She was absolutely stunning in her skinny jeans that pretty much could’ve been painted on her, and a red, off the shoulder top. Any woman would feel out of place next to her, and I was no exception. Her light brown hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, and her makeup was movie star perfect. She pranced over to my bed and plopped down, crossing her knees like she’d done this to me a million times before.
“I…um…” I stuttered, rubbing the back of my neck, covering my chest with my arm. If she knew, who else did? Damn, I shouldn’t have gone for the morning sex. But he was too tempting to pass up.
Andie let her head fall back and laughed. “Don’t worry. You’re secret’s safe with me. Bitch-livia has no clue where you’ve been, from what I can tell.”
“Bitch-livia?”
With a flick of her wrist, she replied, “Jared,” as if that said it all, which really it did. “Anyway, I saw you and Drew sneak in and I thought I’d come up here and properly introduce myself to the women who’s stolen my brother’s heart. Last night was a bit of a fiasco. Usually is with our family,” she chortled.
I pulled my shirt over my shoulders and buttoned it up. “It wasn’t that bad.” I tucked my shirt in my pants and clasped them closed.
Mackie hopped up on the bed next to Andie, nudging at her hand with her head. I was shocked. Mackie never took too kindly to strangers, yet here she was buddying up to someone new. She curled up in a little ball and allowed Andie to pet her. I sat down beside them and slipped on a pair of black pumps.
“Don’t be so nice. Last night was a fucking nightmare. Gavin was pissed as hell at Father for the three of you disappearing. We all were. Well, except for Olivia. What a brown-noser.”
“Don’t be hard on Liv. It’s her job to ensure everything goes well this week,” I defended.
Andie shook her head. “She’s not here for a job. She’s here to steal your man by using our father against him.”
“You all make her out to be some sort of villain. She’s carrying Drew’s baby, for God's sake. She has the right to want to glean favor from his family.”
“Honey, let me tell you, your friend wants more than to get our family’s approval. Her head’s shoved so far up my father’s ass right now, I can’t tell where he ends and she begins.”
That mental image alone brought forth a laugh. “That’s just wrong.”
“But factual.”
“You don’t care much for her, do you?”
“Olivia means nothing to me. Drew is all I care about. He’s been through a lot. There are tragedies in his past…”
“I know,” I whispered.
“You do?” She blinked in confusion.
I glanced up to meet the same aqua eyes I’d grown to love so much. She examined me for a moment and then smiled. “It’s sad. My father’s a fool for not seeing how good you are for Drew. The man I saw downstairs just now was happy and healthy.” She patted my knee. “And very much in love.”
It was one thing hearing those words from Jared or Drew, but a whole other hearing them from someone who was a complete stranger. Something about that made me wonder if maybe Jared didn’t have a point. Maybe Olivia did know and was biding her time to confront us. That thought made me a little sick to my stomach. I pushed the idea aside. It was no use worrying about it. The truth would be revealed soon enough.
“I love your brother very much,” I admitted.
“I have no doubt about that.”
We sat in silence, petting a very content Mackie. Andie had a larger than life persona, much like Drew, but she also seemed to enjoy the simplicity of a quiet moment. It was safe to say, I liked Andrea Wise, and could see myself becoming good friends with her.
“We should probably head downstairs. I’m sure brunch is being served, and from the sounds your stomach is making over there, you’re starving. I swear, didn’t my brother feed you before forcing you to make the walk of shame? Some lay he is,” she teased.
My cheeks burned from the blush that blazed beneath my skin. Andie stood up, laughing. “C’mon. We got a stuffy party to endure.”
I patted Mackie once more, put down fresh food and water for her, then followed Andie down the stairs.
The party was in full swing by the time we made it outside to the pool deck. Olivia buzzed around from table to table, all smiles and laughter. She wore an ivory dress that tied in a large bow above her belly, with gold sandals. She looked up at me, and I could tell she was furious. “Finally decided to join us, I see?” she seethed. She marched over to me, grabbed me by the arm, and pulled me away from the crowd. “Where were you this morning? I tried calling you. You were supposed to help.”
