“As for McKenzie Evans, she is a friend of mine and Morgan’s. You will treat her as you would any other guest in this house.”
Never had I heard so much authority come from my brother, especially not directed at our father.
“Is that all?” Father asked, his brow lifted, almost daring Gavin to continue, yet there was a hint of pride in his expression.
Gavin plopped back down beside me. He exhaled and crossed his arms over his chest. “Yes, sir.”
“Good. Now, I do believe we have some planning to do for your bachelor party. That is what we’re here for. I was able to book a room at The Union Club, so that means nothing stupid like strippers.” He cut his eyes to me as he uttered the word ‘strippers,’ as if he was expecting me to protest.
I sat there and said nothing. My mind and heart were complete mush. All these years and not once had my father come right out and called me a murderer until tonight. Yes, Autumn’s death had been a terrible accident, caused by my hands, but to be called out as a murderer…I had no words. I was devastated. If my own father thought of me as a murderer, could it be possible that McKenzie felt the same?
“Stop it,” Gavin leaned over and whispered. “Don’t you dare let him get to you.”
I nodded. Gavin would defend me no matter what, but the truth was, I was everything my father claimed me to be. McKenzie deserved so much better than that.
I felt a tiny buzz in my pocket. Pulling my phone out, I swiped the screen to find a new text message awaiting me.
McKenzie Evans: We’ll survive this. I promise. I love you.
All of the damage done by my father, everything he said to tear me down, was put right with one little text message. I quickly tapped out a response.
I love you, too, my angel.
Chapter Four
McKenzie
Even with all of the hullabaloo going on, I still had the fantasy that Drew and I would find some little cubby hole, off in a dark corner, where we would sneak off to make out like horny teenagers. Yeah, that turned out to be a joke. Anytime we found a single spare moment together, out of no where, Olivia, Jonathan, or both would appear with a task for us to handle that was somehow wedding related.
By Wednesday, I felt tired and alone. Every chance she got, Olivia made sure to remind me how pregnant she was. As if I could forget. Morgan and Gavin were in that lovey-dovey phase, all excited about their upcoming nuptials. Jared made it his mission to keep me laughing, especially at the cost of Olivia. Drew became more closed off and distant. Jonathan seemed to grow smugger each day, if that were even possible. As for Kat, well, I now knew where Drew inherited his inclination toward alcohol. I’d yet to see that woman without a drink in her hand.
Curled up in a ball, I snuggled under the warm duvet that shelled the comfortable, pillow-top mattress. Mackie, nestled beside me, purred while dreaming. At the time, I thought it was a good idea to bring her with me. Drew had mentioned he’d sent his cats ahead of him to Boston, and I’d only had Mackie for a few weeks before Drew showed up in Amarillo. It didn’t seem right leaving her with my parents. But now I wasn’t so sure. She hadn’t left our room since we arrived. I wasn’t sure what she was afraid of, but her black fur stayed in constant static, hackles raised, ready for anything. The only time she calmed was when she was in Drew's or my hands, or asleep. Poor kitty.
Sunlight peeked in behind the curtains reminding me that another morning was here. I felt sort of like Cinderella, dreading the mornings, because it meant more work was in store for me. Not that I minded helping with Morgan and Gavin’s wedding. I was honored that they even accepted me into their inner circle.
I sighed and wiggled my toes under the covers. Just a few more minutes. I wanted to stay locked away in this elaborate room where only my dreams could reach me. Behind closed eyes, I could see Drew. His brilliant grin flashing those deep dimples. Blue eyes peering at me over his glasses. His toned, sculpted chest bare, waiting for me to running my fingers down to the smooth skin of his stomach. Only a few more days and everything would be set right, at least between Drew and me. Olivia would cease to speak to me, forever. That thought alone broke my heart, but I’d made my choice.
