Page 51 of Starting Over with You
Dean nods. “She does, but Sae’s right.”
I blink again. Could I stay with him? Before I can even fully think it through, my phone rings. I look down, thinking it may be my boys, but I find it’s my lawyer. “One second.” I bring the phone to my ear. “Hello?”
“Hey, Kenleigh. This is Ryan Ritchmount. I wanted to reach out and confirm the delay in your divorce. It came across my desk just now, and I thought it was weird since you were pretty adamant about getting the papers drawn up.”
I swear I choke on my tongue, and then I screech. “What!”
Dean steps closer but doesn’t touch me. I don’t think he can hear my conversation, not that I think that’s the reason he moved next to me. One thing is for sure; his presence is soothing. I take adeep breath as Ryan says, “Yeah, I knew this was fishy. So, you didn’t sign a stay of divorce proceedings?”
Through gritted teeth, I reply, “I am in Tennessee, been here for almost three weeks. I have signed nothing.”
Ryan lets out a little whistle. “I will get this fixed and proceed with the divorce. I’ll call you if I run into anything else.”
The line goes dead, and I just stare at my phone. “That motherfucker.”
“Kenni—” Sadie tries, but I hold up my hand as I unblock my fuckface of an ex and hit his number.
“Kenleigh, I’ve been trying to reach you for weeks.”
Stratford’s voice has me on edge. “And I blocked you because we have nothing else to say to each other, but you made sure that wasn’t the case, huh? Forging my name to delay our divorce? What is your problem?”
Matt’s eyes widen as Sadie’s face turns bright red, vowing to kill him dead. Dean only steps closer. Stratford lets out an exasperated breath like I’m the fucking problem. “Kenleigh, please, it’s one year. We don’t even have to speak. I’ll give you 65%.”
“No,” I say simply. “I don’t want or need your money.”
“So you’ll take this money from my children?”
I pause. Is he fucking serious right now? I know he’s not speaking of my boys because the money is going to them. “The children you wouldn’t even have if you were a faithful husband? Yeah, I think I will, and I’ll give it to the children who had to have you as a cheating fucking father.”
Sadie’s eyes widen, and Matt lets out a sound of contempt. Meanwhile, Dean stands beside me, his body radiating anger, but also comfort.
“Don’t do this.”
“I can’t even with you right now. I just got off the phone with my lawyer. He’s going to push it through. There is nothing else we need to say to each other.”
“You are making a mistake!” Stratford’s voice booms over the line.
“No, the mistake was made when I fell for the bullshit you were selling,” I bite out, my eyes burning with tears that I refuse to let fall.
“I will make you pay for this.”
I pause, my brows shooting up. “Are you threatening me?”
Then the phone is out of my hand and to Dean’s ear. “Stratford. Dean Moore. I will not give her back the phone, because you need to hear this. You threaten her again, you and I will have words. Understand? Lose her fucking number.”
Then he hangs up and hands the phone back to me. “Block him.”
My jaw is slack as I continue looking up at him in awe. He’s so composed, so sure of himself, and I want nothing more than to devour him whole. The only reason I know he’s pissed is by the twitch in his jaw and how tight his shoulders are. The veins are popping, and any other time, I’d wish I could lick them, but right now, I’m floored. I blink. “I will.”
“Good. Fuck him,” he says simply before placing his hands on the table to look at me. “The offer of staying with me is open-ended.” Then he leans in, his eyes burning into mine in a way I don’t think I want Sadie seeing.
The room is totally silent, which is odd since her kids are always loud as hell. Sadie should probably check on them, but I wonder if she’s as stunned as I am because Dean’s gaze is heated as he holds mine. His blue eyes move to my lips, then back to my eyes before he says, “Now, I’m gonna make you laugh.”
Everything fades away, and all that remains is him and me.
My lips quirk as he grins at me. His eyes are frisky, all the anger gone as he searches my gaze. “Are you a parking ticket?”
“Oh my God, stop,” Sadie snorts, and Matt guffaws. “Don’t do it, bub!”
