Page 41 of How to Break My Heart 1

The so-called doctor watches the both of us but keeps quiet. If he’s bothered, he doesn’t show it. Then, he takes a breath. “I’m going to grab us another drink. Aston, would you like to join us?”

Everleigh’s glare is a silent warning, daring me to accept the invitation. The easiest thing would be to stay here and make her life hell.I mean, why not?Does she think starting a relationship with the town doctor is a good idea? It would violate some HIPAA code, surely.

“Aston was just leaving,” she states. “You said earlier you had so much work to do before we catch up tomorrow, which works much better for my schedule.”

I continue to stand there, smug, as Marco waits for my reaction, but it’s obvious he isn’t stupid and has picked up on the tension between Everleigh and me.

“Yes, I have business to take care of,” I respond with a fixed stare. “Tomorrow morning, then. Nine sharp.”

Everleigh relaxes her shoulders with a satisfied smile. She is sorely mistaken if she thinks this is how the night will end. Ileave them inside the pub, but instead of heading home to work, I park myself at the entrance of her apartment.

There is no chance she is bringing him back here.

I’ll wait all night if I have to, even though my conscience tells me to ignore whatever the hell is happening. I have better things to do than act like some goddamn puppy dog wanting attention.

The problem is—I can’t.

I won’t.

Just like when she got the flat tire, and I arranged for it to be repaired and towed back to her place. Given the lawsuit, it was the least of my problems, yet I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I paid the invoice and then asked them not to mention it to Everleigh.

Something has a hold over me, and fighting it is proving fruitless.

But I’ll be damned if I walk away now and allow another man to touch her.

And that, in itself, is the part I don’t understand.

Why the fuck do I care so much?

CHAPTER 12

Eva

There were only two options.

Option one—sit and pretend Aston doesn’t exist.

Option two—set the record straight and send him on his merry way.

This was adate.

What I didn’t expect was for Marco to invite him to dinner, or for Aston to look so… I don’t know, jealous? I mean,why would he be jealous? He loathes me and has made his feelings abundantly clear.

The moment Aston walks away, Marco glances at me, cocking his head with curiosity. This time, I try to smile naturally—not forcefully like I have been since Aston gate-crashed our dinner. Anger and nerves get the better of me, so I take a long sip of my drink and let the margarita work its magic. I breathe a huge sigh of relief, then focus back on Marco.

“I was picking up on some tension between you two,” he begins, then continues with a sudden change in demeanor, “I thought you were just planning a wedding.”

“We are. Well, I am. Aston is not very cooperative. He drives me insane. All I need him to do is sit down, concentrate, and not act like a jerk. That’s too hard for him apparently.”

Marco nods quietly. “You are beautiful. I don’t blame him.”

“For acting like a jerk? What do my looks have to do with it?”

“Well, for starters… men have this thing when trying to deny their feelings. They act a certain way.”

I shake my head. “Aston has always been like this. He looks at me like his little sister’s annoying best friend.”

“But, you’re not so little anymore—”