“I was drunk, Will.” She stopped fidgeting and walked away from me to stand in front of the window, facing out toward the inky ocean beyond it. “I was so drunk.”
“So was I. You didn’t see me all over the news making out with someone else.”
She didn’t turn to face me, her voice smaller than ever before as she kept trying to justify her actions. “I said no the first time he tried to kiss me, but I was so drunk that when he tried the second time, I just let it happen.”
“You let it happen?” My brows swept up, my grip on my arms tightening. “What did I just say about bullshitting me? I know it was more than a kiss. There was passion there. You wanted to kiss him. Fuck, Angelina, he had his hand up your skirt and your hands were all over him.”
She sighed and brought her palms to her face. “That’s not true. It was an accident. I swear. I didn’t want him. There’s nothing between us.”
“You can try to deny it until you’re blue in the face, but you’re fighting a losing battle here. It’s kind of hard to lie about it when the fucking images of what really happened are out there for the whole world to see.”
“I was just drunk, Will,” she snapped. “Don’t tell me you’ve never done anything you’ve regretted while you were drunk.”
“I haven’t, actually. Whether I was drunk when I did it or not, everything I do is what I want to do in that moment. You’re the same way. Are you trying to claim he took advantage of you? Because that’s a dangerous fucking allegation if it’s a lie.”
If I hadn’t seen it with my own two eyes, I might’ve believed her. Since I had seen it, however, I was one hundred percent sure that wasn’t what happened. If I’d thought that for even a second, I’d have been on a plane last night to put my fist in his face before going to the cops. I’d have ruined him before the sun had risen this morning, and he’d never work in this town again.
I had a few friends in high enough places to make it happen, and I wouldn’t have hesitated for a second. No man who would take advantage of an inebriated woman deserved to be called a man, never mind to keep walking around without facing the consequences of his actions.
I saw the moment when Angelina realized I was right about her fighting a losing battle. Her shoulders rose when she spun to finally face me, the fight was back in her eyes, and the tears were gone.
“Fine.” She lifted her chin, her gaze defiant on mine. “I panicked, okay? Is that what you want to hear? I never saw myself getting married and everything was just moving too fast for me.”
My head reared back, my arms dropping to my sides like lumps of coal. I didn’t shock easily, but for the second time tonight, I felt like she’d knocked the breath right out of my lungs.
“Too fast?” My jaw went slack and my throat worked. “We’ve been together for two and a half years. We’ve been talking about getting married for over a year now. I thought you wanted this. I’m in love with you, Angelina. That’s the only reason why I even fucking asked that question. It’s not like I thought I’d get married either.”
“I do want this.” Her voice softened, her expression turned sad, and her lips turned down at the corners. “I just had a little misstep, that’s all. It doesn’t have to be a big deal. I made a mistake, but everyone does. I’m only human.”
She pouted, slowly sauntering across the room toward me as she batted her long, pitch-black lashes and kept her eyes on mine. I recognized the look she was giving me. It was her “take me to bed” look, all pouty and seductive with her lids heavy as she peered up at me between those lashes.
“Come on, baby. It was just a little mistake. Nothing serious.” When she reached me, she rested her hands on my chest and smoothed out the wrinkled T-shirt I’d thrown on earlier. “You know you’re going to forgive me. Why don’t we go up to our room, and I’ll show you how sorry I am?”
“Our room?” I closed my fingers lightly over her wrists and pulled her hands off me, putting some distance between us again. “It’s my room. It might’ve been ours one day, but that’s not going to happen now.”
“Don’t be so dramatic, Will.” She rolled her eyes before pushing her chest out and flashing me a flirty smile. “You’re not going to leave me. We’re engaged. All I’m proposing is that we skip all the unnecessary fighting and get to the making up.”
I stared at her. “Do you really think I’m going to fucking touch you right now? You can’t possibly be that delusional.”
“What are you saying?” she asked, her cheeks growing paler as if she was realizing for the first time that I wasn’t just going to sweep her back into my arms and tell her everything was forgiven.
“I’m saying that I need time to think. Time alone.” I put emphasis on the word, hoping she’d get the fucking point already.
Clearly, she got it and didn’t like it.
“If you’re going to take some time,” she said, “I’m going to do the same, but you’re sadly mistaken if you think I’m going to give you the ring back. I’m still your fiancée.”
With one last glare pointed at me, she pivoted and stormed out before I could correct her. The whole altercation left me itching for another drink, but I resisted.
I’d already tried drinking my way through all the alcohol I could stomach and it hadn’t helped one bit. In fact, it’d left me feeling worse. I didn’t know what the answer was, but I didn’t think more alcohol was it.
Chapter 6
ANNA
My father grinned when I showed up at his apartment on Saturday night. I lifted the dish of homemade lasagna in my hands, and the grin grew even wider.
“Did you get that from Mrs. Dunn?” he asked, stepping away from the door and motioning me in.
I walked past him and set the food down in his small kitchenette. “You know it. I ordered a salad to go with it. It’s all in there.”
As soon as my hands were empty, he wrapped his arms around me in a giant bear hug. “How did I get so lucky to have a daughter like you? How are you, sweetie? How was your week?”
