“You know the results aren’t due in until Friday.”
“Yeah, I guess Nat will just share a bed with her ex until then. That is, if you get the results you want. You don’t mind sloppy seconds, do you?”
“What the fuck? What do you expect me to do?”
“Get your head out of your ass, for starters.” He paused. “It’s two o’clock here. If you head to the airport now, you can get to her by, what, midnight?”
My heart started to thunder inside my chest. I couldn’t do that.
Could I?
Storm to New York to tell a woman I’d essentially walked away from that she couldn’t shack up with her ex-husband?
That would take real balls.
Pacing back and forth, I forgot I was on the phone, even though I had it held to my ear, until Derek spoke again.
“You’re gonna regret it, man. There’s such a thing as taking too long to make a decision.”
I dragged my fingers through my hair. Fuck. He was right.
“I gotta go.”
“Go get her, man. It’s about fucking time.”
***
I’d spent six hours on a plane trying to figure out what I would say when I got here. Yet I still didn’t have a goddamn clue. I’d gotten tested. If the results were negative, I’d planned to do everything in my power to win Natalia back. But Garrett’s release complicated things. Even without me in the picture, she deserved better than that asshole.
I’d caught the interior door from someone exiting as I walked in, so Natalia wouldn’t have any notice I was here until I was standing at her door. Wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or bad. I jabbed my finger at the up bottom on the elevator panel for the second time and stared at the slowly descending numbers above the doors while I tapped my foot. Sweat started to bead on my forehead even though the air was chilly today.
What if he answered the door?
Worse, what if I interrupted something going on between them?
My heart began to pound as I imagined the different circumstances that could possibly greet me.
When the elevator finally showed up, it stopped and opened on every floor, even though only the fourth floor button was illuminated. Talk about testing patience.
At her door, I took a minute in an attempt to steady myself. It was eleven o’clock at night, her ex-husband could be inside, and I had no damned idea what I was even going to say. Great plan. Two deep breaths did nothing to calm me, and since I thought it was possible I might explode if I didn’t get to her, I knocked and waited.
I knew I was taking a chance.
I knew I had no right to be possessive when I was the one who’d walked away.
I knew showing up after three weeks and without calling was a dick move.
But I also knew I loved this woman.
Which was why it felt like my heart ripped out of my chest when the door finally opened. And I was staring at Garrett, who stood inside her apartment wearing nothing but his boxers.
Chapter 38
Hunter
“I need to speak to Natalia.” My fists balled, but miraculously, I managed to keep them at my sides and not punch the asshole in the face.
Garrett squinted and looked me up and down. He stepped into the doorway and pulled the door closed behind him before folding his arms across his bare chest. “We’re a little busy right now.” He lifted his chin. “Whatever you were to Nat while I wasn’t here, you aren’t anymore, buddy.”
I had two choices: Push past him—which I knew from a quick glance at his physique wouldn’t be an issue—and demand to speak to Natalia, or turn around with my tail between my legs and leave, because there was no way in hell this guy planned to let me in.
I wasn’t leaving without seeing Natalia. I didn’t want a fight with this guy. Yet I needed to talk to her.
Luckily, Garrett wasn’t prepared for how dead set I was to speak to her, so it didn’t take much effort to brush past him. I caught him off guard, but his hand was already on my shoulder as I yelled Natalia’s name inside the apartment.
“Get out. Whoever you are, my wife doesn’t want to see you anymore.”
I pushed his hand from my shoulder and turned to face him. “Ex-wife. And I’d like to hear that from Natalia directly. I don’t want a scene. I just want to speak to her.”
The sound of a door creaking open from down the hallway interrupted our stare-off, and we both turned in the direction of the noise. I was expecting Natalia, but instead Izzy walked down the hall, pushing a set of Bose headphones from her ears.
She either hadn’t heard the confrontation brewing with her father or didn’t care. Her face lit up when she saw me. “Hunter! What are you doing here?”