Bitter Sweet Heart (Lies, Hearts & Truths #2)(89)

Gabriel’s head swings around, and so does Clover’s. Her eyes flare when she sees me walking toward them. She gives me a quick headshake, but it’s too late. Gabriel’s expression turns stormy. At least they’re in the corner of the lot, and it’s mostly empty at this point. The bad part is that my parents are following me.

It’s too late to turn around and walk away—not that I want to—but I stop about fifteen feet from where they’re standing. “Everything okay, Professor?”

“It’s fine. Thank you,” she calls. If she weren’t wearing a jacket, she’d definitely be holding the edges of her cardigan together.

I can tell she’s anything but fine. And the fact that her ex is here, after staying away for weeks, is a huge red flag.

Gabriel’s lip curls, eyes shifting between the two of us. “What the hell are you thinking, Clover?” He turns to me. “You need to stay away from my wife.”

When he takes a step toward me, Clover grabs for his sleeve, but he shakes her off. “I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but it needs to stop. Now.”

“What’s going on?” my dad asks.

I raise my hands, as if I have no idea what he’s talking about, as if he’s lost his mind. “I’m just checking in since you seem pretty hostile.”

“I’m not an idiot. I know what you’re doing. She’s still married to me.” He points at himself. “And you need to back off.”

Clover’s fingers are at her lips, and thankfully the hood of her jacket is pulled up, shielding her face and her identity. “Gabriel, this is inappropriate, and you have no idea what you’re talking about,” she says. “He’s a student.” Her voice wavers.

“Well, that’s the fucking problem, isn’t it?” he spits.

“You should go.” I look at her for a moment before returning my gaze to him. “I’ve got this.”

He huffs a humorless laugh and shakes his head. “You’ve got this? What’s inappropriate is you thinking you have a right to tell my wife what to do.”

“What the hell is going on, son?” My dad steps up beside me and rests a protective hand on my shoulder as Gabriel approaches.

I wish I’d thought this through better, but I’m not sure what other options I had. I’m not worried about myself, or about my parents finding out. In fact, it would be a hell of a lot easier if I could stop pretending I’m still on a dating hiatus. It would be even better if I didn’t have to keep sneaking around like a criminal—leaving Clover’s place before the sun comes up and waiting until it goes down before I can steal my way back into her house and her bed.

But we’re almost at the end of the semester. Just a couple more weeks and exams will be over, and she’ll no longer be an employee of the university, and I’ll no longer be a student. Not long after that, I should be signing a contract.

“Isn’t that the question we’d both like an answer to?” Gabriel smiles, but it’s stiff and unfriendly, not like the previous time I met him. Then, he was cocky and dismissive, charming almost. His angry glare swings to my dad and then to my mom, who’s standing a step behind us.

I glance between Clover and her car, a silent request for her to get the hell out of here already.

Her expression tells me she doesn’t want to, but she ducks into the driver’s seat of her car.

My dad puts out a protective hand as Gabriel takes another step closer. “You should wait in the car, Vi.”

My mom isn’t always the most logical person on the face of the earth, and she also raised four kids, so she isn’t one to back down. “Like hell I’m waiting in the car when a forty-year-old man is coming at my son.”

“Your son is sleeping with my wife.” Gabriel’s voice is eerily calm.

“She’s only your wife because you won’t give her a divorce.” I realize, belatedly, that the smarter move would’ve been to keep my mouth shut. But it’s clear, at least to me, that he’s been keeping tabs on Clover. Watching her somehow. Otherwise, what the hell would he be doing stalking her on campus?

“Clover and I have been trying to work it out, and you’re getting in the way,” he says through gritted teeth.

I cross my arms. I honestly have nothing to lose at this point. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t you supposed to be going through her lawyer if you want to talk to Clover? I’m not sure that constitutes an attempt at working it out. And if you mean I’ve been getting in the way by being someone she can rely on and talk to about the fact that you’ve been refusing to sign the papers for more than half a year, then yeah, I guess I am.”

Clover pulls out of her spot and heads for the exit. Gabriel is too focused on me to notice. He moves closer, getting up in my personal space. “Do you really think you’re what she wants? She’s only fucking you to piss me off.”

“Well, clearly, it’s working. Feel free to take a swing at me so I have a reason to knock your ass out.”

“Step down, Maverick.” My dad pushes between us, shaking his head. “You need to back off. If you so much as lay a finger on my son, I’ll have you so wrapped up in legal red tape, it’ll make your head spin and your bank account cry.”

Gabriel runs his tongue over his teeth and takes an exaggerated step back, holding his hands up in surrender, gaze moving over my dad’s shoulder to where I’m standing. “Leave my wife alone. She’s a bleeding heart. It’s one of her personality flaws. I did some digging. I know about you and your family.” His gaze shifts to my mom. “Your golden boy is just a pawn in a game.” He turns to walk away but pauses and spins to face us. “In case you weren’t aware, you should know that my wife is your son’s professor.”