Page 77 of Two Wrongs

“What other reason would there be?” My heart pounds as I will him not to examine me too closely. Obviously, I’ve done a shit job hiding my feelings for her.

Liam shrugs. “She’s beautiful and slightly broken. The perfect toy for you. I’ve gone out with you and Charlie enough to recognize your type.”

My body shakes, and I hope he sees it as rage, but in truth it’s that mixed with fear. “What type is that, son?”

“The type who will do anything you say, submit to you completely, and let you use them until you’re bored and ready to move on to the next one,” he answers without hesitation.

I grab the doorknob. “I can promise you that I’d never use Wren like a toy for my own pleasure to be thrown away when I was done with her.”

Before I can accidentally say anything too revealing, I hurry out after Wren. What I said to him was as close to the truth I could give him. Wren isn’t a distraction or some kind of amusement to me. She’d be my forever if she hadn’t already promised to be his.

The entire way through the building I keep my eyes open to see if she’s waiting for me, but she’s not in the waiting room or in the lobby. By the time I make it to my truck I’m swearing under my breath. I don’t immediately see her, which makes me think she really did make a break for it.

Stomping over to my truck, I yank open the door. It groans, protesting my harsh treatment.

“If you’re not careful it’s going to fall off,” I hear Wren say, but I can’t see her.

“Are you hiding from me?” I ask when I still don’t see her.

She stands up from a bed of bushes, ferns, and flowers. “Not from you. I wasn’t sure if he would chase after me. I should have known he wouldn’t, he runs from me not toward me. Now I just look stupid hiding in the bushes like some kind of freak.”

“Do you want him to?” I ask.

The look on her face lets me know she’s confused. “Do I want him to do what?”

I grab her elbow and drag her back to the truck. “Let’s talk on the road,” I say as I lift her into the truck.

Being trapped in a single cab for three hours while discussing whether the woman I’m falling for is still in love with my son isn’t my idea of a good time, but there are some subjects that you can’t ignore.

The engine growls as I turn the key. She waits a few minutes until she asks me again. “Griff, what do you think I want Liam to do?”

Risking looking away from the road for a moment, I face her. “Did you want Liam to come after you?”

She looks down at her hands. I don’t want to let her run from me, even emotionally. Ironically, here we are talking about my son, but I’m always the one chasing her. I tip her chin back up with my finger. Her eyes widen to large circles, and she screams, “Griffin look out!”

I turn and look out the windshield again and see a large refrigerated truck coming straight at us. I jerk the wheel to the right and drive us onto the shoulder of the road. It’s narrow, barely wide enough to let the truck go past.

Wren holds her breath while the truck rocks and shakes from the force of the wind as the truck passes by within millimeters. Once it’s past us, I get back on the road until I find a wide spot on the shoulder and pull over again.

Wren trembles violently. I unbuckle her seatbelt and pull her onto my lap. Wrapping my arms around her, I rock her back and forth until she stops shaking.

She clings to me, both of her hands fisted in my shirt. “I’m sorry for distracting you,” she says very quietly.

“This isn’t your fault. The road is too narrow, and that truck was going way too fast. But that doesn’t excuse the fact I was distracted and wasn’t paying attention.”

Her green eyes find mine. “I didn’t want Liam to chase after me, but I also didn’t want to be the woman married to a man who wouldn’t chase after her. That probably doesn’t make any sense.”

I frame her face with my hands, tucking her hair behind her ears. “Not to me, but I seem to do nothing but chase after you.”

The corner of her mouth lifts for a second then lowers back down. “Too bad I’m not married to you.”

Instant pain lances my chest. “Yeah,” I kiss her softly, “it is.”

Her hands are still shaking when they clutch my shirt and pull my mouth back to hers. There’s something more in this kiss, it feels like she is desperate to feel something other than what she’s feeling. In the past I never cared if a woman used me to escape, but I do with Wren. When she’s with me, I want her completely. Mind, body, and soul.

Even worse that she’s probably using me to feel better over what Liam said during therapy. My son treated her like shit. There’s no denying that, but I refuse to be the balm to soothe the sting. Gently I push her back.

“No, Wren. I can’t let you use me to take away the hurt he left behind.”

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