Page 106 of Choosing Forever
Oh, my God.
I choke on disbelief, coughing into my wrist as I gawk at the bar. Poppy’s hold on me tightens, becoming impossible to slip free of. Her lack of immediate disgust with my comments is more comforting than she knows.
“I’ve hated her from the moment I met her. Everyone knew she had a crush on Darren all through high school. She wanted him, and once she had him, she broke his soul,” Poppy hisses.
I check for traces of venom on the corners of her lips. “He lost himself, didn’t he?”
“He did, but there was nothing I or anyone else could do to help him. Not when he was stuck in that marriage—in thathouse—with her. He designed that house, and she hated everything about it.”
“The house he lives in now? How could anyone hate that house?”
“Oh, yeah. He used this custom, stamped tile in the bathroom that she complained about for weeks. It wasn’t my style, sure, but it was unique, and he loved it. They’re what got him featured in that first magazine, actually. Did you read it?”
I sip a breath between my lips, bewilderment coursing through my veins. “What was stamped on the tiles?”
“They’re different mountaintops. All from the Rockies, I think.”
“I’ll be right back,” I whisper, wiggling in her hold.
She lets me go, and I step off the stool, wobbling slightly. Once I’ve straightened, I give her a thumbs-up and head for the bathroom. I’ve barely opened the door before I’m pulling out my phone and making a call.
The line only rings once before he answers. “Delaney?”
“You used the tiles in your bathroom.Mydream tiles.”
Silence. Too much silence.
“Say something!” I shout down the line, feeling like with every passing second, I’m losing my hold on myself.
The bathroom is empty. It’s so small it’s cramped as I stand in front of the sinks and stare at my reflection in the mirror. Beneath the lipstick heart drawn on the corner, my eyes are wide and dark with my expanded pupils but . . . still clear. I see my emotions as starkly as I feel them. They’re everywhere.
“Where are you?”
“Why did you use my tiles, Darren? Why would you put them in the same house where you slept beside someone else every night?”
“I didn’t sleep beside Sasha in that house. Not once.”
My chest expands to make room for my heart to swell. “Don’t lie to me.”
“I’m not. She slept in the room beside Abbie’s. I slept across the hall.”
“You hated those tiles,” I whisper, spinning to face the stalls when it becomes too much to stare at myself any longer. “They were supposed to be impossible to design around. That’s what you said when I brought them up.”
“I made it my mission to figure it out. Now, tell me where you are,” he murmurs, his voice soft and inviting.
“Would you come if I did?”
“Yes.”
I palm my throat, feeling the racing pulse beneath my fingers. “Peakside. I’m with Poppy.”
“I’m on my way.”
“I haven’t changed my mind about us,” I ramble, the clarification singeing my stomach like a nasty burn.
“Not yet, Elle. But I told you that I’ll be patient, and I meant it. All I need is a chance to try and change your mind.”
“You’ll need more than one.”
