I run a hand through my hair as my jaw clenches. I can’t deny that. But all she wants to discuss is Ashlyn. Hell, that’s what everyone wants to discuss. I’ve even been ignoring Jaycent.
“I’ve come to tell you that Bradley and I—”
“Are what? In love? Getting married?” I snap, interrupting her. “Well, I wish you the best …”
She jams a fist in my chest that I wasn’t prepared for, and it actually knocks me back a step. “Quit interrupting me,” she shouts.
I regain my footing and step up into her, my chest bumping hers, and I can feel her heart pounding against mine. My eyes narrow as I look down at her.
Kelly’s eyes go back and forth frantically, no doubt wishing security would hurry their asses up.
“I didn’t fuck Bradley,” she growls.
My father clears his throat. “I think we need to—”
I snort and interrupt him. “I know what I saw.”
“You know nothing.” She stabs her finger in my chest this time, but I don’t budge. “All you know is what you think you saw. And you’re wrong, Ryder.” Her voice softens for a moment, and she lowers her hand to her side. “Bradley is long gone. He walked out right after you did. The only difference is that I didn’t chase him out the door.”
I stand before her breathing heavy with narrowed eyes. But they soften at that statement. Could I really have been wrong? “No!” This is a trick. “I heard you telling him you loved him this morning.”
She throws her head back laughing, and it’s like a knife in my chest. That sound, I’ve missed it this past week. She straightens and looks me in the eyes, that laughter now gone. “That was my mother,” she replies flatly. “I was on the phone with my mother.” She huffs. “I would have told you that had you given me the chance to speak. And not run like a little boy!”
Just then, the door opens quickly and two men dressed in blue security uniforms enter panting as if they took the stairs. “Mr. O’Kane, is there a problem?” the bald man asks, his hand on his wide hips.
I just shake my head as I stare at her, trying to make sense of what she just told me. “But you—”
“I tried to tell you when I followed you out,” she interrupts me this time. “But you couldn’t give me two seconds of your precious time to explain myself.”
I open my mouth, but the security guard speaks. “Mr. O’Kane?”
All I can do is shake my head. Could I have been wrong all this time? Jaycent has told me so many times just to call her. Talk to her. Could it have been that simple?
“I’m leaving,” she says and then looks down as she starts digging in her purse. Moments later, she pulls something out. “Here. In your haste, you forgot to take what belongs to you.” She drops the bracelet in my hand and then spins around, and I follow her without even thinking twice.
“Wait …” I run to the elevator where she stands. “Ashlyn …” I don’t know what to say ‘cause no words can express what I’m feeling right now.
She steps into the elevator and turns to face me. And I hate she has no tears in her eyes. No sign of sadness. Just satisfaction that she finally got to tell me what really happened. That I had been wrong all along. “It’s over, Ryder. It’s been over. But at least now you know I never betrayed you,” she says flatly. “That is what hurts the most.” She tilts her head to the side as if in thought. “That you could possibly think I thought so little of you.” She licks her lips. “At least now we don’t have to wait to see how it ends.” And with those words, the elevator closes.
ASHLYN
I walk into work with a big smile on my face, and my head held high.
“Whoa, someone looks great,” Thomas says, looking me up and down. “What did you do?” he asks skeptically.
My smile widens. “Something completely irrational and borderline psychotic,” I tell him. And then my smile falls as I realize what I did. In front of his dad and complete strangers.
He takes a step closer to me. “Giiirrrrllll, what did you do?” he asks with worry now in his voice.
I look up at him. “I made a complete ass of myself in the middle of Ryder’s business meeting.”
“What?” he asks wide-eyed. “Why?”
“‘Cause I was tired of feeling bad over something I didn’t do,” I growl. “He has been treating everyone like shit!”
