Page 59 of Wanting Alex

“Alex, that’s not it at all.” Declan reached for me, but I took a few steps back.

“Don’t bother. I’ll get out of your hair. You only have four months to find someone else to be your pawn in this weird game you’re playing.” I turned and hurried to the front door.

“Alex, please. Let us explain.” Thomas’ pleading voice tore at my heart.

“You had plenty of time to explain, but you kept it to yourself. If it wasn’t such a big deal, you would have told me in the beginning. Instead, you made me feel like I was some side piece. You wereengaged.” My voice cracked.

“We didn’t want to freak you out or think any of this wasn’t real.” Thomas laid his hand over mine resting on the doorknob.

My eyes snapped to his.“It’s a little late for that.”

I threw open the front door, leaving without anything I’d brought with me. I had to get as far away as possible.

Marching over to the truck, the pounding in my ears helped block the excuses I didn’t want to hear from them.

I could hear the crunching of their boots and knew they were following me. When I was behind the wheel, I threw my truck into gear and headed home.

Tears streamed down my cheeks at the sight of Declan and Thomas standing at the end of the driveway in my rearview mirror.

I hadn’t made it halfway home when my phone chimed with an incoming message. I ignored it. It was probably Thomas or Declan, but I couldn’t look at it. If I did, I knew I’d start crying harder, and I needed to concentrate on the icy roads to get home.

When I pulled into my garage, I steeled myself for whatever the guys wanted to say, but it wasn’t them. And my stupid heart wished it had been.

Randol: I see that you’re having fun. I want more money.

Alex: I don’t have money to give you. Alimony checks are over. It’s not my fault you didn’t get a job while you had the chance.

Randol: Your new boyfriends can give it to you. You don’t want me exposing them and your relationship, do you? What would the good people of Cottonwood Creek think about their town vet actually fucking two men and not just a reporter implying it?

Then he followed with two pictures. One of Thomas and I kissing at the gala last night and another of Declan and I making out on my couch in my house last week. What the hell? Randol wasn’t just threatening me by phone, he was full on stalking me.

I shivered. The only way he could have gotten that picture would have been if he were standing outside of my house. I covered my mouth as my stomach rolled. I barely made it in time to the toilet before I threw up.

This day couldn’t get much worse.

THOMAS

What were we going to do?

I paced back and forth in Declan’s office, unable to sit still. He wanted to give Alex a day to calm down and get her thoughts together.

I wanted to get in my truck and race after her. In the middle of being angry with us, she let it slip that she was in love with us. I couldn’t just let her walk away. We were in love with her too.

Declan’s phone rang on his desk, but he paid it no attention.

When the call went to voicemail, my phone immediately rang with our mother’s personal ringtone.

“Brace yourself,” I muttered before answering on speaker.

“Hello, Mother.”

“Is it true?” No hello, she just cut right to the point.

“You’ll have to give us more to go off of. Is what true?” Was she talking about the article? Was she asking if I was dating Alex? There were so many questions.

“Don’t start with me, Thomas. I expect this from Declan, not you.”

“Hey,” Declan retorted.

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