Page 156 of Possessive Sinner
He pushes by me.
"Why don't you come in?" But there is no sting in my voice because… hey, coffee maker?
"Where do you want it?"
I have no idea. My tiny kitchen has no room for that monstrosity. I'm going to sell this place anyway. I'm not going to live in this house with the ghost of Pete's betrayal hovering.
"How about here?" Brick puts it down on the tiny kitchen island. It takes up the entire surface.
"Perfect."
He walks around me and collects the basket. He puts it on the coffee table that creaks under the weight. "Why don't you check this out, while I set the coffee maker up?"
"Sounds good," I agree, already halfway to the coffee table.
There is a note, and I read it first. It's inside a tiny envelope and written on expensive-looking stationery.
Shit. Why does he have to be so… perfect? No,I'll be there for you. No, that's not Gabe. Gabe says.I'll come.
I dig through the basket and find so many thoughtful goodies, it brings tears to my eyes. This man, who has enough money to buy Vegas if he wanted to, sent me the throw blanket I liked from his couch, the coffee and creamer I liked—not to mention the coffee machine Brick is building right now—a grunt from him tells me he's still hard at work. A notebook and pen, more snacks, and, of all things, a puzzle. I smile when I see that. He must have raided the gift shop at his casino. Fluffy socks that bring tears to my eyes. And my favorite bath soap—how he figured that one out is a mystery.
Two days later
Every day, more gifts arrive. Yesterday, it was a huge bouquet of flowers held together by a diamond tennis bracelet that probably cost more than my car. I love it. Not as much as theblanket—it doesn't keep me warm—but it satiates the part in me that has always yearned for luxury items. In the evening, a five-course meal arrived. My stalker must have noticed that I wasn't eating.
We've been texting, and it has been… nice.
Today, though, I'm hard at work packing up all of Pete's stuff. I've decided to put in boxes and storage, and Kelly and Maggie can go through them to see what they want. Right now, I just want him out of this house.
The more I think about what he did, the angrier I get. How dare he make that kind of decision without me? And not only not tell me about it, but also have the audacity to comfort me when I got my period and had a breakdown that I wasn't pregnant. Every. Single. Month. For years.
Why?
That one question is driving me to madness.
I get that he wanted me all to himself; that much is obvious, but there had to have been more. Some kind of sick satisfaction over my misery. I shake my head. Even as angry as I am, I can't see Pete doing that.
The ringing of the doorbell distracts me from throwing all of Pete's shoes into a box—this morning's delivery was more boxes,thank you, Gabe. When I open the door, I'm surprised to see Jenna and a woman I don't know, but who is just as gorgeous and expensively dressed as Jenna.
"I hope we're not disturbing you, but when I came by the penthouse to introduce Violet to you," she elbows the other woman, who grins at me, "Gabe told me where you were."
"So we thought we'd bring you something and offer our company if you're up for it." Violet holds up a bag of bagels.
"How did you know I can't say no to bagels?" I ask, ushering the women inside. "Come in."
"Actually, your mom told us, after I left the strawberry cake with her this morning," Jenna winks. "Oh… cozy?"
I laugh. My little house is anything but cozy, especially now with several boxes already packed with Pete's stuff and stacked half-heartedly in the hallway. The huge contraption of a coffee maker is taking up the entire kitchen island. Funny how it never looked that big in Gabe's kitchen.
"Coffee? Gabe sent me a gourmet coffee maker."
Violet moves some of last night's leftover dishes to the side to find a spot for the bagels.
"Yeah, uhm, sorry," I mumble.
"Don't be. We're the ones intruding on you. Like I told Jenna, you're probably not up for company." Violet tilts her head at me in question.
"Yeah, yeah, but you two have so much in common, I just had to introduce you, and you're leaving tonight." Jenna pokes Violet again.
