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But, really, my mom’s friends trying to push me into another relationship is the least of my worries. My attention is on the man who won’t stop watching me with lazy disinterest. Not that I’m giving him the satisfaction of meeting his gaze.
Why is he acting like this? Why is he so hot and cold with me?
“Hey, we’re heading out.” Alex’s voice sounds behind me, and I give my mom’s friend a dismissing smile before turning to him.
“Okay. It was so good to see you again, Sophia.” I wrap my arms around her, holding on for what’s probably a second too long.
“Give us a moment.” Alex pulls me away, out of earshot of most people. In a low voice, he says, “Are you sure you’re ready to move out?”
Rolling my eyes, I say, “Everly is going to drive me to murder, Alex. Why do you care about this?”
He works his jaw for a moment. “You’re just—you’re safer here, okay?”
“Safer?” I pull my arm out of his grip. “From what?”
“Look, I know the past few months have been hard on you. And I know Everly isn’t the easiest to deal with. But I’ve made some enemies, and so have the Graysons. And one of them may have a special interest in you.”
I snort. “In me? You’re being stupid, Alex. There’s nothing special about me.”
“That’s not true,” he snaps, and that darkness reappears in his eyes. But he takes a deep breath, getting himself under control. He’s always been good at that. “Look, I just want you safe until we deal with them. I don’t want you getting caught up in this more than you already are.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” It comes out a little louder than I meant, and Alex gives me a warning look. “Enemies? Dealing with them? What’s going on?”
“I don’t want to say. Just stay with Mom, all right? She has better security.”
Seriously? He thinks he can just tell me some vague shit about potentially being in danger and I’ll listen? I know Alex. He loves me, and he always does what he thinks is best for me. But sometimes he’s just fucking wrong.
“Blaze is helping me move out later. And you can’t do anything about it.” I turn to walk away, but he grabs my arm.
“Brooke—”
“No,” I hiss, shoving him back. “You don’t get to tell me what to do. You don’t have to deal with her all day, telling me I should be over David, that I shouldn’t feel like a used-up piece of shit. He completely betrayed me, Alex—like I was nothing to him. Nothing.”
The tears are back, hot and itchy. This time, when I walk away, he lets me. I skirt around the patio, rushing up the stairs and back into the house. It’s not until I’m safely locked in my bedroom that I let out a yell. It’s either that or cry, and my god, I’m so done with tears.
However much I want to sink onto the floor and let myself go numb, I don’t. Instead, I grab my bags and start shoving everything into them. My clothes, the fantasy novels I planned to re-read, my tablet—everything that I brought over when Everly insisted I shouldn’t be alone.
As I zip up the last bag, I laugh bitterly. Because, honestly, I think living with my mother for the past two months has done just as much damage to me as David cheating on me.
Maybe he didn’t.
I shove the thought out of my head. Alex is the one who caught my ex-fiancé with another woman. David denied it, but Alex has never lied to me. And it was the only thing that explained how secretive David was—and the fact that he accused me of cheating.
Projecting bastard.
Still, it made everything ten times worse when I broke off our engagement. David was furious that I listened to my brother over him. Hell, I’m still not sure if it was the right decision.
But I know that Alex would never lie to me. We’ve been through too much together, and he always looked out for me when we were kids.
“Brooke?”
There’s a soft knock on my door. After a glance in my mirror to make sure I don’t look like a total wreck, I swing it open. Blaze is standing there, his hands in his pockets, with a determined expression on his face.
My stomach twists. Whatever that look means, it can’t be good. “What’s wrong?”
Letting out a breath, he says, “Alex asked me to add a few minor upgrades to your security system.”
I just stare at him. Anger shoots through me first, at the thought that Alex can’t just let me live my own fucking life. But then relief comes quickly after. Whatever Alex was talking about earlier, it sounds serious. Even if I highly doubt anyone would ever come after me.
