Lithium Tides: A Lithium Springs Novel

by Carmel Rhodes

Being on Team Lithium was fun. Being with Jam was fun. Javi and Ryder were fun. And if she were being honest with herself—truly honest—she loved spending time with Carter. Things were so different with him. They were like magnets, naturally drawn to each other. She could talk to Carter about anything, and he’d listen as if what she was saying was the most important thing in the world. He had a passion for life that inspired her, and the sex was divine—a Holy Trinity, born again kind of sexual awakening that Kensie had only ever read about in books.

  On the other hand, there was Trey. He was analytical. He didn’t do anything unless it made sense, unless it made money. He would provide her and their future children with everything they’d ever want. He was dependable, stable, and most importantly, she knew he’d always protect her heart. Their relationship would never be intense, but it would be everlasting.

  Kensie had a choice to make. Was for now with Carter worth risking forever with Trey?

  “Do you plan on ignoring me for the rest of the day?”

  She sighed, picking her head up off the glass. Going to this party with him was a mistake, but it was too late to back out now.

  “No, I’ll smile and do the whole Stepford wife thing once we get there, just let me sulk for a little while longer.”

  Trey’s jaw tensed and his grip on the steering wheel tightened perceptibly. He was one of the most controlled men she’d ever met. This was only the second time she’d ever seen his composure slip. The first time was last week, in his kitchen. “What’s going on with us?” he gritted. His expression was impossible to read behind his dark Ray-Bans.

  “I don’t know,” she said as she fiddled with the pearls around her neck. Pearls to a pool party. They didn’t match the tiny purple bikini she wore under her yellow sundress, but she put them on anyway. It was a ritual now. She’d worn them after every night spent in Neverland.

  “You’re still moving in, aren’t you?”

  “I don’t know,” she sighed. Her eyes drifted back out the window. Bellevue was just across Lake Washington. They were getting closer and closer with each passing moment. The city long behind them, as they crossed the East Canal Bridge.

  “You’re giving up after one fucking fight?”

  “No, I’m not giving up. We still have a lot to learn about each other, about what we want out of life, and where we see ourselves in the future. I don’t know if it’s a good idea.”

  “I get that all the marriage and children talk freaked you out, but it isn’t like we haven’t discussed the possibilities before.”

  “We’ve talked about one day getting married and one day having children. Me quitting my ‘silly little’ job and staying home full-time was never part of the discussion. You make it sound as if this time next year I’ll be Mrs. Knight and we’ll be expecting our first child. So yes,” she admitted, “it freaked me out. I just want it to be Trey and Kensie for a little while longer.”

  “I never called your job silly.”

  Kensie’s eyes bulged out of their sockets. She was trying to have a serious conversation about the future of their relationship and that’s what he chose to focus on? “Are you really fucking arguing semantics with me?”

  He bristled at her tone. His knuckles turned white as snow. “Language, Kensington,” he warned, and she had to bite her tongue until she tasted blood to refrain from exploding. If they kept this up, she wouldn’t be able to pretend to be the happy couple they were supposed to be. “Baby, I don’t want to fight. You can work if you want, you can stay home, you can even work from home. I don’t care, I just don’t want to fight with you anymore. I want us to be happy.”

  Kensie released a shaky breath and tears welled in her big, brown eyes. His sincerity almost knocked the wind out of her. That was all she’d ever wanted from him, only now she feared it was too little, too late.

  Ring

  Ring

  Ring

  Trey’s phone blared through the speakers, just the distraction Kensie needed. This conversation was getting too heavy for a day meant to celebrate Trey’s little brother turning twenty-five.

  “Hello.”

  “Hey,” Reagan’s hushed voice wafted through the car, “are you at my parents’ place yet?”

  “No, we’re almost to the gate,” Trey answered. Kensie looked out the window then. She recognized the neighborhood. Trey’s parents lived here too.

  “Hurry, we’re finished with brunch and we should be there in fifteen. Grant’s home, so just go around back to the pool house…shit…he’s coming. See you soon!”

