Sex, Secrets and Happily Ever Afters

by Deb Julienne

  “I’m sorry.” Del sobbed.

  “You should be,” Roselyn said. “We handed you the perfect blue blood, and the Wellingtons even approved of you. Travis’ mother and I always dreamed our children would marry well. And your father counted on running the European office of Wellington Aviation International.”

  Delaney hiccupped. “I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.”

  Sloan Prescott said, “It certainly is. You weren’t Mrs. Wellington yet. You should have paid closer attention to Travis and made sure to keep him happy. I told you to keep him drunk until after the wedding.”

  Stunned, Travis faltered then grabbed the wall to steady himself. The baby and the new wedding date had all been a part of some ungodly plan by Del’s parents for retribution against his parents.

  Delaney wailed. “I did just that. Every time he asked about the baby or the wedding, I fixed him a drink. I can’t help it if he had doubts.”

  “If we hadn’t insisted you get pregnant, he’d have left you. We handed him to you on a silver platter and managed to get your wedding moved up. All you had to do was make it thirty lousy days to the wedding and you couldn’t even do that right.”

  Travis couldn’t believe how cold and calculating her parents were. How had he missed this side of them?

  Delany blew her nose. “I’m sorry…” The rest of her comment was garbled.

  Sloan grunted. “Maybe you can guilt him into sticking around until you get pregnant again.”

  His blood ran cold. He didn’t want to confront them. Not Delaney, not her parents, but he had to. He stepped into the room, thumped the flowers on her bedside table, and faced them.

  Delaney’s face was devoid of emotion, but her eyes were wide, and she gnawed her bottom lip.

  He glared at her, daring her to lie.

  Roselyn stood beside the bed, perfectly coiffed in a midnight blue, two-piece suit. She hovered over Delany, pretending to be an attentive mother, brushing her hair out of her eyes, “My poor baby. Oh, Travis, you’re just in the nick of time. Delaney’s beside herself with grief.”

  “Cut it, Mom. He heard you.” Delaney sniffed and pulled up the covers, as if they’d protect her. She played with a snag on the blanket.

  Roselyn straightened, and her eyes grew cold as she wiped at phony tears before turning her wrath on Travis. “You did this to my daughter. You should be ashamed of yourself. First you get our girl in trouble, and now this.” She maintained an even tone, her hand splayed across her chest, deflecting the blame.

  “If I were you, Roselyn, I’d shut up. It’s too late to plead the fifth. I heard every word you said. All of it.” Travis was thoroughly disgusted. Screw them.

  Sloan Prescott cleared his throat. His balding forehead sweated profusely, he raised his chin and opened his mouth.

  Glaring, Travis cut him off. “I’ll fucking level you. Don’t say a word. Either of you.” He prided himself on his control. It was not typical for him to swear at his elders, but he was beyond caring. “The wedding is off, unequivocally. Do you understand?”

  Delaney nodded.

  Roselyn and Sloan scowled at him.

  Roselyn stood erect, looming over her daughter with an ugly sneer. “That’s what you think. After I tell your parents what you did, you’ll marry Delaney or we’ll sue for breach of contract.”

  “Contract? I don’t believe I signed any such contract. Is there something you forgot to tell me?”

  Delaney kept her head down.

  “There was no breech. You tried to manipulate me. When that didn’t work, you used your own daughter to further your financial gains. Well, not anymore. I’m done. We’re through and if you want to talk lawsuit, I’ll have you brought up on charges of fraud.”

  “But—” Roselyn sputtered.

  “Save it. Have a nice life, Del.” He walked out of the room.

  * * * *

  Travis felt like a world-class schmuck for being played, not just by Del, but by her parents as well.

  “I swear,” said Kat. “I almost feel sorry for Delaney.”

  “Son of a bitch.” Trent sat forward, elbows braced on his knees. “I can’t believe those people. Did you tell Mom and Dad about this?”

  “I headed for the nearest bar. The second the bartender sat my drink in front of me, Sloan Prescott’s ‘keep him drunk until the wedding’ rang in my ears. I put a ten on the bar and went home to bed. In the morning, I called around and found a rehab facility on the other side of the United States.”

