by JL Paul
Sighing, I got to my feet. “Lucas, I struggled – still am struggling – with which person I want to be. Do I end up like my mother? Or end up like my grandparents?”
His arms snaked around my middle as he rested his chin on the top of my head. “Why can’t you just be Irelyn?”
I snorted. “I don’t know who Irelyn is.”
He kissed my cheek. “You’ll find her, love, don’t worry.”
I turned in his arms and kissed him softly, tangling my fingers in his hair. “I’ll go to the party with you, Lucas. I really want to.”
He grinned at me. “We don’t have to go to the party. We could hang out here.”
I shook my head. “How about if we go to the party for awhile then come back here?”
He tightened his hold and kissed me until my jaw ached and my lungs screamed for air. “I like how you think.”
***
My mother questioned me endlessly about whose New Year’s party I was attending since she hadn’t met any of my friends that lived nearby –and only Bailey and Morgan from school. I assured her that they were nice people, that I would be perfectly fine, and I’d see her in the morning.
She could only bite her lip and nod.
I had planned on wearing a skirt for Lucas but it was so bitterly cold that I couldn’t bear it and I ended up in jeans and a sweater. Besides, I didn’t think I could sneak out of the house dressed that way without raising my mother’s suspicions even higher.
But when I showed up at Lucas’s house, his face lit up so bright that I could have been wearing a tutu with fishing waders and he wouldn’t have cared.
“Give me your bag, love,” he said. He tossed it in his bedroom then turned back to me. “Are you ready?”
He took me to a club that was way on the outskirts of town. I frowned. “Um, Luke? I thought this was a private party?”
“It is. A friend of Spencer’s owns the club and it’s only open to a select few,” he said as he took my hand. “Come on. We’ll stay for a bit then I’ll take you home. To my home.”
I squeezed his hand, smiling at him, my heart somersaulting in my chest.
Spencer’s friend had invited quite a few ‘select few’. The place wasn’t near capacity but there were a lot of people milling around the bar and the jukebox. I clung tightly to Lucas’s hand as he moved easily through the crowd trying to locate Collin and Spencer.
“Luke!” a woman called as she shoved away from the bar. She jogged over to us, launching her body into Lucas’s arms.
He dropped my hand to catch her and I took a cautious step back. “Hey, Penny,” he greeted as he drew his head away from her lips which were puckering and trying to land anywhere on his face. “Nice to see you again.”
“It’s been awhile,” she gushed, still hanging on to him. She had soft features and light brown hair. She was slim and nearly as tall as Lucas. Her lips peeled back to reveal blindingly white teeth, making her pretty eyes sparkle.
“Yeah, I’ve been busy,” he said as he reached for me. I slipped my hand in his, allowing him to tug me forward. She finally released him to peer curiously at me. “This is Irelyn. Irelyn – this is Penny.”
“Hi,” she said with a bubbly smile. Her eyes darted back to Lucas. “I guess you have been busy.”
I sensed some sort of history and I made a mental note to ask him about it later. “Yeah,” he confirmed, letting go of my hand to wrap an arm around my waist. “Have you seen my brother or my cousin?”
“They’re at the corner of the bar talking to Owen,” she said, her lips jutting in a pout. “Hey, we should talk later.”
“Maybe,” he said without any sincerity. He dragged me through the crowd again. I finally spotted Collin and Spencer laughing with a man around their age. He was very good looking with blond, spiky hair, gorgeous green eyes, and an air of confidence surrounding him. I instantly grew leery.
“Irelyn!” Spencer exclaimed, embracing me, kissing both cheeks. “Glad you came, darling!”
“Thanks,” I laughed as I stood on my toes to kiss Collin. I was mildly surprised to find Tori clutching his arm. “Hey, Tori!”
“Hi, Irelyn,” she greeted. “Good to see you again.”
“You, too,” I said honestly. I didn’t know her well but what I did know of her, I liked.
“Lucas Newton,” the unfamiliar man said. “You dirty dog. What have you been hiding from me?”
