Irrefutable

by K. A. Berg

  I took a chance when I poured my broken heart out to Quinn, trying to show her honesty and vulnerability. She needed to see it was possible for people to still love her even if she’s made mistakes. Maybe then she’d trust me with a little bit more and give me the real reason behind this marriage. I thought I was making some progress. Deep down in my gut, I know she was about to tell me something huge … and then she was flying out the door.

  What the hell am I supposed to do now?

  She didn’t say much at all as she jetted out. Didn’t give me any details. She didn’t even fully close the door behind her, I guess figuring I’ll just let myself out. She went from breakdown to madwoman in less than two minutes.

  Deciding it’s kind of creepy standing in your ex’s place alone on the day she supposed to marry someone else, I make my way to my car. I don’t even make it to the elevator before my phone rings in my pocket.

  It’s Ashley. Shit … I hope she’s not calling to see what’s going on because I still don’t have a fucking clue.

  “Hey.”

  “What the hell happened, Alex?” she fires at me. “The wedding planner just called and said the wedding is being postponed.”

  Postponed? When did that happen? And why? Did Quinn decide she doesn’t want to continue with this? Well, if that was the case, wouldn’t she have just cancelled it? Ash didn’t say cancelled. I guess maybe she does still plan to marry him.

  “Hello? Alex? What the hell?” Ashley yells into the phone.

  I shake my head, attempting to find some sensibility. “Sorry. I don’t know. We were talking and then she answered the phone and bolted. Didn’t tell me anything more.”

  “What the fuck?” she gasps. “How’d she seem? Why was she late?”

  Should I tell Ashley what Quinn told me? I think she needs to know. The fear was rolling off of her in waves. “She was a mess. There’s way more going on here than we thought.”

  There’s a sharp intake of breath on the other side of the line. “Oh my God…” she whispers before asking, “How bad?”

  “Pretty bad.”

  “How long until you can get here?” I saw that coming. Ashley’s going to want to talk about this in person and in depth.

  “I’m on my way.”

  “Why didn’t she tell me all this was going on?” Ash tries to figure out. The three of us have gathered in Ashley and Tanner’s kitchen where I’ve just finished telling them everything I learned this morning.

  “Because she’s scared,” I remind her. This isn’t just about Quinn keeping secrets. There’s a reason she chose not to share this.

  Shaking his head in remorse, Tanner chimes in, “We weren’t very supportive either.”

  “This is why I wasn’t supportive, because I knew there was a reason behind this that couldn’t be trusted,” Ashley argues. “It’s marriage. This isn’t something she should do just for her job.”

  “And you wonder why she didn’t tell you?” I snap unable to listen to Ashley pick apart Quinn’s motivations.

  Her eyes narrow as she turns to me, planting her hands on her hips. “What the hell is that supposed to mean, Alex?”

  “Exactly what it sounded like, Ash,” I scoff. “Quinn’s in some kind of trouble. She needed support, and no one gave it to her except Jordan. Do you even understand how important her job is to her? It’s all she’s ever worked for. She defines herself by her career and reputation, and it’s being threatened. What would you do if someone threatened the most important thing in your life?”

  I don’t mean to be this harsh with her, but damn. How can she not see this is more than just getting married? Quinn felt very alone in this. It’s obvious to anyone who wanted to see. But Ashley didn’t want to see. “You know how I got her to open up to me? I sat down and told her I just wanted her to be happy. Even without me. That’s it. That’s all she needed. Just to know someone had her back. She didn’t tell you because she didn’t think she could trust you, and you just showed me why. She needed understanding and compassion. You gave her resistance and grief.”

  “Don’t go acting all altruistic now, Alex,” she yells at me. Her face reddens as she approaches me and shoves a finger into my chest. “You gave her shit too, but now you think you’re so much better than me? I watched her fight against doing this for almost a year. I listened to her say she didn’t want any part of any of it. I had her back. I supported her.”

