she’d explode into a million tiny pieces of pain. “You just made love to me. You grabbed me and practically ripped off my clothes to have me. We shared something beautiful, powerful, and wonderful, and you’re telling me you’re still marrying her.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. He’d put that hurt look on her face again.
“The last time you made love to me, you turned your back on me and chose her. Now you make love to me again and you still choose her. I love you, Cameron. Doesn’t it mean anything to you?” she yelled over the rain.
“It means everything to me,” he yelled back.
“No, it doesn’t because time and again you choose her over me.”
“I have to give my family what I think they need, a father and a mother.”
“You have other options. George has shown you, you have other options. I love Emma. I’d be the very best mother I can to her.”
“This is what I want,” he said angrily.
The blow from those words sent her back a step, knocked her on her mental ass. She stood and faced him determinedly. “I’ll be gone before the end of the week.”
“You don’t have to leave. This is your home. It’s what George wanted you to have.”
“I told him I’d try. I’d try for Emma. I said I would stay here and watch over her for two months. I won’t be here and watch you marry that lying, gold-digging bitch. I won’t stay here and watch you make the second biggest mistake of your life. I’ll come back and watch over Emma like George wanted, but you make it so damn hard for me to keep my word. I’d rather you take a knife and stab me in the back, it would hurt a lot less than you shredding my heart every time I see you.” She turned to walk away.
“What was my first mistake?” He thought she’d say not choosing her. He was wrong. So very wrong. Marti never thought about herself first. Should have been his first clue as to who she really was, the kind of person she really was.
She didn’t turn around to face him, just said, “Continuing to blame yourself for Caroline’s death. It wasn’t your fault.”
She turned back. His shoulders sagged. He did what he always did when he was stressed out and frustrated, he rubbed the back of his neck. She smiled. She’d seen him do it often. She hoped one day she wouldn’t see him do it quite so much. She wouldn’t be here to see it. She had to put an end to this.
“George asked me to watch over Emma because he knows the minute you say your vows and the ring is on Shelly’s hand, she’ll turn on you and Emma and make your lives a living hell.
“I’d give you and Emma so much, and you turn your back on me and the love I offer to you, freely, no strings attached. No more, Cameron. I can’t do this anymore. It hurts too much to have you choose her over me, to have you put me last, to have you not even consider life with me as a possibility.
“She lied, Cameron.”
“She’s pregnant.”
With a shake of her head and a very heavy heart, she gave up. “I can’t take you making love to me like I’m your whole world, only to watch you turn your back on me when we’re done. Let me go. Say the words, Cameron, and let me go.”
“I can’t.” He wanted her to be happy. He wanted to be the one to make her happy. He couldn’t say the words. Nothing could make him say those words. Not when everything inside him wanted to hold onto her.
“Then you leave me no choice.” She walked away, up the back steps, leading into the west wing of the house.
He didn’t know exactly what she meant, except that he’d lost her forever. He sat on the bench, rain pouring over him, his hands on his knees and his head down between his shoulders, and wondered how he’d screwed up his life so badly he’d made the woman he loved hate him.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
* * *
MARTI STAYED IN her room. Cameron, Emma, and Shelly moved into the house on Sunday. Since the house had everything they would need and Cameron was keeping the penthouse, it was simply a matter of bringing in suitcases and a few boxes of personal belongings.
They moved around the house, but Marti couldn’t bring herself to