“Speaking of babies, or lack thereof, have you started your birth control up since being out of the hospital?”
“Yeah, I’m back on track again. Thank God. I hate when he has to pull out, and those fucking condoms like to come off. Let me tell you, it’s not cute when you have to go looking for one.”
Adrienne barks out a laugh. “Oh my God!”
“For real,” I say with my own laugh.
“Well, yeah, glad you don’t have to worry about going to the doctor so they can find a lost condom.”
“Embarrassing!”
“Definitely,” she replies, still laughing.
A while later, Jace and Troy barge in through the front door.
“Hey!” Adrienne squeals as she moves from the couch. She doesn’t get far because Jace quickly approaches and lifts her into the air .Her legs wrap around him as she giggles.”
“You miss me?” he asks.
“Eh,” she jokes.
He buries his face in her neck causing her to squeak and swat his arm. Jace falls into the couch, bringing Adrienne onto his lap.
With a smile on my face, I turn and look at Troy as he sits down next to me. He leans over and kisses my lips before moving his mouth to my ear.
“I missed you,” he says huskily.
I smile like a school girl. “Yeah?”
He makes a noise in the back of his throat as he kisses my neck. “I think we should go home,” he says quietly.
“Sounds good to me,” I say with a laugh.
“How’s Marc?” Adrienne asks.
“I’d say he’s pretty good,” Troy says with a low chuckle.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“He disappeared on us while we looked around the club, and turns out he was with a woman. I don’t know where she came from, but when we left we noticed lipstick on his neck,” Jace answers.
“What? Really?” Adrienne and I say at the same time.
The guys just nod.
“Why hasn’t he told you about her? Why so secretive?” I ask.
The guys shrug in response.
“Ugh. You guys don’t know anything,” I whine.
“I haven’t seen Marc in a while, but I always thought he was keeping something to himself.”
“Why do you say that?” Troy asks.
“There’s just something about him,” I say.
“He’s… mysterious.” Adrienne and I say the last part together.
The guys look at each other with confused faces. “I don’t get it. Nico’s been saying the same thing. He’s just Marc. He always has clients, and the regulars take him out of town a lot. There’s nothing mysterious about that,” Jace says.
“Maybe that’s what he wants you to think,” Adrienne says playfully.
“So, anyway. How’d the club thing go?” I ask, looking between Jace and Troy.
“Good. We’re getting it,” Troy answers with a smile.
“Really?” Adrienne squeals as she looks at Jace.
“Yep,” he answers and kisses her forehead.
“I wanna see!” I chirp.
“We’ll show you soon. We’re waiting for Marc to set up a meeting with Lincoln so we can make it final,” Troy says.
“Okay,” I say before standing up and looking at Jace. “Mind if I grab a water bottle from your fridge?”
“Of course not. Help yourself.”
“Thanks.”
I walk into the kitchen and hear them start up conversation again. I wait a few seconds before calling out for Jace.
“Jace? Can you come here for a sec? I must be blind.”
I hear Adrienne laugh and then a little later Jace strolls in.
He looks behind him before walking closer to me. “So?” he asks, looking nervous.
I give him a big smile. “She does.”
The right side of his mouth lifts, creating a lopsided grin. “Yeah?”
I nod enthusiastically. “Definitely.”
“Thanks, Em. I knew I liked you for a reason.”
“Yeah, cause I’m awesome. So, when?”
“Soon.”
“Yay!” I whisper yell.
He chuckles softly. “Come on, before they start wondering why it takes so long to find water.”
He walks out and I grab a coke, since he doesn’t have any bottles of water.
Adrienne eyes me when I walk back into the living room. “Guess you weren’t blind after all.”
“Nope. He didn’t have any water. So, soda it is.”
“You know he has tap water, right?” Troy says with a smirk.
“Well, I only drink bottled water. So, shush. Anyway, this is gonna be a coke to go. You ready?” I ask Troy.
“Yeah, sure.”
“I’ll talk to you later, Adrienne,” I say as I lean down and give her a hug. “You too, Jace. Have a good night!”
“You guys, too,” Adrienne responds.
I slip my shoes back on, and Troy and I make our way to his car.
“Only drink bottled water, huh?” he asks with a skeptical eyebrow raised.
“Okay, maybe that was a lie.”
“I know it is. Why the lie?”
I get all giddy as I face him in the car. “Jace is going to ask Adrienne to move in with him!”
He turns to look at me, clearly surprised by my announcement. “Really?”
“Yep. He asked me earlier to talk to her to see if she wanted to move in with him or not. So, while you guys were gone, I asked some questions and she said she wanted to live with. I mean, of course she does!” I squeal excitedly. “So, when I went to the kitchen, I called him in there to tell him that she said yes. He should be asking her soon. I’m so excited for them!”
That’s good. I think they’re going to be happy for a long time.”
“Me too.”
He pulls out of the driveway and starts the journey back to his house.
“How’re you doin?” he asks, glancing at me.
“I’m fine. Kinda tired of everybody acting like I’m some sort of fragile porcelain doll, but I’m okay.”
