by Ali Parker
“You were misleading the woman? I don’t think I like this new trend,” she snapped.
“No. I was misled. My brothers asked me to go to dinner with them. I agreed. When I got there, the other woman showed up. I realized they were setting me up a little too late. I had no idea they were going to do it. I didn’t lead Adelaide on or the other woman,” I said, looking her directly in the eyes.
She stared at me for several long seconds. “Okay.”
“Okay?” I said in disbelief.
“Yes. I knew there was no way you would be with a woman like that,” she said with a smile.
“Now to convince her of that,” I muttered.
“Call her. Explain it to her,” she said.
I shook my head. “I can’t. The last thing she wants is me bugging her. She is a stubborn woman. She won’t listen to me. I’m giving her time.”
“You won’t know unless you try,” Deanna offered.
“No. I know her well enough to know better.”
“Make her listen,” Dalton chimed in.
I scoffed. “I don’t know if we’re talking about the same woman. Have you met Adelaide?” I said with a great deal of sarcasm.
He chuckled. “I know she’s stubborn. So are you. You are one of the most stubborn people I have ever met in my life. I think that means the two of you are evenly matched. Use your stubbornness to make her hear the truth. If she shoots you down, you will at least know you tried.”
I thought about it and knew I was probably one of the most bullheaded people on the planet. “I’ll try.”
“You have to do more than try. Addy is a good woman. I never would have thought you two would ever have anything in common, but you do. I saw your face Mason. I know you felt the connection with her, and I know you didn’t mean to hurt her,” Deanna said softly.
“I didn’t. I swear I had no idea they were going to do that,” I told her.
Dalton was grinning. “I can’t believe you and Addy. You hated her for most of our lives,” he said with a laugh. “Remember when we—”
I gave him a stern look, before looking over at Deanna.
“When you what? What did you guys do?” Deanna said, scowling at both of us.
“Nothing,” I said, not wanting to get into any stories about our misspent youth.
We’d kind of been pranksters and had made it our mission in life to tease the girls. There were plenty of stories and I was trying to get back into Adelaide’s good graces, not get her to hate me even more.
“You told me you hated the way she looked at you and that you hated being around her,” Dalton casually reminded me.
I held up a hand. “I didn’t hate her. I don’t know why anyone thought that. I just didn’t care for her,” I offered instead. “I hate what she did and the things she did. I didn’t hate her as a person,” I clarified.
“Um, I don’t know, because the two of you insulted each other every chance you got. I think there was some name calling as well,” Deanna chimed in. “And like Dalton said, you hated everything about her.”
“It didn’t mean I hated her. That’s a strong word. I didn’t care for her, but that’s because I didn’t know her. I didn’t have the chance to know her, because we were constantly at odds,” I explained.
“I’ll admit I didn’t believe Deanna when she told me what happened. Hell, I was following the hostess to our table and found out I was by myself,” Dalton said with a small laugh.
“Where did you guys go?” Mason asked.
Deanna smiled. “Where you couldn’t find us. Trust me, I was doing you a big favor by keeping you away from her.”
“Mean,” I shot back.
“Hey, from where I was standing, you looked like the mean one,” she retorted. “Adelaide was prepared to rip you limb from limb. She was really displeased with you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Are you ever going to let that go? I told you what happened.”
She grinned, shaking her head. “Not for a long time. I’m going to have some fun with you for a while.”
“Can we order? I’m so hungry.” Dalton whined, effectively shutting down Deanna’s teasing.
“Me too,” I agreed.
We flagged the waitress over and ordered our meals. I went big and ordered damn near one of everything. The roadside motel didn’t have a lot to offer in the way of restaurants. I had settled on some nasty vending machine food. I was starving and ready to eat a little of everything. Hell, a lot of everything.
“So, does this mean you are back on the outs with your family?” Dalton asked.
I sighed. “No, I mean, no more than I ever was. Jack came by yesterday to apologize for the whole thing. I don’t think it was intentional. It isn’t like they know anything about my life. They couldn’t have known about Adelaide. Originally, I went to the dinner under the guise of getting to know their wives a little better. We were supposed to be turning over this new leaf and trying to be better at the whole family thing. I can tell you that dinner was not the way to start over.”
“At least they are trying. That seems like a huge step in the right direction,” Deanna offered.
I laughed. “They suck at it. I don’t think I’m any better, but my brothers, my family in general, is really shitty at it.”
“Do you think your mom knew anything about their attempt to set you up?” Dalton asked.
“No, I don’t think so. She doesn’t care about that. She gave up on me a long time ago. She doesn’t expect me to be married with children in this lifetime,” I said.
I saw the looks of pity on their faces. I hated being pitied. I wasn’t to be pitied. I had a good life. My family was good. I was the one who didn’t fit in with them. I was wealthy and had everything a man could want in his life.
“A mother never really gives up,” Deanna said in a soft voice.
I stuffed a good chunk of food in my mouth, not wanting to delve into that situation.
“How’s the spin class thing going?” I asked Deanna.
“Good. You want to take a class?” she teased.
“No. Thanks.”