“And for good reason,” Lucas grinned, squeezing my shoulders. “Stay away from her.”
I frowned as I glanced at Tori. She gave me a tight smile and shook her head slightly.
“I’m Owen Masterson,” the man said as he extended a hand. I shook it without budging an inch from Lucas’s side. “And you are?”
“Mine,” Lucas said in a friendly tone, but I could sense a dark undercurrent. “And her name is Irelyn.”
“Ah, like the beautiful country. How appropriate,” he said, still holding on to my hand. “It’s very nice to meet you.”
“You, too,” I mumbled as I worked to remove my hand from his. Lucas interceded much to Owen’s amusement.
“Luke always had an eye for the pretty ones,” Owen said as he picked up a bottle of beer. “Glad you could make it, Irelyn. Can I get you something to drink? Everything is on the house tonight.”
“Just a soda, please,” I said and he laughed. He disappeared behind the bar, returning a moment later with a beer for Lucas and a can of soda for me.
Lucas eased me onto an empty bar stool and stood next to me, keeping a possessive hand on me at all times. Instead of being irritated, I was relieved. I didn’t really care for the way Owen kept glancing and smiling and winking at me.
As the jukebox blared, Owen chided Lucas and the others about not playing. They kept telling him that they just wanted to enjoy the night like everyone else. I, for one, was very glad they weren’t playing. Even though it would have been fun to sit with Tori and watch them, I was still grateful for Lucas’s constant presence.
The dance floor was crowded and I watched, amused, as the women tried to coerce the men to dance. Lucas stood behind me, with his arms around my middle, his lips near my ear. “Are you going to try to make me dance?” he asked, making me shiver.
“I’m not much of a dancer,” I confessed.
He chuckled, his breath grazed my neck. “Me either – that’s why I play in a band.”
I swiveled on the stool to face him. His eyes were narrowed and burned a hot flame. I gripped his shirt in my fists, yanking him closer. I pressed my lips against his. “Thank you for bringing me here.”
He returned my kiss. “Thank you for coming.” He brushed his lips over mine, making my temperature shoot up a few degrees. “You don’t know how cool it is to have you here with me.”
“You don’t know how cool it is to see these girls lusting over you and know that you’re taking me home tonight.”
Grinning, he chucked me under the chin as a little color touched his cheeks. “I don’t know about all that.”
“Well I do and it’s making me a little smug,” I said with a laugh.
“Maybe I’ll need to take you down a peg or two tonight,” he said in a low, sexy voice. He pressed his slightly parted lips to mine. My heart burst and I grasped his shirt, wishing we were in his bedroom.
“Hey, enough of that smut unless you intend to share,” Owen said, his voice disrupting my moment of joy.
Lucas smiled against my mouth before breaking away to raise a brow at Owen. “I don’t believe I’m your type.”
Owen laughed, clapping Lucas on the shoulder. “You’re too funny.”
I pulled Lucas closer as Owen’s lingering eyes dropped to me. I shuddered and Lucas felt it. He draped his arm around me. “There are plenty of other women out there – take your pick.”
“Like Penny?” Owen asked with lifted brow.
“Sure,” Lucas said with a shrug. “Have at it.”
An arrogant smirk formed on Owen’s lips. “You weren�
�t saying that a few months ago.”
“I didn’t have Irelyn a few months ago,” Lucas said nonchalantly as he lifted his beer to his mouth.
My heart flipped. I wrapped my arms around his waist. He ducked his head to wink and smile his crinkly-eyed smile at me. I was ready to leave at that moment. “I dated Penny a few months ago – briefly,” he whispered softly in my ear. He kissed my neck. “But she doesn’t hold a candle to you, love.”
I beamed at him but inside, I was already comparing Penny’s features to mine. “You don’t have to explain.”
He tossed his head back, laughing. “One thing I learned about women is that you pretty much have to explain everything.”