  Kensie couldn’t help the smile that played at her lips, her first genuine smile of the day. Reagan’s energy was infectious, even over the phone she felt her warmth. It was like she’d been thrown a life raft. The one bright spot on this otherwise dismal day. “I don’t want to fight either, not today. Let’s just try to get back to Trey and Kensie, okay?”

  “I like that. I can do that,” he agreed.

  “Babe, what are you doing? We’re going to be late,” Kensie asked as Trey parked in his parents’ driveway.

  Trey smirked at his girlfriend. “The party is right next door. Reagan sent out a mass text this morning telling everyone to park here so the cars wouldn’t tip Liam off. There’s a path out by the boathouse that connects to the Thayers’.”

  “Oh,” she said in surprise. She’d known Liam and Reagan had been high school sweethearts, but she had no idea they literally grew up together. Kensie followed Trey around the estate and back down to the boathouse. The view from the yard was stunning. The afternoon sun danced off Lake Washington, filling Kensie with an overwhelming sense of calm.

  She reached for Trey’s hand as he led her down a narrow path and through a smattering of evergreen trees. He smiled down at her, bringing her fingers to his lips. “What’s going on up there, Kensie?”

  “I was just thinking about how awesome it must have been to grow up here,” she said as they strolled leisurely through the woods.

  Kensie studied his profile as they traveled the worn path between the two properties. His sunglasses were pushed up on top of his head, providing her with her first glimpse of the brown eyes she’d fallen in love with. His body was relaxed, much more than it had been just moments ago. For the first time since she’d met Carter, things were starting to feel almost normal between her and her boyfriend.

  “It definitely didn’t suck. We spent so much time in these woods when we were younger, running back and forth between our house and the Thayers’. We drove our mothers crazy.” A myriad of emotions passed through his eyes as he recalled his childhood, joy, adoration, contentment, then finally, sadness.

  She wasn’t sure what caused the sudden shift in his mood, but she decided not to push it. This is the first conversation they’ve had that hadn’t ended in a fight in days and she wanted to savor it.

  The Thayer estate was massive, and the view was equally impressive. The large brick and stucco house sat back from the water. There was a boat docked down by the lake, a tennis court and a deck overlooking the yard. A tall blond man with blue eyes greeted them as they approached. There was something vaguely familiar about him, like she’d met him before, but she couldn’t place him.

  He extended a hand to Trey, pulling him in for a hug. “Haven’t seen you since Vegas, dude.” The man grinned. “Thought you might have died from alcohol poisoning.”

  Trey groaned, “I’m never going anywhere with you guys again.”

  Kensie shuffled awkwardly at the direction of the conversation. She couldn’t help the nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach when she thought about Trey’s trip to Sin City. It was the same weekend she met Carter and, yes, that made her a hypocrite. She knew her flaws, she was jealous, immature, and a cheater, but she was still human.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Trey said realizing himself. “Grant Thayer, this is Kensington Roth. Kensie, Grant. He’s Reagan’s oldest brother.”

  Grant smiled at Kensie and, again, she couldn’t help feeling as if the
y’d met before. “Hi!” she greeted, wrapping her arms around Trey’s waist. “I hope you guys didn’t have too much fun in Vegas.” Her tone was playful, as she tried to suppress the angry little green monster bubbling inside of her.

  “He was on his best behavior,” Grant assured her, ushering them up towards the pool. “Scout’s honor.”

  Trey draped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her forehead to his lips. He looked at her, really looked at her for the first time in months. It was as if he could sense the shift and he was trying to remind her of why she fell in love with him in the first place. She could do this. She could get through this party with a smile on her face. She needed this. They needed this. She needed to know if her relationship with Trey was worth fighting for, or if she should jump out the window and fly off to Neverland forever.

  The backyard was a circus—literally. Unicorns floated in the infinity pool and game stations were set up throughout the yard. There was a popcorn machine, cotton candy, and even face painting. It was like a child’s birthday party, well aside from the fully stocked bar and the thirty or so twenty-somethings milling around in swimwear.

