Matched For Love(53)

Annie had to have heard their whole conversation. And who knew how long Annie had been standing behind them in the arcade before she’d said something?

Asher’s mother wasn’t as nerdy and innocent as Deek made her out to be. She’d known exactly what she’d been doing.

And she’d won Deek’s love, even though she didn’t deserve it.

Lori was almost all the way to the door before she stopped and turned around. She marched back toward Annie and got in her face, “If you’re just using him for his money so you can go play in the dirt rather than grow up and be Asher’s mother, then at least have the decency not to marry him. Take the money, but let him move on.”

Annie raised a brow. “And let you win? Not happening, loser. And Asher won’t be playing with Emily anymore either. Now get out of my house.”

Rage fisted her hands. It took all her self-control to keep them at her sides. “Don’t even think about dragging the kids into this, or I’ll be sure to tell Deek what you really are, Annie.”

She laughed. “Thanks for letting me in on your plan. All I’ll have to do now is run some interference. He won’t believe a word you say because Deek loves me. Not you. Get over it.” Annie turned and walked up the steps. “There’s nothing uglier than a bitter woman, Lori.”

A bitter woman? She refused to be one. She’d known going in this could happen. But it didn’t mean her heart hadn’t just been destroyed because it had. She was pretty sure it’d never be the same again.

She left, slamming the big wooden door behind her as she made her way to her car in the driveway. She turned around and took one last look at the majestic Tuscan-style home. Deek stood in his study window. He slowly lifted a hand.

Screw holding back her tears until she got to the car. She let them fall as freely as the snowflakes that were coming down on her head. Let him see how much he’d hurt her.

And as she’d promised Shelby, Lori would walk away and let Deek live with the decision he’d just made.

While she lost all faith in men.



After Lori’s car had disappeared down the drive, Deek flopped into his desk chair. He’d seen that look in Annie’s eyes. The one she got when she was angry enough to start breaking things. She didn’t lose control often, but when she did, it wasn’t pretty. He hadn’t wanted Lori to be Annie’s target.

He held his head in his hands as he counted all the ways he’d screwed that up. He’d asked Annie to marry him fifteen times, and she’d never accepted. Until now. It had thrown him off and confused him. And how could he have told her she wasn’t welcome in her own home? As far as he was concerned, it was her home too, just not on paper. He didn’t want to make her so mad that she left before Asher could see her.

“Deek? Are you coming to bed?” Annie stood in the doorway.

He lifted his head. “No. Not yet. I have some work to catch up on.” The last thing he wanted to do was sleep with Annie when twenty minutes ago he was about to sleep with Lori. He needed to sort things out first.

Annie crossed her arms. “It didn’t look like you were too worried about work while you and Lori were in the arcade.”

Crap. He wished everyone would leave him alone so he could think.

He hated to lie, but he didn’t know what else to do. “I just checked my e-mail. I need to make a critical fix.” Next week. Not that she needed to know that.

“Okay. But I’ve been asking around about Lori this past week. I think she’s just using you for your money.”

What? That wasn’t true. “Lori would never do that, Annie.”

She let out a long sigh. “You know it’s happened before. It’s because you trust people too easily. And you don’t pick up on subtle behaviors. You’ve fallen prey again, Deek. But we won’t have to worry about that anymore, once we’re married.” She stepped farther inside and stopped in front of his desk. “And Asher will finally have the family he deserves, right?”

That was the argument he’d given her for years about Asher. And why they should be married. Asher deserved to have both of his parents. It was their duty to their son. “But why now, Annie?”

She blinked at him. “Because it’s clear you and Asher need me. Look at the mistake you were just about to make with that woman. You always said I was strong where you were weak and vice versa.”

He used to think that. And it was true on paper. But it didn’t feel as true anymore. “Okay. I have to get this done.” And he hated that she didn’t say it was because she finally realized that she loved him.