Page 164 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 6

“Wait,” I said.

He paused in his tracks and turned around. “Yes?”

“I’m actually looking for a new ring too.” I was too annoyed at the other stores to really bother looking. But now that I knew Brooklyn’s ring was in good hands, I was ready to get back to what I needed to do.

“A new one?”

“An engagement ring, yes.”

He looked down at the cushioned box in his hand. “But this piece…I fix. I make beautiful.”

“I know. I just…I need a new one too.”

He shook his head and chuckled. “New is not better.”

His words hit me in the gut. I knew that. And that wasn’t what I was doing. I wasn’t replacing Brooklyn. I was just…choosing myself first for the first time in a long time. Kennedy wasn’t better than Brooklyn. She was different. She was good for me in different ways.

“That one’s for a friend,” I said, lies coming easy to me these days. “Now I need one for my girlfriend.”

He frowned. “You give this one to girlfriend.” He lifted up the box.

I shook my head. “I need a new one for my girlfriend.”

“No. This one better. You give this to girlfriend.”

“I can’t do that. I…” my voice trailed off. “Help me find a new one.”

“No.”

“What?”

“You give this to girlfriend. I fix. You have good day now.” He turned around and disappeared into his back room.

Well, that wasn’t very helpful. And now I was wondering if I should have entrusted him with Brooklyn’s ring. Maybe he hadn’t even understood what I wanted.

Or maybe he had. And he just didn’t understand why I’d give a family heirloom to a friend and a new ring to my girlfriend. I sighed and ran my hand down my face.

And what did any of it matter anyway? Buying a ring wasn’t going to make Kennedy suddenly text me and say everything was fine. Rob was right…she’d dumped my ass. I pulled out my phone. There were still no messages from her. Every ounce of mewanted to go back to her apartment and demand answers. But that hadn’t worked out so well for me last night.

I had to respect what she wanted and wait.

After all these years with my life on pause, I thought I’d be good at waiting. But I never meant to be 32 and still stuck in the past. On some of my worst days I still woke up and reached out for Brooklyn in my bed. It had been 16 years. I’d spent half my life missing her. And I was done being stuck.

I’d go to a different jewelry store. Another older one without pushy store clerks. But one that was hopefully more helpful than this guy. Fourth time was a charm, right?

I pushed out the front door and was almost blinded by camera flashes. “Shit,” I said under my breath as I backed up into the store again, covering my face. The cameras kept flashing, taking shots through the window. My stomach sank.Son of a bitch.One of the last jewelry stores I was in must have tipped them off. And I knew exactly what the paparazzi was trying to capture.

I could already see it clear as day in tomorrow’s gossip magazines. That I was here buying a ring for Poppy. The cameras kept flashing and I turned around. This was the last thing I needed right now. Kennedy seeing me coming out of a ring shop with Poppy’s face plastered next to mine in a dumb magazine? She was already freaked out.

Fuck.I pushed back outside. “I’ll pay you for those photos. Double what you’re being offered by anyone else.”

One of the photographers stuck out their hand and I pulled out my wallet.Shit.I’d spent my last cash at the bar last night with Tanner. That cheap ass. I needed to get to an ATM. But I already saw one of the photographers climbing into a taxi and driving off.

I flipped the bird at the paparazzi. Not that ruining one shot was going to get me out of this mess. I hurried over to my car. Just because I didn’t have any cash on me didn’t mean I couldn’t fix this. One of the many perks of having a tech genius friend.

***

Scarlett opened the door with a huge smile on her face.