Kody didn’t really seem to react to Evie’s tease, though he was probably still surprised. He wouldn’t have seen the kiss if he’d been out of the building.
Just to be clear, Oak slapped a hand on the desk. “Yo, buddy, the fake girl’s all yours. Congratulations. Be happy. My real girl, is out of bounds. So you watch what you’re looking at.”
“You never let me have any fun,” Evie huffed and folded her arms; she slumped in her chair.
“Wait, your real girl?” Kody said, moving closer to the end of the desk. “You’re actually… you guys are together?”
“They are totally together. As together as you can get, together,” Taylor said, brimming with excitement. “Getting married, together.”
Shock jolted Kody’s whole body. “You’re engaged?”
When Evie lifted a finger and straightened, Oak lost control of his smile, letting it fly. “Sometimes a game just gets away from you, Thirteen, gotta go with the flow.”
For a second, she struggled, then she held up her hand in triumph. “No ring, ha, I can’t be engaged without a ring.”
Taylor squealed and lunged over to scramble for his hand. “Can we go ring shopping? Can we, Oak? Give me your credit card! Evie and I will pick out something perfect.”
Lifting from his chair to reach for his back pocket, Evie growled. “You take out your wallet and you’ll be a brave man to ever put your dick between my teeth again.”
Sniggering, he lowered again and linked his fingers as he shrugged at Taylor. “You heard her, Tay… You want nieces and nephews, right?”
Pushing her hands onto the table, Evie rose to her feet. “I am going back to my office,” she said. “Mr. Orion, you’re not getting laid tonight.”
She went to kiss a grinning Taylor’s cheek, smiled at Kody, and gave him a shoulder punch before turning for the door.
Pushing back in his chair, Oak opened his arms. “Where’s my loving, baby?”
Pulling open the door, she kept hold of it as she hung back into the room. “Left it in my other panties,” she said. “You know the ones that say, ‘My boyfriend is a masochist and sadism suits me.’”
“I love you,” he called out, but she just waved at him over her shoulder and carried on down the stairs.
Taylor squealed again. “She called you her boyfriend,” she said. “This meeting couldn’t have gone any better for me!”
True, but Evie would enjoy teasing him about it for a while. Taylor leaped up and began to scurry for the door.
“Where are you going in such a hurry?” Oak asked.
“Sister time!”
Taylor was as dismissive as Evie had been. He guessed he should be happy that they were taking their chattering out of his office since that’s what he’d wanted.
Finding himself alone with Kody wasn’t part of the plan. Returning to his work, Oak figured the guy would get the message and leave too, but he hung around.
“So… are we… ok?”
“Fine,” Oak said.
“I need you to know, I didn’t mean for it to happen. I don’t think she did either and—”
“Kody,” he sighed, shifting his concentration. “I really don’t give a fuck. I was ready to finish the stupid charade before it even began. Congratulations to you both.”
“So I should tell her that… it’s over?”
“Between me and her, yeah,” Oak said. “I don’t care that you two hooked up, but it seems dumb for her and I to keep seeing each other if we’re both with other people.” It wasn’t until he saw the light of hope in Kody’s eyes that he realized what the guy was actually asking. “You can keep seeing her if you care about her. It’s nothing to me. Lana and I were business, nothing ever happened between us.”
“She said that,” Kody said.
“And I can back that up,” Oak said. “I was with Evie before you introduced me to Lana in Washington.”
“That’s why you wanted her out,” Kody said, putting the pieces together. “Why you tried to get out of the deal.”
Oak nodded. “It was only ‘cause Evie said it was a good idea that I stuck with it. And Lana did good. We’ve increased membership, the press spread the story, we’re good.”
Kody grinned and held out a hand to shake his, then started for the door. Before he got there, he stopped to turn back. “But I don’t get it, you met Evie through MatchMate… why wouldn’t you just use her for the press?”
