Solitude (Cunningham Security Book 4)
Page 26
I pulled into the parking lot at Earl’s Pub and saw Gwen’s car parked at the front of the lot. There was an empty spot right next to her, so I swung my car in.
As soon as I walked in, I scanned the room and found Gwen sitting at one of the high-top tables to the left of the entrance.
“Hey,” I greeted her, climbing up onto the high-back stool. “Have you been waiting long?”
She shook her head and answered, “Nope, I literally just sat down.”
At that moment, the waitress came over and we each ordered a glass of wine. When she walked away, Gwen sighed, “I’m so glad I don’t have to create another lesson plan for a solid two and a half months.”
I laughed. “How are you going to spend all your free time now?”
“Planning your wedding and trying to get my husband to put a baby inside me,” she returned.
My shoulders fell.
Gwen and her husband, Jason, had recently gotten married and they’d been trying to get pregnant since before their April wedding. She was frustrated, convinced there was a medical issue. I did my best to reassure her that once she was no longer under the stress of school and had time to just relax, she’d have better luck. Gwen, being her cynical self, wasn’t so easily convinced.
Thankfully, if she was going to have a rough time of it, she would at least have my upcoming wedding to distract her. My fiancé, Brad, and I had gotten engaged about a year ago, following three years of dating, and were getting married at the beginning of August. I had already done most of the planning for it. All of the big stuff had been taken care of, but Gwen insisted I wait for any of the small details until school was done since she’d have the time to help. She was taking her role as matron-of-honor seriously and wanted to do the work that came along with having the title.
“Well, we’ve got plenty of centerpieces and favors to get through over the next few weeks, so I hope you have your crafty fingers ready,” I warned.
“You know my artistic abilities are limited,” she reminded me. “But my stubbornness won’t allow me to not get something perfect. Don’t you worry, Zara, I’ve got you covered.”
I smiled at her just as the waitress arrived with our drinks. We made our food selections and dove right back into our conversation.
During that conversation, I brought Gwen up to speed on my plans for the remainder of the loose ends for the wedding. First, I wanted to take care of getting my wedding favors completed. My biggest reason for this was that I wanted to spend most of my time and effort on my centerpieces. I told Gwen several months ago that I wanted floral centerpieces, but that I wanted to make them myself. She promised to help me do whatever I wanted however I needed.
“So, is Brad looking forward to the wedding planning coming to an end?” she wondered.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “He’s really not been involved in it much beyond telling me to do whatever I want. And recently he’s been working so late so often that he wouldn’t be able to do much anyway. I don’t really mind, though. The only thing I’ve insisted he help me with is the seating arrangements. As you know, we sent out the invites. We’ve already started getting responses and I’ve got to be worried about who isn’t getting along and can’t sit with one another.”
“And here we are again—only two months after my wedding—suddenly remembering that there’s an upside to eloping,” she offered, her tone teasing.
She wasn’t lying.
Gwen had dealt with a nightmare leading up to her wedding. I’d been there for her through it all, but it certainly should have made me reconsider the traditional wedding ceremony and reception.
Our food arrived and we dove in. After we’d both gotten in a few bites, I redirected the conversation.
“Well, speaking of your wedding or, more specifically, your husband,” I began. “How’s he been handling everything on the baby front?”
She rolled her eyes.
“Are you kidding?” she asked incredulously. “He’s just fine. Don’t get me wrong, he wants a baby just as much as I do, but he’s not overthinking it like I am. While I sit every night completely freaking out about what could possibly be wrong, he just takes it all in stride and waits for me to insist that we’ve got to have sex again.”
“I’m guessing he’s enjoying this then?”
She shook her head in disbelief as she chewed and swallowed a bite of her food. “More than he should.”
My mood turned serious before I urged her, “Don’t get yourself too worked up over this, Gwen. I know we’re sitting here joking and teasing, but I don’t want to see you making yourself crazy about this. The stress will likely do more harm than good. You’re still young and you’ve got the whole summer to settle and relax yourself.”
“I’m thinking about seeing a fertility specialist,” she shared, her voice now quiet.
I was shocked. “Really?” I asked after setting my fork down. “You’ve only been married two months. It’s a lot of pressure to be putting on yourself.”
“I know we’ve only been married two months, Zara,” she started. “But we’ve been having unprotected sex for the last year and I’ve not gotten pregnant. I’m sure there’s something wrong…it’s probably me. Either way, if we’re going to have a long road ahead of us, I want to start now.”
My heart broke for her. I knew Gwen was going to be a mother one day, but it saddened me that she was dealing with such heartbreak over it now.
Reaching across the table, my hand settled over hers and gave a gentle squeeze. “Whatever you need from me, you know I’m here for you.”
She gave me a nod and a soft smile. “I know. I haven’t told anyone else yet. You’re the only person, besides Jason, who knows what he and I are going through.”
As awful as I felt for her, it warmed my heart to know that she valued my friendship enough to trust me with this.
“Anything at all, Gwen…you know I’m here.”
At that, I let go of her hand and looked back down at my plate. I reached for my fork, filled it, and was just about to lift it to my mouth when I heard Gwen call cautiously, “Zara?”