  “That’s when you told Trent you were checking yourself into rehab.” Kat dropped into the chair.

  “If Trent hadn’t agreed to help…” He didn’t want to think about what would have happened to him. “I assume the Prescotts believed me because our folks never said a word. That’s all there was to it.”

  Kat jumped up and glared at him. “That’s all? Trent, did you know about any of this?”

  Trent sat beside him, mouth open, not speaking.

  “I’ll take your silence as a no.”

  Travis updated Trent about Angel’s landlord issue and his run-in with Delaney.

  Kat zeroed in on Travis. “Why the hell would you keep this from Trent and me? We’re family. While I get your parents are no help at all, Trent or I should have been your first call when you walked out of the hospital room.” She cuffed him on the head. “You big dumbass.” Being an equal opportunity disciplinarian, she smacked Trent as well.

  Travis rubbed his head while looking to Trent for help.

  Trent and Kat stared at him.

  “Well?” Kat’s eyes were cold and calculating, her lips curled as she slapped her hands on her hips.

  “Well, what?” Travis focused on a painting on the wall. A Monet, if he wasn’t mistaken.

  “What’s your excuse?” Kat tapped her foot.

  “I don’t have an excuse. You both have your own lives.”

  “That’s bullshit.” Kat clenched her fists.

  He fully expected her to slug him any minute.

  “Seriously, Trav. Why didn’t you speak up when we agreed to the switch? I’d have made time.” Trent slumped back in his seat and gave him a double take.

  “We haven’t exactly been close the last several years.” Travis kept accusation from his tone, merely stating a fact.

  “Close or not, you were wrong not to call me. We’re brothers.” Trent bowed his head.

  “Regardless, we have to figure out what to do. What’s your first priority?” Kat finally sat down and drummed her fingers on the back of the couch.

  “Angel. I’ve got a call into Dan Jacobs, a buddy in real estate. You’re ignoring the bigger problem. What are you going to do about Delaney? That’s why I came over in the first place. She’s up to something. As far as I’m concerned I’m done with her.”

  “She’s not here on a whim, I’ll tell you that right now.” Kat crossed the room and dug through a stack of mail on the kitchen counter. After finding the card, she handed it to him. “She sent it a couple weeks ago. I didn’t respond because, frankly, I had no intention of seeing her. However, based on your conversation with her, I’m going to call and set up lunch. I don’t trust her. Oh, and Angel saw the card, so you can’t ignore it.”

  Travis read the note and handed it back. “Son of a bitch. Delaney is like a bad infection that won’t go away.”

  “Watch out—she could go septic on you.” Kat sniggered, pointing the card at him.

  “I wish I could say you’re imagining things, but I have to agree. However, I told her emphatically that I’m done. I’ve moved on.” Travis couldn’t imagine what motive Delaney had to continue to humiliate herself.

  Kat frowned. “Please tell me you didn’t say that to her.”

  “I did. Why?”

  Trent hung his head. “Ah shit.”

  Kat stomped around the room. “You idiot.”

  “What did I do now?” Travis asked.

  Trent glared at him. “By telling her you’ve moved on, you’ve e
ssentially told her someone else is in the picture. Did you say anything else?”

  “Not that I can think of.

  Kat sank into the couch. “Think hard. What exactly did you say?”

  “Dan returned my call. We agreed to meet tomorrow.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “You’re sure you didn’t mention Angel or anything else?”

  “I told Dan to get me any info on the address on Front Street.”

  “Damn it, Travis. What were you thinking?” Trent tossed his hands up. “You as good as drew a bull’s-eye on Angel’s forehead.”

  Kat said, “I guarantee Del’s already got Angel in her sights. In case you forgot, Del was my sorority sister and the most vindictive bitch I know. If she suspects anything at all, you can consider Angel’s happiness history and her store, too.”

  The ramifications of what he’d done sent the fear of God through him. “Ah shit!”