  “Both of you need to calm the hell down, right now,” Tanner orders, trying to control the emotions running high.

  “I didn’t give her shit for choosing to marry the man.” I shake my head in disagreement. “I gave her shit for walking away from me without ever telling me why. I had accepted she had other plans. The minute I gave her what she needed, she spilled her fucking guts. You had her back when you agreed with her decision. The minute you didn’t, your support stopped. Maybe if you tried to be her fucking friend instead of demeaning her, like her father, it wouldn’t have gotten this far.”

  “Enough, Alex,” Tanner bellows. “This isn’t Ashley’s fault. She wasn’t the one forcing Quinn to do anything.”

  “I didn’t say she did. I was just trying to get her to see why Quinn didn’t tell her anything about it,” I explain to him, before redirecting my attention to Ashley. “This has nothing to do with us or our opinions. Do I think Quinn should be getting married for the reasons she is? No. But it’s not our choice to make. There’s something more at work here. I was close to finding it all out, but then the phone rang. The woman is terrified of something. If we’re going to find out what, we need to be understanding and supportive. She supported you even when she didn’t agree with you. You need to do the same for her. She needs her best friend not another person telling her everything she’s doing is wrong. She’s had enough of that in her life from her father.”

  The room is silent. The three of us stand there and take a moment to collect our thoughts. Tensions are high right now. Learning Quinn is being forced to marry Jordan to prevent her father from ruining her career has us all up in arms. Quinn’s being blackmailed by her own father. None of us are really sure how to feel about it. Part of me is screaming to stop Quinn from doing this. The other part of me wants to hug her and tell her everything will be okay, just do what she needs to do.

  “I see your point,” Ash mumbles breaking the silence. “I didn’t even give her a chance to prove to me she knew what she was doing. I didn’t make anything easier for her, just harder. Even when I called a truce, it was still hard to pretend to be okay with it all. I’m sure she picked up on that. I’ve been a terrible friend.”

  No one has the chance to say anything more before Ashley’s phone chimes on the counter next to her.

  “It’s a text from Quinn,” she tells us before letting out a gasp. “Oh my God…”

  “What?” Tanner and I ask in unison.

  “Jordan’s dad died.”

  Chapter Four

  Quinn

  The Mccallahan House is in turmoil when I arrive. Chaos everywhere. There are a bunch of people in uniforms milling around on the driveway. Neighbors standing outside their homes trying to figure out what’s happening. Two cop cars are parked out front with an ambulance in the middle. Not your typical day in this upscale suburb. The picturesque neighborhood with tree-lined sidewalks is usually quiet. Today Diana’s sobs fill the void. Jordan’s trying to calm her down—I can see them through the open double front doors—but it doesn’t seem like his mother can even hear him through her grief.

  Explaining to the officers at the door who I am, I sneak by and head straight toward Jordan and Diana, wrapping my arms around the both of them. “I’m sorry it took me so long to get here.”

  Diana just cries harder and Jordan looks like he’s ready to curl up into a ball in the corner. I can’t blame him. Martin was an amazing man. This family was very close, and now they face having to deal with the loss of one of their own.

  “What can I do?” I ask knowing I need to be the
one who holds them together for now. Neither one of them is in any condition to deal with the commotion going on. I didn’t realize until I pulled up Martin had died at home. I probably should’ve, knowing if they’d had to take him to the hospital Jordan would’ve called me earlier.

  “I … I don’t know.” Jordan stammers over his mother’s head. “I have no idea what needs to be done. Only thing I know is they just took him out to the ambulance.”

  “Okay, I’ll handle everything. Just be here for Mom right now. I’ll be back when I know what’s going on,” I tell him, glancing around the first floor of the house trying to figure out who’s in charge.

  Spotting an officer who seems to be giving orders to paramedics and another officer, I walk over. “Excuse me,” I say when he finishes speaking with the people around him. “What happens now?”

  “And you are?” he questions.

