Page 62 of Off-Limits Love
He laughed and shook his head. “And you’re back to that again. Come on, seriously? A husband has needs—and rights.”
“And a wife has the right to saynoand for it to be respected. You didn’t. Yourapedme—and while I realize it would be impossible to prove, that is why you have no say in my life now or ever again, so stop pretending you actually care and leave.”
“I haven’t seen Emi yet.” He flipped another page in the book like he had all the time in the world. “What’s this?”
Mak glanced at the papers he held and cringed when she saw the copies of the licensing forms in his hand.
“The Itty-Bitty Bakery?” He scoffed and glanced back up at her. “You can’t be serious.”
She lifted her chin. “What about it? You loved my baked goods. You literally just asked Emi to bring you some.”
“Just because they’re edible doesn’t make them a business venture. Come on, Mak. You can’t expect your little hobby to make any real money.”
What had she ever seen in this man? “Your faith in me is heartwarming.”
“Fine. You’re an okay baker, but running a business is hard. And what about Emi?”
“What about Emi?” She wanted to scream, to rail at him, and keeping her anger in check was no easy task.
“Who’s watching her when you’ve got your head in an oven?”
“Opening a bakery gives me a flexible enough schedule to work around her starting school next year.” She hated that she sounded so defensive.
He stared at the sheets, his gaze narrowing even more, and she knew exactly what he’d seen. Blackwell Farm’s address. She braced herself with a breath.
“You’re screwing him, aren’t you?”
Mak stomped forward and grabbed the book out of his hands before he could stop her. If he ripped the papers up, she could print more, but the recipe book was priceless to her. “You need to leave.”
“He wants this property, and he’ll do whatever it takes to get it. Even you.”
She eyed her ex, wondering how she ever could’ve found him attractive or loving or caring or—anything. How could she have been so blinded by the flowers and pretty words and not seen the real him? The cruelty and sarcasm and innatemeannessinside of him?
“Stay away from Blackwell.”
Because in his eyes, no one could want her without an added benefit? “We are divorced. You have no say in my life anymore.”
“Mak, baby, you’re being ridiculous. I care about you. I don’t want you to get hurt by some jerk.”
She chuckled at his words.Too late for that.“You have five minutes with Emi, and then you leave.”
“Mak, come on. Be reasonable. I love you. I always have. I screwed up, okay? I did things I shouldn’t have but— Why can’t you forgive me? Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do? Forgive each other and move on? Can’t we do that? For Emi’s sake if nothing else? Our baby girl needs her parents. Both of us.”
Oh, he was good. Mak watched as Brad turned on the charm with a boyish half smile of fake longing and regret that crinkled his eyes and forehead. He got up and moved to where she stood, clutching her recipe book to her chest like a shield. She supposed it was. Her future—against her past.
“We both did things and said things we shouldn’t have. Can’t we start fresh? Move beyond the past? Remember how things used to be between us?”
Brad towered over her like most men did, but in this moment, she felt taller, stronger, wiser than ever. “I have forgiven you.”
“I’m so glad to hear that, baby,” he said, lifting his hands and settling them on her shoulders. “You have no idea how much I wish…I wish things were different between us. She meant nothing to me. I was afraid of a sexual harassment lawsuit so I had to play along. You get that, right?”
He had to play along? Really?
So. Many. Lies.
Movement to her right caught her attention, and she spotted Finn at the edge of the property. He immediately turned away and disappeared into the tree line.
She shrugged off Brad’s hold and stepped away to put distance between them. “I forgave you for me. So that I’mfree. I won’t let the past keep me from my future.”
