by C. J. Thomas
I could feel the anxiety and depression coursing through his veins as he talked—his breath absent of whiskey. Something had changed. I hoped that I was the reason for it. “Is that why you drink?”
He shrugged his shoulders.
“Did you drink today?”
He shook his head. “For once.”
“What made you want to stop? The job?”
“No.” He dropped his gaze to his feet. “You did.” His eyes pierced my soul in the most tempting of ways.
Panting through his desire, I liked how Trevor was always alert, perhaps coming across as callous to others but not to me. The Fosters were sincere. I saw that with Nolan and how he treated Sophia; saw it when I talked with Noah. It was hard not to like the qualities they seemed to inherit. But, what I didn’t understand, was how Gary fit into all of this; how I didn’t know about Trevor until now.
“Sienna,” Trevor’s gaze softened, “I should have died with them.”
“Don’t say that.” I felt his fingers go cold. “You made it back for a reason.”
He shook his head. “You don’t understand.”
My brow furrowed as I lifted my hand to touch his face.
“Your fiancé saved my life.”
My hand fell from his face and I felt dizzy. Spots flashed in my vision. I stepped back with the sudden realization that Trevor couldn’t commit to me.
“I saw him today.”
I took another step back, covering my mouth in an attempt to hide my trembling chin. Noah had mentioned Trevor going to talk with Gary, but never told me why.
“It had been a while since the last time we’d seen each other.”
“Did you tell him about us?” My body suddenly felt extremely heavy.
Trevor fixed his gaze on me as feelings of betrayal spun webs of suspicion in my head. Clenching my stomach, I had the sudden urge to vomit.
Turning my back, I planted my palm to my forehead and paced. This was too big of a coincidence. I had to remind myself that I had found Trevor. I ran into his life. Not the other way around.
Spinning on a heel, Trevor stepped forward and said, “I told him I know what he did to hurt you.”
29
Trevor
I watched her eyes flash with sudden confusion.
My heart beat wildly in my chest. I didn’t know what else to say.
A glint of anger mixed with the painful memories coming back to haunt her. They were fresh. I could see how they ate at her. I Understood her anguish. Our broken pasts might have been different, but we could help each other heal.
Held back by my own confusion, I didn’t want to overstep my bounds. I wanted to hold her, comfort her during this time of stress. Inside my head, I could hear the words I wanted to tell her. But I couldn’t promise her that everything would be OK as long as she was true to her heart. It was out of my control. Nor was it my time to talk. What she needed most was someone who was willing to listen. That someone was me.
Her mouth opened, then quickly shut.
She shuffled on the path before she pointed her finger at me.
I watched as she struggled to put her thoughts into words. Finally, she shook and ducked her head, giving off a small growl over her opposite shoulder.
My heart constricted and every fiber in my body tightened with fear of how this would end. I didn’t want to lose her but she couldn’t look me in the eye. She was quiet, fidgeting with agitation.
I didn’t regret what I’d done. She had to know about my meeting with Gary. Needed to know the connection. It was as real as how we felt for each other. This wasn’t a conspiracy, but a big fucked up coincidence that proved this world was small enough to bring us all together.
I took one small step forward.
She held her hand out toward me, locked her elbow, and held me back.
Showing her my palms, I stalled, happy to give as much space as she needed.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” she hissed.
“What he did was wrong,” I said in an even tone.
Her lip trembled beneath her watery gaze. She knew it, but the clock was ticking down and the pressure was on. Adding me to the mix only made the confusion worse. I wasn’t sure I could make sense of it all—how it came to be, why it happened so fast—but what I did know with absolute certainty was that my feelings for her were real.
Her breaths came in shallow waves.
This twist of fate—a connection so close to the heart—was one neither of us saw coming.
“I know what he did was wrong,” she murmured.
“Then you have to stop it.” My jaw ticked. “He thinks you’re still marrying him.”
She turned her head away, holding her clenched stomach. “You shouldn’t have gone over there.”
My body heat rose as I tried to interpret what it was she was saying. Suddenly, I doubted everything she’d said only minutes ago and a mild panic spread across my chest. Swallowing down the fear, I needed to know where she stood. “Do you love him?”
Turning her gaze back to me, she held my stare. My breathing stopped as I waited for her answer.
Time suspended and my world spun.
I couldn’t blink, too afraid to look away. She needed to know that I was committed to making this work, despite the implications of how our families might react.
Her head finally moved and I could breathe again. No. She didn’t love him.
Letting my heart come back to life I inched my way closer, needing her to feel the way she made my body come alive. “Sienna, was this the only time he has abused you?”
Her eyes pooled with sudden grief. “You didn’t need to threaten him.”
I continued inching my way closer. “Has he hit you before?”
Folding her arms beneath her breasts, she gazed out over the lake. “Gary has a temper.”
My muscles flexed as I lowered my brow and listened.
