Page 27 of Secret Twins for My Ex's SEAL Best Friend

I didn’t say anything, and Jeremy got off the couch, stepping toward me. “Delia, are you safe?”

His question caught me off guard, and I dropped my crossed arms. “Safe? What do you mean?”

“I know people are bothering you at work. And you started taking those self-defense classes.” He stepped even closer to me, his hands out as if to wrap me in a hug.

I brought my eyebrows together. I couldn’t seem to wipe the look off my face. “I—bothering me at work?”

“Didn’t a man bother you the other day at work? Or is that not true?”

The man with the wallet. But how would Jeremy know about that?

The expression on my face turned from confusion to anger as I realized exactly how Jeremy would know about that.

“Did you talk to Robert about me?” I accused, tilting my head at him.

“So it’s true then? Do you need resources, Delia? We could get you another job if you need money that badly.” His voice was soothing, but his eyes were expressionless, simply prying.

He moved to take my hands, and I stepped away from him. “I don’t need another job.”

“So you feel safe?”

“Of course, I feel safe. But, I’m not—I’m not doing this, Jeremy, I’m sorry. You’ll have to find someone else.”

“Delia!” he called after me as I grabbed my purse and walked out the door. I bumped into Robert’s knee as I did, and I stumbled slightly.

Robert’s hand shot out to catch me, and his hands on my body again brought up memories that I didn’t need rolling in my head at that moment.

“Excuse me,” I muttered, looking at him at the insistence ofsomethingin his eyes.

“Are you okay?” he asked me. He looked strangely sad, and for a moment, I almost considered staying.

Almost.

“I’m fine. Let me go please.” I extracted myself from his grasp and kept walking down the hallway, out of the space, down the hallway of the building, into the elevator, and out of the building into my car.

How could they? Who do they think they are talking about me together? What business is it of either of theirs? What business amIof either of theirs?

I drove in a blind rage, my mind racing with images of the two of them cozied up together, discussing my job and how dangerous they thought it was.

How dare they? Neither of them had any claim over me, and they certainly couldn’t tell me where to work. Neither of them paid my bills!

I felt my mouth going dry and my heart racing, and I pulled over to take inventory of how my body felt. The anxiety was all over my body, in my pounding heart and in my quick breathing. I was definitely triggered by the idea of the two of them talking.

And this time, it wasn’t guilt. No, it was the memory of all they had put me through the year before – the two of them chatting away about me and Jeremy and our relationship. Theyhad been conspiring together, those two, until it destroyed my relationship. And now it seemed they were back at it.

Those two needed to stop discussing me. It wasn’t fair. I didn’t deserve it then, and I didn’t deserve it now.

I breathed out of my mouth slowly and closed my eyes, hearing the racing of the cars on the road beside me. I would be okay.

But I needed to figure out how to make this stop. I couldn’t deal with them talking about me anymore.

It wasn’t good for anyone.

twelve

Robert

“Robert, I’m ready for you,” Jeremy said, opening the door and looking at me seriously. I hated it when Jeremy got into therapist mode. I knew I needed him to, but I hated it. I hated that I was in therapy at all.

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