Replace Me

by Jennifer Foor

  “So talk.” Right away I felt like it was going to be bad.

  “I’m about to do something and I know you won’t understand. I just want you to know that I was wrong to hurt you. I don’t expect you to forgive me for this, but I hope one day you’ll be able to.”

  I shoved him away from me. “Save me the details. I don’t care anymore. Shayne, you’re not the guy that I waited forever to be with. Do you have any idea how long I waited for you to be able to settle down? I thought you’d changed.”

  “I have. I’m tryin’ to make things right.” Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Joey walk into the room. He was carrying a case of beer and handing it to Ford to put in his refrigerator. He winked when our eyes met and when I looked back at Shayne he was aware of what had caught my gaze. “You’ve got a lot of room to talk about me not bein’ what you thought, seein’ as you’re fuckin’ someone that’s worse than I’ve ever been.”

  Hearing him accuse me of being with Joey added fuel to the fire. It didn’t even matter that I wasn’t with him, or had no intention to be. “I can see who I want.”

  “I highly doubt that you would call it ‘seein’.” He crossed his arms and waited for my response, like I was the guilty one.

  I felt like I needed to defend myself. “Screw you. I can be with whoever I want. You lost your say in what I did the day you lied to me.”

  Joey started to walk out of the apartment again, but Shayne grabbed his arm. “So it’s true? You’re doin’ my girlfriend?”

  Joey looked from Shayne then back to me. He pulled his arm out of Shayne’s grasp. “Back off, Shayne. Last I heard, she wasn’t your anything.”

  People were starting to watch them and I felt uncomfortable. I had to do something and siding with Shayne wasn’t an option, so I threw myself in between them and put my arms around Joey’s waist. He looked at me with a puzzled look. I took a deep breath and said words to Joey that I never wanted to say. “Let’s just go back to your place.”

  He motioned to the two of us and I could tell he was at a loss for words. “I don’t believe you, Lace. You wouldn’t be with someone like him. This is all an act, isn’t it?”

  I felt Joey’s dirty hands wrapping around my back. “It’s true. She’s with me, Shayne. Sorry you had to find out about it here, man. No hard feelin’s.”

  Shayne said nothing as I was being pulled out of the door by Joey’s hand. He looked devastated and a part of me ached for him. Not only had I just lied, but was being groped by someone I hated.

  He pulled me all the way into his apartment, past his family and into his bedroom, kicking the door with his boot. “Don’t you dare do somethin’ like that without warnin’ me. I ain’t havin’ my mother upset because I had to beat the shit out of Shayne in the middle of this party, you got it?”

  I nodded. “Sorry. It just happened. I didn’t think about what I was doing. Can I leave now?”

  I put my hand on the doorknob and felt him pulling me back by the elastic of my pants. “Not so fast.”

  We were face-to-face, so close that I could lean over and touch his nose with mine. I hated being so close to him. “You have ten seconds to get your hands off of me, before I ruin any chance of you ever having children again.”

  Joey did as I asked and let go of his hold on me. “I thought you wanted to play house.”

  “The game is over. I could see how hurt he was and now I feel like shit.”

  “He should feel like shit.”

  I looked down and sat on his bed. “Maybe, but it doesn’t solve anything.”

  “You want to be with him, don’t you?”

  I looked over at Joey, and for the first time, I realized he was being sincere. “I can’t help it. Maybe I’m glutton for punishment, but I still love him. I’ve liked him since we were younger. My summers were spent chasing him around when we were teenagers. He didn’t even know my name back then, and all I knew was that he was the hot guy that had a place close to ours. Then one party changed everything. I never looked back, because I thought he felt the same way I did. I was wrong.”

  He cleared his throat and knelt down in front of me. “If you want him so bad, then why did you tell him you were with me? That was a game endin’ blow, you know that right?”

  I shrugged. “I wanted to hurt him, like he’d hurt me. It was stupid.”

  “I can help you, but you’re not goin’ to like the idea.”

  I looked right at him and laughed. “Does it involve me sleeping with you?”