“I’m sorry.” Damn me and my cellphone. I was the world’s worst with them. I hadn’t even looked at mine today. “I overslept.”
Olivia cocked her head to the side. Her anger melted into a twisted smile. “Yeah. I bet you did. You got laid last night.”
“What?” I gasped. “No.”
She rested her hands over her belly and laughed. “You’re glowing. You so got laid last night. So how was he?”
Oh, God. This was it. She was about to expose me and my traitorous ways to all of Morgan’s guests. I shook my head, frantic. “How was who?” My voice rose several octaves.
“Jared? You both disappeared about the same time, and neither of you came back to the party. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out you two went off together.”
I clapped my hand over my face. “It’s not like that. You’ve got it all wrong.”
“I think it’s exactly like that. So, tell me everything. I want all the juicy little details.”
“McKenzie,” a voice called out from over the crowd. I glanced up from behind my fingers to see Andie waving me over to a table where Kat, Morgan, and Natasha were all seated.
“There’s nothing to tell,” I explained, “because nothing happened between me and Jared.” I slipped around her to join the only people I knew in this crowd. Olivia followed behind me, snickering. “You’ll tell me eventually. You can’t keep this secret from me for long. I’m your best friend, you know. We share this type of stuff.”
She was my best friend, but if she only knew the secrets I kept.
At the table, I sat between Natasha and Andie, and all I could think about was mine and Jared’s conversation from the night before about him having a threesome with them. Natasha was an absolute sweetheart. She was sweet and funny, but a little shy at first. When individual conversations broke out around the table, she scooted in a little closer to me and said, “So, I guess you and Jared are close?”
I swallowed my bite of melon, thankful for something in my stomach. The last thing I’d eaten was that sushi roll I commandeered last night, and I was starved. “We’re good friends.”
“That’s all?” she persisted.
I took another bite, savoring the sweet juice sliding down my throat. I couldn’t wait until the quiche came out. This fruit wouldn’t last me long. “Yeah. We’ve been friends for years.”
“With benefits?”
I swallowed wrong and nearly choked on my food. All conversation at the table stopped and everyone started looking at the woman who couldn’t eat a simple piece of fruit properly. Andie reached over and patted me on the back a couple times.
“Are you all right, my dear?” Kat asked, sucking down her third, maybe fourth, mimosa since I sat down.
“I’m fine,” I winced, gasping for air. “It just went down the wrong pipe.”
Everyone waited a few moments to make sure I was in fact all right, then gradually returned to their conversations. “Damn, that hurt.” I pounded my chest a couple of times, trying to breathe.
“I’m so sorry,” Natasha babbled. “I didn’t mean to choke you up. I was just curious. He’s a nice guy and you’re a nice woman, and well, I didn’t want to encroach on your territory if he was spoken for.”
I rubbed my fingers along my eyebrows and laughed. “Natasha, you’re more than welcome
to pursue him.”
“Pursue who?” Olivia chimed in.
“Jared,” Natasha replied.
“So, he wasn’t that good after all, huh?” Olivia clamored. “A lifelong friendship down the tubes over a one night stand. I thought you were closer than that.”
“I told you already, I didn’t sleep with Jared last night,” I declared. That stopped any remaining conversation, prompting all eyes back on me.
“You don’t have to hide it from us. We’re all girls here,” Olivia giggled, extending her hand out to the others at the table. “I’m sure everyone of us have gone down that road a time or two in our lives.”
“She’s not hiding anything,” Andie declared.
“And how would you know?” Olivia challenged, a hint of sarcasm to her tone.
“Because Jared left my bed this morning very satisfied.” Andie looked over at me, casting a coy wink. I covered my mouth with my napkin to hide my huge smile. So, Jared got laid. It was about time.
“That’s my girl!” Kat raised her glass to her daughter. “He’s a little cutie.”
