Page 79 of Push

“Kisses that have you as freaked out and upset as the time you saw your mum in the damn grocery store. Gwen, come on. We might not be in a good place right now, but Iknowyou. This reaction isn’t you regretting a couple of damn kisses!”

I reached out my hand and knitted my fingers with Toby’s. His eyes rounded. He wasn’t expecting the touch, but I needed it. “I just want to pretend this never happened, okay? It was my fault.”

“Like hell it was. Ian planned this. He slithered on up and sunk his teeth into you when you were vulnerable. Fuck him, Gwen.Fuck him.” He swallowed hard, fighting to regain some composure. It took him some time. “You need to report him.”

“It’s ‘he said, she said,’ and I saidyes. I’ve seen too many women dragged through the system, having their stories ripped apart, no one believing them—”

“Youbelieved them.”

“That’s not always enough. Sometimes, justice isn’t served. I just want to move on with my life, okay?”

Toby’s lips parted, but harsh words didn’t fly out. He tugged his hand through the tangle of his dark hair, taking a deep breath in. “Then Ian’s done.” He spoke with the firm voice of a man who’d already made a decision. “He’s out of the picture. Out of our lives and out of the partnership.”

“Toby—”

“Nothing will convince me to change my mind. Not even you. I won’t have any connection to the scumbag who hurt you. He’ll never get within an inch of you or Noah. If the courts can’t protect you, I damn well will.”

I believed Toby. Once he set his mind on something, he was more determined than anyone gave him credit for.

“You need to be careful then,” I told him, shifting back into the comfort of advice mode. “Get a good lawyer. You’ll need one separate from the partnership. Dot all your i’s and cross your t’s. Ian says he’s your friend, but people quickly become enemies when money’s involved.”

Toby nodded thoughtfully. “I won’t do anything to jeopardize our future. See how good I’m being?” His smile was shaky and uncertain. “I’m sitting here even though every bone in my body is screaming at me to storm over to Ian’s place and get rid of himpermanently.”

“Knight in Shining Armor Mode activated.” It was my turn to force the wobbly smile before dropping my eyes again. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

Toby lifted our joined hands and pecked a kiss on my fingertips. “You don’t trust me. I get it. But even if we’re nottogether, I worry about you keeping everything locked up in there.” He poked a gentle finger against my temple. “You’re great at being strong, but sometimes, being brave is letting someone else carry some of the load.” Toby squeezed my hand. “It doesn’t have to be me. Do you think maybe you need to talk to someone? A therapist or something?”

I bit down on my lower lip. “Maybe.”

“Can you promise me one more thing?” He nudged his shoulder into mine. “Can you stop looking at Kayleigh’s social media?”

“No.”

“Gwen, it’s not helping you, and every last word she says about me is a damn lie.”

“Not all of them.”

“Allof them.”

“It’s clear to the whole world you’re her boyfriend. Yesterday, she posted about how you snuck away from work to—”

“Never happened.”

“Like the party never happened?” I sighed. “If you’re doing all this because you think you need to protect your precious millions while you keep screwing around, don’t bother. I know you and Kayleigh are together. Ian—”

“Ian…what?”

“He said—”

“Lies.”

“Toby—”

“You’re a smart damn woman. If Ian said some bullshit to you the day he came over and…and… Christ, Gwen. Don’t underestimate what some sick jerks will say to manipulate you to—” He shook his head furiously from side to side. He didn’t want that image stuck in his head. He fixed his gaze on me, taking enough deep breaths to unclench his fist. “I have no contact with Kayleigh. I fired her. She’s gone. Full stop.”

“You don’t deny anything she posts.”

“Because I don’t see it. I have zero interest in whatever she’s carrying on about. There’s no space for her in my life. Only you.” A quiet ache flickered through his smile before he switched back to business mode. “If you’re not quite ready to believe me and want to check my phone, my passcode’s your birthday. If you want to give my phone to one of your cop buddies to do crazy stuff like they do on TV, say the word. Call Judy if you don’t believe I’m at work late.”

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