by C. Morgan
Chapter 29
DAXTON
On Saturday morning, the house was abuzz for my mother’s birthday party. I’d woken up early, but when I’d found a text from Haddie saying she wanted to sleep in, I decided to do the same.
My plans for taking her to a luau last night after dinner had gone to shit after that fight with my dad and then Hadley deciding that she wanted to go to bed early. It had been an unexpected turn of events, but I hadn’t questioned her when I hadn’t really been in the mood to go out either.
It was a new day now though, and I’d managed to talk myself into ignoring my father and focusing on Hadley instead. She hadn’t said anything about it, but I remembered promising her that I’d take her shopping in Waikiki.
Event planners were setting everything up as I roamed through the house after eventually getting my ass up and showered, but there was still time to go shopping if she wanted to. Cooks and bartenders were getting situated.
Guests would probably start arriving around noon, but Mom wouldn’t care if we missed the start of the party. It would go until late this evening anyway.
I wanted to suggest to Hadley that we go, but I couldn’t track her down to save my life. Her room was empty and none of the staff seemed to have seen her around.
Eventually, when I went to check outside, I put my hand up to my forehead to block out some of the sun. In the distance, right at the edge of our property, someone was lying on the beach.
The sand was soft but hot beneath my feet when I walked over. Then my jaw nearly dropped when my suspicions were confirmed. It was Hadley spread out on a towel, but her skin glistened with suntan oil and her bottom lip was caught between her teeth as she lay on her back.
She clearly hadn’t realized I was approaching her, but she held a paperback book in her hands and she seemed completely enthralled by it. Judging by the cover, even though I knew I wasn’t supposed to do that, it was a rom-com. It had to be a good one too, considering she still hadn’t torn her gaze away from it.
I cleared my throat, my eyes eating up every inch of her in a tiny red bikini. “What are you doing all the way out here? You look sexy as hell, by the way. Interested in another swim?”
She barely glanced my way. “The trip is short, remember? I just wanted to enjoy the beach for a bit before the party starts. I wanted to make the most of the time I have.”
“You found a good spot,” I said, sitting down on the sand beside her. “The mood’s miserable in the house anyway to be honest. It’s probably good that you came out here.”
“It was fine when I left.” She finally closed the book but kept lying on her back with her sunglasses covering her eyes. “What’s going on?”
I waved my hand dismissively, though I wasn’t sure if her eyes were even open right now. Her glasses were both black and mirrored, which made it impossible to know. “It’s just my mom. She’s barking orders at everyone. She’s always had unobtainably high expectations about her birthday.”
“Well, it is her birthday,” Haddie said lightly. “I suppose she’s allowed to have whatever expectations she wants for it.”
“Sure, but I’ve never cared about my birthday. It just makes me wonder why she cares so much that she always seems to end up ruining it for herself.”
“There’s nothing wrong with wanting one day out of a year for people to show you some extra love and attention,” she said, her voice tighter now than it had been. “I like your mom. We had tea together this morning. Maybe she just wants you guys to show her that you really care about her.”
“With a party?” I cocked my head, trying my best to get a read on Haddie’s mood instead of staring at the valley between her breasts. “It’s a strange way to get us to show we care about her. My father’s not even around. He’s hiding and trying to stay the hell out of it all.”
Thinking about my father made my jaw clench. “Not that I mind that he’s hiding out. We had a huge argument last night. I don’t know why I expected anything different from him coming back, but I think I did.”
She turned her face away from me, her voice definitely strained now. I saw her chest rise and fall on a deep inhale. “I’m sorry you guys got into it. Maybe you should try to put it behind you for the day, though. For your mother’s sake.”
“Yeah, maybe we could try,” I agreed, but I doubted it would work. I’d run into him after I’d grabbed some cereal for breakfast and he’d barely looked at me.
It was safe to say that he was still as pissed off as I was. I’d thought about it a lot last night, though. He hadn’t been here. He had no idea what we’d gone through when we’d first arrived.
While no one here had known us or about what was going on back home, it had plagued our every moment. Mom and I had holed up together, anxiously waiting for news from him while trying to find our feet in what had been a strange new world at the time.
I’d gone from being at the top of the food chain at my old school to being the new kid on the island. It hadn’t taken long for me to make friends, but after having been burned the way I had been, I’d been cautious to let anyone in.
It had taken much, much longer before I let any of my new friends know the real me. To this day, they only knew the parts of me I wanted them to know.
In an attempt to put Hadley behind me, I’d hooked up with a bunch of girls but none of them had ever gotten close to me. I hadn’t given a shit about any of them, and they’d known it. I hadn’t made a secret out of the fact that I wasn’t looking for a relationship, but I’d also never been in one because of all that.
I couldn’t just let it go. Not after all that. No matter how good it felt to be with Hadley again after all these years.
“Your mother also got a raw deal way back then,” Haddie said softly. For a second, I wondered if she’d just read my thoughts until I remembered what we’d been talking about before I’d gone down the rabbit hole.
