Page 53 of The Merger
Sabrina moved away from me. “Because I can handle myself. I’m not Waverly. You haven’t cleaned up my messes before, why start now?”
Colter sucked in a breath, then nodded. “I deserve that. And I’ve got one more mess to clean up, but this time it’s my fault.”
“No,” Sabrina insisted. “She’s my sister too.”
“Waverly,” Colter shouted. “Get out here!”
She stomped out of her room, carrying an overnight bag. “I’m out, right? I get it. There’s no way that stuck up bitch was ever going to let me stay here unless you were forcing her.”
Sabrina lunged forward, but I managed to grab hold of her before she could hit her sister. Not that I would have blamed her, but she would have regretted it. There was already enough she was going to torture herself over.
“I’ve done everything I could to make up for how cold your parents are. But, I see now that I might have done more harm to you than they have. I don’t like the person you’ve become. Sabrina has never done anything to you, and you treat her like she’s garbage every chance you get. All this time I’ve been worried about you being neglected, and I overlooked the fact that you share the same cold, uninvolved mother. I can’t take care of you anymore,” he said to Waverly.
“I knew they’d take you away from me,” she muttered. “You don’t love me anymore now that you’ve got Evie, Gracie, and Jana. You’re just as bad as our parents.”
He shook his head. “You have it all wrong. Love isn’t finite. The more you give, the more you have. I never would have cut you out. But you’ve hurt everyone I love. My wife, my daughter, my granddaughter, and our sister. How can I tell them I’ll protect them if I keep letting one of the people I love get away with being horrible to them for no reason?”
“Where am I supposed to go?” she asked, sounding like a little girl. I thought Colter would cave to her blatant manipulation, but he didn’t.
He shrugged. “You’ve got a healthy trust fund. I know you haven’t spent all of it, because you don’t have access to all of it yet.”
“I’ve spent all I’m getting this year,” she replied, defiant.
“I’ll get you a small advance until you can get on your feet.”
“And then what?” she asked.
It was evident he was losing his patience. “I don’t know Waverly. You could get a job. It’s what most adults do.”
She gasped. “A job?”
“It’s time to put that fancy education to use.”
“You’re going to regret this,” she warned and stormed out of the apartment.
Colter’s shoulders drooped. “I’m sorry, Brina. I’ll have someone come and clear the rest of her things out. I’ll never put you in a position like this again. I’ll still pay her half of the rent like I promised.”
“No.” I shook my head. “Sabrina is my wife. If she needs help, she’ll get it from me.”
“Ugh,” she grunted. “You’re both idiots. I lived alone for years. I make enough money to support myself, and I don’t need either of you cavemen beating your chests trying to prove who’s more manly than the other.”
I’d learned something about her in the last couple of days. Sabrina could take care of herself, yes, but that didn’t mean she wanted to. At least not completely. I slid my hand around the back of her neck and held her possessively. “You are my wife. I know you can take care of yourself, but you don’t have to. You’ll never have to again.”
She started to melt against me, but Colter gagged and snapped her out of it. “I need to be alone for a while.”
Taking a deep breath, I nodded. “Fine. I can give you some space, but only so I can go to the hotel and check out. I’ll be back later.”
She rolled her eyes but didn’t fight me. “You can have the spare room.”
I laughed. “Like hell, Sunshine. I’ll be back in a few hours. Make some room for me in the closet.”
Kissing her on the forehead, I left quickly.
Colter followed after me. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
He jerked his thumb toward the door. “Sabrina runs when she gets spooked. Nothing scares her more than attachment.”