Sex, Secrets and Happily Ever Afters

by Deb Julienne

  “Do you think we wanted you boys to look at us with contempt and mistrust? We aren’t perfect parents, but we do love you. We love Kat, too.” Mr. Wellington sniffed.

  “Kat’s the closest we have to a daughter,” Mrs. Wellington said.

  “But you didn’t trust us with the truth. Then to push Delaney on me, how could you?”

  “We never believed, not for a minute, that you didn’t love her. If we’d thought you were only in the relationship because of us, we’d never have allowed it to go further,” his father said.

  “Just because Roselyn Prescott is my oldest and dearest friend doesn’t mean I approve of everything she does. I truly believed you loved Delaney.” His mother looked hurt by the accusation from him.

  “I did, too, until I overheard her with her parents after she lost the baby.” Travis rolled his shoulders then rubbed his neck.

  It broke Angel’s heart to witness such torment in Travis’ eyes. She scooted over to the book club meeting to allow Travis privacy for the touchy topic.

  * * * *

  Travis had made them promise to butt out of his life. His mother had left in tears, but it couldn’t be helped. He promised to bring the file he received from Jack, exonerating Wellington Aeronautics, to their hotel later that evening. At least his father had showed some sign of relief.

  Travis waited patiently for the book club to finish up. He was in awe of the reactions he’d witnessed during the club discussion and signing. During the lingerie fashion show, Mitzi and Vera proclaimed to their captive audience the tales of teaching Trent a valuable life lesson.

  “You should have seen the scamp’s face when Mitzi suggested a particular brand of lube to use.” Vera roared at the re-telling.

  Mitzi said, “What about when you suggested the Tingle Jelly? I thought the poor sap was going to choke on his tongue.”

  “It’s a small wonder he found his way to the door. I’ve never seen a man so embarrassed. Well except for the day Jasper took a boner pill and we had to take him to the hospital because it wouldn’t go away, even after two rounds. He learned his lesson after that,” Vera said.

  “The hard way,” Mitzi and Phyllis said together, leaning against one another, their infectious laughter setting the others off.

  Travis was sure their comedic timing had come from the numerous telling of the same event. It was impossible not to get caught up in the humor of these devilish women.

  Jill couldn’t stop laughing.

  Travis didn’t blame her. “I wish I’d been here to see that.”

  Angel said, “No you don’t. They’d have found a way to attack you as well.”

  The mere thought of them attacking him sobered Travis fast. As the women started to leave, he pulled Angel aside. “I need to speak with you. Can we go for coffee?”

  Jill butted in. “Go on. Get out of here, you two. Get some coffee and relax. I’ll clean up and keep an eye on things.”

  “Thanks, Jill.” Travis winked at her, grateful to have her on his side.

  Jill pushed Angel through the door.

  He wanted to laugh but thought better of it.

  At the corner coffee shop, they placed their orders and took a seat in the booth furthest from the door.

  “What did you want to talk about?” Angel curled both hands around her coffee cup.

  “Thank you again for what you said to the folks. I appreciate the gesture. I’ll see them later tonight.”

  Angel raised a brow.

  “No, I won’t be seeing Delaney, with any luck, ever again.”

  Her shoulders dropped. “Is that all?”

  “No. You said you’re in love with me. I’m in love with you, too. We agree. Why is it so hard for you to admit?”

  She opened her mouth, but her phone rang. She gave the caller ID a strange look. “This is Angel. Can I help you?”

  He couldn’t hear the conversation but scanned her face for a clue.

  “I see.”

  Her scowl scared him, and so did the drop in her tone.

  “Oh really? And when was this?” She squeezed her napkin into a ball and pumped her fist, knuckles turning white. “Thank you for calling. Yes, you have a nice day, too.” She snapped the phone closed and slammed it on the table. “Did you plan on telling me you bought my building?”

  “Wait a minute, Angel. It’s not like that.” He scrambled to find words that made sense.

  “With you it never is.” Corrosive bitterness laced her voice, but the hurt on her face pierced his heart.