  “In theory, maybe. Look, if you want Shayne back, maybe you need to show him what he lost. We got a rise out of him back there. I think it’s an option you should consider.”

  I rolled my eyes. “And I would want you to help me with that?”

  “It’s just a suggestion.”

  “What’s in it for you? Obviously you want to sleep with me. I’m not trading my vagina for your help.”

  He chuckled and shook his head at me. “Look, we both need to get out there and mingle. Meet me down here when everyone leaves. I promise that I won’t lay a hand on you, unless you ask me to.”

  “I won’t.”

  “I’ll still be nice and help you. I’ll pretend we’re a couple and play fair. If I can’t have you then I’d want you to be happy anyway.”

  “Are you drunk?” I couldn’t understand why he was being so kind.

  “Not drunk enough, that’s’ for sure.” Joey stood up and walked out of the room, leaving me to pout alone.

  I waited a while before I made my way back to Sky and Ford’s. Shayne wasn’t anywhere to be found, but Peyton located me right away. “Is it true? You’re seein’ Joey now?”

  I couldn’t believe that he’d told her that already. Then I knew that if I told her the truth, she’d run back to him. “Yeah, it’s true.”

  “Don’t tell Shayne, but he’s really hot. I mean, I wish you were still with my brother, but Joey is a lot of man. What’s he like in bed?”

  I slapped her. “Peyton, I’m not discussing that with you.”

  “I bet he’s amazing. I can tell from the way his jeans fit him. That man is hung like a racehorse. One night with him and you probably forgot all about Shayne.”

  She was so wrong. Little did she know that I could never forget about her brother. That’s what happens when you let yourself fall in love. “I would have stayed with your brother, had he not done what he did.

  She froze and looked right at me. “After what just happened, I don’t blame you for movin’ on.”

  “What are you talkin’ about? I was only gone for about thirty minutes. What did I miss?”

  “Shayne’s the father of Ashley’s baby. I guess you knew that already. It was probably why you two really broke up. Anyway, he told the family just now. My dad is pissed. He told him he has to move out and get his own place before he brings a child into the world. Shayne left right after and then my dad got mad and they left too.”

  I was at a complete loss for words.

  Shayne had come to tell me that he was taking the responsibility of Ashley’s baby. Was he crazy?

  I burst into tears and felt Peyton’s arms wrapping around me. “I’m so sorry, Lace. I thought you knew. I didn’t know he cheated with her. That’s just wrong. Ashley was with Ford. That goes against the guy-code, big time. My aunt wouldn’t even look at Shayne, and Ford looked like he was in disbelief. It all makes sense though. Ashley called him all the time and he was being sneaky right before you guys broke up. This sucks.”

  I kept crying, not really taking in anything that she was saying to me. “Yeah, it really does.”

  I didn’t care about making Shayne jealous anymore. All I wanted to do was crawl in a dark cave and die. I thought his brother was the father of the baby, but what if it was Shayne all along? Had he said it was his brother to keep me hanging on? It made no sense. He acted like he hated Ashley. Now they were having a child?

  I pulled away from Peyton and went running out of the apartment. Joey was stand
ing there, putting out his cigarette. I slammed into his chest and didn’t pull away. His hands reached around my back and I looked up at him with tear filled eyes. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

  I don’t know why I did it, or even if I had control over my actions at all. “Please, just get me out of here.”

  Chapter 8

  Shayne

  After making the announcement, which went over as well as could be expected, I was left having to move out of my parent’s house. It wasn’t that I didn’t expect that outcome, but I also hadn’t planned on having to look for a new place to live.

  Another thing I hadn’t considered was that my parents would expect me to get a place with Ashley. They were out of their minds if they assumed I was going to have a relationship with someone like her.

  Still, I had to remember that I was doing this as a favor for my brother. As crazy as it seemed, I was giving him the opportunity to get his life together. When the time was right, I would step aside and let him do what he needed to do. For the time being, the baby would be welcomed into our family, as he or she should. Whether he was mine or Parker’s he was still our blood.