  “I’m the daughter-in-law,” I lie. Well, it’s not really too big of a lie. I was supposed to become his daughter-in-law today.

  “Mr. McCallahan will be taken to the hospital. You’ll be notified when he can be released to the funeral home. You’re free to start making arrangements. I’m sorry for your loss.” He nods and gives me a grim smile before walking off to speak with another group of people near the front door.

  Martin’s wishes were never discussed with me. Glancing back over to Jordan and his mom, I know now isn’t the time to ask. But at least now I know what the next step is.

  Turning back around, I watch Jordan rub his hand up and down his mother’s back in an attempt to soothe her. I have no frame of reference for what they’re feeling at the moment because I despise my parents. My life wouldn’t be too negatively affected if my father kicked the bucket today. If anything, it would make my life better. Needless to say, words of comfort seem to escape me right now.

  “Quinn, dear,” Diana’s distraught voice calls out to me as she waves me over to her and Jordan.

  “I’m sorry about ruining your wedding,” she sniffles as I reach the two of them.

  Her husband just passed away and she’s worried about my fake wedding. Guilt consumes me almost immediately. Her soul mate, the love of her life, is gone. She has to go on without him. The last thing this woman needs to be thinking about is ruining my wedding.

  Pulling her into a hug, I try to calm her worries. “Diana, please don’t even worry about it. It’s not important right now.”

  A new wave of tears streams down her face as she frowns in sadness again. “I just wish Martin could’ve seen it. He was very happy the two of you found each other. All he could talk about was the great woman his son was marrying.”

  My eyes dart to Jordan immediately. His whole reason for going through all this was so his dad could see him get married. He didn’t get that. My heart breaks for him as he takes in his mother’s words. His eyes scrunch closed as he fights back tears. His body shakes as he tries to hold in his sobs. All he wanted was to make his dad proud and he was six hours too short.

  Diana tilts her head up to look at Jordan and a genuine smile slowly sprawls her lips. “He passed on knowing you found your partner in life. It was enough for him. And in a way, he’ll still get to see you get married. He’ll be smiling down on you when it happens, and you’ll know.”

  Her words must reach him deep down wherever he needed them to because a small smile plays across his lips as he nods at her in agreement.

  She reaches something deep inside me as well, but it makes me feel like an even bigger piece of shit than I already do. I came to realize a few hours ago I don’t think I can go through with this. Now she’s telling us her husband passed away peacefully knowing Jordan was settling down. What the fuck am I supposed to do?

  The smaller hand in my left squeezes tightly as the last person finishes paying their respects. I glance at Diana to see her close her eyes and hang her head. She looks like every grieving widow I’ve ever seen on TV or in a movie. The pristine black dress paired with simple shining black heels. Her tiny hat equipped with the black veil attached to hide part of her face. Except her pain is real. You can feel it in every sob escaping her lips. Tears run down her cheeks despite the attempt to hide them behind the veil. She raises a wadded-up tissue to her face with her free hand and wipes the moisture from under her eyes. Drying the path for the next soon to follow.

  The restaurant staff did a beautiful job setting up for the luncheon. The tables weren’t overdone with flowers or silly center pieces. A small hurricane lamp was set in the middle of the table with a lit candle. As if lit in honor of Martin’s memory. I’m grateful there were no flowers set up. We’ve seen enough flowers over this week to last a lifetime.

  It was a simple, three-course lunch, which went by in a blur, really. Guest after guest came up to Jordan and Diana to tell them how beautiful the service was, but I don’t think I can remember any of their faces. I was too busy making sure Jordan and Diana ate something and everything went off without a hitch. We didn’t need any problems today. Our plates were at max capacity as it was.

  I turn to Jordan on my other side and squeeze his hand. He looks very handsome in his black suit, but he’s hollow. He hasn’t said too much to me with words in the last few days, but his eyes show all his gratitude despite the sorrow living in them. I wait for a signal of some kind that he’s ready to head out. His shoulders rise as he takes a deep breath before turning to me and nodding. I grip both of their hands as Jordan takes his first step toward the exit.

