Page 80 of Mayhem
“Let’s do this. Normally, when you choose a style, I send over three separate 3D mock-ups for you to pick from. I’ll make three for each one, with your design, and we can go from there. You can let me know which one you like or if you like one more than the others but need something tweaked,” Mike offered as a solution.
“I would appreciate that,” Erin stated.
“I’ll have the 3D renderings to you by Friday or Monday at the latest. Once you approve a design, I can have it made within seven to ten business days, delivered, and installed. Depending on your style, you’re looking at thirty-four to thirty-eight hundred, including delivery and installation.”
Erin was okay with that. It lined up with what she’d researched, and the signs she’d seen in person were excellent. So, she did not doubt that hers would be as well.
“That’s perfect, thank you.”
He passed her a business card. “Email your drawing to me, and I’ll fill in the order form for you to sign.”
She brought up the email on her tablet and attached the drawing. She put in Mike’s email from the business card and sent it to him. It reminded her that she needed to order some.
“Are we billing this to your account, Paetyn?” Mike questioned, looking up from where he was filling out the form.
“Yes, we ca—”
“No,” Erin stated, cutting him off and shaking her head. “You can invoice me using the email address you received the drawing from.”
Erin could feel both of her men looking at her, but she didn’t turn to either of them. They’d been quiet for the most part during the appointment.
Erin reviewed the order form before signing it and thanked Mike for his time. Cruz and Paetyn also thanked him, and the three left his office. When they reached the car, Erin slid into the backseat.
“Thank you again for setting up this meeting and bringing me,” Erin said as they pulled out onto the street.
“You don’t have to thank us,” Cruz responded, and she felt a but coming. When he didn’t continue, Erin figured she was wrong and sat back in her seat. They told her they planned on making a day of the trip, so she wondered where they were going next.
Paetyn pulled the car into the parking lot of North Boulder Park fifteen minutes after leaving the sign shop. This was an impromptu stop. They had three other places planned to go, but he didn’t feel any of them, aside from dinner, would be suitable for the conversation he wanted to have, and he didn’t want to do it at the end of their day together. If, by some chance, the conversation upset her, they’d have the rest of the day to fix it.
When they exited the car, Erin slid her hand into his while Cruz placed his arm over her shoulders. They entered the park, and he steered them over to one of the picnic tables in an area with few people. She sat down, and he and Cruz sat across from her.
“Angel,” Paetyn started. “We want to talk to you about something.”
She looked between them. “Oh-kay. What is it?”
“When we celebrated your birthday, we asked you if us doing things for you, buying you things you wanted bothered you as much as you make it seem,” Paetyn started. “You asked if we could talk about it later, and we’ve put it off far too long.”
She didn’t say anything, and he watched her body language. She stiffened some, bit the inside of her left cheek, and Paetyn watched those brown eyes take on an emotion he could read well. Defensiveness. Being on the defense made people do one of two things: guard close to the vest or lash out, and he got the feeling Erin knew they wouldn’t let the conversation drop this time. He was coming to know her well, which meant he was sure they would get both.
“It doesn’t matter,” she stated after a couple of moments. “Cruz already won his bet.”
Close to the vest,Paetyn thought.
“Maly, if you don’t want us to do any of those things anymore, tell us. Say it with conviction, and right here, right now, we’ll stop,” Cruz stated.
She wouldn’t because it wasn’t what she wanted. Paetyn was sure that sometimes, when they did things she thought were over the top, she was annoyed, but he didn’t think she genuinely wanted them to stop. The issue she had with it wasn’t surface-level. It was more profound, and unless she told them, they wouldn’t know how to move forward in a way he and Cruz felt like they were doing enough, or Erin felt like they weren’t doing too much.
“I understand I’m asking you to break a habit you’ve had for years. I get that you’ve gotten used to buying women, but…” she trailed off with a shrug.
Lashing out.Paetyn’s jaw ticked.
“What did you just say?” Cruz asked, and when she didn’t respond, he continued. “You think we’re trying to buy you? You can’t be fucking serious right now.”
“Cruz,” Paetyn stated. His following words were aimed at her. “You’ve two choices. You can repeat what you just said, even though youknowit’s a lie. Or we can talk honestly, and you can tell us the truth, Erin.”
He didn’t miss how she flinched at the sound of her name. Paetyn wasn’t surprised. He hadn’t called her by her name since they’d started dating. She didn’t say anything, and several minutes of silence ticked by.
“You should know by now I’m a patient man, Erin. So, we can sit here as long as we need to.”