“Addy comes in now and again. That might be one way to make her talk to you,” Deanna suggested.
I shook my head. “No way. I’m not going to get on a pair of tight shorts and pedal a bike alongside ten women.”
Dalton and Deanna both laughed. “I can almost picture that,” Deanna said, then giggled. “I bet Addy would realize you were serious about making things right if you did that.”
“I’m not groveling in spandex,” I snapped.
That only made them both laugh harder. I was glad they were amused by my situation. The part of me that had been dead for a long time and then awakened with Addy was calling me home. Telling me to walk away. Not to bother and to go back to living the life I had been going through just fine before that night I danced with Adelaide. That’s when everything changed. I had seen her in a different light. I felt like she pulled me out of the shadows and into the light with her. I wanted to slink away. I didn’t like feeling unsettled and worried about what someone was feeling.
“I think you’re right to give her another day,” Deanna said.
“I’ll wait. I’ll tell her what happened and it’s up to her what she wants to do. I’m not going to make this a thing. It could have been a fluke,” I said, trying to sound nonchalant.
“It wasn’t a fluke. Talk to her. In person. Don’t send her some stupid text message,” Deanna ordered.
“I wouldn’t do that.”
“I can’t wait to hear it all worked out. You two are good together. I never would have put it together, but I’m glad you guys kind of fell into each other’s arms,” Dalton said, effectively giving his approval.
That was actually a relief. I hadn’t asked him, but I did want to know he was okay with it. I didn’t want to step on toes. I knew there was bound to be some tricky situations that would come up if Adelaide and I did end up in a relationship. There would be fights and there would b
e the inevitable breakup. My goal was to keep things amicable as possible.
Chapter 30
Adelaide
It was my one day off, which meant I had to get all my housework done in one day. It was good. I needed to clean and I needed some time away from the shop. After doing the books yesterday, I had a feeling of doom hanging over me. I couldn’t shake it. No matter how much I tried to assure myself things would be okay, I knew they weren’t.
I ran the vacuum, using the wand to get all the corners and the edges. It felt good to clean. My apartment could certainly use it. I turned off the vacuum and realized someone was at the door. My first thought was it could be Mason. I wasn’t sure if that made me happy or pissed. I looked down to verify I was wearing my old cut-off shorts, a tank, and no socks or shoes. My hair was pulled back and I had no makeup on. I looked like hell. I told myself I didn’t care if he saw me at my worst.
I opened the door and found Deanna. I was a tiny bit disappointed. I wasn’t going to lie; I did want Mason to grovel just a little. I was still going to kick his ass to the curb, but I wanted to at least pretend I mattered a little.
“Hi. Don’t look so happy to see me,” she said, walking inside the apartment.
“I’m happy to see you,” I assured her.
“Are you cleaning?” she asked with surprise.
I rolled my eyes. “Ha. Ha. Yes, I’m cleaning.”
“Wow. I’m thirsty, got any soda?” she asked, walking to the kitchen and opening the fridge.
“No.”
“But you have some iced tea. That will work,” she said pulling out the pitcher.
I watched as she poured two glasses, making herself right at home in my kitchen. “Thanks,” I said, taking the glass.
“Let’s sit outside. It’s a really nice day out,” she said, which was code for she wanted to talk.
I knew exactly what she wanted to talk about, and I wasn’t up for it. I had put it out of my mind, it being Mason and his disgusting behavior. She opened my patio door and stepped outside, sitting in one of the cheap chairs I had picked up secondhand from Craigslist. I sat in the other.
“Did you have a class this morning?” I asked her.
“Nope. I went to brunch with Dalton.”
“Oh.”
She sipped her tea. “Mason was there too.”
I did my best not to outwardly flinch. I couldn’t let her know it hurt a little that she was still friends with him. I would be okay with it in time, but right now, it was still very raw. I knew Mason hadn’t proposed marriage or made any promises, but I had felt a connection to him. I kept telling myself I was angrier with myself for believing there could have been something. It was my fault for thinking I was someone special who could snare a man like Mason.
“Good for you,” I quipped.
“I can’t do it!” she said, letting out a long breath.
“You can’t do what?” I asked.
“I can’t not tell you what Mason said.” She groaned with frustration. “I don’t want to, and I shouldn’t, but I can’t keep it in.”
“Don’t tell me. I don’t want to know,” I mumbled, assuming it must be pretty bad if she was this worked up about it.
Maybe he was engaged to be married and Deanna had been unaware until now. A million other things floated through my head. Maybe the mystery blonde was pregnant with his child.
“I can’t.” She whined.
“Deanna, you are his friend. I get that. I’m not asking you to get in the middle of this.”
She shook her head. “No, it isn’t that. He’s innocent.”
I scoffed, nearly spitting my tea over the side of the balcony. “Innocent is not something I would ever call Mason Bancroft.”
“No, I mean, that night, he wasn’t on a date. He went to dinner with his brothers. They tried to set him up. He had no idea they had asked the woman to join them. He was just as blindsided by the whole thing. They had only just sat down when we showed up. He didn’t want to be rude to the woman and walk out,” she quickly explained.