I rolled my eyes as I twisted my stool so I could watch the dancers. Lucas’s arms twined around me, elevating my mood. I very much enjoyed being in public with him – flaunting to the other girls that he was mine. Of course, I was sure most of the women could care less, but in my fantasy-ridden mind, they all wanted him.
We toasted the New Year together with champagne and I convinced him to leave shortly after. Owen leered, brazenly eyeing me up and down as we thanked him. I slipped even closer to Lucas as his arm found its way around my shoulders.
Once we got to his house, he wasted no time getting me to his bedroom. He was slow again, and unhurried, and I fell even deeper in love.
Chapter 16
The holidays were over and my break coming to an end. My nerves – which had been hibernating – suddenly awoke and they were ravenous. Dustin was due home soon which meant I was going to have to sit down to have a long talk with him. It wouldn’t be pretty.
School was supposed to start back up on Monday the eighth – my birthday- and Dustin promised to be home by then. Although I was nervous and anxious to talk to him, I was also eager to get it over with so I could finally be with Lucas without guilt. It was a horrible, selfish thing, I knew, but it was honest and it was the right thing to do. Dustin was a nice guy who deserved better.
We had dinner at my grandparents’ house the Friday before my birthday which put a huge crimp in my plan to be with Lucas. He was disappointed – like me – as he had a gig Saturday night. I wasn’t sure if I still had to do dinner at the club Saturday so I couldn’t even promise to see him then.
Dustin returned late Friday night and called me early Saturday to let me know he was back. My heart twisted as I summoned enough enthusiasm to get through the call. He asked if he could see me that night and I agreed. He was ecstatic by the time I hung up my phone.
***
My mother sent me on a wild goose chase Saturday afternoon – running errands and shopping for some elusive ingredient she needed for the dinner she had planned for Sunday. After two hours of running around, I gave up and returned home to prepare for my evening with Dustin.
My mother and Tommy had left me a note, claiming they were dining at a pizza place since we weren’t required at the country club. I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to speak to Dustin.
He arrived around eight and immediately shred my plan to bits.
“I missed you so much!” Dustin exclaimed. He held me so tightly that it not only nearly crushed my ribs but it set off my guilt. How was I ever going to do this?
“I missed you, too,” I managed to utter. He released me only to kiss me. I tried the best I could to muster enough passion for the kiss.
“I have the perfect evening planned for us tonight,” he said, holding my hands. “But, you have to change. You need to dress up a little more. Oh, nothing formal,” he added when I cringed. “Throw on a skirt or something.”
Suppressing a groan, I sighed. I ran up the stairs to change from my usual jeans into a long, black skirt and a silky blue blouse. I put in the diamond earrings he’d given me at Christmas thinking that might cheer him a little bit. I slipped into a pair of flats – it was icy out and I wasn’t the most sure-footed thing in heels.
“You look beautiful,” he exclaimed. I blushed. He helped me with my coat, anticipation practically leaking from his eyes. My uneasiness grew as I wondered if he was going to do something stupid. I needed to hurry up and get the words out before he went too far.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
His smile exploded as he shook his head, waggling a finger at me as if I were a naughty child. “You can’t ask. This is a total surprise.” He kissed my cheek. “I’m trying to make up for not being here with you on Christmas by giving you the best birthday ever - even if your birthday isn't until Monday.”
I suppressed the eye roll and zipped up my coat. I wondered if I should just say something now or wait until the end of the evening. What was the proper way to break up with your boyfriend? Was there some kind of etiquette I should follow?
I sighed as he slipped his hand in mine. I’d have to play this one by ear.
I was expecting a fancy dinner and perhaps another evening of dancing and then maybe him trying to convince me to spend the night with him. Or maybe he rented another room at an inn or a suite in a hotel. I was expecting glamour and glitz – things that were more his style.
I was not expecting Rusty’s.
My heart thumped and jumped and stopped and started as my hands trembled. Dustin parked, grinning at me. “Surprise!”
I urged my facial muscles to smile but they flat out refused. “Surprise?”