My bedroom door slowly creaked open. If there was one bad thing I had to say about the house, it was that every floorboard and door made some sort of noise. I struggled getting to sleep the first night for all the racket the house made in the dark. To top it all off, there was no way for me or Drew to sneak into each other’s rooms. They made sure to put Olivia and me next door to each other, and even the slightest step made a squeaking sound.
At least that’s what I thought.
Light steps inching closer to me set my heart in motion. Drew was finally going to take away this ache in my chest.
“McKenzie,” the wrong voice whispered to me in the dark. “You awake?”
I jerked around, sitting up in the bed, holding my covers to my chin. Mackie squeaked and skidded off the bed in a flash, disappearing behind the curtains. Jared stopped, his foot suspended in the air for a fraction of a second. “What the hell, Jared?” I screech-whispered.
He raised his hands. “Don’t shoot the messenger.”
“Messenger?”
Jared gave me a quick nod. “Yeah. Drew woke me a few minutes ago and asked me to give you a message.”
“And?”
Jared furrowed his brow, rolling his eyes toward the ceiling. “Let me think.”
“Dammit, Jared!”
He laughed and waved his hands. “Hush, woman. You’ll wake the house and you need time to get your skinny butt out of here. Look, Drew wants you to take the car he has waiting for you outside. He said Wyatt’ll know where to take you.”
“But what about…”
“All covered. Natasha, Olivia, Morgan, and Kat are all going for Morgan’s final dress fitting this morning.” Ah, yes. Natasha Carrere, Morgan’s maid of honor. A sweet woman but horny as hell, and her sights were set on Jared. I found it quite funny, really. Even though Olivia announced Jared and I were some sort of thing, she didn’t seem to care. Who could blame her? Jared really was a bit of a catch.
“Yeah, I know. I’m supposed to go.”
“Not anymore. You now have the shits and can’t get out of bed.”
I covered my face with my hands, heat rising in my cheeks. “Seriously! You can’t think of anything better than that?”
“I could, but it’s more fun to make you blush when I have to cover for you.”
I grabbed my pillow and threw it at him. Jared raced for the door, the pillow narrowly missing his back. “Get dressed and have fun!” He slipped out of my room, blowing me a kiss as he closed the door. I plopped back down on the bed, flailing my arms and legs in excitement. A day alone with Drew. It was exactly what I needed.
Time was of the essence. I needed to get out of the house before being discovered as the fraud that I was. Twenty minutes and I was showered, dressed, and in my designated car on my way to rendezvous with the man I loved.
Another thirty minutes later, Wyatt delivered me in front of a quaint little coffee shop. I thanked my escort and slipped out of the car, finding myself staring at an old, refurbished house with brick red siding and bright white windows. I skipped up the steep steps and opened the ornate white door. A little bell chimed as I entered the edifice.
The smell of coffee alone made my mouth water, but adding in the scent of fresh baked pastries, I was in heaven. Off in the corner sat Drew, pouring over a newspaper with a cup to his lips. This was the Drew I loved the most. His dark-green t-shirt had a picture of Darth Vader and the words ‘Sith Happens’ in thick white lettering. His favorite bright yellow visor and sunglasses sat on the table next to his cell phone. When he looked up at me, a smile widened across his face, making his dimples ever so prominent.
Drew stood up and motioned for me to join him. I danced around tables, making my way to him. My eyes were focused on him and nothing else, so it shouldn’t have come a surprise when I
tripped over my own two feet. Drew’s hand was at my elbow helping me up from my humiliation before I could really register that I had literally face planted on the floor in front of him.
“Are you okay?”
I stood up straight, brushed myself off, and fought back the urge to cry. My face was hot with embarrassment. “Did you see that? The floor jumped right out in front of me!”
Drew let out a little chuckle and pulled me close into his arms. I buried my face in his chest, wishing I could disappear from this nightmare. “Maybe we should sue it for a hit and run.”
I lifted my face to find him staring down at me. He was a good foot taller than me, but the way he looked at me, you would’ve thought I was a supermodel. In his arms, I felt like I was one. “You’re the lawyer. Do you think I have a case?”