He sighs loudly. “I’m sorry, Emilie. I’m sure you’re ready to be on your own, but I need to make sure nothing happens to you. I already feel like what happened to you before is my fault, and I can’t allow her or anybody to hurt you again. I know you aren’t weak, but I’ll always protect you because I never want you to be hurt or broken, be it physically or mentally.”
He grabs my hand and brings it to his mouth, kissing my knuckles. “I love you.”
I melt. Right there in the passenger seat of his escalade, I melt into a puddle of Emilie. Hearing him tell me he loves me, I know without a doubt that he’ll always be here for me, to protect me, to care for me, and to love me. That’s all I could ask for.
I smile at him. “I love you.”
He continues to hold my hand while it rests on his thigh, and the rest of the drive to his house, I think about how lucky I am to have him in my life.
I lay my head back and close my eyes. I must have dozed off, because suddenly I’m woken up when I hear Troy cursing loudly next to me.
“Son of a fucking bitch!” he seethes.
I pull myself out of my sleepy haze and look around. First thing I notice is Troy’s face. His jaw is tense, and his knuckles are gripping the steering wheel so hard, I’m almost afraid I’m going to see it crumble beneath his fingers.
As I’m about to ask what’s wrong, I glance out the front window, and my jaw drops. I gasp and bring my hand to my mouth.
Holy shit.
“Umm, wow,” Emilie says, her eyes wide, taking everything in.
I growl as I yank my seatbelt off and get out of the car.
Each of the three garage doors have balloons surrounding the outer edges, all of them are the colors mine and Carla’s wedding colors were going to be. Silver, black, and light purple. I storm over to my front door which also has decorations on it. There is a small purple boutonniere taped to a card that’s also taped to
the door. I snatch it off, almost ripping the card itself.
I feel Emilie step next to me. “What is it?”
“A wedding announcement,” I snarl.
“Whose?”
I open it up. “Mine and Carla’s.”
“Oh.” She looks around at the balloons and flowers. “Oooh,” she drags out, seemingly putting it together.
“Did she say anything?” she asks.
I hand her the card as I march over to the garage doors and start ripping the balloons off, popping most of them in the process.
Carla is abso-fucking-lutely insane. Why would she think this would work to get me back? In her warped mind, does she truly believe we’d get married? Fucking idiot!
I see Emilie walking over towards me and I know she’s going to be upset by what Carla put in the card. Get rid of the bitch and we can move past this and start over.
“We need to get rid of this bitch,” Emilie says as she hands me the card.
I nod my head. “Get in the car.”
“Where we going?”
“Your house.”
“Why?” she asks as we both climb into the car.
“Because if she came here, I don’t doubt she’s going to your place.”
Emilie doesn’t say anything and we ride in silence on the way to her house.
“Aren’t the police supposed to be watching my place?” she asks right before we pull up to her apartment complex.
“I doubt they’re here all the time.”
It’s starting to get dark outside, and we have to walk a little ways before we can spot Emilie’s apartment. I don’t see anything right away, but as we get closer to the door, I notice something stuck to her door as well.
I clench my fists and Emilie speeds up, getting to her door before me. She pulls the envelope off the door and rips it open. I stand behind her as she pulls out a photo of Carla and me. I know exactly where and when this photo was taken. We were in California for a romantic weekend away. I had just proposed to her on the beach, and she asked a couple walking by if they would take our picture so we’d always remember that moment.
I’m standing behind her, my arms wrapped around her waist, and I’m kissing her temple as she smiles happily into the camera.
I notice Emilie’s hand is shaking, but she turns the photo over and reads the writing on the back.
A day you’ll never have. The day Troy said I was the only one for him.
Emilie lets the picture fall to the ground, but pulls something else out of the envelope. It’s another picture, but this one pisses me off more than the first. I quickly snatch it out of Emilie’s hand and turn her around to face me.
“She will pay for this, Emilie. Don’t let her affect you. Don’t let these pictures break you. You hear me?”
She slowly looks up at me, tears filling her eyes and her body slightly shaking. I know Emilie’s strong, but there’s only so much a person can take. I cradle her beautiful face in my hands.
“She is nothing. She isn’t half the person you are. At one point, I may have thought she was the only one for me, but that was before I met you. You came into my life and took over the number one spot in my heart. You are my everything, Emilie. I will always see you as the strong, kind, beautiful person you are.”
“Why… why would she take that picture?” Emilie asks.
“Because she’s completely fucking heartless. She’s a cold-hearted bitch who is very clearly envious of you. She wants to be you, she wants what you have, but she will never be you and she’ll never have me.”
In an instant, I witness the moment Emilie lets the sadness go, and becomes the fighter I know her to be. She straightens herself up and doesn’t allow a tear to fall.
“I don’t think she got to know me well enough,” she says.
“Why do you say that?” I ask.
“Because if she thinks sending you balloons and flowers, and sending me a photo of me when I was fucking unconscious and covered in vomit is enough to scare me away, then she doesn’t know me at all. I’m sick of hiding from this bitch, and I’m not doing it anymore.”
