“That day at your house, he saw us together. He was on a yacht in the Gulf.”
“Okay…”
I swallowed hard, hating the memory of that night. “He called me a few choice names after I told him who you were, and it upset me.”
“Is that all?” he coaxed.
My jaw clinched tight remembering the look of malice in Nate’s eyes. He was furious with me, because instead of telling him the truth, I tried to conceal it with a lie. I knew even then that I was in love with Drew. Had I only been honest with him, Nate might never have lost his temper, and I would never have reacted so childishly.
“He got upset when I told him no,” I whispered.
Drew tugged my shoulder, turning me enough so he could see my face. “Did he hurt you? I swear to God if he laid a single finger on you, I’ll break every bone in his body.”
I lightly pressed my finger to his lips. “He didn’t hurt me, nor did he touch me. He only frightened me. He started to yell and accused me of seducing my best friend’s boyfriend.”
“Ah, I see. That explains why you hung up on me. You called me for solace, only to find Olivia with me. I’m so sorry,” he apologized. “I was telling the truth. She showed up that night, unannounced and uninvited.”
“You have nothing to apologize for.”
“Yes, I do. I should never have allowed this to go on as long as it did. I knew how I felt about you, and tried to lie to myself and everyone else around me about my feelings. Had I just been honest, I could’ve saved us both so much heartache.”
I pushed up enough to reach his lips, pressing mine to his. They angled around mine in a sensitive, yet ignitable kiss. “Andrew Wise, everything that happened led us to this moment. I’m in the arms of the man I love, and for that, I wouldn’t change anything.”
“You’re amazing. How did I get so lucky to have you love me back?”
“I’m the lucky one,” I replied. I curled back into him, savoring the warmth of his body against mine. He wrapped the blanket around us tighter, burying his face in my hair.
“Let’s get some sleep.” I attempted to cover my yawn.
“Okay. Let’s get some rest,” he hummed against my hair, placing a sweet kiss on the top of my head. “I love you, Mickie.”
“I love you, too, Andy.”
“Sweet dreams,” he murmured.
“Only of you.”
And that’s exactly what I dreamt of.
Chapter Twenty Two
The light rumble of thunder echoed in the distance, startling me awake. Drew was nestled around my body protectively keeping me warm against the drizzle of the rain that splattered on the concrete.
I pulled my arm free of his hold and glanced at my watch. It was almost seven. I knew at any moment either Jared or Olivia could appear to find Drew and me in a compromising position. Not that we had anything to hide, but I knew we would have to handle Olivia with kid gloves, and her finding us wrapped in each other’s arms wouldn’t be a good way to approach her. I was pretty certain, once she found out, she would hate us both, and I would lose her friendship. It was a price I was prepared to pay though, in the name of love.
It was bad enough I would have to explain my betrayal as her best friend. There wasn’t an easy way for me to tell her that I had fallen in love with her boyfriend and him with me. How on earth do you actually say that to someone?
“Andy,” I breathed, reaching over my shoulder tenderly touching his face.
He moaned and shifted his weight. “Hmm?” he groaned, wrapping his arms tighter around me.
“Sleep, baby. Just a little longer,” he mumbled sleepily.
That word baby did something to my insides. Every impulse in my nervous system exploded in euphoria over that one little word.
“Andy, it’s morning. We need to get up,” I beseeched him.
“It’s still dark, Mickie, go back to sleep.”
“It’s raining, and almost seven. They’ll be waking soon.”
His nose nuzzled along my jaw and he wrapped his leg over my hips, drawing me closer. “Who cares? You’re my girl. That’s all they need to know.”
“Andy, I am your girl, but we need to delicately approach Liv with this. It’s bad enough, I fear, I’ll lose her as a friend when she discovers us.”
Drew’s hand flattened over my stomach rubbing in a slow circular motion. “You’re right, beautiful. Let’s go inside and make some coffee.”
He unraveled his hold on me allowing me to sit up. Every muscle in my body ached from sleeping in such an odd angle, but I was content and happy to ache having spent my entire night with Drew.
