“You’re an evil woman, Pagan Salvatore.”
I laugh, heading up the stairs. Now I just have to make sure I get through tonight without jumping him, because the image of him in the shower has me seriously turned on.
*** *** ***
By the end of the night, my feet are killing me. The caterers and waiters have cleaned up and left, and everyone is now tucked up in bed.
The night went without any hitches. Even Angela and Sharon seemed to be on their best behaviour, minus their snide comments. Luckily no one paid them any attention, going out of their way to stay clear.
Now I’m meeting Drake for a rendezvous in the back garden. Looking around, I take off my black stilettos as I search for him.
A noise to my left startles me and I jump, my hand going to my chest. “Drake, you freaking scared me.”
He laughs, holding up two glasses and a bottle of champagne. “Sorry, I couldn’t help it. Come on, I’ll take you to Mum’s secret garden. It’s my favourite place.”
“So, you aren’t going to take me out into the woods and murder me?”
He chuckles, shaking his head at me. “Nah. It would be such a waste.”
My body heats at the intensity in his eyes as they rake over my body. Shivers break out across my skin, butterflies twirl in my stomach and my heart beats wildly.
“Lead the way.” I try to keep the nervous shake out of my voice. It doesn’t work, but thankfully Drake doesn’t seem to notice.
We walk side by side towards the right of the property, away from the manor and the guest house.
“I didn’t see a secret garden in the newspaper article your mum did.”
He looks over, his eyebrow raised. “You read that?”
I blush. “I looked it over last night when we got back. Alison mentioned it before, so I thought I’d check it out. It was nothing like I thought it would be. It had so much information on the history of the manor. It was incredible.”
He nods. “She kept getting hounded for exclusive interviews and photos of the manor. It has a lot of history, but no one wanted to really focus on it. So when a good friend of Mum’s asked if she could do a backstory on the home, Mum agreed. But she didn’t want her garden to be revealed. Can you remember me telling you everyone who’s owned the manor added their own impression?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, years ago, Dad added the security building on the side, so Mum wanted to add her own personal touch and decided on a garden. But the place holds more meaning for her. Our grandparents’ ashes are buried here. She didn’t want that to be put in a paper, so her friend kept the whole garden out.”
We walk up a stoned path lined with flowers on either side as we come to an ivory archway.
I gasp when we walk inside. I know nothing about flowers, but I don’t think it’s necessary to admire the beauty. In the middle is a statue of two angels, each with a bow and arrow in their hands, surrounded by a small fountain.
“This is beautiful,” I whisper, turning to take in all my surroundings. It’s practically glowing with coloured flowers, the nature of it spectacular and well taken care of.
“It is. That’s where our grandparents’ ashes are buried.”
He directs me over to another stone angel, this one weeping with her head down. Buried into the floor below are three marble markers, names and dates scrolled in gold italic writing outlining how much they were beloved. A stone bench sits to the side, giving a perfect view of the burials.
“No wonder your mum wanted to keep this private. This is more precious than a graveyard. It’s intimate, personal. This place is special,” I tell him softly.
“It is,” he says just as softly before taking my hand in his. He pulls me down a path lined high with perfectly trimmed bushes. It goes off in other directions once we reach another circle, this one with more flowers, more statues and a bench or two.
He takes me left. “Are you sure you’re not going to kill me?”
He laughs. “No. Trust me, you’ll love this place.”
“What makes it so special?”
He looks at me, seeming to contemplate whether to tell me or not. He stops and I stare past him to see what has to be the most breathtaking view I have ever seen.
Cabin Lakes has a lot of views, all of them spectacular, but if I could paint, I would frame this picture and hang it up in my living room.
It’s meant to be treasured.
A large oak tree sits next to a small pond, covered with hanging lanterns, wild flowers surrounding the area. The forest sits just beyond that, and with the full moon high in the sky and the glow reflecting off the water, it looks magical.
