Page 118 of The Genius
Boulder stiffened and his eyes shifted to me. “Come again?”
“We’re together.” My head bobbed up and down to emphasize that it was true. I rambled on: “I live with Marco and I’m expecting his child.”
Boulder took a step back, his eyebrows drawn in as his gaze darted between Marco and me. “Why didn’t you tell us you married?”
“Technically, we didn’t.” I walked in between Boulder and Marco, holding up both my palms in a placating manner. “Marco has been asking me to, but I didn’t see the need.”
“Are you out of your fucking mind?” Boulder’s hands fell to his hips and he angled his head. “I almost killed Marco for touching you.”
Boulder’s rage was lifting and he walked over to offer Marco a hand. “You should have told me what was going on.”
Getting up from the ground, Marco brushed himself off. “I wanted to but Shelly wants to tell her sister before we make it official.”
Boulder dragged his hands through his hair. “This is no joke. You need to tell everyone before you get Marco killed.”
The danger of the two men killing each other was over and my brain was beginning to work again. “Attacking Marco like that was wrong. You could have asked us what we were doing.”
“Why? I have eyes in my head. I could see what he was doing and you were clearly saying no.”
Boulder squatted down to pick up some moss and handed it to Marco. “Here, for your bloody nose.”
Marco didn’t say much but took the moss in Boulder’s outstretched hand. “Thanks.”
“I misread the situation.” Boulder looked from me to Marco and back again. “Did I hear you right? Did you say you were pregnant?”
“Yes. Promise that you won’t tell anyone until I’ve had a chance to tell Rochelle myself.”
“My lips are sealed.” Boulder used his finger to indicate an imaginary zipping of his lips.
“Thank you.”
“Are we okay?” Boulder patted Marco’s shoulder.
“I wish you would have given me a chance to explain myself.”
Boulder brushed some moss from Marco’s shoulder. “I took a vow to protect the girls. Shelly is one of them and I take that responsibility very seriously.”
“Me too, but you can’t always trust what you see. You’ve got to ask questions before you kill a man.”
A corner of Boulder’s lips lifted. “No need to get dramatic. You’re still here, aren’t you?”
With a hand to his throat, Marco spoke in a hoarse voice. “Barely.
“Yeah, you sound a little rusty. You might wanna put some lotion on those vocal cords.”
I stepped forward. “You can’t put lotion on vocal cords,” I informed them. From the look they gave me it was clear that they knew that already.
“Are you two coming back to the party?” Boulder asked Marco.
“Yes, in a minute.”
“I’ll tell people that you had a private discussion if they ask.”
“Thank you.”
When Alexander Boulder walked away, Marco turned his head to me. “Now, do you see why being married makes a big fucking difference?”
CHAPTER 26