I stood up and stretched, raising my arms high above my head. My joints and muscles cracked in unison.
“I knew I felt lace,” Drew moaned.
My eyes dropped and so did my hands. For in my need to stretch, I had revealed the white lace panties I had worn under my white skirt the night before.
“No!” Drew exclaimed. “I want to see more.”
I tugged the bottom of my nightshirt down my thighs, blushing feverishly. Drew laughed, standing up behind me, placing his hands around my hips. He pulled me back against him and leaned over my shoulder, trailing feather light kisses along my jaw. “Where’s my feisty girl now? Hmm?”
I turned around and wrapped my arms around his neck. “She’s right here,” I breathed, planting a passionate kiss on his swollen lips. His hands trailed up my spine, tangling in my hair as he pulled me closer. The taste of his tongue against mine sent wanton heat coursing through me. I broke away far too soon for either of our liking, but knew it was in the best interests for both of us.
“Damn it, woman, I want more,” he growled, nipping at my bottom lip.
“Andy,” I scolded him playfully. “We need to get inside before anyone sees us.”
“Fine,” he huffed, “but this isn’t over.”
I smiled, placing a chaste kiss against his lips. “I certainly hope not.”
I tapped my finger to his nose, and ducked under his arms, extracting myself from his grasp. When I walked inside, my fear became a reality. Jared was sitting at the bar with a cup of coffee in his hand.
Drew padded in behind me, dropping his hands from my waist as soon as he saw Jared.
“Good morning, Jared,” he said, smooth and unfazed.
“Good morning, you two,” came Jared’s lukewarm response. “Coffee’s made. Looks like the perfect day for it too,” he added.
“Thanks, Jared,” I replied. “Drew would you mind getting two cups down for me?” I pointed toward the cabinet. Drew’s lips tilted into a tiny smirk as he moved past me, brushing his fingers over my exposed thighs.
“Certainly.”
“Does anybody sleep past nine around here?” Olivia’s groggy voice broke through the banter.
“Good morning, Liv,” I called out. “Coffee?”
“Well, of course,” she grumbled, plopping down beside Jared. She rested her head on top of her arm, cutting her eyes to Jared. “What’s with you?”
“Excuse me?” Jared growled.
“You look like someone pissed in your Cheerios.”
Jared lifted his coffee mug to his lips. “You’re one to talk. At least my expression is temporary.”
Olivia’s head jerked up in a flash. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing,” Jared mumbled into his coffee cup.
Drew handed me two mugs. “Drew, don’t you want any?” I asked.
“Not today, sweetheart. I’ve got to head out.”
My brow furrowed. “Um, okay,” I sighed.
“Olivia, thank you for last night’s dinner,” Drew said. “It was exactly what I needed.”
“I’ll walk you to the door.” Olivia slid off her barstool.
Drew kissed my cheek, and whispered breathlessly in my ear, “See you when you get home.”
Entirely confused by his statement, I simply nodded.
Olivia followed Drew out of the kitchen like a lo
st puppy. A few minutes later, Olivia returned alone with a somber expression on her face. She drifted back onto the barstool silently, pulling her cup of coffee to her lips.
“Now who looks like someone’s pissed in their Cheerios,” Jared noted.
Drawing a heavy sigh, Olivia looked at Jared then at me. “I have a confession to make. I haven’t been entirely honest with you.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
She looked down into her coffee mug, circling the rim with her fingertip. “Things haven’t been going so well between me and Drew lately. I invited you here last night under false pretenses. I told you that we were celebrating Drew’s achievement, but in actuality, I wanted to talk to him and I knew he’d only come if Kenz was here.”
“Me?” I pointed to myself, shocked by her openness.
“Besides his brother, you’re his best friend. Having you here was the buffer I needed to talk to him.”
“Best friend,” Jared snorted. “Good one.”
I cut him a warning glance. There was no doubt that Jared saw Drew and me kissing. He was angry at me for it, and I couldn’t blame him. But I knew if I explained my side, he would come to reason.