I hugged him back, just as over the moon to see him as he was to see me. “It was good. You know how much I love it when we start getting busy.”
“I have no idea where you got that from,” he joked before releasing me. His dark brown eyes were warm on mine when he stepped back. “It sure as hell wasn’t from me.”
“Yeah, right. Says the man who’s forever picking up extra shifts on the docks.” I smiled and watched as he walked to the fridge, pulling out a chilled bottle of my favorite white wine. He poured me a glass, neither of us venturing into the territory of who else I could’ve gotten it from.
My mother was long gone. She’d left us shortly after giving birth to me, never to be seen or heard from again. We didn’t talk about her much. I used to ask a lot of questions, and Dad had given me all the answers he had. There was nothing left to say about her since we’d never heard anything more.
I’d long since come to accept that I was better off without her. If she didn’t want us, I wouldn’t have wanted her to hang around anyway. I was the most important thing in the world to my father and he’d always doted on me. I was lucky to have a dad like him, and I’d never cheapen that by wishing for a woman who’d taken off in the dead of night.
Well, not anymore anyway. I used to miss her with my whole heart even though I couldn’t remember her. When my breasts first came in and my period started or when I first realized I had a crush on my best friend’s brother, there had been nothing I wanted more than a mother to discuss it all with.
She never came, though. The only thing she’d left me with were her looks. The blonde hair, hazel eyes, and curvy figure.
Dad did his best to play both roles, and he’d done a darn good job of it. I wouldn’t have thought it was possible, but after he’d recovered from his fight with the cancer, his affections had grown tenfold.
We’d become closer than ever, and I’d finally let my childish wishes for a mother I’d never had go. I knew he was eternally gra
teful to me for taking care of him during that time. Instead of pining for a mom to be there for me while I was there for him, I focused all my energy on trying to show him that he had nothing to be grateful to me for.
He’d been taking care of me my entire life. The least I could do was to do the same for him in his hour of need. I’d also tried to squash the guilt he felt over feeling like I’d missed out on the best years of my life because of him.
Time and time again, he’d told me that my senior year and the few years after were supposed to have been the prime of my life. He blamed himself for the fact that I’d missed out on it because of hospital visits and having to work so much to pay the bills. We were still in debt for some of them, despite both of our best efforts.
That was why I lived above the Tourism Center and he lived in this tiny apartment. We tried to save every penny we could to cover what we still owed, and besides, neither of us needed anything bigger.
I took a sip of my wine when we sat down on his threadbare couches, smiling at him where he sat in his favorite armchair across from me. “How are you? Still feeling okay?”
“Better than ever,” he said easily. I searched his eyes for any trace of a lie, but there was nothing there.
The part inside me that was always braced for bad news from him breathed a sigh of relief. “How’s work treating you?”
“Same as always. I can’t complain about it, though.” He sipped from his glass of water, his eyes lighting up in amusement over some thought he had. I didn’t have to wait long before he shared it. “Dan told me he saw Mildred in town this afternoon. Apparently, he saw her smiling.”
He dragged the last word out, and I laughed as I arched my eyebrows. “Are you sure it was her? I’m not convinced she still has the muscles required to form a smile.”
Dad chuckled. “She’s an interesting one. That’s for sure. You could teach her a thing or two about being friendly.”
“If she was willing to learn, I’m sure she would’ve by now,” I grumbled, but I couldn’t help the corners of my lips tipping up. “I haven’t given up on her, though. One day, I’ll see her smiling and it’ll be aimed at me.”
“That’s my girl.” He shrugged. “If you can’t do it, no one can. Are you hungry yet?”
“I’ll put the lasagna in to warm up. We can eat when it’s ready.” I got up to do just that.
The furnishings in Dad’s house were simple, practical, and well used. There were only a few photographs of us and a clock against his wall. I’d tried to brighten things up a little a couple of years ago by adding some red and navy touches with cushions and a nautical painting I’d had a local boy make for him, but that was the only color in here.
It still felt homey, though. Even if the lasagna barely fit in his oven. I took a deep breath when I uncovered it, taking in the scent of melted cheese and a hint of garlic. The salad was in a separate container, and I took that out before sliding the dish into the oven.
Dad and I laughed while we waited for it to warm through, joking around and talking while we set his round dining table. “Have you agreed to go out with the Larsen boy yet?”
I shook my head, giving him a pointed look. “I already told you that wasn’t going to happen. He’s six years younger than me and asks out every girl in town twice a week.”
“Can’t blame him for trying.” He grinned. “You’ve got to give it to him. He has balls the size of melons to keep going after what he wants.”
“I never want to hear you say balls again.” I grimaced, and Dad laughed.
“I can’t help it if I admire his tenacity.” He sighed but his eyes were still lit up. “Maybe if I’d had some of that, I’d have found myself some company around here.”
“You can always ask Mildred out. I’m quite sure she’s available.” I winked just before I heard the timer I’d set go off. “Although if it’s company you’re after, you might be better off talking to your TV.”