Blinking her back into focus, I shrugged and drew my knees up to my chest, hanging my arms over them. “I know she did, but she’s always been like this about her birthday.”
“I believe you,” she said. “I just think that maybe you should put some effort in. Her life was also changed forever when her family was practically run out of their hometown. It could be that she’s still searching for normality after everything. Have you ever asked her why her birthday is so important to her?”
I released a long breath as I shook my head. “No, not really. I haven’t ever even really thought about the toll it took on her. I know she had a rough time, but we’ve never really talked about what she went through. I’ve also never stopped to wonder why her birthday is so important to her.”
“You should do that,” she said. “You’d be surprised at how much light honest conversation can shed on things. Even if the conversation isn’t easy. Especially then, actually.”
When I didn’t respond immediately, she reached for the book again and opened it up where she’d folded the page. Sensing that she didn’t really want to talk anymore, I got up and dusted my ass off.
“I’ll leave you to keep reading,” I said. “See you up at the party in about an hour?”
“Uh huh.” She didn’t turn away from the book again. “I’ll see you then. Bye, Dax.”
Frowning as I walked away from her, I wondered why I’d gotten the distinct sense that she wanted to be left alone. Last I’d checked, she’d been looking forward to spending time together as much as I had.
Sure, she didn’t know that it would also be the last time we’d be spending together, but I suddenly felt like she didn’t want me around at all. When she’d begged off last night, I figured that the flight and all the excitement had gotten to her, but now I wasn’t so sure.
Everything was going to shit and I hadn’t even set my plan into motion yet. Which begged the question of whether those things I’d heard about revenge were true. Was it possible that all this was going to make me feel even worse than I had before?
Chapter 30
Fuming after Daxton left me on the beach, I stayed out for much longer than I’d planned. I just couldn’t believe that he had the audacity to complain to me about the fight he’d had with his father when I knew full well what the fight had been about.
It was also really difficult for me to process that his parents had given him this incredible life, and yet he was feeling put out by the fact that his mother had high expectations for her birthday.
Talk about an entitled, snobby asshole.
I knew his parents weren’t always there for him and hadn’t ever been, but I didn’t want to make excuses for him anymore. Although even I had to admit that when I’d been having tea with his mom this morning, there had been a few times she’d made comments that had made me feel bad for him.
From what I’d been able to put together, they’d grown closer in some ways after I’d known them, but that had also only given them more ammunition against one another. It was a really unpleasant situation actually.
Mrs. Breyer had managed to make me feel welcome when she’d invited me to have tea with her after I’d run into her this morning, but I’d quickly realized that Dax hadn’t been right when he’d said they’d be happy to have me here. On the other hand, maybe that’d also just been a lie. It seemed highly likely that he’d known what they thought about me and had wanted to put me in this position.
The woman had been polite enough, but she was really good at backhanded comments and compliments. For instance, there was a beautiful dress waiting for me in my room when I got back up from the beach, but I knew it was only because Mrs. Breyer had claimed I couldn’t wear anything packed in my suitcase. She’d smiled when she’d told me “she didn’t want me to feel out of place at the party.”
Maybe I shouldn’t have been so surprised that Daxton was capable of everything I’d learned he was capable of with a mother like her. It sure didn’t seem like her heart was as pure as I’d have imagined, considering all the charitable causes she supported.
But whatever. She clearly still had issues with me because of the past. If Daxton had been honest with me about it, I’d never have come here. I doubted he had an honest bone in his body though, so here I was.
Having decided to keep my head up in front of him, I was determined to pretend like I belonged here for the night. David, who seemed to be the only person in this house I’d spoken to so far with a modicum of honesty and humanity in him, had told me that many of the guests this evening were flying in from New England. Another fact Daxton had conveniently forgotten to mention.
If the guests from Hawaii were anything like the guests from back home, then the house was going to be filled with people who were nothing like me. And to think, I’d been looking forward to this weekend.
I scoffed to myself at the thought but smoothed out the shimmery blue dress as I stared at myself in the mirror. I didn’t really want anything from them, but I was totally taking this dress with me as compensation for pain and suffering. It was gorgeous, and it fit me like a glove.
Fuck them all.
Although I was still curious about Mr. Breyer. I hadn’t had a chance to speak to him yet, but from what I’d heard last night, at least he seemed to be in agreement with me about how despicable his son’s actions were.
Raising my chin into the air and squaring my shoulders, I pasted a smile on when Dax knocked on my door. His voice filtered into the room, and I had to steel myself to have the courage to face him without letting on that I knew.
“You ready, Haddie?” he asked. “If you want to hang out up here for a while longer, we can. I’ve hardly seen you all day, so I’m game, but they’re sort of waiting for us downstairs.”
“Of course,” I replied airily. “I’ll be right out.”
I’d rather stick fiery pokers under my toenails instead of hanging out with you anyway. Dragging in a deep breath, I took one last look in the mirror and then, satisfied that I looked the part with my hair swept up and my makeup done neatly and naturally, I went to open the door.