“He puts on a good act. Calm on the surface, but underneath there is a current that breaks through when we’re alone.” Her tongue darted out of her mouth and wet her gorgeous lips. “First, it was just him yelling at me for doing something he considered wrong. Dirty dishes, putting his clothes in the wrong order.” She turned to look at me. “I thought it was just a difficult adjustment back to civilian life. I brushed it off and moved on, thinking it would pass.”
“But it didn’t?”
She shook her head. “But he never hit me until two days ago.”
I reached my hand out and smoothed my splayed fingers over the backs of her shoulders, pulling her to my chest. Her head hit my breast and she started to cry. “I was so scared.”
I rubbed her body warm, wondering all this time how Gary managed to control the demons we couldn’t shake. Now I knew.
After a minute, Sienna lifted her head and met my gaze. “It wasn’t until I met you that I realized I wasn’t happy.”
Quickly, I revisited the hurdles that had led us to this moment. The drumming was back in my chest and I felt rejuvenated—like I might actually have a chance with this incredible woman.
“I don’t know what it is about you,” her brown eyes danced with mine from behind her sunglasses, “but when you’re near, I believe there might actually be a better future out there for me.”
“I feel the same when I’m with you.”
Her lips pulled into a small smile. Then she stepped away and we started walking again, slowly around the lake, watching the geese nibble on the edge of the grass. “Is it weird that your brother is dating my best friend?”
“Who, Nolan?”
She laughed. “Is there another brother?”
“Is there another best friend?”
“Yes.” She smiled.
“And, yes, there is another brother but, no, I don’t think it’s strange.”
She dropped her head and snickered. “Sophia is so in love with him.”
“Nolan, too.”
“What they have, it’s the kind of love we all wish to have.”
“Like I am?” She barked out a laugh.
“I have demons that need to be dealt with.” When she glanced at me, I knew she was looking to see if I held the kind of abuse Gary hid from her. “But I know there’s something between us.”
She slowed her steps, stopped, and held my stare.
Sincerity flashed over my eyes. My palms began to sweat. I had never felt more nervous in my life but she needed to know exactly how I felt. “You said it yourself.”
She bit at her lips. “I don’t know what I’m saying anymore.”
A stone lodged in my throat. Just when I felt like we were making progress, she took one giant leap back. I was left to doubt everything we had gained. “Is this how you imagined you’d feel the day before your wedding?”
She looked around as if searching for her answer. “You know it’s not.”
Reaching for her fingers, I said, “You wanted me to tell you that getting married tomorrow was a mistake?” The twinkle in her eye was back. “We’ll, I’m telling you that it is. Don’t do it. You can’t fool anyone. And neither can he.”
Her brow furrowed as her eyes squinted with suspicion. “What do you mean, neither can he?”
My blood coursed through my body faster than when bullets were zipping over my head in Afghanistan. I needed to tell her about the woman I’d seen rush to Gary just as I was leaving. But I needed to present it in a way where it didn’t come off as self-motivating. “He was with his groomsmen—”
“—I know.”
“But there was someone else there who didn’t seem to belong.”
“What do you mean, belong?”
“A woman.”
A knowing glimmer flashed over her eyes and I wondered what she knew that I didn’t. “You know who she is?”
Sienna asked what she looked like and I quickly described her features. “She’s his ex.”
My nostrils flared.
Spinning on a heel, Sienna marched away in a hurry. Before she reached her car, I’d caught up to her. “Where are you going?”
“This needs to end.”
I grabbed her by the arm. “Stop.”
Her gaze fell to my hand, tightly latched to her elbow.
Releasing my clamp, I said, “I want to be with you.” Threading my fingers through hers, I pulled her into my chest. Our hearts beat wildly against our ribs as she melted into me. Lowering my lips to hers, I murmured, “I want to kill him for what he did to you.”
Lifting herself on the tips of her toes, she planted her lips to mine. I kissed her for the first time since we’d expressed how badly we had it for each other. It was nothing short of magical.
The air crackled between us.
The moment was only a spit second but it felt like hours. Our futures were contained in that instant.
Bright flashes of light sparkled behind my eyelids.
When her head snapped back, her eyes wide, we both looked around to check who might have seen. Realizing my mistake, I said, “It’s so hard for me not to want to hold you in my arms and fool myself into believing that you’re mine.”
Sienna bit her lip before beginning to walk again. Hugging her stomach, I wanted to stop this now. When we reached her car, she turned to me and said, “Trevor, you’re incredible. You really are. But I can’t keep doing this when there is another man out there thinking he has me all to himself.”
“You don’t love him. You said so yourself.”
Her wild eyes darted over mine. “And I need to end this myself.”
I nodded and opened her door for her. “Will I hear from you again?”
Her hand fell to my heart. “I hope so.” Then she kissed the tips of her fingers and pressed them over my lips just as her cell phone started ringing. She took one glance at the screen but gave nothing away. “I really have to be going.”
I watched her drive away, my lips still tingling from her kiss, knowing that I wasn’t about to let her go through with making the biggest mistake of her life without trying to stop it myself. I would regret my inaction until the end of time.