  I drove around for a while, thinking about everything that had taken place after I’d sat them all down and made my announcement. After the initial shock, my father just started yelling at me. I think he expected Ford, who was the only person that knew the real truth, to haul off and hit me. Instead, he and Sky stayed in the kitchen and out of the drama. Maybe they would have been easier on me if he’d given his opinion, but I expected nothing from my cousin, after I’d put him through hell, even if I had come clean in the end.

  Then there was Lacey. After she ripped out my heart by showing me that she had moved on, I didn’t care about the ramifications of my decision. The destruction was done and now damage control was all I could do to salvage my reputation, especially with her.

  I pulled back down the road to the apartment a little later. I needed to apologize and tell her the truth; that the baby wasn’t mine, like I wanted everyone to believe. Thinking that Sky and Ford telling her the truth was a bad idea, I set out to clear the air. Sure, she’d still be pissed about what I was doing, but it beat her thinking that I’d lied to her again.

  It was becoming more obvious that my chances of ever being with her were in the past. Lacey had moved on, even before she’d heard that I’d slept with someone else. How could I blame her for wanting something new? My only problem was that I didn’t want it to be Joey.

  Maybe my problem was more than him having a reputation. It was possible that my biggest hurdle was the fact that every time Ford and Sky would have a get-together, we’d both be invited. The last thing I wanted was to have to see the two of them swooning over each other.

  I knew the party was over when I pulled into the driveway and the cars were all gone. Lacey’s was still parked on the side, so I knew she was around. I walked up and knocked on Ford’s door, hoping he wasn’t going to punch me in the face. Instead, Sky answered. “Shayne. What are you doing here?”

  I cleared my voice and leaned on the doorframe. “I need to talk to Lace. Can you get her for me?”

  Ford walked to the door. He’d changed his clothes and looked like he’d just got up off of the couch, after fooling around. “She ain’t here, man. We haven’t seen her for a while. I think she left after your argument.”

  “Her car is still here, though.”

  The couple looked at each other and I could tell they were thinking the same thing.

  “What?”

  “She’s at Joey’s,” Sky replied.

  There was nothing more I could say, so I walked away from them.

  Sky came running after me. “Shayne, wait! Why do you care where Lacey is? Forgive me for being blunt, but she’s not someone that I want to see hurt. Everything you’ve done here lately has been hard on her. Now you are trying to pass off a child as being yours, when it would mean you conceived it while with Lacey. Do you have any idea what you’ve done to her? Her heart is broken. I’ve been where she’s at and it sucks.”

  “You act like none of this is botherin’ me. I care about Lacey.”

  “She was in love with you, Shayne.”

  I could sense that I wasn’t going to get anywhere. “We never talked about bein’ exclusive. How was I to know that she felt that way? She never told me.”

  Sky threw her hands up like talking to me was hopeless. “Never mind. Do us all a favor and leave Lace alone. Let her get over you so she can be happy. If you care about her at all, you’ll at least be decent and give her that.” She walked back into her apartment and closed the door, before I could say anything else.

  While walking back out to my car, I saw the light on at Joey’s. I’d like to say that I tried not to look, but when I saw Lacey sitting with that asshole, and him touching her face, it was like a kick in the balls. I stood there for a few minutes, watching him console her. Anger filled me and all I wanted to do was break down his door and hurt him.

  Then I saw him lean over and kiss the top of her head. That tender moment made me feel like maybe she wasn’t just sex for Joey. If he cared enough to comfort her, maybe it was enough for her to get over me and actually be happy.

  As heart wrenching as it was, I knew I had to walk away from Lacey. Our time together was over and I needed to learn to be a better person, who was responsible for his actions and decisions. I needed to be able to stand by something or someone and feel what it was like to have them trust me again.

  As bad as I felt, I knew I was all alone.

  For the first time, not even my family had my back.

  This was what I deserved.