“Oh my God. This… wow, this is amazing.” And then I see the picnic blanket laid on the grass next to the large tree, a basket next to it. Twinkly lights hang off the tree and different-sized lanterns are placed around the blanket, giving more of a soft glow to the dark night. “You did all this? For me?” I ask, choking up.
He clears his throat. “Yeah. You deserve it after the work you’ve put in.”
When I see his unsure expression, I decide to tease him. “And to score points, right?”
He laughs deeply, walking me over to the blanket. “I’ll never tell. Sit.”
I take a seat, chuckling when I see he’s even brought some cushions to lean against the tree. “You thought of everything.”
“I did.”
I sigh contentedly when I lean back against the tree, my eyes closing briefly. The cool breeze is welcome since the day’s been scorching hot.
“Are you going to tell me why this place is so special?”
“My grandfather used to bring me out here all the time. The pond has a stream that runs into it, so fish always end up in here. We’d fish, not really catching anything, but I think that was the point. It taught me patience, to relax, to have a steady hand.”
“I can see why he’d want to teach a young boy that. My brothers drove my mum crazy.” We’re quiet for a moment, but I find the courage to ask what’s been on my mind. “Earlier, when I asked you what made the place so special, you seemed reluctant to answer. You also spoke in past tense.”
He sighs, sitting back next to me and handing me a glass of champagne. “You noticed that, huh?”
“I notice everything,” I admit. There’s no point denying it.
He chuckles before he turns serious, his expression hard. “When I was twenty-five, I asked my long-term girlfriend, Leanne, to marry me here.”
Okay, I was so not expecting that.
I swallow down the hurt and jealousy I shouldn’t be feeling, hoping my voice doesn’t betray me when I ask, “What happened?”
“She said yes, but a few months later, I caught her cheating on me. We’d been together for years. She’s the daughter of a close friend of the family. We grew up together.”
“You loved her.” I say it as a statement, because I can hear the hurt in his voice and the resentment he holds towards her.
“That’s the thing, I don’t think I did. It’s like you and Aaron—we were young. It didn’t help that our parents kept pushing us together. Don’t get me wrong, I did love her, just not the way a man is supposed to love the woman he’s going to spend the rest of his life with. And yeah, walking in on her screwing my best friend sucked, but I didn’t really feel anything. I was just angry. I felt betrayed by my best friend.”
I’m confused. “Not to be blunt or anything, but why did you ask her to marry you?”
He laughs but there’s no humour there. He gulps his champagne down and turns to me. I take a sip of mine, seeing the hurt in his eyes. I have a feeling whatever he’s going to say next isn’t going to be good. “Because a few weeks before, I found a pregnancy test in the bathroom bin. I assumed it was mine even though I was always careful. So I bought a ring and proposed.”
“She didn’t even tell you the baby wasn’t yours?”
“No. I don’t think she would’ve said anything had I not caught them in bed together.”
> “And with your best friend?”
“Yes.” He scrubs a hand down his face. “I want kids. Always have. I think that’s what hurt me the most.”
Seeing he clearly doesn’t want to talk about it, I decide to change the subject. “So, Angela and Aaron, huh?”
He laughs loudly and the sound echoes in the distance, making me smile. “He doesn’t know it was itching powder yet. They think they had a reaction to his detergent.”
“His detergent?” I ask.
“Angela put on his boxers.”
I laugh, holding my stomach. “Oh my God. I would’ve thought that was beneath her.”
“I know. And he’s getting pretty pissed about those messages and pictures being sent to his phone.”
I giggle. “He’ll have to get a new phone and number because I have no idea how to unsubscribe―not that I want to. He can keep suffering.”
“I’m still pissed about my car. Every time I see his, I want to egg it. He brings out the child in me.”
We sit back on the blanket, gazing across the lake. The stars are bright in the sky and I can’t look away from the magnificent beauty.
“I don’t think there’s anything in the box we could use on the car,” I tell him, thinking it over.
