Page 75 of Breakout
“We spoke with Mr. Jeeves. He will change the locks. Don’t worry about that. We will also reach out to the staff. Anything else you need from us?”
Why is it sexy as hell to see Beckett take control? It’s like he commands the entire room. There’s no room for argument with him. I noticed that earlier with my cousin too, only I couldn’t focus on it. Not with the way my mind was running in circles from everything she said.
“Nope. I’ll call you when I know more. Now that we have this bit of information, things should move much more smoothly.”
“Thank you for seeing us last minute,” I say, standing.
He shakes my hand, then Beckett’s. “Of course. I’m at your service anytime you need. Keep your head up, Mrs. Hayes. Everything is going the way it’s supposed to. Hang in a little longer.”
Inod, heading out of the office. We wave to Mary before heading back out to Beckett’s car.
“Where to next?” I ask.
He smiles. “I promised you a milkshake, and I always keep my promises. I know just the place.”
With that, I take his hand and trust him to lead me.
Peyton rolls her eyes when we pull up to the same diner I proposed to her in. I don’t miss the small smile either.
This place means something to her as it does to me.
I help her out of the car before escorting her inside. I smile when I see our same booth available. The hostess lets us sit there without question.
My phone rings as soon as we take a seat. It’s my father yet again. He has been calling me all day. I’ve sent him to voicemail each and every time. Today is all about my wife. My father can wait.
“Are you going down memory lane or something?” Peyton teases.
Reaching out, I grab a straw, peeling the paper off. She’s still wearing the one I gave her this morning, which makes me happy. Still, I make her another one, sliding it on with the other.
I can’t wait for the day I can finally slip on the one I bought her. She’s not ready yet, though.
“I’m a sentimental man. What can I say?” I tell her as I do.
“What am I going to do with you?”
Love me.
The words want to spill from my lips, but I choke them down.
“You married me. You knew what you were getting into,” I joke.
She smiles at me, her eyes looking lighter than they have all day. “I think you oversold yourself and underdelivered. I want a refund.”
I shake my head. “Nope. No take-backsies. You’re stuck with me. For life. Or until you decided to divorce my dumb ass.”
I add the last part in hoping she denies it. Instead, some of the light fades from her eyes.
“That was the deal after all. A fake marriage for a short period of time. God, now you are all mixed up in this family drama.”
“Hey, none of that. I’m happy to be here.”
The server comes up then, stopping our conversation. We each put in an order for some food and milkshakes. Once she hustles off, I turn back to Peyton, taking her hand in my own.
“The house is beautiful. It looks really old too.”
She brightens again. “It really was. It’s like one of those houses in some treasure hunting movie or something. I think I could look through it for years and never truly see everything.”
“What are you planning to do with it?” I ask.
