Page 76 of Taking Denver

“Deluxe, it’s not true, I promise,” Wyatt says. “He’s lying!”

Hearing his voice and his denials makes this even harder. I want to believe him. I want to believe him so badly.

“The tapes,” I say.

“I’m sorry about that. I’m so sorry, but I would never hurt you!” Wyatt insists, blood spilling from his nose and over his lips. “I wanted my life with you. I just fucked up.” He swallows hard, his chest shuddering as he attempts to calm himself. “I thought you were sleeping with Ranger. I’ve always thought you were sleeping with fucking Ranger. It’s why I did it.”

Guilt coils around me. “It’s why you tried to kill me?”

“No, not—I didn’t do that. I didn’t want to hurt you.” He takes in a shaky breath. “The women. I slept with them because I was jealous. Ranger has always come before me, hasn’t he?”

Ranger scoffs. “With good fucking reason.”

“Shut the fuck up!” Wyatt shouts, gritting his bloodstained teeth. “Denver, I was jealous, and stupid, and?—”

“The night Theo died,” I whisper. “Why couldn’t you have been with me? My entire pregnancy, you weren’t around. I went through it all alone.”

My husband searches my face. “You had Ranger. Did you really need me?”

“I wouldn’t have turned to him if you’d been there!” I scream, trying to shield myself from the blinding realization that I’m a hypocrite.

Because yes, I turned to Ranger when Wyatt left me behind.

But had Wyatt only left because I made him feel second best? Had I put Ranger first?

Have I always put Ranger first?

“Deluxe,” Wyatt says. “I didn’t try to kill you. Ranger is manipulating you.”

“And I’m lying?” Cal spits out.

“Yes!” Wyatt bites back.

Cal shakes his head. “Denver, you don’t have to be here. You can go upstairs, pretend you don’t hear a fucking thing, but I won’t have him stand here and say I’d lie to you about that because I wouldn’t. You mean the world to me. I love you and Axel more than anything.” I stare at my friend, the truth reflected in his eyes. “So, even if you say no to this, I’ll do it. I’ll do it because you deserve better than this piece of shit, and you always have.”

My gaze meets Wyatt’s. My husband. The man I thought could save me or, at the very least, try to.

“Tell me the truth,” I whisper.

“It isn’ttrue,” Wyatt insists. “It isn’t. Life insurance? It’s total bullshit! I would never,everhurt you.”

“You won’t die tonight,” I say. “I won’t let it happen, and you know Ranger won’t if I tell him not to. But you have to tell me the truth.”

“I didn’t do this, Deluxe!”

I search his eyes, my heart breaking, my mind unraveling. “Swear on our son.”

Tears glimmer in the green of Wyatt’s eyes as they frantically search my face.

And he falters.

That’s all it takes.

That split-second hesitation.

It’s true.

He shakes his head desperately. “I swear on Theo!”

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