  The short path to get from the restaurant to the waiting car seems like a mile. All of us eager yet sad to finalize the day. The last two days have felt like an eternity of their own. The viewing yesterday was six solid hours of people telling us how great of a man Martin was and how he would be missed. I’m grateful Martin had decided he only wanted a one-day viewing. If we had to do two days of it, I’m not sure Diana would’ve made it.

  She’s been pretty much catatonic. Nodding, giving sad smiles of thanks, and sleeping. She hasn’t spoken much the last three days. I can’t imagine how she feels. Empty is what I’m guessing. How do you bury the man you love? I’m thankful she was able to get through the first day when it seemed like she just might not. She and Jordan were both troopers as we went over everything Martin wanted when things finally settled down at the house. I needed to know in order to take care of it for them.

  I’ve done all I can on my part, but now as we sink into the back of the limo after spending the first half of the day saying goodbye and celebrating a wonderful man comes the hard part. Jordan and Diana now have to begin their lives without their husband and father. And only they can do that.

  It doesn’t take long before we arrive back at the house. Diana hugs Jordan as the car comes to a stop out front of her home. She slides past him to me and wraps her arms around me. I hug her back as she whispers in my ear, “Take care of him for me.”

  “Of course,” I sniffle in her ear. Jordan has been there when I needed him most. No way will I leave him when he needs me.

  Neither of us says anything as the driver closes the door behind his mom. Jordan grabs my hand and links his fingers through mine as I sit back against the seat. I give his hand a tiny squeeze as I shoot him an understanding nod. He doesn’t have to say anything. His pain is clear as day across his face.

  I lean my head on his shoulder and close my eyes as we make our way home. I’ve been staying with Jordan as per the wedding moving plan. Instead of a wedding we got a funeral. Jordan doesn’t need to be alone right now, and a fiancée wouldn’t leave his side at a time like this.

  Seeing him like this isn’t easy for me. Jordan has been the one holding me together when shit hits the fan. Usually, it’s something from my fucked-up father blindsiding us, but not this time. This time Jordan needs me. I’ll do anything I can to be here for him.

  My eyes slowly open as the car comes to a stop and the driver gets out. Gripping Jordan’s hand, I slide down the bench in the limo pulling him with me. He’s in a daze.
Almost as if he used up every ounce of energy to get through everything today with his mother. Now, it’s like leading a small child.

  As we make our way into the building, I fish in my clutch for my keys. I find them just as the lobby elevator doors open and we make our way on.

  Jordan presses the twenty-four button for our floor and then rests against the back wall of the elevator. He doesn’t look at me, instead tilting his head back and closing his eyes. God, he looks so broken. His shoulders aren’t strong and squared displaying his usual confidence. His usual smirk of happiness gone. Everything about him at this moment screams “lost.”

  As soon as I get the apartment unlocked and open, Jordan rushes through and heads right for the bar set up in the corner of the dining room. He grabs a tumbler and sets it down on the table before turning back to grab the crystal decanter half full of Scotch.

  He pours himself a good three fingers and downs it all at once. The glass makes a loud thud as he slams it back down on the mahogany dining room table. It’s quickly refilled with another three fingers. As soon as it’s empty, Jordan stares down at it for a moment before hurling it across the room. The tumbler makes several gouges in the paint as it shatters in every direction, filling the room with shards of glass.

  The sound of breaking glass doesn’t drown out Jordan’s anguish. His sobs echo all around, tearing at my heart. My body is pulled to his as he slides down the wall, crying into his hands. His whole body shakes as the grief rips through him. He’s been strong for his mom the last few days; I don’t think he allowed himself a moment for it all to sink in. His father is gone. He said his final goodbye to the man who helped make him who he is. I can’t begin to fathom the sadness he feels in this moment.