Oops.
Maybe we were a little too believable.
“Hey Kelsey.” I couldn’t help it, but I sounded smug as hell. An evil grin crossed my face and I couldn’t help myself. “You’ve met my boyfriend Finn, right?”
I thought she was going to come unglued on my ass, but Daniel stepped in front of her before she launched herself at me. Finn squeezed my hip and shook his head, fighting back a smile.
“You always were a little drama whore, Cora.” The group got quiet and their eyes shot back and forth between us. “All that shit with Derek. You just wanted everyone to pay attention to you and feel sorry for you. I think you got what you deserved.”
Finn’s arm wrapped around my waist before I could dive at the bitch. He stood up and sat me back down in the chair in one movement. I winced as he took a step towards Kelsey. The look in his eyes was dangerous. Kelsey took a step back when she looked up at Finn and noticed his furious gaze. He wasn’t the type to take lightly when he was pissed, and she knew she had just crossed a line.
“Apologize to Cora, right now.” His voice was deadly calm, but I could see the tense muscles in his back and the hard set of his jaw. I stood up and put a comforting hand on his back and arm. “Now, Kelsey!” He barked.
“I don’t owe her anything.” She cocked her hip and tried to act tough, but I could see the fear hidden in her eyes. Finn would never hit a woman, but his tongue would slay her on the spot if she didn’t do what he asked.
“No one deserves what happened to Cora. She had a broken nose and eye socket. She had bruises covering two thirds of her body, four broken ribs, and her arms had been pulled out of their sockets from where he jerked her around like a fucking rag doll. When I found her she was unconscious with a terrible concussion because he dumped her in a park by herself.” He took a deep breath. “I don’t think any human deserves that kind of treatment. If you really think she deserved that you are as sick as Derek is. I don’t think she was being dramatic, as you so eloquently put it. Now, fucking apologize to Cora, or get the fuck away.”
She flinched when he took another step closer. I tugged at Finn’s arm.
“Let’s just go.”
He cupped my face and kissed my forehead. “No, Cora. You deserve an apology.”
“She’s not going to be sincere and her opinion doesn’t matter. I just hope that nothing like that ever happens to her because karma is a bitch and she deserves a little karma coming her way.” I stared at Kelsey for a few seconds. “Jealousy doesn’t look good on you. It makes you look old and bitter. Maybe if you hadn’t been so crazy back in high school, Finn might have actually liked you.”
I turned and made my way to the exit, pushing through the crowds of people. Finn said one last thing to Kelsey that I couldn’t hear and waved goodbye to our friends. Somehow I ended up next to Finn’s car, but everything was in a haze. Not because of the alcohol, I was sober after that horrible confrontation, but because of the awful memories that were surfacing. Finn’s description was spot on, and I remembered the feeling of getting all those nasty injuries. Our friends still treated me like glass after what had happened with Derek. The fucker had been charged with second degree assault and battery charges and would get out of jail later this year. I remembered the feeling of being kicked and hit while Derek screamed at me. The sound of my nose breaking made me gag as I fought back the memory. A chill ran up my spine when I remembered the look in his eyes when he got his sentence. We were lucky my step-dad had been able to push the judge for that much, because Derek’s family was well connected within Oxford.
A hollowness filled me and I could feel myself slipping back into that awful dark space. My hand rested on the hood and I bent at the waist. Tears pricked at my eyes and my stomach tumbled. Bile rose in my throat and stars danced in front of my eyes. I was back in that park, cowering and waiting for the onslaught of abuse to stop.
Finn’s arms wrapped around my waist and he pulled me back into his chest.
“I’m here. Princess, I’m here.” I turned and dug my face into his neck. He held me tightly and ran his hand through my hair. “He’s never going to lay another finger on you. I’m so sorry, baby. I never meant for that to happen. God, I’m so sorry, Cora. I never should have said that. I should have thought of you before I said anything at all. Are you okay?”
