Page 78 of Her Filthy Grump
“At least you weren’t sleeping with him.” My voice is muffled against his T-shirt.
“You’ve got a point.” He chuckles against the top of my head.
“Thank you for telling me.” I bite my bottom lip and step back. I’ve got to be a grown-ass woman and finish this day.
Then, I can cry into the fur of my favorite stuffed teddy bear–my companion for life. My shoulders quake. No. You aren’t breaking down, but you might just junk punch him.
“I care about you.” He shoves his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
“Thank you. Do you want to do the photoshoot next weekend? Harbor will be in town.” I might as well focus on someone else since my life is an epic bust.
He scuffs the toe of his boot on the floor. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“It’s a great idea. Photoshoots always cheer me up, and I need something positive in my life right now.” I glare at him, grab the front of his T-shirt, and twist it, pulling him closer. “Don’t you screw me over.”
He chuckles. “When you put it like that, I don’t have much choice.”
“No. You don’t.” I drop the fabric and cuff him on the upper arm. “It’s a date. Now, what do you need?”
Chapter Fifty
Kameron
As I drive toward Layla’s house, I study my new rental. It’s not a fancy house, but it’ll work for now. I can’t believe I was lucky enough to find a place quickly and at a great price. Even better, it’s two doors down from hers.
I signed a three-month lease. By then, I hope to have everything lined out to find a permanent place to buy for the both of us. My fingers tighten on the steering wheel. Hopefully, I’m not moving too fast for her.
Before I can get the vehicle into park, Layla’s front door snaps open and light floods the front porch. With the light behind her, she looks like an angel. I can’t wait to tell her the good news. She paces the floor.
If she considers it good news. My gut churns. Something’s wrong.
I step down from my pickup and slam the door shut. A dog down the road breaks into a fit of yaps at the sharp noise. I stride across the gravel to her. “What’s wrong?”
Her hands ball into fists. “How could you? I knew you were hiding something this week. Were you going to tell me?”
“What?” I jerk backward at her barrage of questions. My head spins as I try to figure out what she’s asking and how to answer it.
“I thought at first you were seeing someone behind my back.” Her movements are slow as she twists on the heel of her tennis shoe.
“I’m not seeing anyone else.” I raise my hands in defense. What’s she upset about? Did someone see me at the real estate office?
Ri-i-ight. This is a small town. Of course, they did. “Never mind.” I grab her upper arms and hold her in place. “I thought you’d be happy.”
“Happy?” She gapes at me like I have an alien growing out of the top of my head.
My hands drop to my sides. I guess I was overcalculating her excitement of us being together long-term. Maybe I was the one who read things wrong.
“No. I’m not happy. You were right. You don’t know how to be in a relationship. People in relationships don’t lie to each other or hide things.”
“What are you talking about? I only found out today.”
Her eyes soften, and she gnaws on her bottom lip. “You only found out today about Roman coming back early.”
I blink and shake my head. Her questions have me off-kilter as they bounce from one topic to another. I feel like I’ve gotten a bad case of whiplash. “No. He texted me last week.”
“I see.” Her jaw tightens, and her shoulders go back like she’s ready to fight.
If it weren’t such a shitty situation, I’d appreciate her strength. But too late, I realize the mistake I’ve made. It hits me like a lightning bolt. I fucked up. I should have told her I was staying instead of planning to surprise her. This is why I suck at relationships. I screw things up. “Listen, Layla.”