“Hey, I have friends on those shows,” he protested. “You mean to tell me they can’t hear me when I’m yelling at them not to open the door?”
“You’re still watching those awful horror shows, then?” As I asked the question, I tossed him a grin over my shoulder and headed for the oven. “There’s always something better on than that.”
“I tried one of those romantic comedies you like to watch the other day.” He crinkled his nose while I put the mitts on and slid the dish out, carrying it over to the table. “I’ll tell you one thing, kiddo. It’s a good thing we’re not sharing a television anymore. I could tell you what was going to happen right from the beginning.”
“And you can’t tell when the character heads for the door and you know there’s a masked man in the woods outside?” I said, completely deadpan as I placed the food down in the center of the table. “Happily ever afters have to be better than having your throat brutally slashed open.”
He released a low guffaw, shaking his salt-and-pepper hair. “We’re going to have to agree to disagree. I quite liked the town the movie was set in. Some place in Alaska no one ever heard of.”
I snapped my fingers after sitting down. “Oh, I know the one you’re talking about. They’re also only reachable by plane, right?”
“Right. Although they allow cars and trucks and such. Hooligans.” He shook his head like he couldn’t quite believe anyone would do such a thing. “You ask me, we’ve still got it better.”
“Damn right we do.” I grinned and held up my wine to toast with him. “Dig in. Mrs. Dunn might just slash our throats like in one of your movies if she found out we let it go cold.”
Dad laughed. “She’s eighty-six, honey. I’m sure we could take her in a fight.”
“She’s fit for eighty-six,” I said. “Light on her feet, too. I’d also prefer not to have to fight her.”
“You’re right.” He served us each a massive helping while I dished up our salads. His eyes sparkled when they met mine. “It’d be worse than a fight if she refused to serve us her food in the future.”
“So much worse,” I agreed. Mrs. Dunn ran a homecooked meal takeout service. She was the only one in town who did and it was the one thing Dad and I ever treated ourselves with. “I don’t think we’d make it if she cut us off.”
“Very true.” We ate in silence for a while before he asked about Jessie. “I haven’t seen that girl for weeks. Heard some tourists talking about her B&B today, though. They’re loving it there.”
“She actually came in to see me earlier. William’s fiancée cheated on him and it’s all over the news. It looks really bad.”
“He’s a Kent,” he said dryly. “Chances are he was cheating on the poor girl, too.”
I doubted that was true, but William was the one subject Dad and I didn’t really see eye to eye on. He might look the part of a bad boy now, but he’d never do something like that. At least, the version of him I used to know wouldn’t have.
While I disagreed with my father’s opinion, I didn’t bother defending William to him. There was a lot of bad blood there, and it ran deep. Jessie had managed to escape Dad’s ill feelings toward her family but only because he knew she hadn’t been involved.
William had asked his dad to give us money to pay for some of Dad’s treatments back in the day. He hadn’t discussed it with us, and Mr. Kent had shown up with his checkbook and demanded to know how much we needed.
Dad had slammed the door in his face and had never forgiven William for an act he’d deemed demeaning and humiliating. I knew that hadn’t been his intention, but I couldn’t deny that it played out that way.
Pride was a funny thing. My father might not have ever had a lot of money, but he had boatloads of pride, enough to match every cent in the Kent family fortune. It’d been something he’d clung to during that time, and while I didn’t always understand it, I respected it.
I wouldn’t disrespect him now by trying to defend the honor of a boy who sure as heck wouldn’t thank me for it. It didn’t matter anyway. Will was
gone, and he was never coming back.
Chapter 7
WILLIAM
As I surveyed the contents of the open suitcase on my bed, I decided I had most of the essentials and slammed the lid shut. Sliding it off and placing it upright on its wheels, I spotted my phone still lying on the nightstand where I’d plugged it in just yesterday morning.
It felt like a year had passed since, and it was the longest my phone had ever been off, but I hadn’t felt like turning it on yet. Suppose I have to do it sometime.
Bracing myself for the storm I would face once it powered up, I grabbed the stupid device and held the button to turn it on. My voicemails and notifications went nuts, streaming in for a solid few minutes as everything connected.
Friends, agents, other connections in Hollywood, my sister, reporters, and fucking Angelina had been calling me nonstop. Predictably, my social accounts were filled with messages and posts from fans and foes alike. There was so much speculation out there that it was difficult to know where to even begin.
My public-relations people had called and sent emails trying to schedule a meeting to “discuss the situation,” the network was trying to determine if Angelina and I would still be able to work together, and the woman herself wanted to know if she could come over later.
I sighed and tossed my phone on the bed before heading toward my en suite bathroom. While I packed my toiletries, I considered what to do about the messages I’d read. There were still a ton of them waiting to be worked through, but I’d get to those when I got to them.
The only call I returned once I walked back into the bedroom was Jessie’s.
My sister answered on the first ring. “I’m so sorry, Will. I saw the news. I can’t believe she did that to you. If you need me to come out there, I can be there by tomorrow. I’m not above kicking some skinny actress ass for my big brother.”
The Billionaire’s Second Chance: A Small Town Romance Page 4