I wrinkled my nose; not sure I believed the very convenient story. “Really? You believe him?”
“Yes! He was furious with his brothers for doing what they did. They had no idea about you when they set him up,” she continued.
I thought about it for a few seconds. The story had merit. “I don’t know. It all seems a little too simple.”
“You have to hear him out. He wants to talk to you and explain.”
“I haven’t heard from him,” I said, shrugging a shoulder.
“Because he knows you’re pissed and is giving you a day or two to cool down. Dalton and I both told him that was probably for the best. You are pretty hot-tempered,” she said easily.
“Deanna, I know Mason and I never made any promises to each other, but I felt something. I let myself open up to him. I don’t do that with anyone. Seeing him there that night, it hurt. It cut deep,” I told her.
“I know and I get that, I really do, but he didn’t do it on purpose. Whatever you were feeling before that night is still there. He didn’t betray you. He didn’t go out with another woman. He is still very much interested in seeing you again. I think he was feeling something pretty strong for you as well,” she said, her voice low as she looked directly into my eyes.
I shook my head. “I don’t know. Even if he didn’t do it then, there is a good chance he will. That kind of thing is bound to happen again and again. We’re from different worlds. His family is going to want him with a woman from their world. They’ll keep setting him up and eventually, it’s going to take. Mason is just living out some wild fantasy. Eventually, he’ll go home to roost and rejoin his family.”
She threw her head back and laughed. “You don’t know Mason. This is not a phase. He is who he is. You have to know that. He’s not putting on airs or pretending to be anything he isn’t.”
“He’s rich, really rich. I don’t even know how rich. Look around. I’m not. He’s living out this life of being a bad boy, a rough biker, but in reality, he’s a man of means and eventually he’s going to want to settle down,” I said, resigned to the idea.
I had been fooling myself into believing we could ever be compatible. Good sex and a single good conversation did not mean a lifetime of happiness. I wasn’t going to get emotionally invested in someone only to have my heart broken. I couldn’t do it. I didn’t have the emotional strength to go through a horrible breakup. I was not a believer in the saying about it being better to have loved than lost than never loved at all. I’d prefer not to experience the loss—ever.
“He might, but I don’t think that automatically excludes you,” she offered.
“Maybe not, but I don’t want to fall for him and then have him toss me to the side. I don’t want to put a lot of time and energy into a relationship knowing it’s going to fall apart in the end and I’m going to be left sad and alone,” I confessed.
“Addy, you can’t look at it like that. You can’t assume the worst of everybody.”
“I like to live in reality,” I said dryly.
She let out a long sigh. “Sometimes you have to take a chance on people.”
“No, I don’t, not when I know the likely outcome is going to be me getting hurt.”
“Addy, love comes with risks.”
I held up a hand. “No one said anything about love. Mason and I had sex a couple times.”
“But that’s what you are thinking about.”
“No, I’m not. I was only thinking there could be something there. That was before Friday. I can’t do it, Deanna. I’m not strong enough to deal with a breakup. I don’t want to feel sad and hurt. I don’t like that feeling,” I told her.
She laughed. “I don’t think anyone actually likes that feeling, but it is a risk you take when you open yourself up to someone else.”
“Not a risk I want to take,” I mumbled.
She sighed, clearly frustrated she wasn’t getting through. “At some point, you have
to force yourself to step out of your comfort zone. You have to be willing to take a chance on someone.”
“Maybe, but not today and not Mason.”
“Fine. I’ll say no more about it, but if he does try and talk to you, at least hear him out. He does feel bad about how things happened. He didn’t mean to hurt you and he did want things to work between the two of you,” she said.
I shrugged a shoulder, committing to nothing. “We’ll see.”
I was almost afraid to even see him. If I listened to his story and believed him, which I was inclined to do, I didn’t want to let him back into my life. I didn’t want to get comfortable and believe things were going great between us and then have him do something to betray me again. I wasn’t lying when I told her I wasn’t strong enough to deal with something like that.
I had a lot on my plate and dealing with a broken heart was not something I felt I could muddle through with my sanity intact. Mason was dangerous. I sensed that when we were dancing together. It was like my soul recognized him. He had the sharp edge that could cut through my barriers and wiggle his way into my life. That was dangerous. That was a risk I couldn’t take.
“Are you coming to my class tomorrow?” she asked, changing the subject to something a little safer.
“Maybe. We’ll see how I feel when the alarm goes off at five,” I said with a laugh.
“You have to train your body to get up at that time. I think it would really do you some good. It’s a great way to start the day,” she advised.
I smiled, thinking about how well my day had started yesterday. “We’ll see. I’m not as committed as you are.”
“But you can be.”
“I’m making no promises. Do you want more tea?” I asked her.
“No, I should probably get going. I need to take care of my own laundry and stuff. I just came by to not tell you I saw Mason,” she said with a giggle.
“You did a great job not telling me.”
We got up and went back inside my apartment. She stopped at the door and looked at me. “Please, at least give him the chance to explain. I’m not going to tell you to do anything you don’t want, but at least let him say what he needs to. He really isn’t a bad guy.”