I sobbed harder into his chest. It wasn’t his fault that Kelsey brought up the one thing that had the ability to break me.
He let me cry for a few minutes. It took me a while to calm down enough to breathe normally.
“Can we go home?”
He nodded and kissed my forehead. I waited while he opened my door and buckled my seat belt. It killed me that I became so vulnerable anytime Derek was brought up. Finn seemed to sense everything I needed before I even knew I needed it.
It was a short drive back to his parents’ house, but I barely registered that we had even pulled into the driveway. His strong arms lifted me from the car, tucking me into his chest where I felt safe. There weren’t many places I felt safe in this world, but anytime I was with Finn, it felt like nothing bad could happen. I obediently lifted my arms as he changed me into pajamas like a child. He tucked me into Olivia’s bed and turned to leave.
“Finn?”
“Yeah, Princess?”
I lifted the covers.
“Stay with me?” I asked softly. “Please.”
He toed off his shoes and tugged his shirt over his head. I sighed in relief as he climbed in bed behind me and pulled me back into his chest.
“I’m so sorry, Cora,” he said again.
I turned so I could see his outline in the dark room.
“It’s not your fault, Finn. I shouldn’t have goaded her.”
He tightened his hold on me.
“Sleep, Princess.”
With his arms wrapped tightly around me, I drifted off to a blissfully dreamless sleep.
The look in Cora’s eyes when I found her outside the pub almost killed me. I hated the fact that I was the one that caused her to get hurt. If I hadn’t used her to keep Kelsey away, none of this would have happened. Cora had been incredibly quiet the rest of the week. I missed her sweet, sarcastic, snarky personality. No amount of teasing on my end had brought my girl back. My parents must have realized something was off between us because amazingly they seemed to be on their best behavior too. It was probably the most normal Thanksgiving we’d ever had in the Crawford household.
I dropped her off at her dorms on the Sunday afternoon after Thanksgiving. She trailed behind me as I carried in her bags to her door. Things were worse than I thought since she wasn’t even putting up a fight about me carrying things for her. She unlocked her door and stepped to the side, letting me throw her bags down on her bed.
“Cora—”
“Don’t Finn. I’m okay; we just need to drop it. Can you do that for me?”
I took a step closer and brushed her hair away from her face. “Of course I can, but I’m worried about you.” I pressed my forehead to hers. “I meant what I said, you aren’t going to lose me. No matter what happens, I’ll always be here for you.”
Her lips brushed lightly against mine and I cupped the back of her neck with my hand. She rested her fingers on my chest lightly. I wanted to deepen the kiss, but that wasn’t what she needed right now. We had just pulled away when the door opened behind us. Hannah gave us a funny look as she walked inside.
“Do we need to come up with a system? Am I interrupting?” She asked, throwing her bags down on her bed.
“You’re not interrupting anything,” I said, shooting a wink in her direction. “I’ll text you later, Cora. I’m heading back to the house. Please let me know if you need anything.”
Cora sighed. “I’m fine, Finn.”
Hannah looked at us and I saw her indecision of whether she should stay or go. I kissed Cora on the forehead and left. If I said anything else she would just be pissed off at me for hovering. As I closed the door, I heard
Hannah ask, “What the hell did I just walk in on?”
I gave a halfhearted smile. If I had an answer for her, I would offer it up.
____
Cora peeked at me from out of the corner of her eye. She didn’t want me to know she was looking, but I knew. We were driving over to Nate and Liv’s house to hang out and watch the conference game on their big screen. It sucked that we had only made it to a few games throughout the season, but with my study schedule, it was impossible to get to any more. Even my Saturdays were booked with study groups.
I made some goofy ass face at her quickly and turned back towards the road. She finally laughed. It had taken some time, but she was finally getting back to normal.
“Are you through acting weird around me?”
She snorted. “I’m not acting weird around you.”
“Tell me this, why haven’t you texted me back this week? I’ve texted you no less than six times each day. I know because I counted.”