She pulls her key out, and walks inside of her apartment.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“I need to get some things.”
I watch her as she scurries throughout her apartment, putting clothes and different things in a bag.
“What do you mean you’re not going to hide from her anymore?”
“I mean, I’m going back to work.”
“Emilie,” I growl.
“No, Troy. I’m sorry, I love you, and I know you want to keep me safe, but she’s not going to affect my life. She controlled yours for so long and I’ll be damned if I allow her to do the same to me.”
“She’s not right in the head, Emilie. You can’t trust those kinds of people.”
“I doubt she’ll try to do anything to me at work, but if it’s me she’s after, then me being out in public is a good thing. She’ll never get to me if I’m locked inside your house.”
“So you’re going to be fucking Crazy Bitch bait? Are you sure that’s the smartest thing to do, Emilie?” I bark. “I thought her not getting to you was the plan.”
“What are my other options, Troy? Never go back to work? Stay locked inside all the time? You can’t always be my babysitter.”
“That’s how you see it? I’m just your fucking babysitter who’s locking you in my house? Because I thought I was your boyfriend who loved you and just wanted to make sure nothing else happened to you. You know, like almost being killed! Excuse me, guess I was wrong.”
“She’s not going away, Troy! If she sees me out, maybe she’ll try to approach me, you can be there, or the cops can be watching, and we can get her.”
“Oh, are you sure I can be there? I’d hate for you to think that the babysitter is hovering too much.”
She huffs and pushes her hair back. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”
“That’s the way it seems, Emilie. I just wanted you to be safe and I liked having you with me at my house. I’m sorry if you think I was locking you away and holding you captive.”
“I don’t want to fight with you, Troy,” she says with a softer voice. “I still want to stay with you, but I’m going to work.”
I swallow my anger and frustration and just nod my head. “Well, come on.”
The whole way back to my house, I think about Emilie’s argument. I get that she’s tired of not living her life freely, and I understand that she needs to go back to work. I just hope she understands where I’m coming from too. I can still picture her laying on the bathroom floor, her lip split, vomit all over, and her lifeless body with no color. I never want to see anything remotely similar to that again.
When I pull up to the house, I park in the garage and choose to deal with all the shit out there later. Emilie walks down the hall with her bag while I pull out a bottle of Crown Royal and a glass from a kitchen cabinet.
Right as I take my first sip, Emilie walks in.
“Drink?” I ask.
“Sure.”
“What do you want?”
“Are you drinking that straight?” she asks, gesturing towards my glass.
“Yep.”
She sighs. “Okay. Pour me some of that and I’ll grab a coke to mix it with.”
While she finishes making her drink, I take mine to the living room and sit on the couch without bothering to turn the TV on. A few minutes later, Emilie joins me, but sits on the other couch.
We sit in silence, drinking our drinks, both of us being too stubborn to start talking. I finish mine and get up to make another. After pouring another two fingers of the dark liquid, I sit back on the far end of the couch. I can feel Emilie watching me, but she never says anything.
“I’m going to bed.” I go put my glass in the sink and then pause near the living room.
“Are you wanting me to join you, or should I just stay out here?” she asks with an attitude.
&nbs
p; “I’m not telling you what to do, I’m just telling you what I’m doing. The alarm is set, unless of course you want to go stand outside and wait for somebody to show up.”
She lets out a loud breath and gets up. “Stop being ridiculous.”
“I’m not the one wanting somebody who’s already tried to kill me to come after me again.”
Emilie slams her glass down on the table. “I knew you weren’t over it.”
“Of course not! I want to keep you safe, and you want to flaunt yourself in front of a fucking psychopath!”
“I want to live!”
“I want you to, too!”
We stand there staring at each other, nobody willing to back down. I cross my arms across my chest and watch her.
“Aaahh! You drive me insane, you know that?” she says, taking her glass to the kitchen.
“I can’t make you any crazier than you already are.”
She comes storming back towards me, her little fists balled up at her sides and I almost want to laugh. She’s so small, but she’s such a fireball.
“I hate you,” she says without conviction.
I raise an eyebrow. “Oh yeah?”
“Yep.”
“Do you hate me because you know I’m right?”
“No. I just hate you.”
I crack a smile at her.
“Don’t smile at me,” she says, turning her head.
“But you’re cute.”
“No I’m not. I’m pissed off.”
“Why?”
She doesn’t answer. Instead she crosses her arms in front of her and continues to not look at me. I take a step towards her.
“You still hating me?”
“Yep.”
“Are you ever going to look at me?”
“Nope.”
I let out a small chuckle which makes her glance at me. When I flash her a smile, I see the corner of her mouth twitch, but she quickly starts walking down the hallway.
“Was that a smile?” I tease.
“Shut up.”
I grab her arm and pull her against me. “You know you can’t stay mad at me,” I whisper into her ear.
“Too bad I am.”
“Stop being so stubborn.”
“No.”
“Fine,” I grunt before pushing her back against the wall in the hallway.
Unforgivable Sin Page 15