“Yes!” he laughed, kissing my cheek. “I heard that you and your friends come here on Friday nights. I found out that you love this place so…” My heart paused, holding its breath. “I thought I’d bring you here. Come on.”
My hands fumbled with the door handle and my legs shook as I stepped out of the car, stumbling around to meet him. He took my hand again and grinning, towed me toward the door. I took a deep breath, hoping Amber wouldn’t happen to be bopping around inside somewhere, and preceded him inside.
“Surprise!” I heard my mother shout, her voice louder than the others that shouted with her.
My eyes grew so big they immediately dried out while my stomach rolled as if tumbling downhill. My mother rushed to me, hugging me fiercely while my dry eyes roamed the bar area. I spotted Bailey and Morgan standing awkwardly –Bailey with a cool mask on her face and Morgan looking exactly like how I felt.
“Um, thanks, Mom,” I said as I pulled out of her embrace. “Um, how’d you manage to do this without telling me?”
She shrugged, a slight pink tint on her cheeks. “Dustin did it all. He didn’t tell me anything until last night so I wouldn’t spill the beans. I called Bailey and Morgan last night and arranged for them to meet me at the house while you were out shopping. Dustin called us at the last minute and told us the location.”
“Oh,” I said. My eyes darted automatically to the stage as Tommy tugged on my sleeve. I started to bend to his level but froze when I saw Lucas, Collin, and Spencer poised and ready to play – their faces grim.
“Irelyn,” Tommy said, tugging away at me. I shook my head, kissing his cheek absently while my entire insides trembled and bile rose in my throat. “Are you surprised?”
“Um hm,” I said, not wanting to open my mouth.
Dustin draped an arm around my shoulder, radiant smile bursting from his lips. “Isn’t this great? We rented the whole bar for the night. Oh, and I hired the band that you and your friends like. What do you think?”
I couldn’t look at Lucas – I wanted to but I couldn’t. My mind was numb and I had no idea what to do. Did Dustin know? Was this some elaborate scheme to out me? I sucked in a breath – did Amber tell him?
“Are you all right, sweetheart?” he asked, his forehead creasing in concern. “I thought you’d rather do this than something at the country club.”
“It’s fine,” I said, my head spinning and my stomach churning. “Who are all these people?” I asked in a low voice. Some of them looked vaguely familiar but the others I hadn’t a clue.
“Just a couple of my buddies from school and some of the gang from the country club,” he said.
“I wanted you to have more than just your roommates.”
Wonderful – more witnesses to my complete humiliation. Still, I supposed I’d asked for this. “Oh.”
“Happy birthday, Irelyn,” Bailey said, stepping forward to rescue me from Dustin’s arms. She pulled me into a hug and whispered in my ear. “No one knew, Irelyn. No one or else we would have warned you.”
Nodding, I stepped back to allow Morgan a chance to hug me. “We’ll get out of this somehow.”
I laughed – couldn’t help it because after all, my entire life was turning into a huge joke. I wondered vaguely if there were video cameras around somewhere. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Hey, guys!” Dustin shouted toward the stage. Spencer stepped forward and nodded. “Go ahead and play.”
Spencer shot a glance at Lucas who merely shrugged and started strumming chords on his guitar. The others joined in and shortly after, Dustin’s friends began dancing.
“These guys are pretty good,” Dustin said, bobbing his head in time to the music. He kissed my cheek. “Isn’t the singer the guy we met at a club one time? A friend of Bailey’s or something?”
“Yes,” I squeaked as Lucas’s voice filled the room.
“Oh, he’s so nice,” Mom said as she joined us. “I was talking to them before you got here.” She blushed and I raised a brow, forgetting my own discomfort. “I told them how I used to sing ages ago and they were trying to talk me into singing with them.”
I smiled softly as my eyes drifted back to Lucas. When he caught my gaze, his lips turned up in the corner ever so slightly and I knew things would be okay.
Chuckling, Dustin kissed my mother’s cheek. “Now, now, Ms. Colby. It’s been awhile and I don’t think you want to embarrass Irelyn that way.”