  Grant’s phone chimed, Reagan letting him know she and Liam were pulling onto the street. He directed everyone to get into position. Kensie and Trey ducked behind a lounge chair, their eyes focused on the French doors. Her heart pounded. Time seemed to stop as they waited patiently for the doors to open. She felt like a kid waiting for Santa.

  “They’re coming,” someone whisper-yelled from across the patio.

  The door creaked open and Liam’s face peeked into view.

  “SURPRISE!” the small crowd yelled in unison as Liam and Reagan walked out onto the patio. Shock and surprise flashed in his eyes before he turned to his fiancée. There was so much love, so much adoration, and so much intimacy in that one look that Kensie had to turn away.

  Liam and Reagan made their rounds, politely thanking everyone for coming and answering questions about their upcoming nuptials. They looked so blissfully happy, Kensie couldn’t help but wonder if she’d ever feel that way. She glanced at Trey. He was busy chatting with Grant and one of Liam’s frat brothers about last week’s Mariners game. She racked her brain trying to recall if he’d ever looked at her with even half the intensity that his brother looked at Reagan.

  Sure, Liam and Reagan had known each other their entire lives, and maybe she and Trey had only been together for a little over a year, but they were supposed to be moving in together. They’d discussed marriage and children and spending the rest of their lives together, yet Kensie couldn’t recall a single time when Trey looked at her like that.

  “I’m going to grab a drink, baby, do you want anything?” Kensie asked, shaking off the depressing thoughts. She was going to enjoy herself if it killed her.

  “A beer would be great. You guys good?” Trey asked his friends.

  “I’d love a beer.” Liam’s frat brother nodded.

  “I’ll come with,” Grant offered.

  Kensie gave him a small smile as they turned and headed towards the cabana.

  “If she can pull all of this off last minute, I can’t wait to see what the wedding looks like,” Kensie marveled. Even the bar was decorated in the circus theme. There were special labels over the liquor bottles and clown faces on the napkins and plastic cups.

  “Liam hates clowns,” Grant chuckled, shaking his head. “I’m just grateful she only uses her evil powers to torture her fiancé.” He held up a bottle of vodka with a picture of Liam’s head photoshopped onto a ringleader’s body. The sight of it caused Kensie to double over in laughter.

  “What’s so funny?” Reagan asked as she and Liam approached. Reagan was gorgeous. Her body curved in all the right places and she had a face that looked like it belonged on a runway.

  Grant turned the label toward Liam, raising his brow. “It’s not too late to back out you know,” he said, ducking as his sister took a swing.

  Liam laughed. Although he was two years younger than Trey, they could have passed for twins. The only real difference between them was that Trey was two inches taller. “No such luck,” Liam lamented, smiling at Reagan. “She had me at hello. I never even had a choice.”

  Reagan stuck her tongue out at her brother and then leaned up on her toes to press a small kiss on Liam’s mouth. They lingered for a moment until Grant started making gagging noises. “Ugh, you two are hopeless,” he teased, his face wrinkled in mock disgusted.

  They were hopeless and Kensie thought it was adorable. It was the kind of love that endured. It was the kind of love that her parents shared, the kind she saw on Jam’s face when she looked at Ryder, and the kind she wished to one day find for herself. “You really outdid yourself with this party, Reagan,” she said, looking around the yard.

  “She sure did.” Kensie’s heart stopped upon hearing the familiar voice. It came from somewhere behind her. She felt him as he approached. The hair on the back of her neck stood at attention. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. His voice alone was enough to send her into a catatonic shock. “Too bad my invitation must have gotten lost in the mail.” Carter came to a stop at her side, but she didn’t dare look. If her stupid legs would work, she’d turn and run back out the door.

  What is he doing here?

  Why the fuck is he here?

  “It’s Liam’s birthday. These are his friends,” Reagan explained.

  “But you invited this motherfucker.” Carter grinned, pointing to Grant. As he spoke, his body shifted so that their arms touched. To everyone else, the movement seemed harmless, accidental, but she knew better.