  “You’re nuts if you believe Del’s lie, that she’s here on a lark. I guess I could offer to buy Angel’s building.” Kat flicked the note against her chin.

  “I see you trying to process it all, but unless you want to piss Angel off, I wouldn’t advise it,” Travis said.

  “Oh, I see. You already offered? At least I’ll give you kudos for the attempt.” Kat’s tone overflowed with snark and admiration.

  “She was livid. Said it was her store and if she succeeded or failed, it was all on her,” he said.

  “Great. Now what?” Kat crushed the note with her hands.

  Trent snapped his fingers and grinned. “What if I offer to buy it—anonymously, of course?”

  “I’m trying to get a hold of the owner. Maybe we could figure something out.” Travis needed more time.

  “Keep me in mind in case that’s an option,” Trent said.

  “Will do,” Travis said.

  “All I can say is you better do something about Del, because if you don’t you’re going to need a wooden stake, a silver bullet, and a scalpel to keep the wanna-be-bride-of-Frankenstein from screwing with Angel.” Kat let out a bitter laugh, but her eyes were filled with worry.

  “Gee thanks.” Travis’s stomach churned with disgust for how close he’d come to making the mistake of a lifetime.

  “I’m deadly serious. If she has even a clue that you’re with someone else, nothing will stop her from trying to get back at you.” Kat shook her finger at him for emphasis.

  “And the fact I’m not interested in her means nothing?”

  Kat scowled at him as if he were the dumbest man on the planet. “Damn right. Are you going to try to convince me that you honestly believed you and Delaney Prescott were a love match?”

  He opened his mouth to speak.

  Kat said, “No. It was a manipulation of her parents and yours, nothing more.”

  “Kat’s right, Trav. They threw her at me first. I didn’t bite so they sicced her on you.”

  “What?” Travis sat up straight. “You couldn’t warn me?” He was surprised his parents had tried to set up Trent and Delaney first.

  “You never balked or said anything. I thought you liked her.”

  “I did, too. It wasn’t until the shit hit and I quit drinking I realized what it was—a bad habit.”

  “What do you mean?” Kat asked.

  “As long as Mom and Dad were happy, I went along. Most nights, we went out with the folks or friends. Drinking was the only way to cope. She acted the part of doting girlfriend, but if we disagreed, she’d order me another drink. It was easier to drink than to feel. Like I said, a bad habit.” How could he have been so stupid?

  “Damn.” Trent stood and paced, nearly running head-on into Kat.

  Kat said, “So instead of ditching the bitch you stayed drunk? Come on, Travis—that’s ridiculous. It’s also not you. There has to be more to it. You’re not typically a fool.”

  “Tell me how you really feel. Shit, Kat. You think I don’t know that?” Travis had called himself every kind of fool for not seeing the reality of things.

  “Kat’s right. Something more is going on here. You’re too focused on Delaney. I’ve got an idea. Let me check into it.” Trent pulled out his cell phone and went into Kat’s room.

  “While he’s doing whatever the hell he’s doing, you and I are going to have a little talk.”

  “Ah shit, do we have to?” Travis said.

  “Fine. I’ll talk. You shut up and listen.”

  He was licked. Nothing to do but sit back and let her have her way, but he wasn’t going to do so quietly. He purposely took his time, stretched an arm across the back of her sofa, crossed his leg, straightened his slacks, picked an imaginary piece of lint from his pants, and flicked it onto her carpet. He looked up. “By all means, please, continue.”

  “God you’re an ass.”

  “That seems to be the general consensus.” He shrugged. Why argue and piss her off more?

  Kat pointedly stared. “You’re lucky you’re off the sauce or we’d be playing a game of truth and dare.”

  “I heard about your little game. Sounds deadly.”

  “Especially when you’re the one about to be nailed.”

  Frowning, Trent came back into the room. “Just as I thought—Mom and Dad are in cahoots with Del’s parents. A marriage merger being the end result.”

  Travis jumped out of his seat. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “I still have a few friends inside Wellington International and they said with the merger of your wedding, the Prescotts were going to move to Europe and run the overseas offices.”

