Happily Ever After: A Romance Collection

by Amelia Wilde

  Tahlia chuckles while Chase stifles a grin. “Last I saw her she was speaking to the priest over there.” She gestures in the general direction of the bar and Lennon takes off, her head thrown back while she fakes some type of maniacal laughter.

  Tahlia just rolls her eyes and returns her attention to me. “How’s job-hunting going? Any luck so far?”

  I shrug. “I had an interview earlier this week. Don’t think it’s going to go anywhere. But I have a lead on a job at WHFI News that I’m excited about.” I know she’s being a good friend by asking, but this is the last thing I want to talk about right now. I want to keep my mood light and celebratory in honor of my friend.

  “That’s so wonderful!” Tahlia exclaims.

  Chase gives a nod of approval. I suppose working for the local news is deemed acceptable in his social circle. Why did I think that? That’s mean.

  “I doubt anything will come of it…”

  “Nonsense.” Tahlia reaches forward and swats my upper arm. “They’d be lucky to have you.”

  “We’ll see.”

  “Would you two excuse me for a second? I just spotted my brother and I need to go over something with him,” Chase says and gives Tahlia a peck on the cheek.

  I stiffen a bit at the mention of Chase’s brother.

  Her exuberant expression falls a smidgen. “Work? At our engagement party? Really, Chase?”

  “Well, if he’d ever get back to me with the details he’s supposed to during business hours, I wouldn’t have to corner him at social functions. I’ll send him over when we’re done talking so he can apologize to you.”

  Tahlia sighs and Chase walks away without saying anything more.

  “You okay?” I asked.

  “It’s just Chase’s brother. He can be so… what am I saying? You know what he’s like because—”

  I raise my hand before she goes any further. “That’s something I’m not keen on reliving.”

  “Fair enough.” Her lips press together. “You’ll be okay being around him after what happened?”

  “It was years ago, Tahl. I’m over it,” I lie. Chase’s brother made his way to the top of my shit list years ago, when he stood me up on a blind date, and he hasn’t budged from that spot since, but she doesn’t need to know that. I can grin and bear it for the sake of my friend.

  “He’s still a perpetual bachelor, you know. Man whore. Unapologetic. Doesn’t follow through on anything. You dodged a bullet, believe me. Chase says him and his dad have really been butting heads lately.”

  “Sounds like you’re marrying the right brother then.”

  Tahlia gives a small laugh. “That’s for damn sure.” Smoothing her hands over her hair, she puts her party face back on.

  “You go mingle. I’m going to get a drink from the bar and rescue your mom from Lennon.”

  “Thank you!” Tahlia leans forward to embrace me. “You’re the best.”

  I don’t feel like I’m the best because the idea of meeting Tahlia’s soon-to-be brother-in-law makes me want to slip out of here unnoticed. What he did to me that night so many years ago was bad enough. He hadn’t even met me before, but he was so cruel by leaving me sitting alone at a restaurant waiting for my date to show up. I had an instant distaste for him, but I could have gotten over it. It was everything that happened after I stepped out of the restaurant that night. The trajectory of my life changed in an instant and I fully blamed him.

  Biting back my unease, I smile and turn to push my way through the crowd. I recognize a few of Tahlia’s cousins in the room and some of the more well-known people in San Francisco, though if I hadn’t been gone for a few years I’d likely recognize more.

  There. I see Lennon across the room talking to Mrs. Santora, who looks like she can’t get away from her fast enough. With a grin to myself I step up to the bartender, an attractive woman in her mid-twenties with long, wavy brown hair. The tips of her hair are dyed much lighter and though my hair is darker than hers and shoulder-length, I wonder if that’s something I can pull off.

  “What can I get you this evening?” she asks.

  Before I can answer a deep, familiar voice that sends shivers up my spine and heat to my nether regions speaks from behind me.

  “If memory serves, the lady enjoys her whiskey.”

  Every muscle in my body seizes. I let my eyes drift shut, hoping and praying the voice doesn’t belong to who I think it does.