The honest answer was because Evie wasn’t up for it, but there was another reason too. “Exploiting a setup is one thing, but asking the woman I love to do interviews about our relationship…” Oak shook his head. “It’s not right. It wouldn’t have been right… No, what Evie and I have is real and I don’t want anyone to take advantage of it.”
Nodding, Kody slipped his hands in his pockets and smiled like he got it. “Thanks for being cool about Lana and me.”
With a conceding chin drop, Oak said nothing else and watched Kody leave.
It was a shame the guy had been stressed and probably worried about his job. Kody would’ve been concerned with the prospect of losing his position or souring his relationship with colleagues he was close to.
If Evie or Taylor had told him the truth, then the whole mess could’ve been cleared up weeks ago. But Evie was right, he’d have taken any opportunity to get out of seeing Lana because every minute he spent with her was one he could’ve been spending with the woman he actually loved.
Putting down his pen, he leaned back in his chair. Taylor knew. The world knew. His relationship with Evie was public. He’d invite both women to dinner tonight, answer all of Taylor’s questions with Evie’s support, and they could start getting used to being a family.
Evie was going to try her best to stay at his place on Friday night. Saturday would be his birthday party, which would bring together all the people he cared about most in the world.
Life was good. He was a lucky guy.
Nothing could go wrong.
twenty-six
Evie adjusted her cuffs and the hem of her skirt as she settled on the couch in hotel room number thirteen later that afternoon.
Noel’s eyes were boring into the top of her head. She didn’t appreciate her therapist making her feel nervous, especially on today of all days.
“You didn’t tell him,” Noel said. “Did you?”
Taking a deep breath, she wasn’t going to shrink or apologize. “No, I didn’t.”
“You assured me that you would tell Oakley about the importance of this date.”
“And I intended to,” she said. “I was going to tell him, but Taylor just found out about us… It’s not the right time to talk to Oak about this… I’m sure it will be fine… It will be fine.”
It wasn’t Noel’s fault that she felt edgy. She shouldn’t get defensive, especially knowing how wrong it was to let emotions rule on this day that always brought her sensitivities to the surface. She should’ve stayed in bed; it was the only way she wouldn’t flip out and do something insane.
“Every year on Beth’s birthday, you have some kind of episode. It’s as if the date itself is a trigger for you. How have you handled it today?”
“It’s been rough,” she said, pleased with herself for being honest. “Before I opened my eyes this morning I wanted the day to be over. I didn’t sleep well last night, I rarely do, but, it was like I was watching the seconds ticking by, I was just waiting for myself to lose it. It’s always worse when I’m tired, but anyway… I got up and went to work, went about my day and here I am.”
“That’s it?”
She opened her hands. “That’s it, doc. No episode.”
“And what about tonight? You’ll be finished work after this session? Are you spending the evening alone at home?”
“Oakley is taking Taylor and me out for dinner.”
Noel wrote something in his notebook. “Do you think that’s wise?”
It frustrated her that he could be so calm and detached when she felt like there
were ants crawling under her clothes. But she was really trying hard not to let her anxiety show.
Life had a way of carrying on despite her issues. So, even though this wasn’t the most convenient of days, there was nothing she could do about the fact that it was the one Oak had chosen to out them. He hadn’t known what day this was or how significant it was for her.
“Taylor has questions; both of us have lied to her for weeks. It’s only right we answer them. She’s like a sister to me.”
Her therapist’s discerning look deepened. “Like a sister,” Noel said. “And you think it’s wise to spend time with this woman you’ve adopted as a sister on Beth’s birthday?”
It was difficult not to be sassy. But, Evie knew Noel would make sarcasm out to be a cover, and she didn’t need to be analyzed today, she just wanted to get out of there.
“On the day I usually always have a breakdown?” she asked and thought about how to put her feelings into words that weren’t defensive or teasing. “Things have been going well with Oak and, yeah, I was nervous this morning, but when I got to work, I felt better… what can I say, MatchMate makes me calm. Oakley and I even talked about the future at the weekend. I’m getting better, Noel. He’s helping me to get better.”