He cupped my face in his hands and placed the sweetest kiss to my lips. There was a hint of peppermint and espresso on his mouth that was so inviting. Our kiss deepened, and for a moment the whole world seemed to melt away. His hands locked in my hair. A tiny moan rumbled in his throat as our mouths fused together in passion. Oh, how I needed this. I wasn’t aware of how badly I’d missed him until this exact moment.
Breathless and wanton, he stepped back from me. “Hi, Beautiful,” he rasped. Holding my hand, we took seats on opposite sides of the table from each other.
“Hi.”
“Oh my god, are you okay? That was some fall.” A young waitress, no more than college age, stood at the table staring at me as if I’d grown a horn between my eyes.
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
She narrowed her eyes then looked at Drew. “Yeah, I’d say you were,” she chuckled. “Can I get you some coffee or a muffin?”
“Coffee, please.”
“And two orange-cranberry scones, please,” Drew added.
The waitress darted off.
“So,” I started, “what’s on your domestic agenda today? You did manage on sneaking me out of the house this morning. Hell, I thought I might have to get all ‘Mission Impossible’ trying to get out of there. Every time that place creaked, I cringed.”
“And yet you made it out unscathed.”
“Barely. Natasha was sitting in the breakfast nook. I assume she was waiting on Jared.”
“Well, he should take her up on that offer. Natasha is pretty cute.”
“She’s adorable. Besides, how do you know Jared hasn’t already tapped that and she’s itchin’ to get some more?”
Drew took a sip of his coffee and nearly choked on it. “What? When did this happen?”
The waitress delivered my coffee and scones. I poured enough creamer in my cup to get the coffee as white as possible, then added ample amounts of sugar. I loved my coffee, but it had to be sweet. “Quit stalling, Mick,” Drew warned. “Have Jared and Natasha hooked up?” He shuddered. “Oh, god. The thought of Jared…” His face distorted in a look of disgust.
“Everyone has sex, Andy. Even your parents.”
“My parents!” he screeched.
“Yeah, and from the way your mother talks, that cold fish of a father of yours is hot in…”
“No! God, no. You have not been talking to my mother about sex. I can’t believe you actually discussed this stuff with her.”
“Of course we did.”
Drew raked his teeth across his lower lip, gauging me. It took everything inside me not to fall over laughing. “What did you say?”
I puckered out my lips, bringing the cup of hot coffee to them. The warm, bitter liquid felt so good going down, warming me from head to toe. “Let’s see. I do believe I told your mother that you had the biggest dick I’d ever fucked, and that you loved it when I screamed.”
Drew’s eyes widened to the size of silver dollars. His mouth damn near hit the table. “No way. You didn’t say shit like that to my mother.”
Oh, the pain in my stomach from holding back my laughter, but it was so worth it. “Andy, she asked and so I told her. She seemed quite impressed her son had a monster cock. I would say more like proud, really. And the fact that he knew how to fuck me every which way from Sunday just made her even prouder. Not to mention Olivia added that your big balls were very suckable.”
Drew grabbed a scone and chewed off a huge bite. “You’re screwing with me, aren’t you?”
“Damn skippy, I am. But we did talk about sex. That part was true. You should’ve seen Morgan go off on Olivia when she tried to talk about yours and her sex life.”
The vibrant smile I loved on Drew disappeared. I knew I’d said the wrong thing. To be honest, I hadn’t given Olivia’s comments a second thought because I knew there was nothing between them, but it bothered him. “Are you kidding me? That bitch had the nerve to…”
I reached across the table and placed my fingers to his lips. “Stop right there. I thought nothing of it and neither should you. Olivia is trying to hold on to something she doesn’t have. She’s living a fantasy and it's sad. Pity her, Andy, but don’t be angry.”
The anger in his face faded. I lowered my fingers but not before he kissed them. “You have the kindest soul I’ve ever seen. I don’t know how you do it.”
“I don’t do anything.”