  Slowly, as if I’m a car in the middle of a showroom floor, I pivot around to face the person behind me.

  Cole.

  Complete and total mortification consumes every cell in my body, painting my skin red, and I wish for another 1906 earthquake to happen so I can be swallowed up whole.

  “What the hell are you doing here?”

  Granted, it’s not the best thing to say to him, but it’s the first thing that comes out of my mouth. And let’s be honest. It’s what I’m really thinking.

  His forehead crinkles in on itself and a crease forms between his eyes as he studies me for a second. He opens his mouth to respond, but right that second Chase steps up.

  “Whitney, I see you’ve met my brother.” He clamps Cole on the shoulder and looks at me with a smile.

  I stand there like an idiot, gaping at the two of them, my gaze darting between them. The family resemblance is clear now that I see them side by side.

  “Cole, we need to talk,” a deep baritone snips from beside our group.

  We all glance over to who I recognize from the newspapers is Cole and Chase’s father, Winston Webber.

  “I’m in the middle of a conversation, it’ll have to wait.” Cole’s intense stare is back on me again. I glance at him quickly and can’t manage to hold his stare so I return my attention to his father.

  “Yes, I know you always have time to chat up a pretty girl, but business doesn’t always wait. It’s your brother’s engagement party, for Christ’s sakes, and you don’t see him complaining.”

  I feel bad for the way that Cole’s father is speaking to him in front of everyone and that on top of everything else makes me bolt.

  “Excuse me.”

  Without further thought or a backward glance I bolt from our small group, desperate to disappear.

  I stumble into an expansive bathroom with long granite counters and floor-to-ceiling wood doors that make up the bathroom stalls. All of which are open. Seems like the big guy upstairs has cut me a break because now that I’m alone I can really lose my shit.

  Tahlia is going to kill me.

  I’ve listened to her talk about what a man whore Chase’s brother is, how entitled he is, how he’s nothing more than a pampered rich guy who thinks the world should fall at his feet. But I already knew all that because of what happened between us. Or what didn’t, to be more accurate.

  I slink down into one of the comfortable-looking chairs in the lounge area of the bathroom. I can’t fathom why I even gave someone like him the time of day.

  Before this moment, I’d always wondered why the hell they put these mini-living rooms in the hoity-toity bathrooms. I mean, who wants to hang out near a public toilet? I guess it’s for moments like these, when you find out you may or may not have slept with your best friend’s soon-to-be brother-in-law who you grew to hate years before because of what he did to you.

  Oh, and let’s not forget the whole vibrator thing.

  I groan and cover my eyes as that realization comes to mind.

  I hear the creak of the door hinges and hurriedly lower my hands, sitting up straight trying to look… oh, I don’t know… like I’m composed and just choosing to hang out in the bathroom by myself instead of at the party.

  Heels click on the marble floor as they make their way down the short hallway into the restroom.

  “Lennon!” I’ve never been more relieved to see her. I need someone to talk me off the ledge and tell me it’s all going to be okay.

  She turns her head and notices me as she’s striding by and does a quick spin on he
r four-inch heels, joining me in the makeshift living room.

  “What the hell are you doing?” She glances around the bathroom to make sure we’re alone. “Did you just get it on with someone in here?” Her eyes light with mischief and she waggles her eyebrows.

  I shake my head at her. “You really need help.”

  “What’s going on then?” Concern dots her expression now and she takes a seat in the plush chair beside me.

  I swallow past the large lump forming in my throat. Is this what a cat feels like when they’re working out a hairball?

  I remind myself that I can’t bother being distracted until I figure out a way to face Cole again with my pride intact. What can I say? Wishful thinking on my part.

  “I just met Chase’s brother, Cole.”

  A smile broadens on her face. “Oh, yeah. I met him earlier. Day-um. The things I could do to that man with twenty-four hours, some rope, and lube.” She looks off into the distance as if she’s picturing it in her mind.