“Yes, best friend. And my plan actually worked. We had a long talk last night, and came to terms with things.”
“Interesting.” Jared’s anger boiled through the room.
“So, who’s up for breakfast?” Olivia asked. “I, for one, am starved.”
I turned around and dumped the remainder of my coffee into the sink. My stomach soured just listening to her. Not that she lied, but she managed to spin the truth in her favor. Her fictitious truth left a bad taste in my mouth.
“To be honest, I’m really not hungry. I think we’re going to get out of here.”
She turned to Jared. “What about you?”
He adjusted his position on the barstool uncomfortably. “I think it’s time we head out. We’ve infringed on your hospitality far too long.”
A scowl mauled her features. “I see. It looks like she already has you whipped.”
“You know what, Olivia? You really need to learn to mind your own business.” Jared jumped down from the stool. He stomped over to the sink and rinsed out his coffee cup.
“I beg your pardon?” Her eyebrows rose.
Jared took a sharp breath. “You heard me. Look, there’s nothing going on between McKenzie and me other than a great friendship. We’re not fucking. She doesn’t have me whipped, but what she does have from me is my respect. So, when she says she wants to go home, I take her home.”
He was shaking in anger. I reached for his hand. “Jared.” He pulled back from me.
“Don’t,” he growled. “You and I need to talk as well, but right now someone needs to tell her what a self-righteous bitch she is.”
“I don’t need this shit from you too. I was only trying to be hospitable. If you want to go, then go. No one’s stopping you.”
“From me too?” Jared continued. “I take it your talk wasn’t as pleasant as you made it out to be. Why am I not surprised? If it doesn’t benefit you, then it’s not worth talking about, is it?”
Olivia flipped him off. “Fuck you. You don’t know anything.” She swung her legs over the side of her seat and slipped off. Without looking at me, she said, “Call me later, Kenz. I’ll tell you all about my night.” She stormed out of the room without another word.
Jared threw his hands in the air in frustration. “She’s some piece of work!”
It wasn’t that I felt bad for Olivia. She deserved what she got after lying like she did. But I hated the fact that Jared felt it was his responsibility to come to my rescue.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“I’m sorry. I know how you feel about confrontation, but McKenzie, she deserved that and a million times worse.” He turned his back to me, shoving his fingers through his matted hair. “Go get dressed. I want to get out of here before I really give her a piece of my mind.”
I slinked back to the guestroom and changed, dreading the ride home.
After pulling out of the parking garage, Jared glanced at me. “I’m not mad at you, you know.”
“I wouldn’t blame you if you were. But I have a valid explanation for what you saw this morning.”
Jared pulled the car to the side of the road. He cut the engine and turned to me.
“McKenzie, we need to talk.”
I turned sideways in my seat, facing him. “I know. Let me explain, please.”
Jared placed his fingers over my lips. The coldness I had been feeling from him evaporated. He let out a deep breath. “No, I need to say this first.”
In nodding my head, he released my lips.
“There’s no easy way for me to tell you this, so, I’m just going to say it.” He paused, pushing his fingers through his messy hair. His sorrowful eyes met mine, as a deep sigh swooshed past his lips. My heart ached at the sight of him. “McKenzie, I’m in love with you. I have been for a long time, but you were with Nate and I respected that. It’s my fault for never making a move, but after everything with Nate, I wanted to give you space and time to heal. I see now I should’ve told you from the start how I felt, but I valued you as a friend. Then Drew appeared out of nowhere, and I kept my feelings to myself once more because you were happy when you were with him. Happier then I had seen you, well, ever.”
I covered my mouth in complete surprise. In less than twelve hours, I had the two most important men in my life tell me that they loved me. This had to be a record…especially for me.
He stared off into the distance, his fingers wringing around the steering wheel. “After what I saw this morning, I know now, that it wouldn’t have mattered if I had made my move four months ago, or last night. You’d never see me as more than a friend.”
