began his set.

Really? I thought angrily.

Not one single bit of jealousy that I go everywhere with this hot as fuck FBI agent constantly on my tail?

He’s not jealous, because he really doesn’t care, I thought depressingly.

This relationship has always been casual and you know it, Clementine.

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