by C. J. Thomas
He smiled and gave a nod. “Drink?”
I shook my head, not even feeling the urge I once couldn’t resist. “I’m taking some time off to clear my head.”
“I admire that.” He began walking toward the wet bar, indicating I should join him. “Look, I received a call from Senator Day earlier.” His brow rippled. “I assume it’s nothing, but since when were you and Sienna friends?”
“I don’t know, Dad.”
“Well, I’m only going to say this once.” He dropped a couple ice cubes into his tumbler. “But I need you to start thinking about how the public might perceive your actions.”
“I get it.”
“We’re working hard to maintain your brother’s image, and when the campaign heats up, his rival is going to be looking for any mud they can sling at him to discredit his ability to lead.”
I swallowed hard. “Cooper will be fine.”
Dad finished pouring his drink. He stole a sip and smacked his lips together before turning to face me. “He’s not the one I’m worried about.”
I stared into my father’s eyes without flinching.
“So,” he turned to face the outside, “will you be attending the wedding tomorrow, then?”
I shook my head, too nervous to tell him there wouldn’t be a wedding.
The front door swung open and Cooper stepped inside. “In case you were worried that the favorite son wouldn’t show, you can now relax, I’m here.”
Dad chuckled, slapped my back, and moved across the floor to greet Coop. I stood and watched, trying to decide if Dad knew more than he was letting on. In the end it didn’t matter. The truth always had a way of rising to the top. Soon, everyone would know Gary was an abusing bastard who didn’t deserve Sienna.
Cooper approached and lowered his voice. “What’s this I heard about you hanging out with tomorrow’s bride?”
I glared at him out of the corner of my eye. “Can I talk to you outside?”
His grin quickly disappeared from his face as he nodded.
He followed one step behind. We said a quick hello to Evan before moving to the other side of the pool. “Secrets don’t make friends,” Evan called over his shoulder, but we ignored him.
“What the hell were you thinking hanging with Sienna? There are photos of you two together.”
My mind raced to know what moment in time had been stolen from us. “Doing what?”
“Eating burgers or some shit.”
I huffed a short bark of disbelief. No wonder Senator Day had called Dad. Suddenly, it was all coming together. Feeling my chest swell, I jabbed my finger into his shoulder. “You brought this upon yourself.”
“Me?” He pointed at his sternum. “How is this my fault?”
“The moment you requested I play puppet for your stupid election campaign is the day you gave reporters reason to follow me around.”
“You do know that we’re supporting her father’s run for senate, don’t you?” His eyes darkened. “Quid pro quo. We’re all in this together. If I was Gary, I would kick your ass for just breathing on my girl.”
“If you had a girl …”
Noah snuck up behind us edging the pool and headed in our direction. “Trevor. Tell him.”
Cooper lifted his head and turned to Noah. “Tell me what?”
“The secret is already out.” Noah casually strode his way to us with his hands hidden deep inside his pockets.
Cooper snapped his head back to me. “What did you do?”
Noah landed his hand on Cooper’s shoulder. “Calm yourself. There’s something you need to hear.”
“If whatever you’re about to tell me can affect my chances of winning, then I don’t want to hear it.”
Noah’s brows furrowed. “Take off your political hat for once and just listen to what he has to say.”
Cooper stared at me as he breathed heavily through his nose.
“You want to know the truth?”
Cooper’s jaw muscles bulged.
“Why I’ve been hanging out with Sienna?” I stepped forward and put my face in Coop’s. “Her bastard fiancé beat her, and I was the one who cleaned her wounds. This is beyond politics. It’s about doing the right thing.”
Cooper asked when it happened and I told him. Then he looked to Noah. “Does her father know?”
Noah shrugged.
“She’s terrified to let her father down,” I said.
Cooper’s lips rounded as he let out a heavy breath of air. Several different shades of fire flashed over his eyes. “Shit. The wedding is tomorrow. If this gets out, Senator Day can forget his reelection.”
Noah folded his arms over his chest. “We need to stop this.”
Suddenly, I had the urge to drink. Wanting to fight, I didn’t know where to begin. “She told me she’s calling off the wedding.”
“That’s a start, but anyone who has seen Sienna will notice the busted lip he gave her.”
“Who gave who a busted lip?” Charlotte stepped up and joined our circle.
We bounced our glances around like a hot potato, trying to pass off the responsibility of filling in Charlotte on the details.
I stepped back and let Cooper and Noah catch her up while I thought how I needed to be sure Sienna didn’t fold under pressure—or worse, threats. I knew what Gary was capable of before the incident with Sienna, and now anything was possible.
I kept asking myself why I was here and not with her, and when I heard Charlotte say, “That asshole deserves to know what it feels like,” I knew she was right.
“Trevor already paid him a visit,” Noah said.
“You what?” Cooper’s neck craned as his brows shot to the top of his head.
I flicked my gaze to his. “He knows that I know.”
“Anything else happen, or did you just threaten the man?”
“Listen to yourself. You’re forgetting that this asshole hit a woman. Stop thinking about yourself for once and see it through the eyes of a family man.”
