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“Great, so I can tell him to kiss my ass in person.”

By the time I made it home, I was so worked up that I wanted to puke. I barely got to the bathroom before everything I ate that morning came back up. I sat on the floor to catch my breath. I rinsed my mouth and splashed water on my face.

He was in the kitchen when I came out.

“Just give me five minutes to explain,” he said with his hands out.

I screwed up my face. “Go ‘head. Let me hear whatever PR spin you’re about to put on this.”

“I’m trying to get ahead of this thing with Solomon.” He ran a hand over his head. “I think he’s going to make a move at the wedding.”

I reared back. “You’re preparing for this nigga to attack the wedding? The fuck kinda shit, Cardez?”

“It’s a possibility.”

I started laughing hysterically. “Do you hear yourself? Prepping for a shootout at our forced wedding. Leaking shit to Page Six. And you’re doing it all without telling me.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry, I should’ve said something. But I need you to understand that everything I’m doing is to keep you⁠—”

“See.” I put my hand up. “That’s exactly what I’m talking about. I say keep me in the loop and you go straight to explaining why you didn’t. You’re not apologizing, you’re redirecting.”

“I’m giving you context.”

“I don’t need context. Stop treating me like a chess piece on a board.” I started pacing. “You put a ring on my finger. Had me fired from my job. Moved me in here. Then you hand me a card and tell me to plan whatever wedding I want like that somehow means I have a say in any of this.”

“Belle—”

My throat was tightening and I hated it. “Now my face is plastered on a gossip page and I’m being reminded that nothing actually changed.”

He shook his head. “Hold up. You wasn’t with me honestly in the first place, Belle. I was just a lick to you. You forget that part? I’ve been dealing with family shit, on top of my Pops getting shot. Yes, I make decisions without checking in first, but that’s because it’s what my position requires. So excuse me for handling shit the only way I know how.”

I looked away as tears filled my eyes.

“And you know what else?” He continued. “What’s really got you tight is that you let your guard down with me and now you’re looking for a reason to put it back up. I fucked up. Don’t use that as an excuse to shut me out again.”

I kept my eyes off him. I didn’t want to acknowledge how much of what he said was true.

I was so annoyed with myself for letting this get to me.

“I know I’m a horrible person, but I do want us to work.” I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. “I got blindsided by this Page Six thing and it just feels like being back at the restaurant all over again.”

“I hear you,” he said.

“I understand why you did it, but it doesn’t make it hurt less.”

He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. When he opened them, he crossed the kitchen and put a hand under my chin, making me look up at him.

“I don’t like when you cry, Princess.”

I sniffled, more tears coming no matter how much I tried to hold them back. I hated this. We’d made so much progress just to take five steps back.

I let him press soft kisses to my face, and I wanted to lean into him. To let him hold me until the tears stopped and deal with the rest of it later.

But that was the problem, wasn’t it? I kept letting him talk me down, and then my feelings underneath it all would just wait for another opportunity to rear their ugly head.

I twisted out of his grasp and started grabbing my purse, phone, and keys. I was sweaty and needed to shower, but I couldn’t be in the house with him right now.

“Belle.” He caught my arm. “I’ll do better.”