Pulling out my cell, I put a call in to Noah. He answered and I said, “Where are you?”
“Mom and Dad’s. Dad just got back from New York. What’s up?”
“I think it’s time the world learned the truth about Gary Sycuro.”
30
Sienna
I held the wheel in a white-knuckled grip as I pulled up to the gate leading to my parents’ house. The security officer recognized me, nodded, and allowed me through without me having to speak. I wasn’t in the mood. A headache had formed with the stress of planning my case against marrying Gary.
My stomach flipped. I didn’t have a good feeling about this.
I drove between the manicured lawns before slowing to a stop. Pulling the car up, I parked next to Mom’s in front of the three-car garage, thinking back to what Trevor asked: Is this how you imagined you’d feel the day before your wedding?
I closed my eyes, wanting to scream, needing to curl up into a ball and cry.
Turning my head, I glanced over my shoulder and fixed my eyes on Dad’s SUV parked near the front steps. I had one hour before we were all supposed to be at the country club. I wondered why the house seemed to be free of activity.
I rubbed my fingers together and, when I did, I could still feel Trevor’s moist, hot lips on the tips of them. My chest was tight and the pain in the back of my throat refused to go away.
My head fell back into the seat and I let out a deep sigh.
I couldn’t stop thinking of the way Trevor’s blue eyes darkened when watching me leave. I could have never predicted this turn of events; that Trevor could have been a Marine with Gary and Gary had saved his life. Thoughts of telling Trevor the truth sent flutters through my belly. I’d finally been honest. One-hundred percent. I wanted to be with him.
Except I shouldn’t have said anything until I’d rid myself of my abuser.
Inside, Gary was already dead to me. The way he had been treating me—like I meant nothing to him by going behind my back to meet with his ex and striking me when I called him out—was enough for me to call it quits. There was nothing more of me to give. I’d had enough and, thanks to the girls, I realized that I was only still with him because I didn’t want to let anyone down.
“This is so fucked up,” I mumbled to myself.
How had I gotten myself into this mess? Did two wrongs make a right? There was a tightening knot in my stomach because of getting with Trevor before I was free of Gary. I could thank my parents for that. It was how I’d been raised. I was proud of who I was—the flaws and achievements alike.
Finding my hand on my cell phone, I flipped it screen-side up and called Sophia. I sat there listening to the line ring, hoping that no one would discover me hiding out in my car, too afraid to confront whatever waited for me inside.
“Hey, babe,” Sophia answered. “I have you on speaker so Monica can be part of the conversation.”
“Did you tell him?” Monica asked.
Staring over the hood of my car, I smirked. “Yeah.”
“And?” Sophia inquired. “Is he the third Foster on the guest list?”
Feeling my lips droop, I said, “No. It’s Cooper, Noah, and Nolan.”
“I suppose that’s for the better.”
Silence.
“So, you’re still going through with this?” Monica’s voice chimed in.
With wide eyes, I was still in shock. “Trevor was a Marine, too.”
“Holy shit.”
“Do they know each other?”
“What are the odds?” I put it out there, but I was mostly talking to myself. “And I told him that I don’t love Gary.”
; “That is not an answer,” Monica said.
Sophia interrupted her. “Wait, let her explain.”
“He met with Gary.”
“Shit. Did we see him?” Monica asked Sophia.
My brows drew together. “Where are you two?”
“We’re on surveillance outside Gary’s place,” Monica’s voice boomed through my ear piece. “We couldn’t track down his ex, so we came here. But we haven’t seen Gary, either. We suck at sleuthing.”
“So now your mom and Trevor both know that you don’t love Gary.” I could imagine Sophia’s quizzical look twist her face as she shared her thoughts.
“And don’t forget about us, too. We know, too,” Monica reminded us. “Hell, I’ve known that for a long time.”
I blinked and whispered, “Is it wrong for me to have these feelings for another man?”
“Normally I would say you’re running away from your problems by getting lost in another man,” Sophia said. “However, I don’t think that’s the case with you.”
“Then what is it?”
“I think you found what your heart’s been looking for.” Her voice was light enough to make me believe she was smiling. “I know what it feels like to be charmed by a Foster. They have that power. Don’t ignore it, because this sounds like it’s meant to be.”
“We can hear it in your voice,” Monica added. “Ever since you two met.”
I closed my eyes and smiled. Then why did it have to be so difficult? When I opened my eyes, Mom was standing at the front door looking in my direction. “I gotta go. Remember we have the rehearsal dinner at five. Don’t be late.”
“Where are you?” Sophia asked.
“I just pulled up to my parents’ house.”
“Sienna, you have to stop this,” Monica barked through the line. “I’m telling you because I love you. Stop this now.”
The stone lodged in my throat as I nodded. I didn’t have the voice to agree. But I knew that she—that they—were right. This couldn’t go any further.
“Your parents will forgive you,” Sophia backed Monica’s statement. “Even your father.”
