The Malone Brothers Boxed Set

by S. L. Sterling

  “I’ll take care of it.”

  “Oh, I’m sure you will, just like you already have.” She threw her compact back into her bag, zipped it up, and grabbed her clutch, walking back over to the door. “Don’t worry, I’ll pick up the pieces, just like I did the last time. You know, I never thought I would say this to any woman, but you deserve my cousin.” She opened the door and headed back out to the party.

  I looked at myself in the mirror, wiping the tears from my eyes. I grabbed my lip gloss and coated my lips before throwing it back into my bag. I quickly left the washroom. I had every intention of getting back to the table and telling Carter I had been sick and that I needed to go home. As I was walking across the room looking at Carter, I suddenly heard my name called. I stopped dead as the words that followed next literally shattered my heart in two. “Tonight, I’m happy to announce the engagement of my son, Trent King, to Hope Heathcote.”

  Everyone stood up and started clapping, everyone except the person with whom I had locked eyes. He sat there staring at me, a look of confusion mixed with a completely gutted look on his face. Tears filled my eyes as he stood, nodded his head, turned, and walked away from me. A woman I barely recognized came over to me, took my hand, and walked me over to where Trent stood. I kept my eyes locked on Carter, constantly wiping the tears from my eyes. I watched him walk up the stairs we had come down. I had no time to chase after him because soon Trent and I were enveloped with people congratulating us and our parents.

  Finally, after all the congratulating had been done, I fought to get away. I needed to find Carter. This was all a misunderstanding that I needed to sort out. I searched through the crowd for him, but I couldn’t see him. I pulled my phone from my purse and texted him as I continued to search through the sea of people, but there was no answer. I called him as I quickly headed to the front of the banquet hall, hoping and praying he was outside, thinking surely he would give me time to explain.

  With the phone ringing in my ear, I ran out the front door looking to my left and then to my right. There were so many people out there that I had to slow down to scan over them once again. Finally, I saw him over against his car, his head hung low, staring at the ground. Tears filled my eyes. There was no way I was letting him get away from me this time; he had to believe that I didn’t want this. I went to call out to him, but my throat was so tight from fighting back tears, I knew there was no way he would hear me. I started running in his direction, but then I saw Felice walk up to him and throw her arms around his neck. He hugged her back, pulling her against him tightly. In that moment, everything stopped. I couldn’t breathe. I stood there watching as she placed a kiss on his cheek, and then he grabbed her tightly. She whispered something into his ear and then he kissed her, like he had kissed me not twelve hours ago. I was finished, my heart broken. I wasn’t sure what to do. I was angry at her, angry at him, and livid with my parents. I couldn’t keep my eyes off them; it was like I was punishing myself. Again, she whispered something in his ear, kissed him again, and then they both got into his car and drove away.

  I crumbled onto the steps outside of the front door, my head in my hands. I let out an uncontrollable sob. In a matter of minutes, I had just lost the only thing I ever wanted. The fire burning in my gut told me that now was the time I needed to stand up to my father and find my way back to Carter.

  29

  Carter

  We drove back to the hotel in silence. Felice waited in the car for me to run inside, change, and grab my bag. When I walked into the room, the first thing I saw was the messy bed, where Hope and I had made love and said I love you for the very first time, not more than six hours ago. I tried not to look, but when you don’t want to see something, it’s like you are blinded by it. I gathered my things, shoving everything into my bag, and headed back out to the car. Felice was silent all the way back to the city, holding my hand the whole way home. I had nothing to say, and even if I did, I wouldn’t even know where to begin. I switched the radio on and thought about the girl I had always been in love with, and how she had burned me good this time, making me look like a fool. The first time had been a misunderstanding on both our parts, but this—this had been a blatant lie.

  The drive home seemed to take forever, and I was exhausted by the time I pulled the car into my parking spot and shut the engine off. I leaned my head back against the headrest and shut my eyes, letting out a deep breath. I just sat there listening to the sounds of the traffic passing by. “Carter, we should go inside. It’s late.” I felt her hand slide onto my leg.

  I left my bag in the car, and we walked into the apartment. After taking the elevator in silence, we walked down the hall toward our apartments. I planned to go in and go to bed; however, Felice had other ideas, and instead of her going into her apartment, she came into mine. I didn’t care. I didn’t have the energy to fight, and I was undecided as to whether I would rather have company or be alone right now. Kicking my shoes off, I headed for the fridge. “Want something to drink?”

  “Sure.”

  I reached in the fridge, pulling out two beers, opening hers and handing it to her before opening mine. Felice followed me into the living room. I flopped down onto the couch, putting my feet up on the table, and then turned on the TV. Felice sat beside me. I could feel her watching me as I flipped through the channels, trying to find something to watch.

  “Are you going to be okay?” she asked quietly.

