Page 100 of Impending Consent

"That doesn't mean anything," Skylar insisted, watching my face as I scrolled. "Lots of professional women share these traits."

"Were they all almost married to my husband?" I shot back.

"Sailor, please. Talk to Rival before you spiral. There could be a reasonable explanation."

"Like what? That he has a specific type he targets? That I'm just Armesa 2.0?"

"Or maybe that relationships are complicated, and things don't always work out, and finding someone who shares qualities you admire isn't a crime." Skylar placed a hand over mine to stop me from scrolling. “Has Rival given you any reason not to trust him?"

Hiding an engagement is a pretty big fucking reason for me not to trust him…

But I also thought about our time together. His patience, honesty, and way he was adamant about pushing through my defenses from the beginning. He was great and for the most part I trusted him but…

"No," I admitted quietly. "But this changes things. I have to at least consider it."

"Only if you let it. Talk to Rival. Hear him out."

“All of you kept asking why he was so dead set on seeing this through. Can you honestly say this doesn’t have you questioning things too?”

Sky tensed and I saw the hesitation. “It’s odd, yes, but again, you don’t know the entire story. Just consider that.”

I nodded but my mind was already building walls and retreating to the safety of suspicion and distance. "I will but I need a minute to think."

"Promise me you won't do anything rash."

"I promise I'll talk to him. I just need some space first." I planned on talking to him. Running wouldn’t get me the answersI needed but I had to pull myself together in order to be prepared to accept those answers if this was exactly what it looked like…

She stared at me, not liking my answer, but didn't push further. "Okay. I'm here if you need me."

“I know and I love you.”

“Love you too, Sail, and I mean it. I’m here and so is Teej. We’ve messed this up a lot in the past but we’re working on doing better.”

I smiled and lifted from my chair so I could hug my sister. “It’s not all on you. We’re good, I promise.”

She nodded and left. I sat staring at the marriage license for a long time then I made a decision. Instead of going home I packed up my things and headed to my apartment. I needed neutral territory to sort through my feelings about this.

By seven that evening, I was curled on my sofa with a bottle of wine and my phone switched to silent, watching notifications from Rival fill the screen. I couldn't face him yet and be overloaded with explanations that might make me doubt my instincts. He was hiding something, or at the very least had lied, and that made me feel exposed and guarded again.

Despite everything we shared, a part of me had been waiting for the bullshit to happen, for proof that I wasn't meant for this kind of happiness.

And now I had it…

Chapter 24

Rival

The project had gone perfectly. The Reynolds were thrilled with my designs for their built-ins and we'd finalized the contract with a timeline that worked for everyone. To celebrate I stopped on the way home to pick up flowers for Sailor.

I pulled into our driveway just after six, noticing immediately that Sailor's car wasn't there. Not unusual because she often worked late but something felt off. I sent her a quick text as I unlocked the door.

Me: Just got home. How late will you be?

I moved through the house and switched on lights before I set the flowers in a vase and waited for her response. When fifteen minutes passed with no reply, I tried again.

Me: Don’t grab dinner on your way. I can start cooking if you're heading home soon.

Still nothing. I checked the time and tried to relax. It was still early.

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