Page 101 of I Choose You

Oh, shit.

He scoffed, shaking his head. “You know, I came here to apologize for being such a dick to you because my brother clearly is catching feelings for you.”

Catching feelings for me? I didn’t have it in me to deny it. Kody could be making it up. I knew better than to trust a word out of his mouth. But it went along with my suspicions. I thought I could see that deeper connection in his eyes when he stared at me. I thought I felt it when he kissed me and held me close.

But I didn’t understand how Kody would know that. Unless Kaden had told him.

I swallowed. “One apology won’t change the fact that you are an ass,” I told him, clinging to the last thread of courage I could find.

“And I’m not offering an apology, am I?” He scoffed. “Not anymore.”

“No. You’re just going to stalk me at my office and eavesdrop on private conversations like the jerk you are.”

“I’m going to go.” Rena stood and meekly grabbed the trash.

“Fuck that, Brooke. Yeah, I overheard you talking about us. Talking crap about us behind our backs.”

“Just giving you a taste of your own medicine,” I seethed.

Kody barely glanced at Rena, not seeming to care who heard him or if anyone witnessed our shouting match. “Whatever. I haven’t spent half my life moping about the stupid little shit that happened in high school.”

Stupid little shit? I gritted my teeth at his indifferent tone.

“I’m not a dumb teenager anymore.” He jabbed his finger at his chest. “I knew I was wrong. At the cake tasting. I know I said something stupid, and I regretted it. But now I see your true colors.” He put one hand on his hip and he pointed at me. “You’re just as immature as I used to be.”

“Don’t you dare compare us. Don’t even think about saying I’m anything like you.”

“At least if I’ve got something to say, I’ll tell it to your face!” He scowled, shaking his head. “You’ve got it all twisted up. You don’t even know what you’re talking about. Kaden was never cruel to you in high school.”

I stood, refusing to be seated as this guy tried to tell me what happened. “I was there. I remember. You’ve got no right to think you can come in here and disregard what happened to me.”

He shook his head, glaring at me with such loathing. “You’ve got two days to call this off with my brother. He doesn’t deserve this kind of bullshit from you.”

“Don’t you threaten her,” Rena warned.

He smirked at her. “Butt out.”

“You want me to call security?” Rena asked me.

I opened my mouth but stalled. Words lagged in my mind as the adrenaline of a confrontation skewed my response time.

Kody stepped closer. After a stern glare from Rena, he retreated to the doorway again. “If you don’t call this off with my brother, I’m going to tell him. I’ll tell Kaden that you only accepted his money and that stupid deal to stab him in the back.”

Before I could say anything, he turned and left.

Rena went to the doorway, glaring as she watched from that post, likely making sure he didn’t come back.

The tips of my ears burned. My stomach roiled and cramped. I rubbed my temples as tension locked in there. Unclenching my jaw, I heaved in a deep breath.

“What a fucking tool.” Rena sighed, rushing over to me. “Just sit. Sit down.”

I swallowed and slumped into my chair.

Confrontations weren’t my thing. I didn’t back down. I’d found my backbone after graduation, and I wasn’t a pushover. But I still didn’t like confrontations like what I just endured with Kody. I simply avoided getting into them, and the easiest way to do that was to not fuck up. To not do anything stupid.

Like taking money to fake date the guy I used to hate.

“Oh, shit.” I tried to lower my shoulders and loosen up from the fight-or-flight sensation, but it didn’t help me. “I think I’m going to throw up.”