Cooper rubbed the back of his neck and paced in small circles, trying to come to terms with everything he was just now learning. “What’s really going on with you two, Trevor? Huh? Because this seems like it’s bigger than what you’re saying.”
My heart sped up and my cheeks flushed hot when I said, “I love her.”
The air around us went silent.
No one breathed.
Not a word was said.
Even the birds seemed to stop singing. “They can’t get married.”
“And why is that?” Cooper arched one brow.
Charlotte stepped closer.
Noah encouraged me to continue with a subtle nod.
“Because the man is cheating on her.”
There was a collective gasp between us. It wasn’t worth explaining the details of Sienna coming into my life. I preferred to keep them private. Because, somehow, this was different.
“I saw her with my own eyes. She was there today. By the pool. Drinking with him and his groomsmen.” I turned to Charlotte. “Sienna confirmed it, too. Gary is going behind her back, thinking she doesn’t know.”
Cooper leaned his head closer. “If this is true, then Sienna needs to make this decision herself and not have you play some hero.”
“Like you?” I clenched my fist.
Cooper’s expression pinched and he puffed up his chest.
Charlotte wedged herself between us before a fight broke out. “This makes sense.”
“What makes sense?” Noah asked.
Charlotte bounced her gaze between Cooper and me. “At Cooper’s gala, I overhead a conversation about Senator Day’s daughter’s wedding.”
“And?”
“I didn’t think anything of it at the time. It didn’t involve me so I barely paid attention. But I heard that Gary has political aspirations of his own and sees this marriage as his ticket in.”
“Gary wasn’t at the gala,” Cooper reassured us.
“It wasn’t him who said it,” Charlo
tte said. “It was a young woman with Audrey.”
“Why didn’t you say anything until now?” Noah asked.
“It wasn’t my place.” She turned to look at me. “But now it is.”
32
Sienna
I stepped outside and into the heat as I made my way to the patio table near the garden.
Taking a seat, I focused on my breathing and waited for Gary to follow.
It didn’t surprise me that he wasn’t there to lead me—to guide me—into our future. We had fallen off the cliff long ago, and I didn’t know what it was going to take for my parents to finally see that our once-shining love was now spoiled.
Biting my lip, I looked around, afraid of how he would react to the news. I had so many questions waiting for him. I didn’t know which to ask first.
When the sliding glass doors opened, I turned my head and watched him make his way to me. His shoulders were rolled back, a cocky smile tugging at his lips—the same lips I once enjoyed kissing so much. Inside, I seethed with resentment, my chest feeling like it would soon erupt. On the surface, I did my best to appear strong. But, the truth was, I was anything but confident. I was made weak because of him, and I hated myself for it.
Without taking his eyes off of me, I watched as he lowered into the seat opposite from where I sat. His spine was straight. His jawline strong and confident. With the way he was looking at me—like I was some possession to be owned—I felt my insides recoil.
The minutes passed as we both waited for the other to speak first.
Despite being surrounded by the beautiful fragrance of flowers Mom had nurtured for so many years, the air hung heavy, absent from any romance I would have expected the day before a wedding. Ironic that I had the best examples to guide me when looking up to my parents’ marriage, yet I still couldn’t get it right.
No longer did Gary share that glimmer of love that once melted my heart. Even the respect he once valued so highly had all but disappeared from our lives. The temperature outside was approaching ninety, yet my flesh was riddled with bumps.
I opened my lips, but the words I needed to say got caught in the back of my throat.
The corners of Gary’s eyes crinkled. It was like he knew what was coming next. His dimples deepened with his arrogant grin. If I hadn’t been thinking of Dad, I would have leaped across the table and smacked it off of him just to prove a point.
Casting my gaze to my hands jumping in my lap, I twisted the engagement ring around my finger, paranoid that I still smelled like Trevor. At the same time, it lit the fuse and recharged the excitement that led me to this point.
Bringing his elbows to the table, Gary tipped forward and narrowed his eyes.
My heart stalled but I refused to duck and run. This needed to happen. Now. We needed to end this today. It couldn’t go on any longer. It would benefit no one to continue down this path of self-destruction. What he was doing to me was toxic, a threat to us all.
I glared, shooting daggers at his jugular with my eyes.
He raised his brows and wagged his head, clearly thinking he had full control over the outcome of this conversation. He thought he had the upper hand. A knowing glimmer flashed over his eyes that sent my hands shaking even more.
Stay strong, the girls reminded me with their spirits.
The veins strained against his skin.
I pulled my feet together at the heels, feeling my hands go clammy. Even inside my parents’ house, I was afraid of what he might do to me.
I glanced to the sliding glass door as he laced his fingers together.
We were completely alone. Not even my parents’ German Shepard, Charlie, was here to save me if Gary decided he didn’t like something I saw. He was capable of anything, but I refused to be silenced.
Gary tilted his head to one side and said in a mocking tone, “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”
Heat spread across my chest as my throat closed up. “What do you want me to say?”
His irises darkened in a flash. “I want you to apologize. Get off your high horse and stop dragging everyone down with you.”
