“Yeah.” She groaned as she tipped her head back and stared at the ceiling. “I’ll go talk to my mom. That stunt last night was out of line.”
“What about Eddie?” Jason furrowed his brow. “You think he got the hint?”
She sighed. “I don’t know. We’ll see.”
Her phone rang on the counter, and she reached for it when she saw Christa’s name on the screen. “Hey. You’re up early.”
“Yeah. There was a delivery for you. I dragged myself out of bed to answer the door.”
Libby stiffened. “Shit. It’s not even eight.”
“Don’t I know it.”
“What was it?”
“No idea. A package. It had to be signed for. I set it on the table, but I thought you’d want to know. Especially with the mysterious roses and all.”
“Shit. I forgot to tell you the roses came from Eddie. Surely he wouldn’t send a package this morning after our confrontation last night. I made myself super clear.”
“I could open it if you want?”
Jason reached for the phone and took it from Libby. “Christa, don’t open it. I’ll come over and check it out.” He handed the phone back to Libby, kissed her forehead, and left the room in a hurry.
“Shit,” Libby muttered into the phone.
Christa sighed dramatically. “He’s gone all Rambo on you, hasn’t he?”
“It would seem so.”
“That’s so romantic.”
“I’m not sure about that. It’s probably overkill. It’s just a package. We don’t even know who it’s from yet.”
“There’s no name on the box. Other than yours, I mean.”
“Guess we’ll be there in a bit then.”
“See you soon.”
Chapter 18
Jason followed Libby to her townhouse, doing his best to talk himself off the precarious ledge. There was no reason to get freaked out about a package. Hell, maybe Libby had ordered something and forgotten about it. Could be anything. There was no reason to believe it was from Eddie and that he refused to accept no for an answer.
When they arrived, he followed Libby inside. Christa was in the kitchen, sipping coffee. She pointed at the box on the table.
Jason had his hands fisted at his sides as he stared at it. Libby stepped in front of him and flattened her palms on his chest. “I’m sure it’s no big deal.” Her words were soft. She was trying to placate him.
He met her gaze, frowning. “I just got out of the Army. Nothing in my world is no big deal. Let’s judge that after I open it.” He narrowed his gaze. “You don’t mind if I open it, do you?”
She shook her head. “Not at all. But I also don’t think it warrants the stress you feel, as if it’s a bomb.”
He ran a hand down his face. She was right. Part of him was just pissed that this guy wouldn’t leave her alone. If the box was from Eddie, there was a good chance Jason would hunt the guy down, and he was in no mood to be kind about it. Enough was enough.
Libby stepped back and turned to face the box. It was long and flat. Like a shirt box but larger. She lifted it. “It doesn’t weigh much.”
Jason took it from her hands. “May I?”
She nodded.
Christa sat across from them, her hand on her chest. He was pretty sure she was about to swoon, and it had nothing to do with the box. Her gaze was on him.
He took out his pocket knife and ran it along the sides to cut the tape. When the lid was freed, he pulled it off. He saw delicate tissue paper first, and then Libby reached over and parted the white paper to reveal black material and a note on top.
Her fingers were shaking as she lifted the note first and opened it.
Jason unapologetically leaned over her shoulder to read along while Libby read it out loud.
Libertad, I’m so sorry about our misunderstanding. I shouldn’t have shown up last night without making sure you knew I was coming. It was insensitive of me. When I saw this dress, I thought of you. Please accept it as my way of apologizing. Hopefully, you can forgive me and let me take you out on a real date this weekend. No friends. No parents. Just the two of us.
There was a good chance flames were coming out of Jason’s head. “Is this guy fucking for real?”
Libby lifted the silk dress out of the box and held it up. “My God.”
“That’s more like lingerie,” Christa commented. She leaned forward and picked up the tag. “Shit. This cost a fortune. Look at the brand.”
The brand meant nothing to Jason, but the fact that some other man had thought it appropriate to buy his woman a gift—let alone something this fucking sexy—made his blood boil.
Libby spun it around. The back was bare. She wouldn’t even be able to wear a bra with it. Finally, she dropped it into the box and put the lid back on. She lifted her gaze to Jason. “I’ll talk to him this morning.”
He shook his head. “Not a chance. You’re done talking to him. I’ll talk to him. Do you have his address? Give me every piece of information you have on him.”
Libby drew in a breath. “I don’t have his address. Just a phone number. I could get more information from my mom, but not without explaining why. Besides, you can’t confront him, Jason.”
“Why the fuck not? The guy is stalking you.”
“He’s right,” Christa added. Thank God someone besides Jason saw the seriousness of this situation.
Libby rubbed her forehead. “If you confront him, he’ll figure out I’m involved with you and tell my parents.”
Jason groaned as he rolled his head back. “Libby, this is crazy. Someone has to tell this guy to fuck off and make sure he hears it loud and clear this time. He’s not going to stop this nonsense. It’s not safe. He’s unbalanced.”
“That’s putting it mildly,” Christa added. “He’s a lunatic.”
Jason nodded. He hadn’t wanted to put it so bluntly and risk angering Libby more. “How about if