  “Fine. I’ll be fine.” I had no choice but to be fine. I would bury myself in my studies for the rest of the summer and forget all about Hope. What choice did I really have? I had done it once before; I could do it again. I glanced over to the chair and saw her grey sweatshirt flung over the arm. She had been wearing it the other morning when she got out of bed, and that was where it lay after I peeled her clothes off her and took her up against the wall. An overwhelming surge of hurt mixed with anger flowed through me, and I got up and walked over to where the shirt lay, grabbing it and whipping it into Carson’s room. All her shit was still here, which meant she would either have to come back or I would have to take it to her. I slammed his door shut, as if shutting it would erase everything that had happened.

  “Carter,” Felice called.

  “Felice, I said I would be fine.” I downed the remainder of my beer and went to the fridge for another one, taking it back into the living room and sitting back down beside her.

  “Maybe you just need your mind redirected for a while,” she said, her fingers trailing along my collarbone.

  I closed my eyes and let my head lie back, taking in the feel of her hand on my skin. I felt her switch positions and then felt her lips graze my ear. “I can make you forget her, Carter. Just give me a chance.”

  I opened my eyes and looked at her, turning my head to meet her lips. I pulled her over onto me, so she was straddling my lap, my tongue sweeping through her mouth. Running my fingers through her hair, I started kissing down her neck. I could feel her hands running down my chest, and then she gripped my cock through my pants. “Give it to me, Carter. Fuck me hard.”

  I opened my eyes, my hands falling away from her body. “Felice, I can’t do this.”

  “Sure, you can, baby. Let me make you forget,” she begged, rubbing my cock through my jeans.

  I reached down, pulling her hand off me. “Get off me. I can’t do this.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I can’t do this with you. You’re not her, and I’m not going to pretend for one night to use you, just to bury my feelings like I did before.”

  “It’s okay, Carter. One night would be enough for me.”

  I shoved her off me and stood. Grabbing my beer, I drank the rest of it down. There was no way this was going to happen. I couldn’t do this, nor did I want to. The only one I wanted in my arms was Hope, regardless of what had happened tonight.

  “I told her, you know. I told her if she wasn’t serious about you, not to play games.”

  I walked to the door and
opened it, not looking at her, but waiting for her to leave.

  She continued mumbling away, but I ignored her. Finally she got up off the couch and walked toward me. At some point she had removed her shirt and bra and stood before me, taunting me. “You don’t want me?”

  I couldn’t even look at her, and I’m a man; I love tits, and I had always thought she had a great set, but it didn’t matter. I grabbed her shirt from her hand and covered her. “Good night, Felice.” She walked across the hall digging in her purse for her keys. I shut my door and locked it before she had a chance to turn around. Then I shut off the lights and headed into my bedroom. I stripped down to nothing and crawled into bed. As soon as I buried my face into the pillow, I smelled her—that light, fresh citrus scent all over my pillow and my sheets—and as the scent continued to invade me, my thoughts flew to the memories we had made over the last few weeks. I knew without a doubt that she was supposed to be mine. I lay there as long as I could, punishing myself in my mind, until I couldn’t take it any longer. I got up, got dressed, and headed down to Joe’s place.

  30

  Hope

  I sat out front the banquet hall, taking in the silence and fresh air. My eyes were swollen, and my throat and chest hurt from crying. The doors to the hall opened, and Trent came out. Everyone had pretty much left. The only people still here were my parents, Trent’s family, and the odd family members. I sat against the wall, my legs pulled up to my chest, my head resting on my arms.

  Trent came over and sat down beside me. “I’m not too thrilled about what happened tonight either, Hope.” He was quiet as he said the words, not looking in my direction.

  I had nothing to say, so I just listened.

  “It’s no secret, Hope, that we aren’t right for each other. I’m not in love with you, and I’ve met someone, someone at my father’s company. I’ve been seeing her since we broke up.”

  “That’s great, Trent. I’m happy for you.” I swallowed hard, my heartbeat accelerating.

  “I don’t love you; I don’t think I ever have. I don’t want this marriage any more than you do.”

  “Have you told your parents that?”

  “I did, tonight, after the announcement.”

  “Why not before?” I asked, swallowing hard.

  “I wanted you to come back with me to talk to them, but you wouldn’t, and I get why—you thought your father sent me to get you. But after I thought about it and after I watched you tonight, I realized how happy you were when you were with Carter, possibly how happy you always were with him. I realized it was wrong of me to want you and to try to take you from him because I see now that you were never that happy with me, Hope. Someone would have to be blind not to see that you are in love with him.”

  Our eyes met, and I gave him a soft smile. “I am. I came back and talked with my dad. He said he would talk to your parents, that he would call this whole thing off, but he lied.”

  “It’s okay. I will talk to my father, and if worst comes to worst, I will talk with them both. Okay? I’m sorry for the trouble I have caused; I will fix it.”

  I smiled at him. “How about I drive you home?” he asked, holding his hand out for me to take. I placed my hand in his and he pulled me up.

  “I’m staying at a motel not far from here. I need to get my things, but before you take me to the hotel and to my parents, would you mind driving me into the city? I want to see Carter. Mom and Dad are going to be here for a while by the looks of things.”

  “Sure, come on,” he said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. “Don’t worry. Everything will work out.”

