Page 51 of Dump and Chase

She sipped her coffee. “You could also help me with the nursery. No rush, I’m not forcing you out. Just putting it on your radar.”

“Anything you need.”

I should have left it there and walked back into the condo and got ready to go to the rink, but I was a glutton for punishment. “Sorry about the Warde thing last night. I didn’t mean to imply anything.”

She turned to face me now, and I did the same.

“You mean your suggestion that he’ll crush me?”

“Wrong choice of words. He’s going to try to make a move on you, and I thought you should be prepared.”

I noticed the subtle way her eyes darkened and turned cold. Yup, I’d stepped in it. Again.

“I can handle myself. And like I told you yesterday, once he’s called up to the Kodiaks, he’s fair game, if I’m interested in him. Last time I checked, what I do with my personal life is none of your business.”

I should have walked away, but instead I got defensive. “I know it’s not my business, but I know the guy. You don’t.”

She laughed at that, as sarcastically as possible. “For the last three years I’ve been dating guys. Sleeping with them too. You didn’t have an opinion then. What is it about Brandon that bothers you so much?”

I couldn’t tell her the truth, that Warde would treat her better than I ever did. That if he treated his girlfriends the way he devoted himself to hockey, he’d make Tangi his first priority. He’d show her the respect she deserved, he’d devote his life to her, and he’d be a stepfather to my kid. Sure, I was getting ahead of myself, but it all could happen.

“He’s an ass,” I said instead.

“He’s been a perfect gentleman to me.”

I dug in instead, like the fool I was. “He’s going to break your heart.”

She laughed sarcastically again. “That is rich coming from you. I guess you don’t remember all the ways you let me down and broke my heart? You’re the last person I’d take relationship advice from.” She turned to walk away, but then she stopped and faced me again, her face blotched red from rage. I’d seen this before, first on that New Year’s Eve she broke up with me, when I’d said I wasn’t ready to talk about marriage, and then again the night I’d told her I was engaged to Brandi.

“All I ever wanted from you was a commitment, but you refused. I have to wonder if it became a game for you. We were together for seven years, and it was amazing, until you became an asshole. Then some woman comes along who was so fundamentally wrong for you, and poof, six months later you’re engaged to her. So sorry, you’re godawful predictions mean nothing to me.Youmean nothing to me.”

She stormed off the balcony and disappeared inside. I sat on the patio chair and wondered how I could have been so stupid to bring this all up. I’d gotten what I deserved, and now I knew that she was beyond angry with me. I had a lot of work to do if I wanted to repair my relationship with her. To top it all off, I had a major problem, and his name was Brandon Warde.

* * *

As if the day couldn’t get any worse, I got an unexpected call from Brandi. Had I paid attention to the caller ID, I wouldn’t have answered, but I’d been a scrambled mess all day.

“Hello, Ethan.”

Fuck me. “Hey, Brandi. How are you?” I asked as nicely as possible. A call from her couldn’t be good news.

“I’m great.”

She didn’t ask how I was. Nope, this was going to be really bad. “It’s nice to hear from you,” I said, thinking it wasn’t nice at all.

“I’m not going to prolong this.” The ice in her voice sent a chill though the phone. “I’ve spoken to my lawyer and a PR firm, and they’ve given me some sound advice and told me it’s best I reach out to you to make this as amicable as possible.”

I got in my car and tried to absorb this all. PR firm? Amicable? We weren’t married, for fuck sake’s. “Okay. I’m listening.”

“To spare myself the humiliation of my fiancé sleeping with his ex-girlfriend and getting pregnant, I plan to announce that we have broken off our engagement effective right after your dad died.”

This was all so surreal. Did she think she was Kim Kardashian or a member of the royal family? Absolutely no one was going to care that we’d broken up. In fact, this was beyond nonsensical. Then it hit me. She planned to go after Tangi somehow.

“First of all, you went to the Richardson’s fundraiser with me. Secondly, what do you plan to say and where do you plan to make this grand announcement?”

“On social media. My PR team is crafting my statement as we speak.”

“Do you plan on mentioning Tangi’s name?”