  “So Delaney and I are pawns in the parental scheme of things?” Travis asked.

  “No, you’re being thrown to the barracuda bitch to keep you in line.” Kat scowled.

  “But only if you let it happen,” Trent said.

  “I thought the proverbial marriage of convenience was passé.”

  “In case you weren’t aware, the Prescotts burned all their bridges here in the United States. They need a whole new crowd who haven’t been manipulated by them yet,” Trent said.

  “If they’re that bad, why would the folks want anything to do with them? Dad’s not an ignorant man. But in this case, either Dad was a part of the whole manipulation or he is as clueless as I was.”

  “Honestly,” Trent said. “I think they’re holding something over Mom and Dad. Something bad enough that would make them cave. Nothing else makes sense.” Trent gave Kat a sidelong glance, as if there was something he didn’t want to say in front of her.

  Travis played it cool. “You’re crazy, Trent. Granted, our parents aren’t perfect but to use us and play with our futures, no way.”

  “If your parents are in cahoots with those people, you’re not safe from anyone or anything.” Kat punctuated her statement with a look of accusation that would make the devil fear hell.

  “Guess I’ll have to do some digging to find out.” Travis couldn’t wait to get Trent alone to find out what he didn’t want Kat to hear.

  “While I’m at it, I want to point out something to you two meatheads.” Kat leaned heavily on the back of the couch between them and huffed. “I love you guys. You’re the closest thing I’ve got to brothers, and while we have different parents and mine are gone, if you can’t count on them to have your backs you damn well better remember I’m here. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for either of you idiots. From this day forward you best remember that.”

  “I think there was a compliment in there somewhere, don’t you?” A half grin crept across Trent’s face.

  Travis chuckled. “Backhanded as it was.”

  “Pipe down, you two. I’m still talking. Now, where was I?” She scratched her head. “Oh yes, you idiots. Trent’s lucky because he found Sabrina.” Kat put one hand on Trent’s shoulder and stared down at him. “She’s one of the strongest women I know and will keep you happy, of that I have no doubt.” She put her other hand on Travis’s shoulder and squeezed. “As for you, Angel is perfect for you. She needs yo
u almost as much as you need her.”

  “Was she always this bossy?” Trent chuckled.

  “Yes.” Travis raised a brow then snickered.

  Kat squeezed hard.

  They yelped simultaneously. “Ouch.”

  “Are you telling me I’m wrong?” Kat kept a tight grip.

  “Wouldn’t dream of it.” Trent winced then pulled free.

  Travis finally broke her hold. “Me either.” He rubbed his aching shoulder.

  Kat dusted off her hands. “Then shut up and quit interrupting me. Angel is your chance for true happiness. Are you going to let your folks and the Prescotts screw up your future? If you do and you lose Angel because of them, you’ll never have another chance to find it again.”

  “Do I seem that delusional or clueless to you?” Travis asked.

  “Yes, in a way. You’re not giving Delaney or your folks credit enough for the lengths they’re willing to go to control you. If you’d been on top of things, none of this would have happened.”

  Travis started to open his mouth to argue, but she was right.

  “You need to be honest with Angel, tell her you want a chance with her, that Delaney and the folks want to interfere, and that no matter what they say she needs to have faith in you.”

  Trent nodded.

  “And you need to figure a way to make Delaney go away forever. Cement shoes aren’t good enough for her. If you never loved Delaney, tell her so. Don’t allow her any leeway, no chance to get back with you. As pained as she’ll be, she needs to know it’s over and that you won’t allow any of her crap to ruin the life you’re trying to rebuild.”

  “That’s easier said than done. Getting Del to listen won’t be easy. Getting her to stay calm will be damn near impossible.” Travis wasn’t looking forward to that conversation.

  “And for God’s sake, don’t mention Angel. Don’t say anything else but you’re done.”

  “I thought I’d made myself clear before I walked out of that hospital room, but obviously not. What do you suggest?”

  “Do it soon. I still say I should talk to Angel. She’ll take it from me better than you,” Kat said.