Page 116 of Fake Out Hearts

“I’m glad to see Theo with someone sweet, someone who can make him happy,” she says, and I can’t tell if it’s a genuine compliment or a veiled insult. “It’s nice to see him so, well,domestic. With a dog and all.” She chuckles. “I guess he’s got everything he ever wanted now. Or nearly so.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, curious in spite of myself.

She grimaces slightly. “Well, Theo has always been a pretty traditional guy. Much more so than me. I could never give him what he wanted most: a family. He wanted the whole deal—kids and a dog and everything—and I didn’t, which is ultimately why we broke up. We were compatible in so many ways, but that was a dealbreaker for us. So it’s nice to see that he’s finally with someone who’s the right fit for him.”

Her tone is pleasant, but even so, I feel like I’ve just jumped into a vat of ice. My stomach roils, and I’m afraid I’m going to get sick in front of her, but I nod and pretend everything is fine. Perfectly fine.

Thankfully, the door opens a moment later, and Theo appears.

“Your bike is outside,” he tells Valerie flatly. “And there’s nothing else you left here, so there won’t be any need for you to drop by again.”

She smiles at me again, gives Milo’s head a pat, and stands.

“Right. Well, it was nice to meet you, Becca. Sorry for stopping by unannounced. I would never have done that if I’d known… well, if I’d known that Theo had found someone.”

For a second, I think she’s going to hold her hand out to shake mine, and I tense up a little. But fortunately, she doesn’t. She turns to Theo, her expression warming a little.

“I guess this is goodbye,” she says.

She takes step forward like she’s going to hug him, but Theo steps back.

“It is. For good. Goodbye, Valerie,” he says and steps aside to open the door for her.

The warmth in her expression dissolves, and she shoots me one more look, the veneer of polite warmth vanishing from her expression for a moment. She looks put out and a bit pissed off, as if she had hoped that coming here to retrieve her bike would somehow give her and Theo a chance to reconnect. I have no idea if she actually thought they’d rekindle a relationship or if she just wanted one last fuck or something—but either way, I’m glad that Theo made it perfectly clear where he stands.

I don’t think even the most delusional person could misread the message he was giving her.

He’s done with her. Utterly and completely done.

Theo turns to me, worry passing over his features again as he strides closer and wraps and arm around me. He frowns, brushing my hair back.

“I’m so fucking sorry about that, princess. I haven’t talked to Valerie in months. We haven’t seen each other in a lot longer than that. But I forgot I hadn’t reprogrammed my lock after she left. I’ll be doing that today.”

“After you finish all the big plans you had for your wife?” I ask, unable to resist.

He smirks, his eyes heating. “Yeah, after that. Fucking you just once wasn’t enough, princess. It never is. I’m gonna make you scream my name so many times you’ll be hoarse tomorrow.”

He pulls me close, letting me feel the way he’s already getting hard for me again. Then his expression turns serious, and he lets out a quiet sigh.

“There’s nothing between me and my ex anymore. You believe that, don’t you?”

“Yeah.” I nod, wrapping my arms around his broad back. “I do.”

And I mean it. As much as her words unsettled me, I’m not threatened by Valerie, strangely enough.

Thinking about my brief conversation with her makes my stomach clench all over again, and I push those thoughts aside. I’ll have to deal with them later, but right now, I don’t have it in me to dwell on it anymore.

“That was really the last thing of hers that was left here?” I ask.

“Yeah.” He blows out a breath. “It took her a while to move her stuff out after we split, and the last few things were pretty piecemeal. She was moving around a lot by then, in and out of the country. She always went wherever the wind blew her. But she won’t be coming around here anymore. There’s no room for her in my life.”

I nod, and when he drops his head and kisses me like he’s starving, I cling to him, trying to lose myself in it. To shove down all of the worries swarming in my stomach and enjoy this moment with him while I still have it.

Before the truth comes out, and the illusion breaks.

Chapter 36

Theo

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