He crosses his arms over his chest, and I sigh. I was wrong. I did it mainly for myself. I wanted him to know I hadn’t betrayed him, but it was also because I put all my cards on the table that night I called him, and he never said anything back to me. That hurt more than him walking out on me when he found Bradley at my apartment. I wanted to hurt him too. And the look on his face after I told him the truth just made it worse. He had felt bad.
“I just need to work,” I tell Thomas. “Get my mind off him.”
An hour later, I’m still sitting at my desk when a man walks through the front door. A glass vase in his hand with beautiful red roses and a clipboard in the other.
“Miss Whitaker?”
“That’s me,” I say as I stand, wondering who could have sent me flowers. My first thought is my mother. The second is Nick. We do have a date tonight, after all.
“Oh, so pretty,” Thomas says, coming up beside me. He takes the flowers as I sign my name on the clipboard.
“Thank you. You have a great day,” the man says as he turns to leave.
“Who are they from?” I ask, turning to face Thomas. He already set the flowers down on the desk and is reading the card.
He looks up at me, and he gives me a big smile. “The king.”
“What are you talking about?” I yank the card from his hand and read it.
I’m so sorry for everything. Please accept these roses and forgive me for my childlike behavior.
Yours, Ryder
I growl as I slam the card down on the desk and pick up the roses. I throw them in the trash can that sits beside it.
“What are you doing?” Thomas gasps.
“I don’t want them!” I snap.
He runs over to them and pulls the vase out, but the flowers fall to the bottom of the trash. “This is a Waterford crystal vase,” he says in disbelief as he hugs the vase to him tightly.
I wave him off. “Then keep it.”
I’m more pissed that he sent me flowers than anything else. We have both decided it was over. Can’t we just leave it at that? Can’t we both just take our broken hearts and move on?
My phone rings, and I pick it up without looking at it. I bet it’s Ryder. “What?” I snap.
“Oh, uh …” a male’s voice stumbles. “I … is this a bad time?”
“Who is this?” I demand.
“Oh, so sorry. It’s Nick.”
I sigh and run a hand through my hair. “I’m sorry, Nick. It’s just one of those days,” I say, falling down into my chair. I look up to see Thomas still cradling the vase like it’s his firstborn.
“Typical Monday, huh?”
Not really but I say, “Yeah.”
He clears his throat. “I just wanted to make sure we were still on for tonight?”
I roll my eyes. “Yes.” The man sounds so nervous. Not sure why since it’s just dinner. I’m not gonna blow him under the table or take him back to my apartment. I think I need to close my legs for a little while. Obviously, I don’t know what I’m doing.
“Okay. And you said you liked Chinese food, right?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Great.” He laughs nervously. “I just want it to be perfect.”
I let my head fall forward and close my eyes. “Nick, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but it’s just dinner—”
“Oh, I know.” He interrupts me with another uneasy laugh. “Please don’t think I have any expectations.”
“I hope not because I don’t,” I say truthfully.
I’m gonna kill Becca and Thomas for making me say yes to this date!
“What time should I pick you up?” he asks qui
ckly. “Reservations are for seven.”
“I’ll meet you there,” I tell him.
“Are you sure? I don’t mind ….”
“I’m sure,” I say before he can keep talking. “I’ll see you then,” I assure him and then hang up.
I look up at Thomas, and he smiles down at me from the other side of the desk. “I’m gonna kill you.”
His smile widens. “Make sure to bury me with this vase.” Then he turns around and all but bounces out of the room with the vase in his hands.
“What the fuck are you doing, Ash?” I can’t help but ask myself. But even I don’t know what I’m thinking.
CHAPTER SEVEN
RYDER
I look down at my phone as Milton drives me home from another long day of work.
Me: Please call me.
I had sent that to Ashlyn twenty minutes ago and no response. I’ve been calling and texting her all day and nothing. She has officially written me off.
I decide to call Jaycent. He’s the only one I haven’t apologized to.
“What’s up, man?” he asks, sounding tired.