  “Give me a break, Cart. Grant is Liam’s best friend and one of his groomsmen. Plus, I knew you wouldn’t come because he’s here,” Reagan countered. “Not to mention, I had to beg you to play at the wedding, AND you’re making us pay!”

  “You can afford it.” He smirked. Kensie felt his eyes trail down to her but she refused to meet his gaze. Suddenly the clown decorations were the most interesting thing in the world. “We were together last week, little sister, you could have at least mentioned it.”

  That’s when it happened. That’s when her world stopped.

  Holy Shit.

  HO-LEE SHIT!

  Shit

  Shit

  Shit

  Carter and Reagan were brother and sister. Kensie was fucking her boyfriend’s-brother’s-fiancée’s-brother. There had to be an episode of Jerry Springer in there somewhere. Her knees wobbled. She turned and grabbed one of the bottles with Liam’s face on it and poured herself a double shot. What the fuck was happening? Her worlds were colliding, and she could only hope to contain the fallout.

  Reagan rolled her eyes. “Why are you even here?”

  Carter looked back to Kensie. She silently pleaded with him not to blow her cover. “I didn’t realize I needed a reason to come home.” He was talking to his sister, but his gaze stayed trained on Kensington. “But if you must know, I need dad to look over some contracts and stuff for the band. He told me to drop it off whenever,” he explained, shaking the manila envelope in his hand to drive the point home.

  Kensie discreetly tipped her cup of vodka back. The liquid burned going down her throat, but it did nothing to quell her anxiety, so she poured another.

  “Oh, well you’re more than welcome to join us, you know that.”

  “Maybe I will.” Carter eyed Kensie like she was a treat, a tasty morsel to be devoured. Her cheeks were on fire.

  “Oh no. Absolutely not. Don’t even think about it, big brother,” Reagan said looking from Carter to Kensie and back again. “You’re barking up the wrong tree, in the wrong forest, on the wrong planet.”

  He reluctantly tore his gazed from Kensington to shoot his sister a questioning look.

  Before anyone could utter another word on the subject, an arm wrapped possessively around Kensie’s neck and she peeked up to see Trey glaring at the drummer. The air surrounding them was impossibly thick. Everyone sensed t
he shift.

  “Back. The fuck. Off,” Trey seethed.

  Confusion, anger, then sudden realization washed across CT’s features. He chuckled to himself, shaking his head, finally putting it together. “The cornball.”

  “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Trey asked, as he brought his other hand around Kensie’s front, forcing her back into his chest. He was staking his claim, letting Carter know that she belonged to him.

  “Who’s your Friend?” His words were intentional. He was talking to Trey, but the hidden message was for her.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Trey snipped. “She’s out of your league.”

  “I don’t know, man,” Carter said scratching his head, “chicks dig the tattoos.” His eyes traveled back to Kensie. She glared at him, willing him to let this go.

  “Stop eye fucking my girl,” Trey growled. Kensie had never seen this side of Trey before, and she’d rarely ever heard him say fuck. His anger unnerved her. She could feel the rage rolling off him in waves.

  “Or else what?” Carter smirked. His face was smug, like he knew something that Trey didn’t. Everyone else must have assumed it was bravado, but Kensie knew, she was his ace in the hole.

  “We can settle this right now if you want,” Trey threatened, releasing Kensie from his hold. He took a step forward.

  “Because that worked out so well for you last time,” Carter said, also stepping forward.

  “Yeah, well, this isn’t last time and we’re not nineteen anymore.”

  “Will you two stop it,” Reagan shrieked. “This stupid rivalry is getting old. Liam and I are getting married in a couple of weeks and we are all going to officially be family. I’m sick of this shit. Come on, Kensie, let’s go.” Reagan grabbed Kensie by the hand and pulled her back towards the house.

  “What the fuck was that?” Kensie asked, releasing the breath that she’d been holding ever since Carter arrived.

  “Intense, right.” Reagan nodded.

  “So intense.”

  “Can you believe they used to be best friends?”

  “Trey and your brother?”