  Lacey

  I couldn’t believe that this was all happening to me. Why I’d thought that Shayne and I could work things out made no sense now. He clearly had no idea how to be in a committed relationship.

  Joey was the last person that I thought would comfort me, but that’s exactly what he was doing. After the crowd of people cleared out, he sat with me in his living room. As rough as his appearance seemed, he had decorated his apartment in style. Joey had painted the walls a gray color. His furniture was black leather and he had pictures on his wall with red gray and black hues. His electronics were organized and the place looked spotless all of the time. I couldn’t get over it.

  Even his bedroom, that I never expected to walk in, was decorated in the same colors. There weren’t any clothes laying on the floor and his bed was made. Of course, maybe it was because he was expecting company, but Sky had commented about it before, too.

  Joey sat down next to me and wiped another set of tears off of my cheeks. “Do you want my opinion?”

  I sniffled. “Not really.”

  “Fair enough.”

  He handed me a bottle of beer and pointed to a coaster. I took a sip and sat it down. “Thanks for saving me.”

  “Which time?”

  “Don’t be a dick, Joey. I can’t take anymore sarcasm tonight.”

  Joey picked up his phone, looked at the time, and sat it back down. “Listen, I have somewhere I need to be. I think everyone’s gone, but you’re welcome to stay here. I won’t be back until later.”

  I don’t know what made me ask, but the words blurted out of my mouth. “Are you coming home alone?”

  A smiled formed in the crease of his lips. “Why do you want to know?”

  I shrugged. “I…I don’t want to mess up your opportunity to get laid.”

  He laughed at me. “You could always wait for me in my bed, but that’s up to you, of course.”

  When he got up, started walking in the bedroom, and pulled off his shirt, I couldn’t help but stare at him. Joey had a tattoo of a dragon on his back. It looked sexy as hell and for just a second, I wasn’t thinking about my broken heart. He turned and looked at me. I pretended to be offended that he was shirtless. “No thanks. I’ll probably just go back upstairs, once I know Sky and Ford are in bed.”

  He tapped on the door. “My door i
s always open if you change your mind.”

  When he walked into the bathroom and shut the door, I covered my face and let the real tears pour out. His mind games were not what I needed. I wanted the empty feeling in the pit of my stomach to go away.

  A few minutes later, he came out wearing only a towel. Our eyes met and he smiled before going into his bedroom and shutting the door behind him. I wasn’t used to Joey being so nice. In all of the times that we’d been around each other, he’d only tried to get me in his bed. This new side of him scared me, because I found myself becoming curious. Curiosity meant that I was interested and I couldn’t want someone like Joey. He had nothing to offer me but the same fate I was under at the moment.

  I was so sick of meaningless relationships and longed to have something real, except I always fell for the wrong guys.

  He came out smelling fantastic and looking even better than earlier. I tried to hide the attraction that I felt toward him, albeit I’m certain he could see me blushing. “So, I’ll be back later. Like I said before, you’re welcome to stay. I’ve got ways to take your mind off of him, you know.”

  I shook my head. “I’ll be gone when you get back. Don’t worry, I will lock up.”

  “Suit yourself, Lace.” He leaned over and kissed me on the top of the head. “I bet you’re awesome to wake up next to.”

  “Too bad you won’t ever find out,” I said as he walked out the door.

  I waited until I heard him pull out to get up and head back to Sky’s. The one thing I hadn’t considered was that they’d already be in bed, with the doors locked. Because of the fight, I’d left without grabbing any of my things, including my keys. I couldn’t get into their house to get my phone or anything else. I knocked twice on the door, but knew they couldn’t hear me from their room, especially if they had the television on. Knowing that I was stuck, I went out to the back porch and sat in the dark.

  I have no idea how long I’d been outside, or when exactly that I’d fallen asleep, but I felt someone picking me up. I recognized the smell of his cologne and knew it was Joey. From crying, I was too tired to fight him. I was cold and had to use the bathroom. He led me inside of the house, but carried me to his bedroom. When he sat me down, I sat up quickly. “I’m not sleeping in here with you.”