I looked up to see that she wasn’t paying attention to me.
Instead, her gaze was directed behind me. The look on her face told me that something was not right.
Hesitantly, I turned in my seat and immediately felt the ice seep into my veins. A knot formed in my stomach, my lungs burned, and my nose began stinging.
Sitting in a booth across the room, to the right of the entrance, I saw another woman wrapped up in my fiancé’s arms, his mouth on hers.
“Oh my God,” I whispered.
As much as I couldn’t stomach watching it, for some reason I couldn’t look away. Somewhere, deep down, I think I was hoping I was seeing things.
Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. “What do you want to do, babe?”
Not taking my eyes away from the gut-wrenching scene in front of me, I answered, “I need my phone.”
I heard Gwen dig through my purse a minute before she slid my phone into my hand. For the first time since I laid my eyes on what had caught Gwen’s attention, I looked away and directed my attention to my phone.
Unlocking the phone and finding him in my list of recent calls, I tapped on Brad’s name and held the phone up to my ear.
Then, I watched.
And I saw him as he struggled to tear his mouth from hers, disappointed and irritated at the interruption. He pulled out his phone, looked at the display, and silenced the call before sliding the phone back into his pocket.
I struggled to swallow past the boulder that was now lodged in my throat.
Vaguely, I heard Gwen’s voice. “We need the check now, please.”
Within minutes, minutes that kept my eyes focused on my cheating fiancé, Gwen wrapped her hand around my arm and stated, “We’re good to go now, Zara. You want to get out of here?”
I nodded slowly. My head felt like it weighed a ton and everything was happening in slow motion.
I lowered myself from the stool and walked with Gwen toward the front door of Earl’s. We were about to walk out when I stopped and looked at her. “I have to confront him,” I explained when she looked inquisitively at me.
She didn’t hesitate to step to the side and assure me, “If that’s what you need to do, I’ve got your back, babe.”
“I have to do it now because I don’t ever want to see him again after this,” I muttered.
Gwen gave me a sorrowful look as she jerked her chin down in understanding.
I walked from the front door toward Brad’s table, sliding the ring from my finger as I did. The second I was standing at the table, I threw the ring down. It clattered against the utensils and startled both Brad and the woman he was cheating on me with. When he looked up at me, he stammered, “Z..Zara.”
“Save it,” I clipped. “I never want to see you again, you lying piece of shit.”
“Brad?” the woman beside him called.
His eyes left mine, went to her, and he said, “Melanie, I’m sorry. I’m engaged.”
He was apologizing to her?!?!
Her eyes widened and she audibly gasped.
“Was,” I corrected him, looking at her. That’s when I took her in. She was absolutely stunning. I hated her, but I couldn’t deny how beautiful she was. I knew then exactly why he strayed. I wasn’t hideous, but there were a lot of things about myself that could be improved. Knowing I’d never measure up, knowing I couldn’t compete with someone who looked like Melanie, and knowing he’d cheated, I was finished with him. “He was engaged,” I finally told her. When my eyes went back to Brad’s, I seethed, “Don’t ever call me again. We’re so done.”
Without giving him a chance to respond, I turned and walked away. Gwen followed behind me.
I heard Brad call my name, but I never looked back.
Never.
Get Burned here!
As always, to my husband: Jeff, without you these books wouldn’t be possible. Everyone needs someone, and I’m so lucky that you’re mine.
To my boys, J&J: Thank you for finding a way to always make me laugh, even when my books make me cry. I love you both.
To my loyal readers: I write because I love it. I would continue to write even if you weren’t there. But it’s so much better doing it knowing that someone will be there to appreciate it. From the bottom of my heart…thank you.
To S.H. - You’re a talented gem. Thank you for making Lorenzo and Jolie’s cover gorgeous.
To S.B. - Thank you for making my babies look pretty. Your dependability is utterly refreshing.
To E.M. - Thank you for polishing my words and always wanting more. I’ll never fire you.
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The Everything Series
Everything I Need
Everything I Have
Everything I Want
Everything I Love
The Cunningham Security Series
Obsessed
Overcome
Desperate
Solitude
Burned
Unworthy (Coming September 2019)
A.K. Evans is a married mother of two boys residing in a small town in northeastern Pennsylvania. After graduating from Lafayette College in 2004 with two degrees (one in English and one in Economics & Business), she pursued a career in the insurance and financial services industry. Not long after, Evans realized the career was not for her. She went on to manage her husband’s performance automotive business and drive the shop race cars for the next thirteen years. While the business afforded her the freedom she wouldn’t necessarily have had in a typical 9-5 job, after eleven years she was no longer receiving personal fulfillment from her chosen career path. Following many discussions, lots of thought, and tons of encouragement, Andrea decided to pursue her dream of becoming a writer.
Between her day job, writing, and homeschooling her two boys, Evans is left with very little free time. When she finds scraps of spare time, Evans enjoys reading, doing yoga, watching NY Rangers hockey, dancing, and vacationing with her family. Andrea, her husband, and her children are currently working on taking road trips to visit all 50 states (though, Alaska and Hawaii might require flights).