“And a very sensitive lover,” Andie noted, starring Olivia down. “He’s very well endowed, and he had me screaming his name several times last night.”
“Oh my!” gasped Natasha.
“I’ll have to text this to Gavin. He’ll never let Jared hear the end of it,” Morgan laughed, whipping out her cellphone.
“Drew’ll kick his ass,” Olivia sneered, crossing her arms over her chest. “He hates Jared.”
“I beg to differ,” I noted, popping a grape in my mouth. “From what I saw on our way here, Jared and Drew have developed a friendship, or at least a mutual respect for one another.” So I might’ve fibbed a little about when I’d witnessed such a thing, but after last night, I knew it was true.
“I agree,” Morgan returned. “And Gavin thinks the world of Jared. He’d never allow Drew to harm him.”
“I’d kick Drew’s ass if he tried,” Andie bolstered.
Kat laughed, patting her daughter on the hand. “Nobody’s going to harm him,” she slurred. “I raised my boys to be gentlemen.” Morgan, Andie, and I all three snickered. We’d seen their not-so-gentlemanly sides.
Throughout the conversation, I found myself watching Olivia. She was very calculated, never letting herself lose composure, but her dark eyes hardened into bottomless craters. She wrung her napkin in her hands until it was wound so tight she couldn’t twist it any further.
Our eyes locked, and she released the napkin from its vice grip. “Where’s our waiter?” she interrupted the friendly conversation. “They should’ve delivered the first course by now.” She stood up. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to find out what’s causing the delay.”
“I’ll go with you. I need to run to the restroom anyway,” Morgan stated, slipping her phone in her pocket.
“Me, too,” Natasha announced. She and Morgan stood up and followed Olivia into the house, stopping at a few tables along the way to visit with other guests.
Silence settled on our little table. I picked at the rest of my fruit, feeling a bit uneasy. Moments later, Andie excused herself to go talk to a few old friends she recognized at another table.
Then there were two ran through my mind.
Kat gulped back her drink and placed the empty glass on the table. “She’s a spitfire, that Olivia,” she noted, breaking the silence.
“Yes she is.” I rolled a grape back and forth across my plate. This felt like my encounter with Jonathan all over again. I expected at any moment Kat would tell me how she adored Olivia and couldn’t imagine anyone else with her son.
“She’s very much a perfectionist.”
I chuckled, biting my bottom lip. “Yes, ma’am.”
“That’s what my husband appreciates about her, I think. Her tenacity.”
I jabbed my fork into the grape, inflicting the same pain on it that I felt. My chest tightened, staring down at the little grape bleeding out on my plate. I sighed in resignation, unsure as to what she expected me to say. Finally, I swallowed my pride and said the first thing that came to mind. “Jonathan’s right to admire that about her. She’s an amazing woman and she’ll make a wonderful mother.”
Kat slipped into Andie’s vacated chair and took the fork from my hand, placing it on the plate. “That might be true, but that doesn’t mean she’s the one for Drew.” I jerked my face to the side, making contact with her vehement stare. Kat studied me for an impregnated moment, her perfectly sculpted brows furrowed in deep concentration. She couldn’t be suggesting what I thought she was suggesting.
She smiled and took my hand in hers. “I wanted to tell you how sorry I am for how Jonathan behaved last night. He had no right saying those things about Drew and Olivia.”
“She’s carrying Drew’s child,” I swallowed.
“Yes, but she’s not the person he loves.”
She was insinuating that she knew about Drew and me. If she knew, then everyone knew, which meant only one thing. Olivia had to know, too. Or did she? Because if that were the case, why would she accuse me of sleeping with Jared? My mind swam with so many questions and jumbled up thoughts. None of this made sense.
“You see, McKenzie, Drew needs a woman with tenacity and ambition, but he also needs a woman who has a heart. One who understands the real world and is willing to stand with him against it when it comes barreling down on him. He needs a woman who has the ability to exhibit self-control and poise in the face of adversity, but knows how to have fun at the end of the day. And I believe he found that woman.”