“Jared, please,” I breathlessly pleaded.
“McKenzie, he loves you. He loves you as I do, and the fact that you love him just as much makes what’s between you and Drew right. I didn’t want to believe it, but after listening to Olivia try to rationalize things, I know in my heart that I’m just like her. I was trying to hold on to something that wasn’t mine to begin with.
“I can’t lose you as a friend. I won’t lose your friendship. It’s too valuable to me, but I won’t stand in the way of true love either. I only ever want you happy, and seeing you with him this morning, I know you’re finally happy.”
I reached up and tenderly touched Jared’s face. A sparkling tear trickled down his cheek. “What did I do to deserve someone like you in my life?” I whispered, leaning over the gearshift, kissing his tear away.
“Why you don’t see how spectacular you are, I’ll never know,” he muttered.
I cupped the side of his face, turning it ever so gently toward me. Kissing him was nothing like kissing Drew. There was no fire, no passion, but there was a tenderness there that I relished.
Jared’s lips were soft and firm and the taste of tears coated them. He closed his eyes and for a single moment, I knew he was lost in the kiss, even if it lacked passion and luster. When I pulled away, he pressed his fingers to his lips.
“Jared, I do love you, but you’re right, I don’t love you like that. I want you to have all the happiness in the world too. There’s a woman out there right now, waiting for you to come find her, and when you do, know I’ll always be jealous of her.”
Jared waved me off shyly. “Oh, come off it now.”
I laughed, patting his cheek. “Seriously. You’re pretty hot, and boy, you got skills in the kissing department.”
A cocky smirk appeared on Jared’s lips. “Girl, I got skills you’ve never seen before.”
My head fell back against the headrest. “Save those for Miss Right.”
Jared started the engine and pulled back onto the freeway. “Okay, knowing you like I do, why did you succumb to the elusive Mr. Wise’s wily ways?”
I relaxed back into my seat, licking my lips softly. “Liv only told part of the truth
this morning. Drew broke up with her weeks ago.”
“You’re kidding me!” Jared exclaimed. “Wow! What a way to spin the situation.”
Twiddling my thumbs, I swallowed hard. “Jared, last night Drew told me that he’s in love with me.”
Jared’s lips twitched into a half-grin. “It’s about time he admitted it. I’m happy for you, McKenzie. I really am.”
“Thanks, Jared.”
We arrived at my apartment, still joking and laughing. My best friend was once again sitting beside me. All of the strangeness that I had felt around him over the past few days dissipated.
“Can I be a fly on the wall when you and Drew tell….whoa! That’s a sweet ride,” Jared pointed out a black Audi S5 parked in front of my building.
I glanced at the car barely giving it a second thought. “It’s okay. I’m sure it belongs to some pompous guy trying to compensate for the lack of something.”
My hand rested on the door handle, as I stared blankly at the sporty little car. My whole life had changed in the course of a night. Where I went from here was a mystery to me, but I knew one thing for sure, I was happy.
“Are you okay?”
I tilted my head looking back at Jared, smiling brightly. “I’m fine. Better than fine.”
“That’s what I like to hear,” he reassured me.
“Thank you again, Jared.” I leaned over and tenderly kissed his cheek. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” he whispered.
“Now, get your scrawny ass home and get some rest. We have school tomorrow.” I stepped out of the car.
Jared laughed heartily. “I’ll see you later.”
“See ya,” I replied, shutting the car door behind me.
The morning was dreary. The sun had yet to make an appearance thanks to the heavy rain clouds hanging about. As I approached the front door, it vibrated due to the rumbling sound of the engine coming from Jared’s car as he drove off.
“Hey, Mickie.” Drew appeared out of the darkness.
My keys slipped from my hand as I jumped, frightened. “Jesus, Andy! There you go again. Tryin’ to give me a heart attack.”
He reached down and picked up my keys, unlocking my front door for me. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I thought with my car out front you would’ve expected me.”
The Truth in Lies (The Truth in Lies Saga) Page 27