  I ignore the pang of jealousy worming its way into my chest at the idea of Lennon and Cole together. “I think I may have already… hit it.”

  Lennon’s mouth drops open, but she says nothing.

  Note the date and time on the calendar, folks. The fact that I’ve left Lennon speechless is worth keeping record of.

  “The bartender I went home with… it was Cole.” Lennon’s still staring at me with wide eyes and not speaking so I continue. “I thought he was the freaking bartender, for Christ’s sakes!”

  She gives her head a shake as if she’s coming out of a trance. “Holy shit, Whit!” Gripping both my shoulders, she gives them a little shake then lets her hands drop. “Hey, that rhymes,” she says as almost an afterthought.

  “I can’t believe I didn’t put two and two together.” I’m now wringing my hands in my lap.

  A small frown forms on her face. “Oh, please. It doesn’t sound like you asked for his last name, how could you know? There’s probably hundreds or even thousands of Coles in the city.”

  “I guess, but…” I let a frustrated growl escape. “Why did it have to be him, of all people? This whole situation is such a mess,” I say and slump back into the chair.

  Lennon breaks out in laughter. “You did a fuck-and-chuck to him. I love it.” She raises her hand as if to give me a high five. “Girl power!”

  I simply stare at her hand as another crushing blow to my fragile ego hits. “I’m a Webber wench! Oh, my God!”

  My friend presses her lips together like she’s trying not to laugh.

  Ever since Tahlia began dating Chase and we heard about some of the antics his older brother would get up to we’d always laughed and joked about the many women he’d bang and call them ‘Webber wenches’. I’d felt only pity for those girls as we’d all laugh at how stupid they were to think they’d be anything special to a man who traded them like baseball cards. If I’m honest, I’d always felt a little superior to that type of girl. And now I’ve joined their ranks.

  Karma really is a fucking bitch.

  “Apparently, there’s low, ten miles of shit, rock bottom, and then sludge below that. I’m swimming in the sludge right now, Lennon.”

  She adjusts herself closer to the end of her chair and leans forward to embrace me. “No, you’re not. You’re just having a rough time, that’s all. It will get better.”

  I let my head rest on her tatted shoulder and pray she’s right. “I hope so.” After a few seconds, I continue. “We can’t let Tahlia know about this.” We pull apart and looked at each other. “I hate keeping secrets from anyone, but this is supposed to be one of the happiest times of her life. This will only stress her out.”

  I see it in Lennon’s eyes, the moment she remembers what he did to me. “He’s the one who…”

  “Exactly. Tahlia will be even more worried about whether I’m okay being around Cole during all her wedding stuff. I don’t want to burden her. Whatever did or did not happen between us won’t happen again, so it’s a moot point. Cole Webber is not the type of man I want in my life or my bed.”

  “I don’t know what’s wrong with you. He’s exactly the type of man I’d want in my bed.”

  I smacked Lennon playfully on the arm. “Would you be serious for a minute?”

  She holds both her hands up in front of her to placate me. “Okay, okay. Seriously, though, I agree with you. Tahl is better off not knowing. Her mother is going to drive her batshit crazy during this entire wedding planning process wanting to make sure everything is perfect and up to her standards. She doesn’t need the extra stress.”

  I nod and draw in a big breath. “So, how should I play this with him? What do I say? Do I bring up what happened before?”

  Lennon chews her bottom lip for a second, deep in thought. “Act like it’s no big deal. Explain that you didn’t know who he was, but now that you do you’d appreciate it if he didn’t tell anyone about it because it will make things awkward, and absolutely do not bring up the past. It will only make it worse.”

  I nod with more enthusiasm this time. “Right. I can do that.”

  “And then you have to not be awkward.”

  My shoulders slump. “That’s going to be a lot harder.”

  She raises herself from the seat and adjusts her tight, bright blue dress. “Come on. You can do this.”

  I sure as hell hope she’s right. I stand from the chair, straighten my shoulders, lift my chin and mentally prepare myself to go out there and have a conversation with Cole fucking Webber as if his presence here doesn’t faze me one bit.

