Page 80 of Can't Take My Eyes Off You

‘Because it’s not entirely Marcus’s fault,’ Dad says, pointing to Mom without her noticing because she and Mike are now fully invested in the yelling echoing through the building from upstairs.

‘Did you two do this?’ Dad snaps.

‘Us two?’ I ask, confused, as I glance at Mike.

‘You andBerkley? Did you tip them off?’

I laugh. ‘Pretty sure it takes more than a phone call to the IRS to get to this level of fuckery. How would I know anything about your finances, anyway? Andhowis it Mom’s fault? You got some Ponzi scheme in the works?’

She looks guilty as fuck, refusing to make eye contact and glaring at my dad.

‘Are youkiddingme?’ I ask at her lack of response.

‘It’s not about money with Will and me.I.Love.Him!’ Berkley’s voice is loud and clear.

My heart slows to a near stop. She loves me? God, I was terrified this would all go the opposite direction and now that it’s not, I’m nervous. There are a lot of emotions swirling inside me right now and the part I feel I need to focus on is holding her own. I know for a fact she doesn’t want me to save her from this. I glance back at my family and all eyes are on me. They’re hearing the same things I am. But no way am I discussing any of it with them.

‘Am I harboring fugitives with you three here?’

‘I’m Melinda Adler,’ Mom reminds me. ‘Adlers do not go to jail. We pay off lawyers just like every other millionaire does.’

‘Well.’ Mike laughs. ‘Unless you’re Will. He’s been to jail, haven’t ya, baby bro?’

I nod, confirming it. ‘Difference is, I didn’t pay off my lawyers to get out. I paid up because I was an idiot and took my punishment like a fucking man. Something the three of you’d know nothing about.’

It was all over the tabloids for months. One of the rumors after I disappeared to rehab was that I’d been sent to prison for murder because the guy I assaulted (or who assaulted me) died. He didn’t. I know because he sued the fuck out of me. Another was that I was running because I’d ruined my reputation. Only partially true. I care about what exactly one person thinks of me.

‘I cannotgo to jail, William. You pee in public. It’s like a zoo, only worse.’ Mom’s gripping my shirt like I have any control over this situation.

‘Pretty sure worse things than peeing in public happen in prison.’

Suddenly both Alex and Berkley storm down the stairs, their voices getting louder by the second. Every word out of his mouth is obviously meant to hurt her and I want to step in, but she’s giving it right back and making me proud.

All of us go silent as she and Alex stand in front of the open entrance to the bookstore. The four of us are in the reading area in the dark, probably just out of her sight. When she yells at him for not knowing what a clitoris is, we all gasp. Those are words a man never forgets.

When he challenges her to prove she’s faked every orgasm, I laugh under my breath. Until I notice the look on her face. Oh, shit. No she’s not… yep, she is. I drop my head into my hands, wishing I wasn’t hearing it.

Mike is all smiles and even my mom has a smirk on her face as Berkley demonstrates that she’s been faking things for their entire relationship. Ouch.

After it’s over, Alex is stunned silent, then she kicks his ass out and, like an idiot, Mike stands, clapping his hands and whistling obnoxiously.

She glances in at us, shock on her face. ‘I forgot you people were here.’

‘That was beautiful. Absolute perfection. Until now I wasn’t your biggest fan but damn, girl, that deserves an award.’

She’s so frustrated she storms off towards her apartment. I punch Mike for her on my way past him to follow her. ‘I’m here forherso you three are going to have to patiently wait while I make sure she’s alright.’

‘My God,’ Dad says with a groan. ‘What is it with him and this girl?’

Asshole. I want to storm back to him and punch him for being such an insensitive twat but Berkley is more important right now. I half jog up her stairs, knocking lightly on her door before opening it. Never in a million years did I think I’d walk into them having a relationship that was already near crumbling before I even made a move. I mean, thank God, maybe my timing isn’t as off as I’d feared.

‘Berx?’ She’s face down on her couch, sobbing into a pillow.

‘Why are men such ass-faces?’ she mumbles through tears.

I sit on her coffee table near her. ‘Must be a part of our DNA?’ I joke. ‘Honestly, I don’t know.’

‘All I want is someone who puts me first as a human, not as a piece of ass they want to keep around. Is that too much to ask?’ She turns her head, looking at me with tears still streaming down her face.

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