Page 92 of Let Me Say It Again

I considered calling Jake, but he wasn’t what I needed now.

Jade:I need to talk. I lost Red and I don’t know what to do.

It was in moments like this I was glad I had four incredible sisters to lean on.

* * *

Reddington

Was it less than ideal that Jade had spoken to Marco about our engagement being fake and Mark had clearly overheard? Sure.

Did it change the fact that I wanted Jade to be by my side, not fleeing the venue like there was a fire up her ass? No.

“Shame your fake fiancée left,” Mark said, nudging his head forward, but by the time I looked back, Jade was already gone.

My blood boiled at Mark calling her that because the thing was, Jade was as much my fiancée as Sherrilyn was Mark’s wife. Meaning it was fucking real. It had become real, even if Jade was too afraid to admit it aloud. I didn’t need her to because I already knew things had changed along the way for her, too.

Honestly, I was grateful to Mark. So I didn’t give a shit about this investment any longer because he had actually given me something even better. “Listen, if you don’t want to go through with the deal, then I—”

“What makes you think I don’t want to invest in Lyons Enterprises?” Cocking a brow, he shook his head. “Quite the opposite. I’d made my decision days ago.”And had apparently been keeping it to himself.“The fact that you two made up this bullshit story just proves to me how badly you want this and that you’re willing to do whatever it takes for your company makes me think I made the right choice. Takes balls, Red.”Well, shit, now that he’s saying I have balls. . . .

Maybe I shouldn’t have questioned it, but my head was spinning, and I was shocked, so I asked the only question on my mind. “You don’t care that we lied? That we weren’t really together when this started? That I’m not a family man?”

He scratched his chin. “I didn’t buy it too much in the beginning anyway. I thought something was up with you two, but you’re together now, right?”

“Yeah,” I answered earnestly. From where I was standing, it was me and Jade. We hadn’t talked about it, but I fully intended on keeping the good thing I had with her and being by her side for as long as she’d allow me to. “I think we are.”

He nodded, clearing his throat. “Very well then. Check your email. My lawyer promised me he’d be emailing you.” Then he held a hand out, and I took it, shaking on the investment. “Looks like I’ll be investing in you, partner.”Still not quite right, but okay.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Jade

When the moviecredits rolled across the screen, I tossed a handful of popcorn at it. “Boo!” I shouted, finding it hard to believe that people actually enjoyed romantic comedies like this.

It was obviously fictional.

In real life, there was no way the man would come crawling back to the woman, asking for forgiveness or insisting they couldn’t live without them. The only two things a man would struggle to live without are a maternal figure and their dick. After all, they used their junk to make all the decisions for them. Stupid, idiotic decisions that only led to more horrible stupid, idiotic decisions that ultimately hurt everyone but them because they were selfish fuck faces.

Take Red, for instance, he’d acted like a schmuck and signed me up to be his fake fiancée.

A fake engagement? Really? Now that was straight out of a romantic comedy blockbuster movie.

The trailer would have been enticing, but the ending for our movie would have been crap.

Crap, I said!

“Whoa, popcorn on the floor?” Maria asked, stepping over Bianca and Allie on the floor and going to sit on the couch next to Perla now that she was back from the bathroom.

Meanwhile, I was comfortably seated on the chair, a near-empty tub of popcorn and chocolate-covered raisins beside me. What? I knew how these sleepovers went by now. “Sorry, Maria,that was me,” I replied, owning up to throwing food on her beautiful carpet.

Maria leaned over and patted my arm. “That’s okay, sweetie. I know you didn’t mean it. You’re just angry.”

Allie got up and shut off the television, the ridiculously upbeat and romantic song no longer pumping through my ears and making me want to put my fist through a wall. Who wrote these movies anyway? Everyone who was fortunate enough to actually end up in a loving and committed relationship. That was who.

But what about the people who were meant to be alone? To die alone?

Depressing? Yeah, well, so was my life.

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