Cold Hearted Bachelor by Logan Chance
Twenty-Seven
Paisley
“Yes,I’m doing everything you asked,” I say into the phone.
“Good.” Jackie hangs up, and my blood curdles in my veins.
I can’t believe I’m doing this. I can’t believe this is my life.
I had everything I could have ever wanted, and I was forced to throw it all away. I had the only man I’ve ever truly loved.
Yes, I’m not afraid to admit I love Vaughn James.
But there’s no way he’d ever want me after this story breaks. I fear he probably already knows. It makes my heart ache at the thought of Vaughn hearing this news.
And knowing Vaughn, he’ll never believe it.
I just have to sell it well.
I haven’t been into the office since the moment I made the declaration that Chuck and I were having an affair. I’m afraid to show my face, and it kills me that I’m doing this to Chuck. Like full on gutted.
He’s a great guy and doesn’t deserve what I’m doing.
He’s tried calling me a few times, but I’ve ignored the calls.
Everyone’s tried calling me.
My brother.
Colby.
Vaughn.
His calls are the hardest to ignore, but I do it because I know there’s simply no other way. I stayed up all night last night trying to come up with a plan out of this, but couldn’t think of a single thing.
Rhonda holds all the cards. She has all the money. She could bury Two Ordinary Guys if she wanted.
She could bury me too.
Even though my business has doubled since releasing that video of Vaughn and me, it isn’t enough to stand on my own two feet against a tycoon in this industry.
“Paisley, your brother and Vaughn will be here soon. Come down and get ready for Sunday dinner,” my mother calls out.
I forgot about Sunday dinner. There’s no way I can stick around for that.
I grab my purse, slipping out the back door before anyone notices. I don’t want to run into my brother, and I especially don’t want to run into Vaughn.
I don’t think I’d be able to keep up the pretense that I’m with Chuck. One look at Vaughn and I’m positive I’d crumble.
I decide to head out to my home.
I drive and drive, turning up my music as high as it will go along the way.
When I turn down the street where my house sits, I spot Vaughn’s truck in my driveway.
I debate turning around and heading back home, but instead I decide to get out and face the music.
“Hi,” I say to him as I step out of my car.
He’s sitting on my porch step, so I take a seat next to him, wanting more than anything for him to wrap his strong arms around me. “Tell me it isn’t true.”
“It is. I’m so sorry.” I can’t look him in the eyes.
“I don’t believe you.” He stands up, taking my hand and making me stand right in front of him. I avoid his eyes. “Look at me,” he says.
“No, I can’t.” Tears threaten my eyes and I focus on the trees in the distance.
“Look at me, Paisley. Tell me to my face you’ve been with Chuck while you were with me.”
Tears fall, and I try to look at him. “I’ve been with Chuck.”
His tousled hair looks like it’s grown in the past few weeks. He appears different, like he’s aged ten years overnight.
“I don’t believe you.”
I step away from him, still not meeting his eyes. “Well, it’s true. You’re not the only cold-hearted person around here.”
“Why are you doing this to me?” He steps behind me, and I lean my back against his chest.
My heart cracks in two. “I’m sorry,” I sob out.
“I love you, Paisley.”
Hearing those words fall from his lips does something to me. I spin around. “You love me?” I think I’ve been waiting my whole life to hear him utter these words to me. “Seriously?” I ask.
“Yes, I’m so fucking in love with you. You want to know what I think?”
I’m stunned, so I only nod.
“I think someone was stalking you. I think that person got to you and is making you say these outlandish lies. I think you’re doing it because you feel you have to.”
My eyes widen. “No.”
He wraps an arm around my waist. “Who is it?”
I shake my head, trying my best to not meet his eyes. “No one.”
“Who?” He keeps me in his arms. “Is it Chuck’s wife?”
I meet his eyes, biting my bottom lip. “No.”
“Who is it?” He leans in to kiss me, and I let him.
Oh, god, I let him kiss me because it’s something I need so much from him. It moves from needy to possessive in the matter of minutes. I keep holding onto Vaughn like my life depends on it.
He explores my mouth with his tongue, his arms holding me close. A moan erupts from his throat as I break the kiss.
“We need to stop.”
“Just tell me one thing.”
I don’t dare look at him. “What?”
“Tell me you don’t love me.”
I’m full on crying as my eyes meet his. “I can’t do that. I love you.”
He wraps me tighter in his arms and kisses me hard. It takes us no time at all to get into the house and he’s pinned me up against the front door. “I love you, Paisley. Let me help you.”
I stare deep into his blue eyes. “Ok.”
We take a seat in the two chairs we’ve brought into the place while we work. Lawn chairs really, but it’s only temporary while the house is being worked on.
I tell Vaughn the whole story. I tell him everything. I spill my heart out to him, telling him how much I love him.
When I’ve finished he blows out a deep breath.
“We can’t let them get away with this.”
“I’ve tried to think of a way out of this, but Rhonda Vanderbitch is just too powerful.”
Vaughn rubs his chin. “We can be powerful too. The right answer is there, we just have to find it.”
My phone chimes in my pocket with a notification on my video I posted the other day.
An idea hits me.
“How about we do a little stalking?”
It’s beena busy week of madness. When I told Vaughn my plan he was more than happy to help. I’ve nabbed one of the good ones, ladies.
He decided to recruit help. Spencer. Colby. Even our mothers agreed to help in the quest of footage.
Yes, that’s what we’ve been doing here.
Stalking.
But instead of Jackie and Rhonda stalking me, we’re stalking them.
“Be careful, Pea,” Vaughn says into the phone.
“I’m being careful.” Sure maybe I’m the one with the most to lose, but I have to get some video footage of the two of them together.
When I was at my house with Vaughn the other day, I was ready to put him behind me and follow Rhonda’s destructive plan to ruin her husband.
If he’s caught cheating the prenup is null and void. And then, it hit me. I wonder if it works two ways.
I wonder if Rhonda gets caught cheating if she is breaking the prenup and Chuck gets his money. There’s only one way to find out.
First, we need to prove it.
I follow Jackie in my car, hanging up with Vaughn after telling him I love him, so I can focus on the task at hand.
It’s still crazy to me to be able to tell Vaughn I love him and to hear him say it back. I don’t know what the future holds for us, but I’m confident it’ll be amazing.
If I can prove Rhonda not only blackmailed me, but is having an affair, then hopefully I can put this mess behind me.
Jackie pulls into a coffee shop, and I follow behind her. I try my hardest to stay out of view, but feel like I’m failing miserably.
I’m not a stalker.
There’s a knock on my window.
I roll my window down. “Hi, Jackie. I didn’t see you there.”
“Are you following me?”
A nervous laugh escapes me. “I, uhh, just wanted to say that everything is going according to plan.”
She raises a brow. “I know you said that on the phone.”
“Well, I saw you driving by and figured I’d tell you in person. I had a question as well. When do you think I’ll have to tell the lawyers about my affair with Chuck?” I lean closer. “The fake relationship that you and Rhonda are blackmailing me to have?”
“Chill out. Someone might hear you.” She appears agitated. “Like Rhonda told you, as soon as the judge believes you and Chuck had an affair and the divorce is final, then you can go back to your measly life.”
“And you’ll leave me alone? No more notes. No more stalking? And you’ll leave Two Ordinary Guys alone too?”
Jackie huffs. “We said we would stop all the harassment.”
“Perfect.” I smile wide. “Thank you, Jackie.” And I put my car in reverse and drive away.
Got ‘em.
I pull out my phone at the next red light, replaying my conversation I just had with Jackie on the recording app. It’s all so clear, and I save the recording and send it off to Vaughn.
