Page 58 of The Road Less Traveled By

“Neither of you talk to your parents anymore?” I stifle the urge to smile. I was never a fan of them, but I kept my opinions to myself, knowing it wasn't my business.

“Long story short, Liv cut them off because they ruined her relationship with Tristan. They meddled in her life after ignoring her for twenty years.”

What the actual fuck is wrong with them? “Why did they do that?”

“Because they could. They never really gave her a real reason, which is ridiculous.”

“Very ridiculous.” Bree laughs when I agree with her. “And why do you not speak to them?”

Her face falls immediately. “Lots of reasons. You remember they kept the house Ralph hurt me in, but that wasn't the only reason why I decided to cut ties with them.”

“We don't have to get into it if you don't want to.” I reach to grab a pen on my desk, wanting to distract myself from how fast my heart is beating. When I think about what happened before I was here, before I was protecting her, I can’t breathe. It physically pains me that I couldn't protect Bree, even when I didn't know she existed.

But now she exists, and she and her safety cloud my mind twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

I feel a hand come down onto mine, and when I look up, Bree’s eyes meet mine, and she starts to move her hand back and forth. “It’s okay, Vince. We can talk about this another time. I really came in here to talk about the event.”

My heartbeat slows like it always does when her skin comes into contact with mine. “I have an uncomfortable question to ask you.”

“Oh. Well, go ahead.” She detaches her hand from mine, and I miss the contact but shove that feeling down.

“The boys brought something to my attention earlier. Did you know Alex has been spotted in public with other women?”

To that she smirks. “I’m an internet personality, Vince. Of course I know about it. Ellie sent me some articles last week. I think she was trying to be nice by showing me, but there’s another part of me that thinks she wants to be one of those girls on his arm.”

“Yeah, I’ve never really liked Ellie. She’s almost too friendly with everyone, and I don't think her motives are clear.”

“Wow. I never thought I’d see the day when Vince Evans talked poorly about one of my friends to my face. I should write this down on my calendar.”

I stifle a laugh again because, for some reason, Bree makes me laugh more than anyone else I know. “I’m just saying. She makes it seem like she’s everyone’s friend, but most people like that always have ulterior motives of some sort. Just be careful, okay?”

“I’ll be careful, Vince. I know if I somehow fall back into old patterns of letting people walk all over me, you’ll be there to catch me.”

“I’ll always catch you, angel.”

“I know,” she whispers, tucking a loose hair behind her ear.God, I wish I did that instead of her.

“Special delivery!” Nico announces as he waltzes into my office, throwing a stack of something on my desk.

I look at what he’s just dropped, and when I see my face on the cover of one of them, I pick it up immediately. “What the fuck is this?”

Bree snatches the magazine from my hand before I can stop her.

“Oh my God!” she squeals as she turns it around to show me. “It’s your first cover feature!”

Nico laughs as Bree hands it to him. “Who is the elusive bodyguard, Vince Evans? Here’s allyouneed to know about the company he founded alongside partner Nico Wilder. Aw, they gave me a shoutout on your cover story.”

“If you want a shoutout, why don't you just take the cover and tell themto leave me off it?”

“Them, Vince? I can’t control the paparazzi. God, Bree, I thought you were teaching him about all this shit?” Nico leans against the back of Bree’s chair, and she continues giggling as she flips through another magazine.

“He’s practically a lost cause, Nico.” She reaches up and pats one of his hands where it rests against her chair. That small touch between them drives me crazy, but I reign that in before I do something stupid. “Five facts about Vince Evans you can't find anywhere else!”

“Wow, Vincey, did you give them the exclusive?” Nico asks.

“Are you both done now? I’d like to get back to work on these security plans.”

“I think we pissed him off, princess.”

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