“You have no idea how special your heart is, do you?”
I traced the rim of my coffee mug. “I’m nothing special.”
“You’re everything.”
For the space of a breath, nothing was said between us. Only silence. Then Drew let out a little chuckle. “So, what did Olivia say about me in bed?”
My head shot up, meeting his bouncing, playful eyes. Heat flooded my face and neck. I tried to escape his gaze by grabbing the remaining scone and shoving a bite into my mouth.
“Oh, this has to be good.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “Tell me. What did Olivia say about me?”
I swallowed down my bite, hard. The dry pastry coated the back of my throat. “Um,” I stalled, “she mentioned something about your stamina.” Each word came out in a mutter of sound. It was a wonder that Drew was even capable of understanding what I said.
He reached across the table, placing his hand over mine. The heat of his skin seared into my bloodstream. “Would you agree that I have stamina?”
I inhaled deep. My chest rose and fell with every breath. The silky smooth cadence to his voice dripped with lust and desire. He affected me on so many levels. Flashes of us in the most compromising positions scrolled along my memory. My man was the king of stamina.
“Mickie?”
My tongue darted over my lips, and I nodded without uttering a word.
“Hmm. And you like that?” he goaded me.
The fucker. He was toying with me.
“Very much so,” I rasped.
“I’ve missed touching you this week. I was hoping for more time to spend with you, naked, in my bed,” he admitted. A tiny moan escaped my lips. His eyes burned with passion as they reached mine. “Later?” he requested.
I nodded, caught in the wake of his gaze. When he released me, I slumped back against my chair and exhaled. He smirked and finished his coffee and the rest of my scone.
“Where are we going?” I asked, more like squeaked.
“I thought you might like to see a few of my favorite places. Maybe even visit my old alma mater?”
“You want to take me to Harvard?” I chugged the remainder of my coffee.
“I thought it might be fun to see the old place again. It’s been years since I’ve been there.”
“I’m honored you’d want to share that with me.”
““The honor is all mine.”
The waitress delivered our ticket and Drew, in his usual, carefree fashion, dropped a fifty dollar bill in the pocket without so much as looking at the receipt. He stood up and offered me his hand. “Care to join me?”
“If you promise that I get embarrassing details about you. After what my family put me through last week, it only seems fair.”
“They weren’t that bad
,” he teased.
I laughed, shaking my head as I took his outstretched hand. Before I had a chance to move, he lifted me up out of my seat and had me pressed against his chest. He lowered his lips to mine and placed a sweet and tender kiss to them. Kissing him in public was liberating. He was mine for all the world to see. No secrets. No regrets. Just me and him, together and in love.
Chapter Five
Andrew
So far, everything was going according to plan. McKenzie and I finally had a free day together. No Father. No Olivia. No Jared. No wedding plans. Just the two of us, enjoying each other and reconnecting as we should.
I placed her hand in mine and we walked out of the coffee shop. “I hope you don’t mind walking. We’re only about a ten minute walk from campus, and this city is best seen outside a moving vehicle.”
“I welcome the walk,” she replied. Yet another reason why I loved my girl. She didn’t care if her shoes would be damaged by the walk. Then again, she didn’t wear shoes that would be damaged by a walk. Her little peach colored shorts—that gave me a great view of her sexy legs—matched a white collared shirt with a slight midriff and black sandals were perfect for the warm, sunny day outing.
I wrapped her arm in the crook of mine and started on the path to the college.
“I love all of the brownstones.” McKenzie reached out with her free hand and touched the building as we passed. I felt her sigh as her fingers brushed over the rough bricks. “It must’ve been amazing growing up in a city with so much history and beauty.”
“It was and I miss living here. I really do.” That wasn’t a lie. I loved my hometown. It was a piece of me that I carried with me always, but the ghosts of my past haunted me there. No matter how much I loved Boston, I could never live there again. Boston and I were better off without each other.
The Truth Be Told (The Truth in Lies Saga #3) Page 4
