“Goddamn, you’re a lucky man. I had a little thing with Paige once.” He glared wistfully over my shoulder as I balled my fists. He was baiting me, but I couldn’t help myself.
“Oh really?” I spit out at him through gritted teeth. My face heated up as I glowered at the bastard.
“Yep.” Sean nodded, his smile growing wide. “We were in high school. She was a tense little thing but once she got going, well, I’m sure you know by now. I knew you liked her back then. Shame it took you all these years to grow the balls to do something about it.” He laughed as he strolled back to Jack’s desk. I seethed with rage, my knuckles white as my fists clenched tighter. It didn’t matter that it was over ten years ago. It drove me insane to think he may have touched her, and the son of a bitch knew it.
“So, tell me, does she still do that thing with her tongue when she sucks—”
I fucking had enough. I shot out of my chair and grabbed Sean by the collar.
“You watch your fucking mouth when you talk about my girl. I have no problem wiping the floor with you, you piece of shit.”
“What the hell is going on?” Jack yelled to the both of us. I looked up and Paige was standing with him, staring at us with wide eyes.
“Hey Paige,” Sean gazed back at her and winked. “You never told your boyfriend here about us? I was just reminding him what a lucky man he was.”
Jack ran his hands through his hair and shook his head. Paige folded her arms as she gave Sean an icy glare.
“That was a long time ago, Sean. I barely remember to be honest with you.” So it was true. She dismissed him, but I was still furious. I was being an irrational caveman, but confirmation that they did anything together made me see red. She should have been mine from the fucking beginning, not messing around with jerkoffs like Sean.
“I’m sure my partner wouldn’t have you in a chokehold if that’s all you said. Maybe you should leave. I’ll call you if you’re ever needed again.” Jack raised his eyebrows at Sean. I shoved him one more time before I let him go.
“Fine. I’ll see you guys around. Paige, always a pleasure.” Was he serious? Still goading me after we threw him out. I took a step back toward him and Jack very slightly shook his head. This wasn’t me. I wasn’t some hothead who flew off the handle so easily. Sean strutted out the door and I turned toward Paige.
“Sean Parker. Really? Your standards were that fucking low? Any other guys we have on the payroll who will shove being with you in my face?” The second the words came out of my mouth, I regretted them. Paige’s face fell, and she mouthed “wow” as she stepped back from me.
“Easy, dude.” Jack growled at me, but Paige shook her head.
“It’s fine, Jack. I’m going to go.” Paige spoke to Jack but kept her gaze trained on me. “I wanted to surprise you today, but my sordid past and I should have stayed the hell home.” She turned to leave and I grabbed her arm.
“Daisy, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it, I was just . . .” She yanked her arm away and wouldn’t turn around.
“I dated a lot of jerks, Sean and some others. You knew that. But none of them made me feel like shit the way you just did.” She met my gaze before she stormed out the door. What the hell just happened? Jealousy brought out the asshole in me.
I moped back to my desk and put my face in my hands, pinching the bridge of my nose.
“I shouldn’t have said that. Fuck.”
“No. You shouldn’t have.” Jack glared at me as he threw the newspaper on top of his desk and sat down. I was his best friend, but he would kick my ass same as anyone else if I hurt Paige.
“I didn’t mean it, Jack. You know damn well how I feel about Paige. I let Sean get the best of me. The thought of him touching her . . .” I was so twisted that I couldn’t finish the sentence.
“Sean wasn’t even a blip to Paige. I know you didn’t mean to get all alpha stupid just now. How do you feel about Paige?” He leaned back and crossed his arms.
“Isn’t it obvious? She should know that.”
Jack laughed and shook his head. “Never assume people know anything, most of all women. She should know what, Ev?” Jack cocked an eyebrow at me as I let out a long, frustrated sigh.
“Fine. You want me to say it out loud? I love her. I’ve probably always loved her. I hate how I hurt her just now.” I wanted nothing more than to be the man she deserved, but today I was no better than any of the idiots I’d seen her with over the years.
“Then you need to tell her. Take it from me, life is way too fucking short. You wasted all that time just admiring her from afar. Don’t blow it by letting jerks like Sean get under your skin.”
I sent text after text to Paige, with phone calls in between that went straight to voice mail. I got sick of waiting for a response and bolted out of the office as soon as I could.
Jack was right, I was done wasting time.
I spent most of the walk back from Jack and Evan’s office with a sour stomach and trying not to cry. I hated that whenever I got really angry, it came out in blubbering tears. I wanted to be able to fight, scream and yell. Another problem was, I wasn’t sure who exactly I was so furious with—Sean, for being such a jerk and saying anything to Evan in the first place; Evan for basically calling me a whore, or myself.
Truth was, no one had to really fight for my affections in my younger days. Maybe ‘fatherless daughter syndrome’ was to blame. Any guy who paid attention to me and said the right things had easy entry into my Catholic school uniform blouse. Thankfully, the little self-respect I did have prevented me from letting things get too far.
I’d planned a sweet day of romance for us, first sending the naked selfie and then surprising Evan at his office. I imagined I’d be exhausted and delightfully sore from an afternoon of lovemaking by now, not curled up on my couch, regretting the day my seventeen-year-old self let Sean Parker put his hand down my pants. The anger coursing through my veins turned into stifling guilt. I sabotaged my own happiness all those years ago, letting the Seans of the world take advantage of me when I could have been with someone worthwhile, who actually cared.
I ignored Evan’s frantic attempts to apologize all day. I was still mad as hell, but couldn’t face him. I loved how he treated me like a princess and lit up whenever I walked into a room. He’d had a front seat to my shit show of a love life when we were kids, but now, after hearing whatever Sean revealed, I was afraid he didn’t think of me the same way way anymore——and it saddened me down to my bones.
My doorbell rang. I curled further into the couch and put a pillow over my head to drown out the noise and this crap day. Once the ringing turned into banging, I figured out who it was and trudged over to the door. I glanced out my window and spotted Evan’s silver truck parked across the street. As much as I didn’t want to at the moment, I needed to deal with hothead boyfriend.
“Can I help you?” I’d worn a blue dress that Evan always said was his favorite to the office. It had been tossed in exchange for the yoga pants and oversized off the shoulder T-shirt I wore as I leaned against the doorframe.
“You can’t answer a text or return a phone call? I’ve been trying to talk to you all day. You can’t avoid me forever, Paige.” His hay-colored eyes still glared at me. I sighed in defeat as I moved to the side to let him in, and tried to ignore the sting of being called Paige, not Daisy.
“No not forever, but was hoping for a day or two.” I didn’t turn around as I went back to my couch and plopped down on my usual spot in the corner.