Page 10 of I Want You
“Eddie,” she corrected, like I really didn’t remember the dude’s name. “And I can still grab dinner with you. I’ll just get something small.”
We hit up a drive-through outside of town and sat in the parking lot, me with my burger and shake, Scarlett with her fries.
Scarlett popped a fry in her mouth. I could feel her eyes on me. “You didn’t answer my question earlier.”
“What question?”
“Is everything alright? You’ve seemed upset this week.”
It would be so easy to talk to Scarlett about what had been going through my head, but I wasn’t ready to get into it yet.
“Yeah. I’m good. I’ve had some things on my mind. But hey, at least I got to lock up Redmond this morning.” I smiled at her. Tension creased her forehead, and I wanted to rub my thumb along it to smooth it out for her.
A small smile pulled at her lips, and she nodded. “Okay, good. Just looking out for you.”
“That’s my job, Letty. Keeping you safe from boring cheese aficionados who only look ‘nice’ and ‘sweet.’”
She laughed. “It’s both of our jobs, Luke.”
I couldn’t help but notice that she seemed happy. I should be happy for her. Scarlett was one of my best friends; she deserved to find what she was looking for. The fact thatshe was finding happiness at the same time my marriage was falling apart was messing with my head and making me cynical. I would have to lay off the Eddie jokes though—for as long as she was seeing this guy, anyway.
I had stalled long enough, so after we finished our food, I dropped her back off at the hospital to get her car.
“Night, Luke.”
“Drive safe, Scarlett. Text me when you get in,” I told her, waiting until she had driven out of the lot before turning toward home.
Juliet’s car was in the driveway, and I pulled my SUV up beside it. My good mood from huffing the scent of newborn baby disappeared as I made my way to the front door. I hadn’t confronted Jules yet about what Reid had told me. It had shocked me initially, but the more I processed things, the less surprised I was. We had been nothing more than roommates for far too long.
The door snagged on something as I opened it. I pushed it forward, dragging shoes and boxes from one side of the threshold to the other.
I had no idea that Juliet was such a messy person until we moved in together a month before the wedding. It didn’t matter how much I straightened up after her. It was like a tornado followed her around, dumping everything she owned on the floor at her feet.
She wasn’t in the living room or kitchen. It was probably best that she didn’t wait up for me. I wanted to confront her about the allegations, but I also didn’t. The door to the bathroom opened just as I was passing it on my way to the bedroom. Jules’s eyes widened at the sight of me, like seeing me in my own house surprised her. I guess with how littlewe’d seen each other lately, it was surprising for us to both be in the same space at the same time.
Juliet’s eyes were rimmed red and glassy. She swiped a tissue below her pink nose as she sniffled.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. My desire to accost her was set aside when I saw the tears fall from her eyes.
“I have to talk to you,” she said. The cagey look in her eyes sent my internal alarm bells off.
“Really? That’s new,” I replied. “I need to talk to you too.”
“You go first.”
She was clearly stalling. But that was fine because I was pretty sure we both intended to talk about the same thing. Her affair.
“Are you sleeping with someone else?” I asked, with absolutely no preamble. On the outside, my voice was calm and steady, the clench of my jaw the only visible sign of my anger.
Her eyes searched mine for something, no denial coming to her lips.
“Who told you?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
My jaw hit the floor. I didn’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t that. “That’s what you have to say? You want to know who else knows you’re screwing someone who isn’t your husband?” I combed my hands over my short, cropped hair in frustration.
“We haven’t beentogetherin months, Luke.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean? I have never stepped out on you, Jules. I would never do that. I made this commitment to you, and I meant it,” I said.
