Page 49

It’s the ass crack of dawn. I yawn, then stretch. The tour bus made it into Chicago yesterday afternoon, and within hours I was on the label’s private jet on my way to Denver. This time there were no mistakes about keeping my trip top secret. There’s been nothing but a media frenzy since Vivienne’s public stabbing, the panty picture, and my interview. It’s important no one knows I’m here. I feel bad enough about everything that’s happened, which is exactly why I’m up before the sun.

Today I’m going to make everything better before Vivienne gets home. After Jackson violated Vivienne’s bedroom, I immediately called the police department to get the informationfor the detective handling her case—it took a bit of finagling, but I turned over all the footage. They didn’t suspect a thing since I posed as a security monitoring technician. Ruining Jackson’s life and ensuring he’s convicted is one of my top priorities. I still can’t believe he was released on bond after he broke into her house and caused all that damage.

I drag my hand over my face. I can’t go down this rabbit hole right now. If I do, it will ruin my mood. I have to be stable when Vivienne gets here. I don’t think she’s going to take the confessions I need to make over the next two days very well. The worst part is I don’t even feel guilty about anything I’ve done. It’s all been to keep her safe. It’s not my fault her ex-boyfriend can’t handle her moving on.

Except it is.

Everything that’s gone wrong has stemmed from me taking that photo and posting it. I canceled my opening show’s VIP meet-and-greet experience and refunded thousands of dollars in tickets so I could chase her. It was my obsession that drove me to do all of this, including catching her ex-narcissist who thinks he can outplay me at my own games.

It’s why I have to try and put her life back together. This is all my mess, and now it’s my duty to clean it up, starting with her bedroom. I owe her a new mattress after what Jackson did. I don’t want her sleeping on anything his cum touched.

Now that I’ve gotten myself all riled up, I force myself out of bed to order a coffee and some breakfast for delivery. The roll-off dumpster was delivered last night and will be picked up by two p.m. today. I make my way down the hall to Vivienne’s room to get started. At least the mess is confined to the bed. I take one step in the room and it hits me—the smell of cum from the ruined underwear pile. I gag, backing out the door and downstairs for gloves. I know for a fact she had boxes of nitrile gloves in the garage on the tool bench shelves.

In the garage, I discover a box of masks. I know just what to look for, and I bet she has some. Based on the garage, her dad seems like the type to keep menthol rubs around. I haven’t torn through her cupboards for fun yet, why not go looking for a first aid or medicine cupboard?

My search for menthol rub ends pretty quickly. I dab my finger in the jar and rub it on the outside of the mask. I want to get this finished before breakfast is delivered. The mask works perfectly, and with the gloves, I roll everything into the fitted sheet and carry it out to the dumpster. I toss the gloves in with it and grab a new pair for the mattress, which is definitely stained from not having a protector pad. I drag it through the hallway and down the stairs. It’s a little bit harder to get the mattress into the dumpster by myself, but I manage. Once again, I throw the gloves inside.

Back in Vivienne’s room, I open the windows and spray some air freshener I found in the kitchen. I’m on my way to return the aerosol can and wait for the mattress to be delivered when my phone sends a notification that breakfast has been delivered.

Perfect. I have just enough time to eat and drink some coffee poolside before the security installation guys arrive. I’m having Roxy’s house done too. She can thank me for it later.

Poolside and comfortable, I enjoy my breakfast while sipping my coffee. I’m so relaxed that I nearly drift off to sleep despite the coffee. My phone vibrates with another notification. The mattress should be here in the next five minutes. I suppose I should head out front to wait for them. I don’t love the idea of these people in Vivienne’s room, but I also don’t think I can haul a mattress up the stairs by myself.

My day ends up going off without a hitch. The mattress install is smooth, and the security guys are done with hours to spare. All my packages have arrived on time for the most part, along with the flowers I ordered. Everything is going to be perfect. Maybe so perfect that she won’t be mad I basically broke into her house using information from cameras I set up without her knowing. It’s gotta work. It’s my only hope.

The only thing left to do is wait for Vivienne to arrive. Easier said than done. Her plane landed an hour ago, and now I’m anxiously pacing in her kitchen. She should be here any minute. I walk to peek out the front window again, then throw myself onto a chair in the living room to wait.

A few minutes later, the door opens. Vivienne and Roxy come bursting in. When they notice me, they both scream. I jump up to explain.

“Cas! What are you doing here? How?” Vivienne asks, looking from me to Roxy.

Roxy shakes her head and says, “I’m going to let the two of you chat. You know where to find me if you need anything.” She gives Vivienne a hug, then closes the front door behind her.

“Surprise,” I say with a smile, moving to take her bags she’s still holding.

I set them on the ground and hug her.

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” she mumbles, not quite hugging me back. “How did you get in my house?”

“We need to talk, but first, are you hungry? Do you need to eat?” I try to deflect from the obvious, that I’m inside the house.

“No, Roxy and I ate when we landed. What do we need to talk about? What’s going on?” Her voice sounds strained.

She’s obviously exhausted, and it’s making her a little emotional. I rub her back in a soothing motion. “It’s not that bad, I promise. You’ve been through enough the past few weeks. I just needed to be here for you when you got home.”

She takes a step back, nodding and crossing her arms. “Alright, but this isn’t okay. You’re inside my house, Cas. You need to tell me what’s going on.” Tears brim around the edges of her eyes,threatening to spill over. The first one spills down her cheek, and it feels like a stab right to my heart. I did this. I made my girl cry.

I try to swipe her tears with the edge of my finger, but she bats my hand away. “Talk, Cas.”

“Let’s sit down.” I reach for her, but she shakes her head no.

I take myself deeper into the house. She takes her shoes off and follows me. In the family room, I sit down on the sectional. She plops into the opposite corner. It’s too far away from me for my liking, and it makes my jaw tick with agitation. She narrows her eyes at me, waiting for me to spill my guts.

It’s killing me to see her like this. I take a deep breath. “I was a little paranoid about the ex-boyfriend thing. Especially after the picture.” I pause, trying to choose my words carefully.

“Continue.” Her voice is icy.

Shit. This is not going the way I expected it to. “I had some cameras installed.”