With his astute eyes set on her, Noel said nothing for a minute. “You can’t rely too heavily on him or your relationship for your recovery. You do still have a way to go. You can’t be complacent.”
“I said I would try to stay with him on Friday,” she said, and his expression became something verging on worried. “Really, Noel, you have nothing to stress about. I told Oakley, I’m not promising anything. I’m being careful, Noel, don’t worry about me so much.”
She flashed him what was meant to be a dazzling, optimistic smile, but the look on his face told her he wasn’t convinced. “If your flashbacks take you by surprise, they could devastate you. Until now, you’ve been braced, expecting the worst, but you’ve dropped your guard and that’s good. You have a man you can trust at your side, but… today, on this difficult day, just be careful for me, ok?”
Huffing, she rolled her eyes and crossed her legs like she was bored of the conversation, which, in truth, she was. Evie had made it this far through the day without screaming her head off or descending into the darkness. She was confident she’d make it to the end.
“Yes, sir,” she said and bent forward to retrieve her notebook from the front of her bag. Waving it at him, she grinned again. “Want to read my innermost thoughts? There’s a lot of sex in there this week.”
He leaned forward to take it from her. “There’s been a lot of sex in there for weeks. If there’s one thing you and Oakley don’t need to be coached in, it’s that.”
Raising her brows, she bit her lip. “Oh, you got that right.”
The doctor was telling her to be wary because it was his job. Evie was feeling good and it had been a long time since she’d been able to say that. She didn’t want this feeling to go away anytime soon and would embrace every second of it as long as it lasted.
twenty-seven
Oak would end up cursing himself for having his thought about nothing going wrong.
Just thinking that life was perfect and indestructible was enough to ensure it would shatter. He’d jinxed himself and damned the woman he loved more than any other.
Inviting the women to dinner was a great plan, they chatted, Taylor got all her details, and Evie had fun riling him with her jokes and flirtations.
Driving up to Taylor’s apartment block, Oak wasn’t surprised when Evie put her hand over his on the wheel. “We have to walk her upstairs,” she murmured.
He understood that Evie’s insecurities extended into protecting Taylor, so he didn’t object, just picked up her hand to press his mouth to her knuckles.
Evie cared about Taylor, she loved her, as a sister would love a sister. Yes, maybe Evie was a bit overprotective, but he couldn’t argue with that, he was overprotective too. He would rather that than the alternative.
So, they went up to Taylor’s place together and waited at the door for Taylor to unlock it. Evie shivered as Taylor opened the door.
“Let Oakley go in and look around,” Evie said, staring into the dark apartment.
There was something odd about the expression on her face, but when she looked at him, he nodded. If she was worried about Taylor being safe, he was going to do everything in his power to make sure both women were at peace.
“Why does he need to go in?” Taylor asked and began to move forth, but Evie pulled her back.
“Just a minute, honey,” Evie said, and looked at him again. “Be careful.”
Why did she look so pained? It wasn’t worry in her eyes or even fear; it was like a dread of resigned anxiety hung around her. After kissing her forehead quickly, Oak went inside and looked through the apartment. He found nothing out of place and was checking the last closet in the bedroom when he called out.
“We’re good!”
Oak didn’t want the women hanging around in the hallway alone longer than they had to, so was pleased when he came out to see Taylor sitting on her couch freeing her feet from her shoes. But, when he glanced around for Evie, he saw her just inside the doorway, frowning at the scene.
“Sweet?”
Raising a finger, she didn’t say anything, just silently asked him to pause and he did. Oak stopped just outside the bedroom and waited. Taylor didn’t seem to notice Evie’s growing discomfort, maybe because they’d had such a good night or maybe because she’d had one too many drinks.
His sister flopped onto the couch on her back and groaned. “I think I’ll go to sleep and never wake up,” Taylor said, straightening out and letting an arm hang off the side of the couch.
