Page 9 of Resolving Rumors

“Well, you and Victoria are over.” Justice rolled her eyes when she said that, like it was a given. Then she patted her slightly rounded tummy and grinned. “We’re having a baby and we’re married. What will people think when they come over and we’re living in two separate rooms? Besides, we need to turn the other room into a nursery.”

“What the fuck?” I yelled at her without thinking. Her big blue eyes blinked a couple times as her pink lips parted in shock. “We are married in name only, and that’s going to change very soon. That baby,” I pointed at her belly, “most likely isn’t mine, especially since you wouldn’t be showing already if it was.” Her eyes narrowed down into thin slits that would spit venom at me if possible. “And Vic and I are not over. We’re in the middle of a rough patch, but we are not over. We never will be.”

Justice scoffed out a half-hearted laugh. “You’re delusional. She will never take you back after you slept with me. Add in the fact that you married me too, and Victoria will never forgive you. You might as well give up on her because that ship sailed the minute you agreed to me being your fake girlfriend.”

I could see the victory sparkle in her eyes. She thought she won me right out from under my real girlfriend. Jordan’s text came back to mind. “Did you ever truly have a thing withBrody, or was that some elaborate lie to hook me into a fake relationship until you could make it real?”

“Brody and I fuck from time to time but it was never going to be anything more than that. He won’t leave that stupid cow he’s married to because she’ll take him for everything. Besides, I’ve always had my eye on you, and let’s face it, you’re younger and have more potential with less baggage at this point in your life.”

“Unfuckingbelievable.” Every syllable was growled out together as a singular word that emphasized my growing frustration. Jordan had been right. This was all some ruse to get me on the hook, and all it took to get me onboard was for Vic’s mom to set her up on a blind date - a date she apparently never even went on.

I stared into Justice’s Navy blue eyes and noticed the way they pulled a little tighter at the corners as she tried to hide a wince. “Is that baby even mine?” Her hesitation should have told me everything I needed to know, but it could also simply mean that she didn’t know.

“Anything is possible.”

“Really? That’s what you’re going with?”

She nodded and then turned her back on me. “There’s no way to know until after I give birth, so strap in and prepare yourself to be the best husband ever for the next few months.” She flounced back out of the room as if my whole world being shattered at my feet didn’t fucking matter.

All I could think was that she had truly done it on purpose. After hearing what Jordan had to say about everything, it made me wonder if I had been Justice’s target from the very beginning. What if she never gave a rat’s ass about Brody?

“We played right into her game,” I whispered to myself.

Chapter

Seven

VICTORIA

The feelingthat something wasn’t right plagued me until my sweet dream of a happily ever after with Devin poofed out of existence as my awareness of the real world came back online. A quick sniff of the air confirmed my original thoughts upon waking. It smelled like breakfast in my house. The savory aroma of seasoned hash-browns and bacon frying forced my mouth to produce an overabundance of saliva before my brain bothered to ask the all-important question. “Who in the hell is cooking breakfast in my house?”

My eyes darted to the bedside table where my phone still sat face up, quiet as a church mouse. After I reached for it, I quickly discovered the last text or call I received was from Devin the day before. For a moment, I debated calling 9-1-1, but what were the odds that a criminal broke in and stuck around to make breakfast?

Slowly, I got up and put on a robe, secured it tightly enough that it wouldn’t come loose and show off the too-thin tank top and panties I’d worn to bed the night before. I scooped my long blonde tresses up and wound them into a messy bun before I made my way out of the bedroom. ‘D read somewhere that long hair, especially a pony tail, was your worst enemy whenattacked. If it was effective to roll my eyes at myself I would. I’d already determined that whoever broke into my house to make breakfast must be friendly.

I hoped.

When I rounded the corner, I was greeted with a sight that instantly made my heart leap with joy and grieve all at once. How in the hell was that even possible?

Devin stood there in front of my stove, shimmying to soft music he had playing from his phone as he scrambled up some eggs to go with the hash-browns and bacon he cooked up. He always bemoaned that he broke the omelets every time and I showed him that a good scramble, while not as pretty as an omelet, could have the same damn ingredients in it.

His ass was well defined in the jeans he wore while the t-shirt hugged his upper body in a way that showcased just how much he must have been working out lately. He was thicker, more muscular than he had been just a month ago. I guess marriage looked good on him.

It made me sick to my stomach to think about. My gaze shifted to the floor where I glared at it for not opening a hole there to swallow me up. If ever there was a time to disappear into the abyss, it was when you realized your ex was doing far better after he replaced you with another woman.

“Hey, I meant to surprise you with breakfast in bed.” I glanced up to see that Devin moved around the counter and was headed toward me.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why are you here, Dev? Shouldn’t you be at home serving up your pregnant wife instead of me?”

His sigh nearly sent me into a homicidal rage. My brewing anger must have shown on my face because he threw his handsup in the air and took a conscious step backward. “We need to talk.”

“I think you said everything that needed to be hashed out between us when you said, “I do” to another woman.

Devin shook his head and for some stupid reason, I couldn’t look away from the sadness that iced over his normally warm, caramel hued eyes. It was only then that I noted the dark circles beneath them as well. Maybe I had been too quick to judge his growing physique because the rest of him looked as exhausted as I felt.

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