  “I didn’t do it for you. I did it because of Del. She figured out I was seeing you and tried to buy the place. I couldn’t let her do that to you out of revenge against me.”

  “I’d rather she did that than you do what you just did. I distinctly told you to butt out.” She scooted out of the booth, but he blocked her way.

  “Stop running, Angel. Stay and fight.”

  “So you can lie to me again? Don’t you get it?”

  “No, explain it to me.” He was angry. All he’d tried to do was help her.

  She slid back into her seat and stared at a picture on the wall, blinking back tears, her lips quivering. When she finally looked at him, there was a grim resolve on her face. “I confided my past to you. I felt goaded into it to get you to leave me alone. I guess in a way I owe you an apology as well. It took you coming into my life to make me see that I put myself in a self-imposed prison, a necessary one, but a prison nonetheless. As long as I was safely behind those bars, nothing and no one could hurt me.”

  Though it was miniscule, he still considered her realization a breakthrough of sorts.

  She shredded her napkin into a pile. “You made me laugh. You made me feel. You made me want to toss all my fears aside and believe.”

  “That’s good.” He wanted to reach for her hand but he didn’t dare.

  “Yes. And no,” she said.

  “What do you mean? What are you trying to say?”

  “I specifically asked you to butt out. You ignored me.”

  “I couldn’t stand by and allow Delaney to ruin your business. You have no idea how mean she is.”

  “But it’s okay for you to ruin my business?” Her shoulders slumped and she looked ready to cry.

  “How am I ruining it? I don’t plan to change a thing.” How could she accuse him of such folly?

  “Because you didn’t respect my wishes. This is my business, not yours.” She pressed her fist to her chest. Her voice went soft as if she’d lost all spirit.

  “Yes, but if it wasn’t for us meeting and Delaney trying to screw with us, it would never have happened.”

  “Maybe. Maybe not. Either way I’d have had to move.”

  “But now you can stay.”

  “And be in your debt. No, thank you. I’ll start looking right away. Consider this my notice of intent to move.”

  “That’s ridiculous. We’ll leave things as is. Nothing will change. In fact, I put the store next door in your name as well so you could reopen the bridal salon.”

  “Except then I’ll owe you. I don’t want that between us. It’s a matter of respect. How can I respect myself, or even you for that matter, if you feel the need to try to rescue me because you don’t have confidence in me? I wanted—no, I needed to handle it on my own.”

  “Okay, I screwed up. I’m sorry, but we can work it out. Please.”

  “I don’t see how.” Angel stood and grabbed her purse. “If only you’d listened.”

  She headed for the door.

  He got up so fast he turned over both glasses of water. “Damn it. Angel, come back.”

  She walked away from him.

  He’d been unable to find the words to prevent her from leaving. He berated himself for not listening. For thinking he had the right to interfere in her life.

  Why’d he have to butt in? Because he loved her and wanted to protect her.

  He was wrong. If only he had the ability to go back in time for a do-over. But this was real life and d
o-overs didn’t happen.

  Travis was well and truly screwed.

  * * * *

  Angel pushed through the door of her store, brushed past Jill who was with a customer, and raced to the back room. She barely made it there before she fell apart.

  Jill finished ringing up her customer then swiped the curtains aside, tucking her phone into her back pocket. “What’s wrong?”

  Angel wiped her eyes.

  Before the doorbell finished its ting-a-ling, Kat shouted, “Where are you guys?”

  Jill yelled, “In the back room.”

  The front door lock clicked into place.

  Glaring at Jill she said, “You had to call Kat?”

  “Don’t give me that raised eyebrow routine. You can’t pull it off. Not yet, but maybe after a few lessons from Kat and me.”

  Kat threw the curtains open. “I was on my way when Jill texted to hurry. What’s wrong?”

  At her wit’s end, Angel blew out a breath, her heart palpitating, and eyed the only exit.

  “Forget it. You’re not going anywhere until we finish this once and for all.” Kat crossed her arms and blocked the way.