“Tay, sit up,” he said and went over to pull Taylor into a seated position.
Something was on Evie’s mind, he’d never seen her so tense or so pale, and he’d been with her when she woke from a nightmare once. It seemed that she was forcing herself to move forward when she took a step and then another.
Whatever was going on inside her, she was trying to fight it. The last thing Evie needed to see was Taylor strewn out on her back like she was passed out or worse… like Beth.
Evie hadn’t made it ten feet across the room when Oak noticed a shadow in the open doorway behind her. It hadn’t been his intention to tense or to draw attention to it, but Evie must have noticed his change in expression because she flipped around just in time to see someone walk into the apartment.
“Ethan,” Taylor said and shot to her feet. “What are you doing here?”
Ethan didn’t look at Evie, he strode straight past her to head for Taylor. “Sweetheart, I had to see you,” he said and lifted an arm.
Before Ethan could make contact with Taylor, Evie jumped into action and sped across the room. “Don’t touch her.”
“What?”
Ethan was as startled as Taylor, but Evie didn’t back down. She pushed Ethan aside and put herself between him and both Orion siblings.
“Thirteen,” Oak said, reaching around Taylor to touch Evie’s arm.
Her head snapped to the side, and she landed a glare on him that told him she wasn’t going to budge. The unexpected mass of tears weighing on her lashes made him draw an anxious breath.
Oh, shit. This wasn’t good.
Something about this scene was reminding her of… no, this was more powerful than that, like a flashback. Was she hallucinating? Did she think that she was back there? That Ethan was…
Her glare vanished from his view when she turned back to Ethan. “Just stay back,” she said, holding out both arms toward Ethan and moving backward, forcing him and Taylor to reverse. “Stay the hell away from her!”
“What the hell is going on?” Ethan snapped. “Who the hell are you?”
Getting angry wasn’t going to defuse this situation. Oak moved quickly. Leaving Taylor behind Evie’s back, he went around the coffee table to get behind Ethan so he could look in
to Evie’s eyes, hoping to bring her back to the reality of the present moment.
Tears fell from her eyes, breaking his heart, but Oak stayed calm. “It’s ok, Sweet. I’m here.”
“Get away from him,” she barked. “He’s dangerous.”
“He’s an asshole,” Oak said, pushing Ethan aside to try getting closer to Evie. But she opened her arms, herding Taylor further away from them. “But he’s not dangerous. He’s not Gemmell… Baby, I promise you’re safe.”
“Stop moving,” she said, her eyes glazed with confusion.
He stopped trying to get nearer and let her get some distance. “I’m not moving, Sweet,” he said, soothing her as best he could from the fifteen feet of space that grew between them. “But I want you to look at me, ok? It’s me. It’s Oak. Your Oak.”
With her focus on the floor a couple of feet in front of him, she was shaking her head. “No, no, I don’t… don’t come near her.”
“I’m not going to touch Taylor,” he said. “No one’s going to touch her.”
Ethan moved into his peripheral vision, Oak put an arm out to block him. “What the hell is going on?” he demanded.
Oak used his outstretched arm to push Ethan back. “Just stay quiet and back up,” he hissed through gritted teeth, trying not to get angry or do anything that might aggravate Evie’s confusion.
“Safe,” Evie muttered, her words distant and confused. “Got to be safe.”
Licking his lips, he tried taking one careful step toward her. “Sweet,” he murmured. “Turn around, look at who’s behind you. It’s Taylor… My sister. Not yours.”
“Her sister?” Taylor asked. “Evie is my sister!”
If Taylor thought that she was helping or defending her new friend, she was wrong. “Shut up, Tay,” he snapped.
All he wanted was his together, happy Evie. Seeing her like this was scaring the crap out of him and he couldn’t combat contradictions coming from other directions.
He had to keep his focus on Evie, but his sister had no idea what she was dealing with.
“Don’t you shout at her!” Evie snapped, pressing her hands to her ears. “Don’t! Don’t shout!”
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