The Billionaire Playboy's Regret (Lark and Max) novel Chapter 6

It was twilight when they arrived home from their day out and she was feeling so much better. Her Nana Prue accompanied them on the hike, regaling them with stories of the senior’s cruise she returned from the month before. Even at eighty-seven the woman had more excitement in her life than Lark.

As she got out of the car though her happy feeling dwindled as she noted the man standing on her front steps.

“I’ll f*****g kill him,” Grady grumbled as he almost spilled out of the car.

“Dad, no. I can handle this. Go inside,” she pushed him towards the house making big eyes at her mother for help. She almost groaned when both her mother and Nana were egging him on, and Fallon was racing to the Villeneuve house for backup.

“Lark!” Douglas started down the stairs. “Where have you been? I’ve been calling.”

“We’re not going to have a f*****g rumble,” she shoved in between her father and the man. Her father easily towered a half foot on the man’s height. “Dad, in the house now! Douglas, get in your car and leave before they make you dig your own grave and put you in it.”

“I love the idea,” Nana Prue piped up. “I bet Riggs knows some people with shovels and a quiet place.”

“We need to talk.”

“There is nothing to talk about, Douglas. Leave. Dad!” She screamed as she put her shoulder into his chest. “In the house. God damn, Mom. Could you please help?”

“I kind of really want to see him beat him into the f*****g ground though,” Everly hissed. “Shouldn’t take much considering he’s not really a man.”

She threw her hands up as Riggs came out of the house. “Riggs, help please. Make Dad go inside so I can talk to Douglas and send him on my way.”

“Five minutes,” Riggs was a massive man with thick corded biceps. “Little girl if this prick isn’t off the property in five minutes, I’m letting your Daddy and Olivier out along with the triplets and Ollie and Margot who are all inside the house right now.” He pulled Grady into the house and held up his hands, “five minutes. Not a second more.”

“Jesus Christ,” Douglas growled. “You’re animals. You can’t go around threatening people.”

“Four minutes forty seconds,” Riggs hollered from the front porch as he shoved his friends into the house.

“You heard him, Douglas, less than five minutes. Say what you want to say and then f**k off.”

“You cancelled the lease on our home?”

“Home? No. I cancelled the lease on the condominium we shared when I realized if you f****d her in your office, you probably were bold enough to take her to our place too and f**k her there.”

“I never f****d her in our bed.”

“Kitchen table? Island? Sofa?” She sneered, “I wasn’t about ready to sit in the space and try to figure out which areas her naked ass was on.”

He ruffled his hair frustratedly, “honey, listen to me. It started a month ago. She has never been in our home.”

“It wasn’t a home, and I don’t give a f**k how long it was going on. One time was enough for me to consider it a violation of our relationship and I’m done.”

“Do you know how hard it is to get a condo downtown? I have no place to live, Lark. I have to move into my parent’s house. I don’t have a job. You could have at least let me keep the condo.”

“You’ll have to forgive me for not giving a flying f**k for the current state of your employment or housing.”

“Lark. I messed up,” he whispered sadly. “I really messed up and I’m sorry. You’re the best thing to ever have happened to me.”

“Why?”

“Why are you the best thing? You’re everything I ever dreamed of. You’re smart and funny and,” his voice trailed off. “What?”

“I already know I was the best thing to ever happen to you. If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have even gotten the job you got. I’m the person who pushed you to do better and to work hard. I’m not questioning why I’m the best you ever were with. I want to know why you threw it all away for a bottle-blonde whose carpets didn’t match the drapes. Why her?”

“I panicked.”

“Panicked?”

“Our anniversary was coming up.” He rubbed his forehead. “It was coming up and one of the guys asked if I was going to propose. He made a comment about being tied down for the rest of my life with one f**k and I panicked. I don’t even like her. I stopped for drinks that night because you were in court, and she was at the bar. Next thing I know we were in the toilets. After that she was in my office multiple times. I couldn’t stop. I’m sorry Lark. I got caught up.”