He hums under his breath. “Maybe Grams has something up her sleeve. I can’t let that shit slide. It’s my car.”
Boys and their toys.
An idea occurs and I grin. “I have an idea, but I’ll need to get some supplies first. For now, I want you to kiss me.”
I hear his intake of breath at the demand.
“I’m not one to say no to a beautiful woman.” When I turn to him, his eyes are smouldering, burning into me with a dying need.
“So don’t,” I whisper.
His eyes dilate and slowly, so very slowly, he brings his lips to mine.
And I’m in heaven.
Then and there, the walls I promised would stay firmly up around Drake start to tumble down.
We spend the rest of the night in each other’s arms, our lips and hands getting to know one another intimately.
Walking away after the three weeks are up is going to be hard.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
It’s a few days after mine and Drake’s ‘date’ by the pond, and we’ve tried to spend as much time as possible together. However, he got called into work yesterday afternoon, right before we planned to take a dip in the pool. There’d been a pile-up on the motorway, so they needed every available doctor.
It gave me time to collect what I needed for our next prank on Aaron. I’ve traipsed across London, heading into every stationary shop there is to get what we needed.
But before we can carry out our prank, we need to get through today’s pool party. There’s no way we can do it before or during, since there will be too many guests around to see. I don’t want to get caught. I’m actually enjoying torturing him.
“Hey, Pagan, we have a problem.”
My head snaps up at the urgent need in Alison’s voice as she rushes over to me. “What’s wrong?”
“I just got off the phone with the cocktail waiter. He’s sick, and we don’t have anyone down as a plan B.”
I scrub my hands down my face and lean back in the sunlounger. “And he didn’t think to call to give us a little warning?” I bite out, wanting to wring his neck.
She shakes her head, sitting on the bench next to me. “I made a note on your calendar to leave a bad review on his website. He didn’t even have anyone to recommend or another colleague to come help.”
My laptop is already open next to me on a small table, so I pick it up and start scrolling through my emails, seeing if anyone else I contacted regarding the cocktails is available.
“Let me call a few people. Amelia was really adamant about having a cocktail waiter. Apparently a friend of hers hired one for a Halloween party last year and she loved it. They do loads of crazy stuff while making them or something.”
“You sure? I don’t mind looking for you.”
“No, it’s fine. Did you get the bikini for Amelia?” I ask, a smirk forming when I think of Ada wearing the one Amelia originally planned to wear.
She giggles. “Yes. She’s actually grateful Ada pinched hers. She loves this one-piece suit I got better.”
Which reminds me. “Which one did you pack for me?” My voice is wary as I eye my best friend sceptically. I have a drawer-full, but knowing Alison, she picked the skimpiest one I own.
“I think it was the red one,” she says, then gets up, avoiding my eyes.
“Alison?” I drag out.
“I’ll let you get on with the cocktail bloke. If you can’t, I’m sure it’ll be okay. We have two hours before the party. Oh look, Ada’s—oh my God.”
I glance over to the back door, my eyes bugging out of my head when Ada walks out wearing a white bikini, the bottoms a little too tight.
“Holy crap!”
“Girls, just who I was looking for. Couldn’t find me cossie, so I dug this one back out. How nice is Amelia for giving it to me?”
“I’m going,” Alison rushes out, struggling not to laugh.
“She’s… one in a million,” I tell her with a tight smile.
“Even pushes these babies up,” Ada cackles, grabbing her boobs. God, please no more. “They’ve been hanging south for so long, I forgot―”
“Where’s Pam?” I interrupt.
“She should be out in a minute. But I wanted to catch you before,” she says seriously, taking a seat in the sunlounger across from me.
“What did you want to talk about?” I ask, sitting straighter now.
“Paintball tomorrow. I want in.”
Oh crap!
“How did you―”
“I have my sources. So?”
Ah, the itinerary she somehow emailed to herself from Alison’s laptop when she was sick.