The sight of Dax in a suit knocked my breath out of me for a fraction of a second. The material stretched across his broad chest and biceps, and the royal blue tie made his eyes pop. His hair was brushed back and his lips were curved into a beautiful smile.
A beautiful, lying smile, I reminded myself. I ignored the way his eyes raked over me almost hungrily, stepping out of the room and shutting the door behind me. “I’m ready. Let’s go do this thing.”
“You look amazing,” he said, offering me his arm and then shooting me a slight frown when I didn’t take it. “You okay?”
“I’m fine. Just nervous,” I lied. “Let’s not keep everyone waiting.”
He nodded, his gaze doing that searching thing with mine again. He wouldn’t find anything there, though. I was being very careful to keep everything I felt locked up tight. Tomorrow, however, when we got back, all bets were off. He was going to hear the riot act being read to him and then some.
Walking beside him down the stairs, I was supremely aware of the way his arm kept brushing mine. He also kept sending me these questioning glances, but I held on to my fake smile and focused my attention on the party below.
The mansion really did look incredible. It had been transformed into a sea of light, color, and music. Every room was filled with beautifully dressed people who barely spared a look at me before they started doting on Dax.
The longer we were there, sipping on expensive cocktails and snacking on fancy canapes, the more difficult it became to keep everything in. Family friends fawned over him from the word go, roping his parents into conversations about how he’d become such a responsible, compassionate, and worthy young man. They even claimed to be excited to see who he became after he finished his studies.
A few times, I came way too close to telling them that he wouldn’t be finishing his studies at this rate. His grades suck. He’s a terrible person who’s never had to work for anything in his life and he’s certainly not putting in the work now.
Time and again, I bit my tongue and took bigger sips of my drinks than I should’ve. Eventually, a leggy blonde and a busty brunette who were about our age approached us.
“Daxton,” the blonde exclaimed, draping herself all over him as if she didn’t even see me with him. “It’s so good to have you back. Why didn’t you let me know when you got in?”
He shifted on his feet, turning his body into mine as he pulled his arm out of her grip. “Tatiana. It’s good to see you, too. This is Hadley, my date for the weekend.”
“That’s nice.” Tatiana glanced at me, her lip curling slightly before she dragged the brunette closer and turned back to him. “You remember Angela, don’t you? We thought we could go down to the beach a little later with a bottle or two of champagne.”
Playing the part of an actual date a little too well, he looked down at me and shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ll have to see if Hadley feels like it later.”
Clearly unable to take the hint, the girl took a step closer to him and pushed herself up on her toes to speak into his ear. If she hadn’t wanted to be overheard, she should’ve lowered her voice, though.
“Who is this girl? Why did you bring her?” she asked, her tone pouty and seductive at the same time. It must’ve been quite a feat to get it right, but she managed. “Ditch her, Dax. I haven’t seen you for months.”
Oh, boo hoo. Poor baby. Rolling my eyes, I backed away from them. “I need another drink. I’ll be right back.”
Dax’s gaze dropped to the glass in my hand, and he arched a brow at me when he saw it was not empty. I shrugged, then tossed the contents back in one go and turned to walk toward the bar. I felt his eyes on my back as I retreated, but I didn’t give a damn what he thought.
The cocktails had gone to my head, and I felt a bit lightheaded as I made my way across the room. As I wound my way through the groups of people chatting, I picked up multiple snippets of conversation.
A lot of them were about Dax
, who these people obviously hadn’t seen for quite some time, but some of them were also about me. Many people seemed to be wondering who I was and wanted a chance to speak to me.
It was very obvious that Daxton was a golden boy here as much as he was everywhere else. It seemed people deemed me worthy of their interest purely because it was him who’d brought me here.
Barf. If only you knew the real him.
Mrs. Breyer had her back toward me, but I heard her speaking as I tried to find a way around the group of adoring ladies around her. “I’m actually a little surprised that a girl like Hadley has managed to sweep my son off his feet two times in a row. She’s not a good match for him, and frankly, she’s not a very nice person.”
Red dots suddenly danced across my field of vision. I’m not a nice person? Who the hell does she think she is?
I’d officially had enough. Maybe it was a silly thing to finally send me rocketing toward the end of my tether with these people, but it was one thing to know Dax had it in for me. It was another to hear his mother badmouthing me so easily and claiming that I wasn’t a good match for him when she didn’t even know me.
These people might not know me either, but many of them were important in the business world. What was said here might very well come up again years from now if I unknowingly applied for a job at one of their companies.
I’m so done with their shit. I wasn’t going to just let her walk all over my character and my reputation without at least putting up a bit of a fight. I’m no pushover, lady.
My teeth ground together and my fingers curled into fists. Just as I was deciding what to do about it, the lead singer of the live band announced that they were taking a break.
An idea popped into my head. It was completely unlike me, but after the weekend I’d had and with more alcohol than I was used to coursing through my system, I didn’t overthink it. Smiling to myself as I marched over to the makeshift stage, I climbed up on it and took the mic out of its stand.