“You do?”
Kat nodded, her bright smile shining hotter than the sun. “Drew was never one to be uptight. He’s a free soul, one that’s been burdened by the world. Life has been cruel to him, and for the longest time, the glimmer that used to sparkle in his eyes was gone, but not any longer. My baby boy came home to me this week, and I believe I owe that to you,” she stated, sounding quite sober all of the sudden.
I was speechless. Every secret that I’d hidden away during this trip was exposed, and by two of the most unexpected people. “Thank you,” I replied.
“You’re an amazing woman. I knew that the instant you stepped into our home. The way he looks at you is how every woman wishes to be looked at by a man. You have something special with my son. Don’t let his father or the mother of his child get in the way of that.”
I chuckled, my eyes drifting down to our clasped hands. “You’re the second person to tell me that in the last twelve hours.”
“We’re both right, my dear. Don’t worry about Jonathan. I’ll handle him. You keep your focus on making Drew happy.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She gave my hand a good squeeze, her bright smile reminding me of Drew. He carried her heart, her gentleness, and her charm. It made me wonder why on earth she stayed with a man like Jonathan, who appeared so cold and heartless. Love was a strange creature.
“Here it comes!” Natasha rushed out of the house all bright eyed and smiles. From what I could tell, her blue maxi dress managed to wrap itself around her ankles, tripping her up. She took a nose dive into the stucco. Everyone jumped from their seats, rushing to her aid. Morgan and Olivia ran outside to see what happened.
Blood gushed from Natasha’s nose, but she appeared unfazed by that fact. She cried out, grabbing her ankle, rocking back and forth on the ground.
“Move aside,” Morgan demanded, dropping to her knees. Dr. Carter had arrived. “Nat, tell me where it hurts.”
“My ankle,” she bellowed.
“Someone get her some napkins and cold water to stop the bleeding,” Morgan commanded. Andie grabbed the requested items from a nearby table and dropped to help her. Olivia stood off in the background, watching the commotion. “Can I look at your ankle?” Morgan requested. Tears mixed with blood trickled down Natasha’s face. She nodded her head and Morgan lifted her dress. Her ankle had already swollen to the size of a grapefruit. “Nat, we need to get yo
u to a hospital. I can’t tell if it’s broken or not, and we need to make sure.”
“I’m so sorry. I’ve ruined your day,” Natasha wailed.
Morgan brushed Natasha’s hair back from her face. I felt a twinge of jealousy at the way she cared for her friend. They shared something that I couldn’t recall ever sharing with Olivia. Kindness, love, and admiration were abundant between these two women. “Not at all. It was an accident,” Morgan reassured her. “Now, let me help you up.”
I moved around to help from the other side. “Let’s get her to my car,” Morgan instructed.
We started toward the door. Kat stepped forward, gripping Morgan’s shoulder and smiling at me. Her eyes weren’t hazed with alcohol as they usually were. She nodded and shooed us off, taking charge of the situation. “Olivia, you and Andie stay here with me to care for our guests. Morgan and McKenzie will take Natasha to the hospital.” She turned toward the crowd of women gawking at us. “All right, ladies. Let’s return to our seats. She’s going to be just fine.”
We spent the rest of the afternoon in the ER with Natasha. X-rays showed Natasha had a bad sprain, but she would have to be put in a cast for six weeks, and needed to be off her feet for the next few days. Morgan cancelled all the evening plans, refusing to leave Natasha’s side. Much to my surprise, she asked me to stand in for Natasha as her maid of honor. Both Andie and Natasha appeared pleased with the idea, but Olivia tried to argue it, claiming she needed my assistance. Morgan refused to accept no for an answer, so instead of watching a bunch of hot, beefed up men taking their clothes off for me, I spent the evening being fitted into Natasha’s bridesmaid dress. My, oh, my, how plans change.
Chapter Fifteen
Andrew
Gavin cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled out, “Fore!”
The Truth Be Told (The Truth in Lies Saga #3) Page 13
