Page 74 of Best Kept Secret

"I just walked her homeagain. I kept talking, and she kept walking, silent as a fuckin' tomb. It's like I'm speaking to a damn brick wall." I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling the tension there, the frustration winding tighter with every word. "I don't know what the fuck to do. I keep thinking she'll at least want to see Pari, but I getnothing. Nova gets nothing. Stella is pushing. Aurora is pushing. Nina is asking me to give her time. It's a cluster fuck!"

"Nina's right. But then she always is. You gotta give her time." Gabe drank some of his beer. "You can't force it."

"Time for what? To watch her slip away?" I scoffed, shaking my head. "I'm just so…." I trailed off, jaw clenched. What the hell was I even saying? I hated sounding like this. Weak. Desperate. But that's what not being with Mira was doing to me. The guilt I felt for hurting her was gut wrenching. Seeing the damage I'd caused made me hate myself.

Mira had been this happy, positive woman with a big heart, and now she was closed off. Knowing it was my fault made me feel worse.

"How the mighty have fallen," Noah remarked.

"Right?" Gabe agreed. "Remember the days when he was with more women than we could count? Look at him now! He hasn't even looked around to see that there are two women at the bar who probably want amenage a troiswith him."

"You guys want to show me some sympathy?" I quipped.

"Hey, I've been where you are. I got the T-shirt." Noah raised his beer glass. He'd gotten into some serious hot water with Stella and the world at large when he'd made a sex tape to blackmail her father. Now,thathad been a clusterfuck.

"And you were there when I crashed and burned," Gabe reminded me.

True!Gabe had insulted Aurora in front of all of Savannah at a charity ball, and I'd had to drag his ass out of there, threatening to beat said ass if he ever pulled a stunt like that again.

"You assholes are so smug," I admonished, flipping them a finger.

"'Cause we won our fair maidens." Noah smiled with self-satisfaction.

"Who are you calling a fair maiden?" a voice behind us said.

"You, my love." Noah rose and gave his wife a hug and then a kiss.

"No, you're staying," I heard a woman's voice. "Just because he's here doesn't mean you have to leave."

I turned to find the woman and saw someone I didn't know. She looked Middle Eastern and was dressed to the nines. She had her fingers clasped aroundmyMira's arm.

"We're out for drinks," Aurora explained. "Celebrating a new contract."

Mira looked like she was ready to bolt.

"Everyone, this is Zahra Delacroix, she just moved here from California, and started at Savannah Lace as an architect," Luna introduced their new colleague, the one who was not letting Mira do a runner.

While introductions were made, I watched Mira. Her head was down, and she looked irritated as hell.Good!That was better than the blank look she gave me every day.

"We can get a bigger booth—" I began but Stella waved a hand to shut me the hell up.

"We're going upstairs. Andyoushould stay downstairs," she warned.

Gabe grabbed his wife's hand and tumbled her onto his lap. Prick! I wish I could do that with Mira. I wish…fuck, right now I'd take her looking me in the eye and calling me a prick. I'd takeanything.

The women went their way, and I watched as Mira climbed the stairs to go to the second floor.

"We should go up," I suggested.

Noah tapped the side of his mug with his fingers. Gabe overthought shit. Noah, on the other hand, was always quick with some bullshit advice. "You gotta stop chasing her, Beau. Let her come to you. Women don't like being cornered."

"You forced Stella to get engaged to you." I slumped on a chair. "And I'm not chasing. I'm trying to fix things. There's a difference."

"Yeah, yeah." Gabe grinned. "Speaking of men who want to fix things…."

Dominic Calder waved, and came over to us. "This town is seriously small. I'm meeting Anson for drinks and dinner ‘cause the Savannah Lace ladies are out on the town celebrating. You should join us."

"Can't," Gabe said apologetically. "Gotta get home to the kids."

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