Page 86 of Wish I Didn't Want You Back

I did my best to maintain my composure, despite the excitement I felt. “Thanks for seeing past my faults and for the opportunity. It means the world to me. I promise to do everything right this time.”

His smile was warm. I was filled with disbelief and awe at how compassionate this man was. “Tell Harlow she deserves better than the way her father treats her.”

I shook his hand one last time and left the office feeling relieved. The second I slid into my truck, I picked up the phone to text her. Before I could click on her contact, Hayes was calling.

“Hey,” I answered, still riding the emotional roller coaster from securing the deal. “I’ve got some good news. We got the green light. The deal is happening,” I said, leaving out all the other details. I’d fill him in later.

“Congratulations,” he said, but there was something off in his tone. “I hate to rain on your parade, but we have a small problem.”

I stared through the windshield. “What kind of problem?”

“There was a mix-up with the flooring for Harlow’s house. They delivered the wrong one. Now we’re looking at a delay.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “How long?”

“Could be a week. Could be a month. They don’t have an exact timeline for when they can get the correct material in.”

I swore under my breath. “Great. This was the last thing she needed to deal with.”

“Unfortunately, that’s not all. Her piece of shit ex filed a grievance with the town about the work permit. Said she wasn’t technically the owner, so our permits are invalid.”

My jaw clenched. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

It was clear that her dad and the Baz-hole were in this together, plotting to make our lives as difficult as possible.

“Wish I was.” He sighed into the phone. “The town called this morning. We have to stop the project until we can straighten the ownership thing out.”

I slammed my eyes shut. “That sack of garbage has nothing better to do than to sabotage every part of her life.”

“Yeah, well, that sack of garbage isn’t just screwing with her. He is trying to fuck us over as well.”

Of course, he was. He was doing exactly as he said he would. They both were. Just when I thought things were finally going my way, they had to come along and stir up trouble.

“There is more,” Hayes said. “Baz has been sniffing around town, trying to dig up dirt on you two. He’s telling people your engagement isn’t real. That you’re only pretending to be engaged so she could get the house.”

I felt something dark and painful twist in my chest.

“I’ll deal with him when I get back.”

This was their way of trying to stay in control. Neither of them had any intention of letting her walk away without paying a price.

“How exactly do you plan on handling it?”

I didn’t answer right away, but deep down, I already knew what I had to do. I’d been trying to take things slow and givemyself time to figure things out, but marrying her would stop all this bullshit, real quick.

“Let me think about it, okay?” I looked at my GPS. “I have about two hours on the thruway. I’ll call the supplier myself and see if I can put some pressure on them. I’ll stop by the town building when I get back.”

“I’m sorry to stress you out after the good day you’ve had.”

“Don’t worry about it. Keep an eye on things until I get back. I’ll get everything sorted out.”

“You got it. Drive safe.”

I hung up and drummed my fingers against the steering wheel.

I would be dammed if I let those two men ruin my business and continue to bully her until they got what they wanted. I wasn’t stupid. I knew they weren’t going to let up until they did everything they could to make sure we didn’t find an ounce of peace.

However, that didn’t mean I had to stand back and let it happen. I would do whatever I had to do, even if that meant I had to marry her tomorrow. As my mind searched for another solution, it became clear that was the only one.

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