She turned to look out the window. “I’ve been busy.”
“Busy,” I scoffed. “Too busy for me?”
I parked in the driveway and she escaped from the car before I could interrogate her any further. Cora avoiding me like the plague was really starting to get to me. I didn’t know if her feelings had changed, but that conversation seemed so far away. The idea of a relationship seemed even further away now than it had been at Thanksgiving.
Cora opened the door and walked inside without waiting for me to catch up, but I heard her laughter from outside.
“What’s so funny?”
I walked in behind Cora and saw my sister and Nate covered from head to toe in whipped cream and chocolate sauce. I really hoped this wasn’t some kinky form of foreplay that I was walking into. They were both laughing and screaming as they ran around the kitchen.
“What the fuck are they doing?” I asked Cora. She grinned as she watched the two of them chasing each other, with the puppy Nate had bought her last year following closely behind.
“Something great.”
She had a wistful look in her eye and I wondered if she wanted that kind of connection with me or with someone else. What was it about Cora that made me doubt myself? Maybe it was because we had started this as no-strings attached fun and now I was the one becoming attached. Or maybe it was because I knew that I was in love with her, and she still thought I was the nice guy that she grew up with. It wasn’t a fun feeling to not know where I stood with her.
Olivia slid to a halt when she saw us standing there watching them. A sheepish look crossed her face briefly, but she couldn’t fight back her grin for long. Nate crashed into her from behind, nearly taking her down to the ground. He grabbed onto the counter in time to keep them from falling to the slippery floor.
“You guys are here early,” Olivia said, wiping a piece of sticky hair back from her face.
“Not really,” Cora said, smirking. “You guys started doing kinky things in the kitchen and forgot we were coming. I know we’re best friends and all, but I don’t want to join in on this kind of thing if that was your plan.”
I pretended to gag and she elbowed me in the stomach.
Olivia laughed. “I don’t share Nathaniel with anyone, including you friend.”
“Go take showers, and please do it separately. I don’t want more images in my head,” I said grimacing. “Cora and I can clean up in here while you wash up.”
“I make no promises that it’ll be separate showers,” Nate said, hauling Olivia up into a fireman’s hold over his shoulder. She squealed and smacked his butt. He laughed as he carefully walked down the hall towards their room.
Cora was still smiling when I turned back to her. “What’s that huge sappy grin about?”
“It’s good to see her happy.”
I nodded. “It really is. They both deserve it.”
Nate had been there for me the entire time Olivia had been gone. He had listened to every one of my stories and somewhere in there, he fell in love with my sister before he’d even met her. I was just happy that she was able to get past her douchebag ex long enough to see how great Nate really is.
I grabbed a mop from the closet and Cora grabbed a sponge from the sink. We had the kitchen cleaned in a few minutes, although the floor would probably be sticky for weeks to come. Cora was silent while we worked. For once I wished she would just say what she was thinking. Her filter wasn’t the strongest on the best of days, but this radio silence was starting to freak me out.
“Cora, we need to—”
“Thank you guys for cleaning up,” Olivia said, as she walked back into the kitchen drying her hair with a towel. “I’ll order pizza. What kind do you guys want?”
Instead of answering, I grabbed a beer from the fridge and walked onto the back patio. I closed the sliding glass door behind me and stepped out into the chilly evening air. Cora was fucking with my head and I just needed a second to myself to clear it. To Nate’s credit, he gave me ten minutes before he came out after me. He handed me a second beer and sat down across from me.
“Is this about your mystery girl?”
I snorted. “Kind of.”
“You’ve always been a moody son of a bitch and we all accept that, but I just want to make sure you’re okay. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this messed up over anything.”
I took the last drink of my first beer and cracked open the second one. “How did you know that Liv was it for you?”
His eyebrows raised in surprise. “Fuck.” He huffed out a breath. “I don’t know. She was everything I was looking for and more. She put up with my shit and she chose me back.”
