Page 40 of The Rejected Wife

“Bish, he must be very talented, especially since you’re still thinking of him.” She leans back in her seat. “It’s been, what? Six months since you met Tyler?”

“Almost seven.”

She raises her hands in a I-rest-my-case gesture. “He must have made a hell of an impression on you.”

“Yeah.” I uncross my legs then cross them again. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about what happened with him earlier.”

“Ya think?” she drawls.

“In my defense, I couldn't even think about it without crying, never mind talking about it. It was a lot packed into one night. I’m still unpacking it, to be honest. I know it was even more stressful for Tyler. A part of me understands why he didn’t want me in his life right then. And I did want to get over him. Truly.”

“Then your brother comes along and suggests you marry a Davenport, and you get excited because you think he means Tyler. But he means Knox, so you turn him down, but then you change your mind?”

I blush a little. “I know, it sounds crazy when you put it like that.”

“Not crazy, just”—she hunts around for the right word— “intense.”

“Thanks.” I half-smile. “I figured it would be a good way to put myself in front of Tyler and provoke a reaction, discovering, once and for all, if he had any feelings for me.”

“And did it? Force a reaction?”

“Oh, it was… Interesting.” I chuckle.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, first, Knox's assistant, now wife, made it clear this was unexpected, and she wasnothappy about it. Meanwhile, I know Tyler was upset about seeing me with Knox. First, he crushed his water goblet in his hand, which did not go by unnoticed, then he marched out of the lunch where our engagement had been announced. After that, I kept expecting him to track me down and demand I break off the engagement, but?—”

“He didn’t?”

I shake my head, anger and confusion squeezing my chest. “I could have sworn he seemed like he was on the verge of marching up to Knox and punching him, but he simply left. That was a month ago.”

“And you haven’t heard from him since?”

I shake my head in frustration. “Nope. Nothing. Not a phone call. Or even a text message in the month since.”

“That cad,” she says with feeling.

I shoot her a grateful look. “Of course, I’m not about to approach him and tell him I’m tired of waiting.”

“And are you? Tired of waiting?” She looks at me closely.

“Yes! Of course I am. And I want to say to hell with Tyler Davenport and move on with my life. But”—I look away, then back at her— “I keep thinking of him and Serene and wondering how they're coping. I shouldn’t care. Not after how much of an asshole he’s been. But something inside of me feels like there’s something unfinished here. I mean, for a few hours, I thought I’d met ‘the one’…” I trail off.

She nods but doesn’t say anything, for which I’m grateful. I’m not expecting her to have any answers, but speaking my mind aloud helps clarify things in my head.

“So, with no reaction forthcoming from Tyler, you broke off the engagement?"

I nod. “No way was I going follow that charade with Knox to its logical conclusion. Especially not when Knox was, clearly, in love with his assistant.”

“June.”

I nod. Knox’s assistant is also known to Zoey, so I’m not surprised she has an inkling of what’s happening. It’s another reason I didn’t want to share all of the gory details. I didn’t want to put Zoey in the position of deciding which friend she wanted to support. But given Knox and June are getting their HEA, and I’m interested in another brother, there’s no conflict of interest in sharing now.

“So, Knox and I decided this engagement wasn’t working out for either of us. We agreed to break it off.”

“You did the right thing. You shouldn’t marry someone you don’t love.”

“Agreed. Which is why I’m confused that Tyler didn’t react the way I thought he would. The man’s possessive. I know that from the time I spent with him. But maybe I misjudged him. Maybe the emotions are one-sided.”

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