And I’m ashamed I spent even ten seconds with him.
I march straight at Thom—and I don’t stop until I shove him back on his ass. “He’s a hundred times the man you’ll ever be. Besides being a god in bed, he loves me. Really, truly loves me in a way I never really believed I deserved or would find. I choose him. I will choose him every day for the rest of my life. So get the hell out of my face and don’t ever come back. Oh, and if you think you’re going to press charges, think again. I’ll tell everyone how you really got the Thurman account. All the gory details. And I have pictures…”
His face contorts. “You wouldn’t.”
That’s his first concern—not that I love someone else, not that I’m choosing Trace, not even that I’m saying my ten-day boyfriend is a better man. Thom’s first concern is about Thom.
How unsurprising.
“Try me.”
He scrambles to his feet again. “I don’t know who you are anymore, Masey. My sweet girl is gone.”
“You’re damn right she is. You killed her. In her place is a woman who knows exactly who she is and who she doesn’t want anymore. So go.” I give him the same dismissive wave of my hand he gave Trace. “Take your ring and your lies and your sorry ass away from me and off this island. I don’t ever want to see you again. E-V-E-R. Do you understand?”
“Fine. I don’t want to see you ever again, either.” He looks at Trace. “She’s all yours. Enjoy the whininess, the neediness, and the terrible sex.”
Trace clenches his jaw and looks my way. “Can I?”
He wants to punch Thom again? “Be my guest.”
There’s no one more deserving.
Trace hauls back and plows his fist into Thom’s stomach. I nudge him aside and grab Thom’s shoulders, then give my deserving ex a well-placed knee to the balls.
Thom groans and crumples onto his side, clutching his crotch.
Trace stands over him. “I might have been a man whore before Masey, but the two things I know? First, since you only ever put minimal effort into sex, you only ever got minimal return. I put in more—a lot more—and she’s given me everything I’ve ever dreamed of. Second, love makes everything so much hotter and better.”
I smile up at him. “It does. Take me home and prove it again?”
“Sure.”
“You can’t just leave me like this,” Thom whines as we walk away.
I turn back to him. “I think I said the same thing to you the day you broke up with me. So I’ll tell you what you told me. Yes, I can. And I’ll add something special just for you. Hasta la fuck-off.”
Trace looks like he’s resisting the urge to laugh as I grab for his hand and we head to his truck.
After I press the fob to unlock the door, Trace slides behind the wheel with a laugh. “Hasta la fuck-off?”
“It just slipped out. You know I say corny things when I’m nervous.”
“Yeah.” He starts the truck, and we roll out of the parking lot.
I turn to see Thom through the back window, still huddled on the ground.
Good riddance.
“God, that was freeing.” The oppressive weight of fear and failure is finally gone.
“You did amazing.”
“Thanks for sticking up for me.” His unwavering support showed me exactly the sort of man he is.
It also showed me that I’m an idiot.
“You’re welcome.” He shrugs. “I guess we should stop by and get Ranger. Do you want me to leave you with Harlow for the night?”
I know what he’s thinking—and he’s crazy. “No, I meant it. I want you to take me home.”
“To my place?”
“Yes.” It feels like home to me now. Probably because that’s where Trace is.
“Look, Masey, I was happy to help you out back there with Thom. It was nice to be able to give you an assist so you could put the asshat in his place, but I’m not going to hold you to everything you said. I know you didn’t mean—”
“Spend the night with me.”
He swallows. “I can’t, honey. I just…can’t. If I do, it’ll crush me.”
My eyes well with tears. I feel horrible. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I’m asking for too much again. No, I’m asking for the wrong thing. Let me try one more time, okay?”
He shrugs. “It’s a twenty-minute ride. It’s not like I can stop you from talking.”
That’s true; he can’t. But I don’t want him to feel as if he has no choice except to listen. I want