Page 33 of Somebody to Save
“Addie, please. We need to talk about this. You just up and left without so much as a conversation. I didn’t even realize it had come to that. I thought we could work it out. I don’t care about the rest of it. Anything else that happened, it doesn’t change what we have.”
I scoffed and tossed my hands out to my sides in exasperation. “Are you kidding, Owen? Look, I’m going to save you the breath and what I know will be a painful conversation. The fact that you didn’trealizeit was part of the larger problem. The entire time we were together, I was never the priority. And evenwhen we were together, your mind was on everyone else. You were also content with me doing everything. Not once did you cook or clean or heck, even payrent.Our relationship was utterly one-sided, and I deserve more than that. Not to mention, you lied through your teeth all the time. One of those things on its own is enough, but together…I can’t believe I stayed as long as I did.”
Owen stood stock-still, mouth agape, and frustration radiating off him. But I was beyond caring. At one point, I would have done whatever I could to keep the peace. No longer would I suffer to make that happen.
“You’re serious?” he asked, and I nodded like that was a real question. Of course I was serious. I sounded more serious than I may have ever sounded before.
“Addie, I will do anything to get you back. You changed my life that day. November first will forever be ingrained in my memory because it was the day youchangedme. I don’t care that you cheated. I don’t care about the other guy.” He dropped the flowers on the entertainment center—the closest hard surface—and started yanking at his shirt.
“Wow, Owen, don’t?—”
“I did this for you!” he exclaimed, pointing to the inner bicep of his left arm. “I tried to show you when I went by your office the other week, but you wouldn’t see me.”
Dread washed over me, and I could feel all the color drain from my face. Beckett’s presence was suddenly behind me to my left, and I tensed at what we were both seeing.
Tattooed in a very fancy, verylargescript was my name. Well, I guessed it was supposed to be my name.
Beckett choked out a disbelieving laugh, and I caught him rubbing a hand over his mouth before I dragged my eyes back to Owen.
“You do realize her name is spelled with two D’s, right? A-D-D-I-S-O-N.” Beckett couldn’t keep the amusement out of his voice, and I had to roll my lips to keep from laughing.
What the heck had my life turned into?
“Wait, wha—” Owen stuttered and contorted his arm so he could look at it. “A-D-I-”
He stopped, and I slapped my hand over my mouth. The laughter was bubbling up inside my chest, and it was growing harder to contain.
Owen jerked his shirt back in place, face red with anger, and took a threatening step toward me. He stabbed his finger out, and Beckett put himself between us. I wasn’t ecstatic that he had to get involved, but I was also insanely appreciative of his presence. I never thought Owen would physically hurt me, but the chance was never zero.
“Think that’s about enough, buddy. You’ve said your piece.”
Owen scoffed. “Like hell I’ve said my piece. We were together for a long time, and you just came around. I mean, who the fuck are you? This is between us.”
I stiffened and watched his expression morph. He peered around Beckett and met me with a knowing, unrelenting stare.
“Wait, is this him?” He took a step to the side so he could see me around Beckett’s massive frame. His accusatory finger motioned to the man between us, and my heart felt like it was about to pound out of my chest.
Beckett stood stock-still, but I could feel the tension rolling off him in resounding waves.
I never expected to be put in this situation, for the two of them to meet, but karma was funny like that. When Beckett and I slept together on Halloween night, Owen and I were still technically together. Although I’d already checked out of the relationship and texted Owen that we needed to talk the following day, we hadn’t officially broken up.
And when Owen and I had finally talked, he wasn’t willing to accept the breakup, so I’d admitted that I’d been with someone else. That fact seemed to snap him out of his denial. I hadn’t wanted to tell him, to hurt him like that, but I felt like he’d left me no other choice.
Owen took my silence as confirmation and took another threatening step toward me. But Beckett was there, stopping his approach with a firm hand against his shoulder.
“I don’t care what happened. You’re not going to intimidate her.”
“You don’t care? You don’t care that she cheated on me withyou.”
“Honestly?” Beckett asked without skipping a beat. “I don’t. Doesn’t seem like you did much to deserve her anyway.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Owen spat back, and I balled my hands into fists next to me. Where the hell did he get off? No, I shouldn’t have done what I did, I know that. But the end of our relationship wasn’t only my fault. “You’ve been around for a second, so don’t act like you know anything about her or us.”
Instantly, I straightened.Us?There was no us, and there barely ever had been. Even when we were together, it was hardly that. But I didn’t have to say anything.
In front of me, Beckett smoothly slid his hands into the pockets of his dark jeans. “Okay, when’s her birthday then?”
Owen’s silence was answer enough.
