“I don’t need you checking up on me.”
“We need to be sure you’re safe here.” He crossed his arms.
“I am. Devlin wouldn’t hurt me.”
“If your relationship with this man is as perfect as you say, invite me in. Let me stay a couple days and—”
“Stay? Here? Are you crazy? Devlin would never let my ex stay in his house.” I laughed at how ridiculous the idea was.
“Don’t tell him about us.”
“I’m not lying to him, Nicholas!”
“Don’t lie. Withhold information. What are you afraid of? If he’s as great as you say, he won’t have a problem with an old friend visiting for a few days.”
“Nicholas, go back to Chicago and tell Daddy I’m fine. I’m not letting you stay here.”
“Either you let me stay, or I’ll wait until he comes home and things can get ugly.”
“Oh my God, Nicholas. Haven’t you fucked with my life enough? Now you don’t want to see me happy with someone else.”
He shook his head. “That’s not what this is about. You need to get away from that man, Juliana.”
“If this is about us…”
“Fuck us. Fuck what you think went wrong and how shitty you think I was. I don’t even register on the same radar of fucked-up-ness when it comes to Devlin Ward.”
“I know him well enough, and he’s not like everyone thinks he is. He’s different with me.”
“Until you cross him.”
“Nicholas, he’s not going to hurt me. He’s not forcing me to stay here. I don’t need you coming here as if I need to be rescued from some kind of dependence. What do you have to hear to go away? I’m not high or delusional, I just love him.”
“Trust me, Jules, you know nothing about him. I can barely find any information on him. And anyone who makes that much effort to cover his past has some fucked up shit to hide.”
“Oh, my God! Why are you investigating him?” There was so much I didn’t know about Devlin, and I didn’t want to collect pieces of his picture from people who had no clue of what his canvas was even made of. I’d accepted Devlin and his secrets. I took the piece of his heart he’d allowed me and treasured it. Maybe I was being foolish or maybe I was just a fool for him, but no one knew what our connection was like.
“It’s my job to know who I go up against business-wise, and now on a personal level.”
“I don’t need you fighting for me. You’re no longer part of my personal life, so stay out of it.”
He grabbed my arm as I tried to turn away, pulling me toward him, his hands at my forearms keeping me imprisoned. “The man appeared out of nowhere and procured Ward Enterprises. He’s been seen associating with members of an organization we’ve steered clear from, and you know why. Open your eyes, Juliana! The man could be a psychopathic killer. What if they were never done with us? What if they were never done with you? One wrong move and you’re dead.”
“He has nothing to do with the Moretti family.”
“Well, just to ease your father’s mind, let me stay. We need to be sure you’re safe with this guy.” He raised an eyebrow. I ran a hand across my face. I was frustrated with him and my dad, but I knew they wouldn’t leave us alone if I didn’t give a little. If they were mentioning the Moretti family, then I knew they were seriously fearful.
“Two days.”
He smiled, picked up his bag, and scooted past me, entering Devlin’s home as if he belonged there.
This was going to cause so much trouble.
~*~*~
Nicholas was watching me prepare dinner when Devlin came home. We spent most the afternoon catching up and reminiscing.
Devlin walked in and stared at Nicholas like he was a figment of his imagination.
“Hey.” I walked up to him and kissed him. “This is Nicholas. He’s an old family friend. He’s going to stay with us for a few days.”
Devlin glared at me like I’d lost my mind. Nicholas hopped off the stool he was sitting on and made to shake Devlin’s hand.
Devlin stared at his hand, and just when I thought he’d walk away, he shook it. “Wainwright.”
Oh, shit!
I should’ve figured Devlin would know who he was. I only hoped he didn’t know about our past together. It had ended so long ago, there was no way Devlin could know about it.
I asked him about his day as I set up our plates, but he didn’t respond. He kept glancing between Nicholas and me, then counting under his breath.
When he declined the dinner I made and went up to our room, my heart began to pound. He was pissed, and I didn’t know how to fix it.