Page 80 of Finding Our Reality

He slowly turns around. “Mind your own business.”

“Sheismy business.”

He drops her arm and takes a step in my direction. Not having patience for this idiot, I pull my badge out of my back pocket. The second he sees it, he takes a step backward, lifting his hands in the air.

Turning to Lulu, he hisses through his teeth. “You didn’t tell me he was a cop. Are you a cop too?”

I don’t give her a chance to respond. “This is a cop bar, douchebag. I suggest you leave. And if I were you, I wouldn’t come back. Ever.”

Cursing under his breath, he turns and walks down the sidewalk, disappearing around the corner.

She plants her hands on her hips. “Well, what do you have to say for yourself?”

“What the fuck was that, Lulu! Are you kidding me with that guy? You can’t tell me you really wanted to leave with him. Why do you keep doing this?”

“Doing what?”

“Sleeping with strange men.”

She blows a raspberry like she’s a horse. Spit flies all over her chin. “Oh, please. You’re so obtuse.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“I haven’t slept with anyone.”

I close the distance between us. “What are you talking about?”

She attempts to stand on her tiptoes, trying to see eye to eye with me. After losing her balance, she gives up. “The only dick that’s been inside of me in over four years has been purple and needed C batteries.”

What? My heart skips a beat. “But you’ve gone home with all these guys?”

“Not much of a detective, are you? You didn’t see me gohomewith men. You saw me leave the bar with men. The last time I saw them was right here,” she points at her feet, “on this very sidewalk.”

The puzzle pieces slowly fall into place. That’s why she told him she would follow him. That’s why she told him she drove a white sedan.

She ditches them.

I shake my head. “Why? Why would you let me think you were sleeping with random men?”

“To make you jealous! I want you to feel the way I feel every time I run into one of your whores!”

They weren’t all whores. But I definitely don’t think now is the time to bring that up. “But why tonight? I thought last Friday night was the start of something for us? A chance to rewrite our story, change our ending.”

Tears immediately start pouring from her eyes. Makeup runs down her cheeks in large black streaks. Her fists curl into angry balls.

She hates crying in front of people.

“We can’t start over, Ry. Our ending has already been written. You tookourfuture and made ityourfuture.”

She stumbles, and my arm snatches around her waist, steadying her. Hair falls into her eyes, sticking against her tears. I gently push it out of the way. I kiss her cheeks. The salt stings my lips. “What’s wrong, Lulu? Talk to me.”

“How could you? How could you do this to me?”

She’s ripping the air from my lungs. I can’t stand to see her like this. It hurts. Physically aches. “What did I do?”

Loaded question, I know.

“I can’t believe you have a kid. How could you have a child with another woman?” She pounds her fist against my chest, but I don’t even feel it. The pain in my heart takes precedence. “You made a baby. With her. It was supposed to be me.” She looks up at me with more love and heartbreak than I ever thought possible. “Didn’t you want it to be me?”

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