Dad: Very disappointing to hear how you treated Chadwick. He’s a good man and would make an excellent husband.
I blink twice as I reread the message.
Hurt gouges me, and instantly, I throw on some armor to protect my old wounds.
Really, Dad? You’re disappointed to hear how I treated Chadwick? What about how he treated me?
I must have made a noise, because Bodhi calls out from across the gym.
“Something wrong?”
I bite down on my lip, hard, as I fend off the burning sensation behind my eyes.I’m not going to cry about this. Especially not in front of a stranger.
I shake my head instead, not trusting my voice, but Bodhi’s features turn stony.
“Something’s wrong.”
“Nothing. It’s fine.”
He stows the pads in a storage closet and walks toward the lockers. “You sure?”
“It’s nothing. I need to go.” I shove my phone into my purse and hold it tight to my body.
Bodhi stands between me and the door. “I don’t like being lied to, but I really fucking hate men who make women cry. You need someone taught a lesson, I know a guy.”
His gruff, slightly terrifying offer is completely unexpected, but I’m not equipped to respond. All I can manage is another nod and a whispered, “Thank you.”
“If you change your mind, you know where to find me,” he says to my back as I rush out of the room and try to pull it together before I let my dad’s comment crush me.
I form reply after reply in my head.Why can’t you just be a normal, supportive dad? Why do you like my ex-boyfriend better than me? Why isn’t a daughter enough for you?But, as always, I don’t ask any of the questions that run through my brain.
No, I go with something else entirely instead.
Scarlett: Then you marry him, Dad.
I can barely see through the unshed tears blurring my vision as I do something I shouldn’t. I tap on Legend’s name and write a message.
Scarlett: Are you busy? I need to let go and have fun now. I can’t wait for Saturday. I don’t even care what we do.
Forty-Three
Legend
My phone buzzes as Roux and I are walking up to the door of the gym near the club. I’ve been crunching numbers all day, seeing how bad the damage is, even after the best night we’ve had since opening.
It’s still bad, but instead of facing a hopeless uphill battle, we’ve got a small victory behind us. If the weeknight crowds hold up and we have another strong weekend, we’ll be able to make the investor payment. Until then, we’re watching every single penny, and I won’t be sleeping much at night.
A shot of adrenaline punches through my system when I see her name on the screen. I took a risk this morning, sending that text, but it felt right. Her response felt even better.
But now ... something’s off, and I don’t like it.
The only thing I want to do is see her in person to make sure she’s okay. Because if that asshole of a fucking ex-boyfriend of hers came back ... well, I’m not making any promises. I warned him. I won’t warn him again.
That’s second to my concern about her, though.
Legend: Where are you?
She replies instantly with a location that’s only a few blocks away.