Page 119 of Between Commitment and Betrayal

She stuttered out her next sentence. “No… I… You can’t be serious.”

“I am. And sooner or later, Everly Belafonte will be Everly Hardy if she’ll have my last name. And I expect every Hardy to get the same respect I do. Now, I’ll leave you with my wife to see if she revokes your membership. At this point, I definitely would.”

I knew she wouldn’t. Everly’s heart was too big, but I still gave her the option.

She bickered with me the whole way home about it that night. But I quieted her by making love to her all night and we went to work again the next day.

Our life was falling into place. My heart had settled into the damn happily ever I wanted too. I was seeing that this was what Carl always wanted and I had to thank the man for meddling even if he’d put me through hell to do it.

I was smiling to myself about it when Leo rushed in.

“Evie just left work.”

“What?” He couldn’t be right. “Explain yourself.”

“She was down at the front desk with some guy she told she’d give a session to even though he didn’t have an appointment. Dude’s not from around here, doesn’t have a membership or anything. Evie said it was fine. But then he asked to talk to her some place private. She just went. Looked at me and murmured on the way out that I should cover for her for kids’ yoga.”

Everly would have never missed yoga with the kids. “Mywife, myEvie, said that?”

And my blood ran cold because I’d let her ex fall off my radar after I’d ruined his family’s company, hadn’t been checking up on where he was located because I was enjoying my wife too much. I jolted up from the conference room table and ran out on the meeting I was in.

Something was very wrong.

And I knew exactly what.

41

EVERLY

Andy didn’t looklike prison had aged him even a day.

He stormed into HEAT Health and Fitness demanding I see him. It’s the feeling of fear that’s as strong as the pain and the anger and the bitterness that makes blood run so cold that a person freezes when they should run. Then the fury wars with the fear and fight-or-flight kicks in.

Today, my blood froze and then burned, the rage taking over. He’d actually come all the way from Wisconsin after ruining my life once like he was entitled to ruin it again. HEAT alarms went off, alerting security that there was an intruder, and without an employee watch swipe, guards would have been at the door, but I swiped the panel quickly, silencing the short burst.

Still, as quick as I was, Noah was training with Po and they both noticed at the same time Leo glanced up from his one-on-one. All three men zeroed in on Andy approaching me, and it was like they fell into a prearranged formation.

A wall of men willing to defend me, protect me, and be the friends I’d missed growing up.As fast as my heart was pumping, it still recognized their display of loyalty.

Andy was a charmer and smiled at all of them. To them, he was a stranger; his face hadn’t been splashed all over the media coverage. His family had made sure of it. To them, he could have been an old friend for all they knew. Immediately holding his hands up, he said, “I’m here to talk with Evie.” He peeked around them. “Evie, you got a second?”

I chewed on my cheek before I nodded. “It’s fine,” I told them, because suddenly I wanted him all to myself. There was no intimidation here. I’d trained for him, I’d texted him, I’d actually asked him here. I wouldn’t make a scene, but I wouldn’t back down again either.

He shrugged at them all and chuckled before he walked up to the counter. “Missed you.”

As most of them dispersed, I murmured, “So you came?”

“I did.” He narrowed his eyes. “Should I ask for a one-on-one?”

“It’ll only end with you on your back, so I’d recommend not.”

“Feistier than when I last saw you.” He smirked. “Let’s go somewhere private then and talk. I have a few questions I need answered.”

“I can have a driver take me to my house. That’s about it.” I shrugged. I wasn’t stupid enough to leave with him, but I didn’t need anyone else involved.

He cracked his knuckles. “Fine.”

I turned to Leo and told him to cover my yoga class. It wasn’t like me. I knew it and he did too because his brow furrowed. Still, I needed him out of the facility where something would most likely be recorded.