Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 114284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 571(@200wpm)___ 457(@250wpm)___ 381(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 571(@200wpm)___ 457(@250wpm)___ 381(@300wpm)
“You let me know when you’re ready to stop hiding,” I said.
The sound of a cupboard slamming made me rethink the idea of sitting down on the couch. I remained standing instead and aimed for the bookcase next to the TV unit. I could inspect his modest collection of books while he threw a tantrum.
Unlike me, Macklin preferred to read e-books.
Most of the titles on his shelves had been gifts from Dean or me.
“I’m just gonna point out that it’s a lot of focus on me hiding and very little talk about you running away,” Macklin said.
Excuse me? I walked closer to the kitchen doorway and spotted him stowing away dishes.
“How on earth am I running away?” I asked. “I’m here, aren’t I? You text, and I immediately get in the car.”
“There are many ways you can run,” he replied irritably. “While I regrouped and tried to figure out what my problems are, you went off and found another fucking boyfriend. Like, are you serious?”
I folded my arms over my chest and willed myself to stay calm. “You regrouped by going out for drinks with Tate—when you should’ve talked to me. You completely shut me out, Macklin. What was I supposed to do? Call you? Text you? Oh, right, I tried that for two goddamn days.”
“But then I explained myself!” he exclaimed. “I apologized!”
“And I didn’t see Ty to punish you!” My God, what did he think of me? “We already had plans, and then the storm—”
“Oh yeah, the storm,” he laughed mockingly. I hated when he did that. “Very convenient for you—the storm just forced you together, you just had to sleep together and—”
“Watch it,” I growled. I couldn’t help it. I had limits. My anger went through the roof, and the gloves came off. “Keep in mind that everythin’ you say right now proves that you’ve been lyin’ to me.”
He looked at me incredulously. “How the fuck have I lied?”
“By constantly tellin’ me you were okay with the changes!” I yelled. “I told you everything as soon as it happened. When I was meeting up with Ty, I let you know our plans. When the storm hit, I told you I’d stay in his guest room—and need I fuckin’ remind you that you called me a boring dud for sleeping alone?”
“Which you didn’t,” he cut in.
“No. I didn’t.” I went cold. I felt nothing right then and there. All anger, all of it, just drained out of me. “But when that was the plan, you called me boring. You literally said being with others won’t diminish what we have. So what’s it gonna be, Macklin? Huh? Can you make up your mind for once and just tell me the fuckin’ truth?”
“That’s rich coming from someone who swore he had no interest in romantic dynamics with other men,” he spat at me.
“We were discussing subs—you didn’t want me to go to dinner with another sub, and I told you I had no interest in that. And I don’t. Where Ty is concerned, you practically pushed me toward him.”
That one struck a nerve. White-hot anger filled his eyes, and he slammed another cupboard shut before facing me fully. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Are you honestly blaming me for you hooking up with Ty?”
“No.”
I wasn’t. I was pointing out that he’d expressed zero issues with me being with Ty.
“I can’t control how I feel,” I stated. “That’s on me. I had no idea I was going to be so drawn to him—and I had nothing to hold me back either. I didn’t think twice about going all in with him because my husband was okay with it, and he has a boyfriend of his own. Do you remember Lane? Do you remember tellin’ me on the island that y’all were a package deal? Because I do.”
“Oh, you’re gonna throw that in my face now?” He grinned, though there was nothing funny about this. “Don’t tell me you don’t see the difference between me meeting someone before you and I got back together and this—” He waved a hand at me. “You got together with Ty in the middle of our fight.”
I glared at him, and I ignored the sharp stab I felt at him possibly having a point. Because it was overshadowed by the rest of what he’d said. “In the middle of a fight?” I questioned. “I don’t remember a fight. I remember you ignorin’ me for two days, and I remember you lyin’ to me.”
“This again! This is all we do!” he shouted. “We circle back to the same fucking accusations without acknowledging anything else!”
“Like you just did?” I snapped. “You can’t even meet me halfway, Macklin! You won’t tell me what you want, you’ll blame me for going a certain direction after you okayed it, you’d rather talk to your friends than me, you’re not capable of puttin’ me first, and do you know how much that hurts? I had to remind my own husband that we’d made plans for an event because he suddenly made new plans with his boyfriend.”