I took a deep breath and stared out into the backyard, looking at the different bushes and trees they had out there. They had a gigantic oak tree that was going to be a bitch when we got hit by a hurricane. This wasn’t a conversation that I wanted to have, but I was the one that started it.
Nate stood up and clapped a hand down on my shoulder. “If she’s the one, you’ll know.”
I kept my sight trained on the huge oak.
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
We were sitting in the living room, waiting for the game to start, when Olivia cleared her throat. I looked up from my plate where I had been picking at my pizza. My appetite was nonexistent these days.
“Guys, there’s something we wanted to talk to you about,” Olivia said nervously. She leaned back into Nate and he kissed her temple.
“What’s up,” Finn asked before taking another bite.
“What do you have planned for Christmas?” she asked. She chewed on her lip for a second while she studied us. “Finn, you’re just going home right?” He nodded. She looked at me. “What about you? Are your mom and stepdad expecting you, or is it your dad’s holiday?”
I took a long drink of my beer. “I have opted for neither. My Dad called and asked if I wanted to go to Paris with him and the stepmonster, but I said no. And after what my Mom pulled for Thanksgiving, I don’t give a shit what she wants me to do.”
“So does that mean you would be free to go with me to Aspen and be my maid of honor at our wedding?”
“What?” I shrieked, shoving my plate on the coffee table and jumping up to hug her. “I thought you were waiting until next fall?”
“I changed my mind.” She shrugged. “School gets out on the sixteenth and we were thinking of the eighteenth or nineteenth. Nate’s family owns a resort in Colorado and it’s gorgeous. We can all stay there for Christmas. I would rather spend that time with my real family.”
“Oh my gosh,” I hugged her tightly again, pushed her back and kissed her forehead. “I’m so happy for you. Of course I’ll be there. Are you sure you want us there for your honeymoon though?”
“Absolutely, there are a few different cabins on the property along with the rooms in the main house. If Nate and I feel the need to go have freaky newlywed sex, we’ll just sneak off.”
“Gross,” Finn said from behind us. “So fucking gros
s. I really wish you would quit mentioning sex while I’m in the room.”
Olivia laughed and Nate shook his head. He was grinning though, obviously not too upset by his fiancé’s antics.
“What do we need to do to get ready? We already have dresses, but do we need to order flowers or get chairs? We don’t have much time,” I said, trying to think of everything we would need to get accomplished in less than two weeks.
“It’s all done. You and I did most of the heavy lifting when I made all the decisions before. I’m going to send the color scheme and all the ideas I have to the event planner at the resort and it’ll all be taken care of.” She grinned. “All we need to do now is pack two weeks’ worth of clothes.”
“I’m sure they have washers and dryers there girls,” Finn said, quickly. “I don’t think you really need to pack for that many days.”
We ignored him and sat back down on the couch to talk.
“We can take Nate’s grandparent’s private jet out to Colorado. His whole family is coming and I’m going to invite my parents. I honestly hope they don’t come, but we’ll see if I fit into their busy schedule. Oh, I need to call Noah and Abby and see if they can come. It would be perfect if Ellie could be there,” Olivia continued.
“I’m so excited for you guys. It’s so exciting that you guys are actually doing it,” I said, smiling at both of my friends.
“Nate was just so busy applying to medical school and studying to take the MCATs again, I felt bad asking him to interrupt all that.”
He leaned forward and pulled her back into his chest. “I told you we would get married whenever you wanted, Liv. I don’t care if it’s tomorrow or a year from now.”
I glanced over and saw Finn staring at his sister. He had a gorgeous smile on his face as he watched his best friend and his twin together. He must have felt my gaze because he turned and looked at me. I smiled back at him. We knew what it had taken to get these two to this point, and it couldn’t have happened to two better people. I just hoped that I was lucky enough to find that kind of love.
Waiting to Fall: Book Two of the Waiting Duet Page 15