  “Spill it.” Jill stood next to Kat, mirroring her stance.

  Angel cleared her throat. She tried to stand but her knees gave out and she flopped back into her chair. “What? Are you two in on it with Travis?” Even to her the question came out catty.

  Kat and Jill stared at her then exchanged glances.

  “In on what?” Kat plastered her hand on her hips. “What did Travis do now?

  “He didn’t listen to me and did it anyway.” She sobbed. “I don’t want people to think I’m some gold-digging whore again. I don’t come from money and I’ll never have it. People will never respect me if I accept help.”

  “Bullshit,” Jill said

  “No fucking way,” Kat said. “Wait—is this about you giving up your baby?”

  “No, I’m finally okay with that, thanks to Jill.” She nodded at Jill.

  Jill squatted in front of her and put her hand on Angel’s leg. “Talk to us. We only want to help.”

  Kat stepped closer. “What are you talking about? No one thinks of you that way.”

  “Ignore Kat. She’s not exactly known for her tact.” Jill nudged Kat away.

  “Shut up. I am, too. I’ve very sensitive and considerate.” Kat sulked.

  “Hush.” Jill looked heavenward and let out an exasperated huff.

  “No, I won’t be hushed,” Kat said. “What more proof do you need? Delaney is unequivocally the biggest royal bitch. What don’t you get? So what if the building is being sold. So what if I buy it or Travis, Trent, or the fucking man in the moon buys it. You’ll still be renting it. Big fucking deal.”

  “Trent, too?” Angel asked.

  Kat silenced her with a glare.

  Angel shivered. “It’s a big deal to me. If I don’t have your respect, or Travis’s, I’ve got nothing left.”

  “Wrong.”

  “How can you say that?” Angel wiped her eyes with the heel of her hand. “It makes me no better than Delaney.”

  Kat snapped her fingers in front of Angel’s face. “Snap out of it. Thanks to you, Travis was able to get past the worst time in his life. You two share several commonalities, regardless of your financial standing. You helped Travis the only way you knew how, by empathizing with him and letting him know that regardless of his past, you wanted him for the man he is.”

  “And your point is?” Angel responded before she chose better words. She wanted to crawl in a hole and die of humiliation at the way she’d just spoken to Kat.

  Kat tucked her chin, raised a brow, and crossed her arms. “Guess we’re playing hardball now.”

  “Travis offered to help you in the only way he knows how. He is a financial wizard. Do you honestly think he would have made the offer to buy the building if it wasn’t a wise investment?”

  Angel wanted to argue, but she had no ammunition.

  Kat aimed an accusing finger at her. “Before you go getting all bent out of shape, consider this. It’s not just your store. He bought the whole damn building. What about the other tenants, the ones with businesses? What about the people in the apartments above them, not just your little shop?” The way Kat said ‘little shop’ had reeked of scorn.

  It didn’t matter that Kat used bullying tactics. Her message hit the spot with no room to spare.

  “If Travis hadn’t jumped in when he did, all those people would have lost their businesses and homes. So while you’re having your little pity party, stop and think about the livelihoods he salvaged and the people he saved the heartache from finding themselves suddenly homeless.”

  Angel sniffled. “You make it sound like I’d be doing him a favor.”

  Kat harrumphed. She slapped her forehead with her palm and started to chuckle. The chuckle rumbled into a guffaw that warped into a horselaugh.

  Angel looked to Jill, who shrugged her shoulders.

  “Do you have any idea what it takes to maintain this building? Five businesses.” Kat held out a flexed hand. “Ten apartments.” She added the other, open-splayed. “Contracts, cleaning, inspections, painting, maintenance, and that’s just for starters. Yeah, I’d say it’s a bit of a favor.”

  “I didn’t think of it that way. It never crossed my mind about the others in the building.”

  “About time you did.”

  “I guess so. I’m sorry.”

  “No apology necessary. I got your back.”

  Angel sniffed. “Are you sure you want it?”