I felt the tips of my fingers swell—the rhythm of my pulse throbbing with each beat of my heart. Of course he would try to turn the table to make this about me. This wasn’t my fault. His lies—his deception—had brought this on himself.
“What happened to us?” I asked.
“That’s a great question, Sienna, dear.” His lips thinned into a straight line. “Are you purposely trying to sabotage our wedding?”
Pursing my lips, his attitude only made me angrier. “Who took the photos I just saw?”
“The photos of you and that boy?”
My eyebrows slanted above flashing eyes. “Did you?”
He turned his head and laughed. “You’re the senator’s daughter.” His words came out in short little clips. “Our wedding is tomorrow. We’re practically royalty.” He guffawed. “Anybody could have snapped those photos.”
My brows sharpened into a perfect arch.
Gary stood and edged around the table until he was hovering over me.
My breathing turned shallow as I kept focused on where his hands were. I didn’t need him touching me. Didn’t need to feel every muscle in my body tighten out of fear of what he might do next. And I certainly didn’t want to flinch unnecessarily.
But that was exactly how I felt. Damn him and his intimidation tactics.
“You saw the photo of us that went viral.” One side of his face lifted into a cocky smirk. “Did you read the comments?” He didn’t allow time for me to respond. “This is the wedding everyone can’t wait to see.”
Staring into his manipulating eyes, my scalp prickled, sending a wave of chills down my spine. Even though I was outside, I felt trapped. My vision tunneled. The sounds of my beating heart thrashed between my ears. Loneliness hardened my stomach and when I blinked, the sound of his hand striking my face filled my head with painful memories that made me suddenly cringe.
Gary’s cold fingers clamped around the nape of my neck. It would look like a loving gesture to anyone else but I could feel his anger through his fingertips.
Through clenched teeth, I glared up at him. “You set me up.”
“It’s all about timing.” His fingers squeezed. “Hasn’t your father taught you anything?”
My cheeks bloomed red. “Are you calling me stupid?”
“You know what I think?”
I grinded my teeth until my jaw hurt. As if he hadn’t already done enough damage, he had the nerve to stoke the fire burning in my belly.
“I think you being with that boy,” his lips popped with exaggerated flare, “is about seeking revenge against me.”
Wetting my lips, I forced false confidence to rise in my chest. “That sounds like a confession, if you ask me.”
He chuckled and bent at the waist. Tucking my hair behind my ear, he brushed his lips over my cheek. My entire body froze through uncomfortable anguish as his one move caused me to forget everything we were discussing.
His tongue curled out and licked the curve of my ear.
I closed my eyes and shivered.
I wanted to run, hide. But, mostly, I wanted to escape to a dark corner far away from him and cry until the well inside of me ran completely dry. “But that’s not what this is about, is it?” I asked.
His head floated up to the sky like a balloon. “When did you two begin your friendly burger dates?”
“Take a wild guess.” My eyes narrowed into razor sharp slits. I refused to give him the courtesy to respond. “No guesses? How about we just say that he was the man I ran to after you decided that hitting your fiancé was sexy.” I swatted his hand away from my neck and stood. Putting the table between us, I barked, “You know him, Gary. Say his name.”
Gary’s chest rose and fell with nostrils flaring.
“Say his name!” I slammed my hand down hard on the patio table. “Trevor Foster.”
He shoved a hand through
his hair and shuffled his feet over the cobblestones. For the first time today, Gary was speechless. But I could tell it wasn’t me who took his ability to talk away. It was whatever Trevor had said to him.
Crossing my arms, I cocked a hip and kept my eye on him.
My stomach fluttered with thoughts of Trevor. I liked that he had this effect on him. It was time somebody pulled Gary’s feet back down to earth and stripped him of his undeserved ego.
He bit his bottom lip and stared across the lawn toward the shed.
Adrenaline kicked in, giving me a second chance at life when I watched his hands ball into white-knuckled fists.
Stay strong.
I held my ground, flicking my gaze between his hands and face. Feeling my muscles flex, I confidently said, “Trevor told me what happened, how you saved his life.”
Gary hung his head and closed his eyes. Even for me, with our history, he was impossible to read.
Was he angry that I knew? Or was he relieved that stories about his time away were finally coming to light?
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I softened my tone.
He looked defeated. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
His go-to response. I’d let it go too long. Brushed it off thinking he knew best—thinking it would pass on its own. Now it wasn’t just about him. It was about us, and Trevor. And, more importantly, my future and the life I wanted to live.
“Did you know that he would be coming to our wedding? That he was a Foster?”
Gary lifted his head and gave me a look.
My brow furrowed. “Have you two spoken since?”
“Not for years.” His voice barely broke the rasp of a whisper. His eyes hooded and the strong man who’d just tried to intimidate me looked broken, sad, lost.
Rushing over to me, my eyes sprang open. He fell to his knees and stole my hands. Stroking my knuckles with the pad of his thumb, he begged me to love him. “I hate this fighting with you. This isn’t how our wedding weekend is supposed to be.”
I stared into his pathetic eyes, biting back the tears that prickled beneath my eyelids. I knew his actions were genuine, but it was too late to ask for forgiveness.