“You sound like your day is going about as good as mine,” I say with a sigh.
“Is yours going like shit?” he asks flatly.
Shit would be a good day. I haven’t had one of those in over a week. “Is it Monday?”
That gets him to chuckle. “Yes.”
I sigh again and lean back in my seat. “I saw Ashlyn today,” I decide to tell him.
“How did that go?” he asks.
“I’m calling you, aren’t I?” I growl.
He laughs, but I don’t find this situation funny. “And I’m guessing it’s because you got something to get off your chest, so let’s hear it.”
I don’t waste another second. “She came crashing into my meeting this morning, told me off, and then stormed right out with this ‘fuck you’ look on her face,” I growl.
“And?” he urges.
“And after she left, I felt bad. I’ve treated her and Becca like shit for the last week, so I wanted to make it up to them. So I sent them both flowers today.
Becca sent me a thank-you text, but Ashlyn sent me nothing.”
“Did you really think flowers were gonna save the day? Week?”
“No.” I sigh. A long silence stretches over the phone before he speaks again.
“Ryder, I tried to tell you that night we went out that you needed to call her. Talk to her. If you want to save whatever it was that you guys had, you are gonna have to go the extra mile.”
Yes, I know this! But somehow rubbing I told you so in my face doesn’t help. I let out a long breath. “I know. But … fuck, I’ve ignored her for the last seven days, and I’m not sure how to get back to where we were. Or if she even wants to.”
I hear him sigh on the other end as if he’s contemplating telling me something. “Ryder, that night we went out, and I took you back to your office ...”
The night I almost slept with another woman? “What about it?” I ask.
“She had called you. You looked at it and threw the phone to the ground and I know I shouldn’t have, but I answered it. She just started spilling everything. I tried to stop her from talking, but by the time she was done, she hung up.”
I sit up in the back seat. So that’s why I didn’t remember having a conversation with her. He had been the one to talk to her. “What did she say?” I ask slowly.
“She said what you thought you saw and what happened were two very different things.” He pauses. “… and that she loved you.”
“She what—” I demand.
“I told you,” he interrupts me. “After she had hung up, you looked right at me, and I told you, but you didn’t say a word.”
My heart is racing and my head is spinning. “She loves me?” I ask softly.
“That’s what she said.”
I let out a growl that he didn’t tell me this the next morning when I saw him in my office. Or the day after that. Or the one after that. I open my mouth to ask him what the fuck but stop myself. It’s not his fault I was a dick. It’s not his fault I let it go on this long. “That was over a week ago. Of course, flowers aren’t gonna fucking fix that!” I snap. “What am I supposed to do now?” I ask as if he has an answer.
“Fight. If you love her, fight for her. If she loves you as you love her, then she’ll appreciate that more than distance.”
“Yeah,” I say, nodding my head to myself. She came to see me today. That has to mean something. “I … Thanks, man. Thanks for being my best friend.”
Minutes later, the Escalade comes to a stop, and I jump out of it then take the stairs to the building two at a time. I run through the lobby and press the button to the elevator a hundred times before one finally opens. I’ve already got my key out before it even stops on their floor.
I walk in their front door and come to a stop when I see Jaycent in the kitchen wearing just his boxers. “What the …?”
“What are you doing here?” I ask confused. His eyes widen, and he drops his hands to the front of his boxers. “And where the fuck are your clothes?” I demand.
“Ryder.” He raises his hands, but then lowers them again quickly. “It’s not what you think.”
What I think? What I think is he’s in the wrong apartment. Why would he be here in his boxers? But as I look him over, a thought hits me. He never told me that Ashlyn had said she loved me. He never once told me that I had fucked up and pushed me to tell her I was sorry. My eyes narrow on him, and I take a step toward him. “Are you seeing her?” I growl. “So this is what you’ve been doing? Fucking her behind my back?” I demand. I didn’t need to worry about Bradley at all because my best friend was too busy with her.