  “Are you kidding? If nothing else, I owe you. I did what you suggested. Made an appointment with a new counselor at school, dressed down, and it went great. I met with a few of the professors and they treated me like any other student. Well, with one caveat. I’m going by a different name so they won’t confuse me.”

  Jill jumped up and whirled on Kat. “What are you talking about?”

  Kat pulled her hair back into a ponytail then put on a pair of large ugly glasses from her purse. “I’m going by Kathryn Wallace at school.” She looked nothing like the woman Angel lived with.

  Angel burst out laughing.

  Jill was laughing so hard she took a step back, tripped on one of Carina’s book boxes, and landed on the floor.

  Angel and Kat helped Jill up.

  Jill dusted her butt off.

  “As much as I’d love to stick around and give Angel a pep talk, I have to get ready to meet with Delaney. Wish me luck.” Kat waltzed out of the room, pulling the rubber band from her hair and tucking her glasses away.

  “What’s that all about?” Angel asked.

  “No idea. Guess we’ll find out tonight.” Jill chuckled. “Come on. Let’s get back out there and sell some products.”

  “Fine, but I’m taking you out to dinner tonight.”

  “You won’t get an argument out of me.”

  Angel pushed through the curtains, feeling as if she finally had a fighting chance at happiness.

  Chapter 13

  By the time Travis delivered Jack’s Wellington Aeronautics file to his father, he’d calmed down enough to realize Delaney’s parents had played them the same way Del had played him. “You owe it to Kat to tell her what happened. I’m meeting her in the bar. Just waiting for the call that they’re done talking.”

  “She’ll hate us.” His mother wrung her hands.

  “She’ll hate you more if she finds out you kept it from her.” He’d never seen his mother so upset.

  “You’re right, of course.” His father’s attitude was one of resolute recompense, and he did not seem to be in the least relieved to be free of guilt about the accident.

  “Why don’t you come down with me and tell her? I’ll be your moral support.” Travis was concerned. Kat had always been quick with her temper.

  “You’d do that, after everything?” His father seemed to have aged in a matter of hours. He looked tired, more haggard than he’d ever been. Hell,
his father wasn’t even wearing a jacket. He always wore a suit jacket. Always.

  Maybe he hadn’t been such a good son after all, if his father doubted him. “You’re my dad. Right or wrong, I’m behind you.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Can I go, too?” Her shoulders heaved with her sigh, as if all the light had gone from her life. “I need to talk Kat myself.”

  “Sure, Mom.”

  “I hope things get better between you and Angel. I can see she’s good for you.” His father smiled.

  “It’s a little too late. We’re through.” Travis didn’t want to think about Angel right now, not as long as Delaney was around to screw things up.

  “Would an apology from us help?” His mother pressed her palm to his cheek. “I’m sorry, honey. I truly am.”

  “No, you’ve done enough.”

  “I’m so sorry, son. We were wrong.” His mom blotted her tears.

  He was crying on the inside for all that could have been. He had no one to blame but himself. “Must be a family trait.” His phone vibrated and he grabbed it, hoping it was Kat. It was a text from her saying to meet her in the restaurant. She was drunk and in need of food. He only hoped she had waited to get drunk until after her conversation with Delaney. “Kat’s waiting for me. Are you ready?”

  “No, but we have to do this. Come on, darling. Time to atone,” his father said.

  The elevator ride down took forever.

  They entered the restaurant together. The look of shock that registered on Kat’s face was priceless. She got out of her chair and wobbled on her five-inch heels to greet them.

  To see Kat this way humbled him, reminding him of the many times he’d been much the same way.

  “Aunt Camille, Uncle Martin, I didn’t expect to see you. What’s up?” She kissed their cheeks and glared at Travis over their shoulders as she hugged them, silently accusing him of some act of betrayal.

  She’d find out in a few minutes just how close to the truth it was.

  “Mom and Dad asked to come with me. They want to talk to you.”

  Kat held up her coffee cup.

  Travis took the seat beside Kat. His folks took the opposite side of the booth.

  “You okay?” he asked.