“I’m sorry, but I’m engaged, Derek.”
“Abby, please. Just have lunch with me today. All I’m asking is for you to—”
A knock on the door interrupted his train of thought and I knew who it was. There was only one other person in all of L.A. who would come knocking on my door on a Sunday morning. I felt my stomach flip with joy as I scrambled off the couch. I rushed for the door and whipped it open, relief flooding my veins as I saw Colin standing there.
But his eyes weren’t on me.
They were over my head and staring at Derek.
The two men were glaring at one another as I stood off to the side. Colin came in and shut the door, then promptly slid his arm around my waist. He pulled me tightly into his side, like he was trying to protect me from something, and I looked up into his eyes to see if I could pull his gaze down to me.
But they were trained on Derek. Like an attack dog lying in wait.
“Colin, this is Derek. My ex. Derek, this is Colin. My fiancé.”
“What the hell do you think you’re doing here?” Colin asked.
The tone of his voice shook me to my core as my eyes widened.
“Just coming to explain some things to Abby,” Derek said.
“You have nothing to explain,” Colin said. “Except for why you broke her heart.”
“That’s what I was explaining. I was letting her know that her best friend was manipulating us both to her advantage.”
“I find that incredibly hard to believe,” Colin said.
“Colin. What in the world has gotten into you?” I asked.
“It’s okay. He’s just being protective of you. Any man worthy of you would do the same,” Derek said.
“An interesting statement coming from you. I think you should leave,” Colin said.
“Now wait a second. This is my home, I’m the one that let him in, and I’ll be the one to kick him out,” I said.
“She’s always been feisty and independent,” Derek said. “I’ve missed that about her.”
I watched Colin physically bristle before he lunged at Derek.
“The only reason you’re here is to pull more money from her. You stole from her. You tore her life apart. You left her high and dry when you proclaimed to love her, and now you’re back for more. But let me tell you something, you piece of shit. I see right through you. I know your endgame, and I want you to know that I’ll be watching you every step of the fucking way.”
“Colin! That’s enough,” I said.
I grabbed his coat and pulled him back while Derek stood there with a smirk on his face.
“Wipe that pathetic grin off your face, Derek. It’s unbecoming of you,” I said. “I’ve given you my answer. I’m engaged, and happily so. So whatever your plan was today, change it to going home.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Colin asked. “What the fuck did you ask her?”
“Colin, tuck it in or you’ll be the one I’m kicking out,” I said.
“All I asked her was to give me a second chance to prove that I loved her. That’s all,” Derek said.
I felt Colin’s entire body shaking underneath my grip on him as his eyes widened. He looked like a wild animal. A rabid animal who was looking into the eyes of its prey. And all Derek did was stand there, grinning at him as I held my fiancé back.
What the fuck was his actual game?
“I will slap a restraining order on you before you get a chance to talk to her again,” Colin said.
“And yet, you’re the one that looks more threatening.”
“That’s enough!” I said with a roar. “Both of you, out!”
Colin whipped his gaze down to mine as Derek turned his smirk onto me.
“Colin, I don’t know what the hell’s gotten into you, but I can fight my own battles. Derek, I don’t know how the fuck you found me, but you better not come back here. Now both of you, get the hell out.”
“Abby, I think I should stay until I know he’s gone,” Colin said.
“And I think you should listen to the only person in this room that matters.”
I looked up into Colin’s heated eyes before he pulled away from me. He straightened out his coat before he bent his lips to mine, placing a chaste kiss onto my skin. I saw Derek falter, his confident smirk twitching as he saw the affection Colin poured over me in that moment. The way Colin’s arms slipped around me and the way his eyes gazed into mine. I allowed myself to be swept up into my fiancé before I opened the door at his side.
“I can’t deal with this stress and drama right now. I don’t care what the two of you do to each other once you leave, but you won’t do it here,” I said.
“Abby, if he ever approaches you again, I want you to call me,” Colin said.
“No worries. I’ll only seek her out again if she calls me,” Derek said.
“Did he give you his number?” Colin asked
“Nope,” Derek said, grinning. “But she’s always had it memorized. I had her memorize it in case she ever got into trouble back in San Diego. It’s the same number as always.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as Colin kissed my forehead one last time.
“I’m sorry,” I said, with a whisper.
“It’s not your fault,” Colin said.
Then, the two men left and I was reduced to a shaking, crying mess in the middle of my apartment.
Chapter 7
Colin
I spoke with Abby on the phone last night after I had calmed down from seeing Derek in her fucking apartment. I apologized for putting her in such a precarious position with the pissing contest I was having with Derek. The illustration made her giggle, a sound I missed now that she had moved out. I was thankful she picked up the phone for me, but I couldn’t persuade her to have