  Together we walked down the front stairs and over to Trent’s car. He opened the door for me and helped me in and then walked around to the other side. We drove in silence back to the hotel and once I had my things, he drove me to the city.

  The house was quiet as I lay in my room, staring up at the ceiling. My small bedside light was on; my head was pounding. The trip to the city had been uneventful. Since I had gone with Carter, I had left my keys inside the apartment, so I couldn’t get in. I had banged on the door until finally Felice had come to her door, and within minutes, she had me in tears and running for the elevator.

  After Trent dropped me off at my parents’, I had tried to text Carter, and then call, but he had shut his phone off. I didn’t want to believe that Felice was right, that he was in bed in her apartment, but I was beginning to wonder. I was staring at my cell phone praying for a reply when I heard the front door slam and my father’s elevated voice in the entryway below. He was yelling at my mother. I closed my eyes and let out a breath; I just wanted to be left alone. I had thought about asking Trent to drop me at one of the girls’ houses that I worked with, but I was exhausted and upset and couldn’t remember how to get there.

  “Hope, get your ass down here now!” My father’s voice bellowed up the stairs.

  I closed my eyes, wishing he would just leave me be.

  “Hope! I said now!”

  I clenched my fists and flung my legs off the side of my bed. I glanced at my cell phone and thought about trying to call Carter one more time before heading downstairs, but my father had different ideas.

  “Young lady, if you don’t get down here in two seconds, I swear you’re on your own!”

  Seriously, the idea was tempting and appealing as hell, and I had planned to leave in the morning anyway to head back to the city.

  “What?!” I screamed as I pulled the door open and stomped down the stairs.

  “Hope, it’s come to our understanding that neither you nor Trent want to marry.”

  “No, we don’t. I tried to tell you that. We don’t love each other, Daddy.”

  “Let me guess...because you love Carter.” My father rolled his eyes as he sat down in his chair and put his feet up on the ottoman in front of him.

  “Yes! What is wrong with that?”

  “Hope...where do you think you are going to be with him in five or ten years?”

  “Definitely not divorced. He is going to be a lawyer, Daddy. He will be able to provide a good home and life for me.”

  “But you’ll have everything you could ever want with Trent.”

  “Sure, everything but love. I would rather have that, then all the money and belongings in the world. You should give Carter a chance, get to know him.”

  “Hope, I don’t need to get to know him. He is just like his father, and you, young lady, don’t know what you are talking about. So, this man can provide love, but what else is he going to provide?” My father looked at me, drumming his fingers on the edge of his chair, waiting for me to answer.

  “Carter is a good person. He is smart and hard-working. You heard him tonight; he is at the top of his class.”

  “Great, good. Top of his class, so he has book smarts.”

  “Well, that’s more than I can say for Trent. Did you know that your prize choice dropped out of university last year and his parents don’t even know yet?”

  I turned away from my father and grabbed my purse from where I had left it on the chair when I had come through the door.

  “Hope, I’m afraid to say it, but if you aren’t going to marry Trent then I am going to have to ask you to move out.”

  “Brian, that is enough. You heard it straight from Trent tonight. Neither of them want to marry, and this is your daughter. It’s time you start listening. I want her to be happy, so just because she doesn’t agree with your views, doesn’t mean you kick her out,” my mother said, resting her hands on my father’s shoulders.

  “No, end of the week, Hope. Let’s see how well you do with your choice.”

  I looked at my father, then at my mother, tears coming to my eyes. I could see by the look on his face that he meant every single word. I stared at my father. I didn’t have anything to say. Carter was where my heart lay.

  “You’ll see, Daddy, you’ll see.”

  “Yes, we will.”

  I walked out of the room and up the stairs. My mothe
r’s voice droned on in the background, begging my father to reconsider. I swear in moments like these, they too must have had an arranged marriage. As soon as I got to my room, I grabbed my cell phone, dialing Carter. It rang and rang, and just as before, there was no answer. I tried not to read into it, leaving a short and brief message, begging him to call me back. I looked around my room at all of the things that were there—the clothes that hung in the closet, the books that sat on the shelf, my laptop, pictures of my parents and me over the years in frames on the shelves that held other things. I walked to the closet and started packing up all the things I wanted to take. Then I called Mike, letting him know I would accept the full-time position that he had offered me before I had left for the anniversary party.

  31

  Carter — Present Day

  I sat in my seat on the plane, waiting for the crew to open the doors. I could only get an indirect flight home and was glad that the first leg was done. I rubbed my eyes. My heart ached thinking back to all that had happened when we were younger, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on my wife. I had notified the office as soon as we landed to call my clients and tell them there was an emergency at home and I would be there first thing on Wednesday morning. There was nothing more I could do; I needed to get home. I needed to get home to my wife. I knew I should have told her, but I wasn’t sure how she would react at the mention of Felice’s name.

  I quickly sent a text to Mike instead of Felice, letting him know that something came up back home and I would have to cancel our dinner meeting. I told him I would still look over the paperwork and asked him to kindly send it via email. I didn’t plan to return alone on Wednesday; my wife was coming with me.