The door opened and the last person I expected came through the door. Hatred poured through me.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I was surprised at how strong my voice came out given how weak I felt.
“Theresa, is that anyway to speak to your mother?” Her lip curled the same way it had when she accused me of coming on to Rex.
“What mother? You cared more about Rex who was fucking around on you.”
The bastard slithered into the room like the snake that he was. “Now, now, why would you say such things?”
I ignored his question, wanting them gone sooner rather than later. “How did you find me?”
“Oh, sweetheart,” the endearment slid off her tongue like a bitter fruit, “the police contacted us to say you were hurt. And we figured since we lost the business and apparently you’re doing very well for yourself”—she gestured around the room—“we’d come and collect on all of the things you owe us for.”
“I don’t owe—”
“What the fuck is this?”
Miller’s voice warmed me from the chill of my ‘parents’. He stepped over to the bed, setting the bag on the tray. He bent down to press a brief kiss to my lips. “Okay?”
“No, but now that you’re hear things are a little better.”
“Let me handle this?”
I nodded, more than happy to not have to deal with the two people who’d gone out of their way to make my life hell.
Miller turned and faced my parents, feet braced, arms crossed over his chest. It might have been the most inopportune time, but it was hard to miss the way his jeans hugged his ass as he stood there.
“I have a pretty good idea who you are and I think it’s time for you to turn the fuck around and leave.” His voice was calm, controlled.
Rex took a step toward Miller. “And who the hell are you?”
“Miller, not that matters. Tess obviously doesn’t want you here.”
“We’re her parents, she owes it to us to help take care of us while we rebuild our business.”
“Oh, she owes you nothing.”
My mom stepped up next to Rex. “This has nothing to do with you. She owes us for raising her and for almost ruining our marriage.”
“From what I understand, she didn’t ruin shit. Your husband, and I use that term loosely, has a difficult time keeping his dick in his pants when it comes to innocent young girls.”
Rex’s face grew red, his hands clenched at his side. Bad move. He had no idea who he was dealing with. “She stripped and begged me to take her.”
In a flash, Miller wrapped his hand around Rex’s neck and shoved him against the wall.
“I’ve had enough of your fucking mouth. I’m going to say this once and only once. I’m the man who put you out of business. It wasn’t hard. I have both the money and the resources. I am not a man to tangle with. Tess is mine, and anything you do or say to her you do or say to me. If you don’t want your own bed in this very hospital, you are going to silently walk through the door, go back to Ohio, and stay there. Don’t think I won’t know if you don’t. I know exactly where to find you. If I hear that you’ve contacted Tess in any way, I will pay a personal visit to you and I can guarantee it will not be a pleasant experience. Do I make myself clear?”
About halfway through Miller’s speech, Rex’s eyes bulged, his face taking on a purple hue. He nodded emphatically. Miller let him go and Rex’s hand immediately went to his throat, rubbing it.
My mom opened her mouth to argue, when Rex glanced at Miller, he saw something that had him grabbing her hand and pulling her from the room.
“What did you . . . How did you . . .”
The bed dipped as he sat down next to me and, taking my hand in his, he spent the next ten minutes explaining the whole thing to me. My eyes welled with each beautiful word that left his mouth. Some women might have been repelled by what he’d done, but I knew Miller well enough to know that this was him taking care of me. Him getting revenge on my parents was his way of making sure I never had to go through anything like that ever again. And if it made me a bad person for feeling elated about that, then color my soul black because I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Miller, I’m so sorr—”
He turned and silenced me with his lips. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”
It amazed me how quickly Miller could change gears. One minute he looked like he could kill someone, literally, the next he was the sweet man who wormed his way past my defenses.
“I love you,” I said.
“I love you, too. Now eat, while I see what I can do about getting you out of here. I can’t wait to take you home.”