“Ryder … I …”
“So this whole time, I’ve been worried about the wrong guy,” I snap.
He frowns at my words as if he’s confused. Then his eyes widen, and he starts shaking his head. “I’m not seeing Ashlyn …”
“Ryder.” I hear my sister yelp as she comes running down the hallway, interrupting him. “What are you doing here?” Her green eyes narrow on me, and she places her hands on her hips. She’s in an all-black lace teddy and a pair of black heels to top it off.
“Becca, what the fuck?” I growl, not wanting to see that. “Go put on some clothes!” I hold up my hand to block the view of her half-dressed.
Wait … I’m not seeing Ashlyn … My eyes widen as I look back at him and then to my sister. “Why are you not dressed?” I shout at her.
“Why do you keep entering my apartment like you own it?” she demands, her voice rising with every word. “Get out!”
“What the fuck is going on, B?” I demand. My eyes go back to Jaycent again, and I point over at her. “You’ve been fucking my sister,” I shout, and he flinches.
“Ryder, I—”
“What and who I do is none of your business,” Becca interrupts him.
I look at her wide-eyed while I point at him. “How long has this been going on?” I demand.
She crosses her arms over her chest. “Again, none of your business.”
“Becca,” I growl.
“What?” She arches a brow. “Don’t like being kept in the dark?”
I take a step toward her. “What does that fucking mean?” I snap.
She smiles at me, and I think she’s enjoying this way too much. I, however, wanna punch my best friend in the face. “Why are you here, Ryder?”
I’m here for Ashlyn … I run a hand through my hair as I look over her again in a fucking teddy and my best friend is only in boxers. I don’t have time for this. I place my eyes on the floor, so I can concentrate. “I came to talk to Ashlyn,” I say through clenched teeth.
“She’s on a date.”
My eyes snap back up to hers. “With Bradley?” I demand. “Because she told me that was over.” Had she been lying? Payback for what I’ve done the last week?
She snorts. “It is. Some new guy she me
t at the club Saturday night.”
I fist my hand down by my side. “Where did they go?”
She takes a step toward me and holds out her right hand. “I want your key,” she declares. I grind my teeth. “Is she worth the key?” she asks, and I growl.
I take the key out of my pocket and toss it onto the kitchen counter. It slides off and lands down by Jaycent’s feet. “Where is she?” I demand.
“At the Chinese Kitchen,” she says happily.
I spin around and go to open the door but stop and look over my shoulder at them. I look at the guy I’ve called my best friend all my life, and I feel as if he has stabbed me. How could he be seeing my sister behind my back? Had I been so wrapped up in Ashlyn that I never saw it? Or was tonight gonna be their first time? That makes my teeth clench. “I’m going to call you in thirty minutes, and I expect you to answer,” I say and then look back over at Becca. “And you’re going to go along with whatever I say.” I’m gonna need a backup plan. I’ve watched Ashlyn work when it comes to revenge, and I’m gonna use her own moves on her. But I need Jaycent to pull it off. He arches a brow at me, and I add, “You owe me that much.” Then I walk out, slamming the door behind me.
ASHLYN
I sit at the table across from Nick as he sips on his glass of wine. I take a gulp of mine, trying to loosen my tense muscles. This thing with Ryder is taking more of my time than I want to give it. It’s over. Not sure why I can’t stop thinking about him.
“Ashlyn?”
“Hmm?” I ask, placing my wine glass on the table. “I’m sorry.”
“You okay?” he asks as his blue eyes search mine.
I nod. “Yes.”
“You just seem far away tonight,” he observes.
“It’s my parents,” I lie. This man doesn’t know me so I could tell him anything, and he would have no reason not to believe me.
“Are they okay?” he asks with worry in his voice.
“Yes. I just haven’t seen them in forever.”
“Where do they live?” he asks.
“Seattle.”
Selfless (Selfish Series Book 3) Page 7