“I think Jesse and Amelia just wanted it to be friends.” I choose to tread carefully, not wanting to upset her. Lord knows what would happen to me if I got on her bad side. I shudder at the thought.
She sighs, seeming disappointed. “They won’t know I’m there. I’ll tell the instructor I’m late to the party or something. I’m going to be old soon. I need to get these things done before I pass.”
She’s old now.
She bats her eyes at me and I crumble. “Okay. But if anyone finds out you’re there, do not implicate me in anyway. I actually love this job.”
“Why wouldn’t you? We’re awesome. But now that I have you, can I ask, what are your intentions with my grandson?”
I choke, staring at her in horror. “I… we—we’re friends.”
She grins. “I know, I can tell how good of a friend you are. But that’s not what I’m asking and you know it.”
Sighing, I reach for my drink, taking a sip. “I don’t know. It’s complicated.”
“How?”
Ever so blunt.
“I don’t have a good record when it comes to men. I have a hard time trusting them, and myself, anymore. I’ve hurt a lot of people.” Guilt hits me like it does every time I think of the mistakes I made, the pain I caused people.
“I can tell there’s a story there. Do you want to talk about it?”
My first reaction is to change the subject, but a part of me wants to finally talk to someone. “You know all about Aaron,” I tell her and she scoffs. “The second wasn’t a guy I was dating, because well, I never dated after Aaron. He hurt me too much. But we used to do events supporting different charities for a high-end company located near us. There were some really sleazy blokes there, but one, Jordan, was a real dick. He cornered me in the bathroom and wouldn’t take no for an answer. He just kept pushing. My twin brother, Sid, heard the commotion on the way to the bathroom and came in and pulled him away. But because I’m stupid, and because I didn’t want my dad to lose the business their company brought in, I waved it off, saying he was just drunk. He was my second big mistake, and a massive fa
ctor in why I don’t trust men or myself.”
My throat is dry and I can’t bring myself to look at Ada. “You should’ve told someone, girl. Men like that need their balls chopped off. But you need to remember that not all men are like that.”
“I know. I have four men in my life who prove that to me every day. My dad is my hero, and my twin, he’s my other half. My older brother, Dean, is my best friend, and my sister-in-law’s granddad is like one to me too. But want to know the worst thing about what happened to me?”
“What?” Her voice is soft, and I realise she truly wants to know, that she’s interested in what I have to say and cares.
“He did it again to my sister-in-law, but he got further with her. Not much further, but does it really matter? She’d been going through something at the time and it made everything much worse for her. I keep telling myself that if I had just told the truth, she wouldn’t have gone through that herself. But it wasn’t even the worst thing I did to her. I owe her everything. I nearly had her killed.” I’m rambling now, telling her more than I meant to as my eyes water.
I’ve carried around this huge guilt for so long that saying it out loud doesn’t make it any easier to deal with. I’ve spoken to Lola about it and she doesn’t blame me, but I blame myself enough for the both of us.
“Hey, you don’t need to talk about any of this.” She pats my hand, her eyes soft, full of concern and sadness.
“It’s actually a change for me. I don’t like talking about it, but I don’t mind.”
“Go on, then.” She sits forwards to hear better, enclosing her hand around mine. As much as I love the kind gesture, I wish she hadn’t, because her boobs nearly spill out of her bikini, giving me an eyeful.
“After that night, I tried my hardest to make it up to her. I didn’t know about her past or what she was going through. Then one night we went out to celebrate our businesses starting and I met a guy. He was handsome, charming and he made me feel like I mattered. I hadn’t felt that way in a long time. And I knew enough was enough. I took a chance on him.” I swallow, finding it hard to talk about.
When I met Rick outside the toilets of the club we were at, I was enthralled. He knew all the right things to say to me, and I lapped it up like a kitten with milk.
Wishing For A Happily Ever After (I Wish Book 2) Page 13