  My heels click on the hard floor as Lennon follows me down the hall.

  “Just keep reminding yourself you can’t sleep with him again while you’re talking to him. The guy is like the opposite of Medusa. Instead of turning to stone you turn to mush.”

  “I only make my mistakes once.” I turn to face her as I use my ass to push open the bathroom door behind me. “It will be a cold day in hell before I’d ever let a guy like Cole Webber get in my pants again. Obviously, it wasn’t earth-shattering enough the first time around if I can’t even remember it.”

  Now, had I known Cole was standing there waiting for me to leave the ladies’ room, overhearing every word I said, I probably would have phrased it a little differently.

  7

  I take a step into the hallway as heat races up into my neck and face. I must be the color of an overripe tomato right now.

  Cole’s jaw is clenched and his forehead is creased. I’m able to really look at him now. He’s clean-shaven this time around and dressed in an expensive-looking charcoal suit with an azure silk tie. He sure as hell cleans up well. In no way does he remind me of the laid-back, working man I met in the bar. Tonight, he oozes sophistication and fits right in with the rest of the country-clubbers circulating the room outside this hallway comparing their bank accounts.

  He pushes off the wall he was leaning against and takes a couple of steps toward me, his body rigid and tense.

  Lennon, that bitch, doesn’t even stick around to be my wingwoman. Instead she slinks off down the hall back to the party.

  “My apologies if the other night wasn’t memorable for you. It makes things difficult when you’re working with a lush.”

  So, this is how we’re going to play this? Sure thing. I’ve got years of pent-up anger and resentment toward this man and he doesn’t even know it.

  Let’s do this.

  “Maybe I felt the need to be intoxicated in order to get through it.”

  He gives me such a condescending laugh that I now know beyond all doubt that I must have been very handsy that night. Damn whiskey. “Nice try, sweetheart.” He leans in a little closer to me and I can smell his expensive cologne. “You were begging me for it.”

  I let my hands drop and clench them at my sides. “You lied.”

  His eyebrows arch up. “Excuse me?”

  “You lied.”

  The crease in his forehead deepens. “How did I lie?”
/>
  “You let me believe that you were just a bartender.”

  “Who’s to say I’m not just a bartender?” He clenches that stupid strong jaw of his.

  “You’re Cole fucking Webber.”

  He closes the few inches between us and the smell of his cologne hits me and I fight not to let my eyes flutter closed. He’s so close that I have to crank my neck back to look at him. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “Oh, please. Is this the part where you play the poor, misunderstood rich boy? I’m not buying it.”

  “You don’t know shit about me,” he practically growls.

  “I know you have zero regard for anyone else’s feelings. You’re used to taking what you want when you want it. You toss people aside when you feel like it and to hell with them.”

  He squeezes his eyes shut for a second and uses his thumb and finger to rub the bridge of his nose. “Are you on some kind of medication or something? Because you’re making zero fucking sense.”

  Of course, I’m not making any sense. He wouldn’t remember me, but how could I forget him?

  “Had I known who you really were I wouldn’t have let you get within ten feet of me.”

  A small smirk plays at the corner of his mouth before he leans down and says right into my ear, “Now, now, Whit.” He pronounces the ’t’ at the end of my name extra hard to exaggerate the fact that he’s using my nickname. “We both know it wouldn’t have mattered who I was that night. You were looking for some cock. I was happy to give it to you and you were more than happy to receive it.”

  I suck in a startled gasp. “You’re exaggerating,” I say in a breathy voice that does nothing to back up my argument.

  He chuckles, the sensation of his breath on my neck and ear causing shivers to race down my arm. Thankfully, he moves back and gives me some room. Unthankfully, his hazel eyes bore into me like lasers and I’m unable to look away. “Not exaggerating, no.” He shakes his head. “What was it you called mine when you grabbed it? Oh, yeah. Unicorn cock. I still don’t understand the reference, but I do know it must mean I have one magical cock.”