Lover's Game (South Bay Soundtracks Book 3)

by Amelia Stone

  Nana fluffed her snow-white curls as she hightailed it to the bathroom. “I’d like to see you have this much energy at almost ninety.”

  “But you’ll probably be dead by then,” Fiona said. She’d recently learned of the cruel reality of death when her pet hamster had taken to the big exercise wheel in the sky. “Unless you turn into a cyborg,” she added.

  “It’s not energy. It’s spite,” Lindsay grumbled as she not-so-patiently waited her turn.

  Meanwhile, Mom continued to fuss over Jess, making sure she had all her traditional items. She fastened her mother’s pearls around Jess’s neck, covering both the ‘something old’ and ‘something borrowed.’ Jess lifted the hem of her dress, showing off her blue garter belt, and Fiona gave her a fresh-picked daisy for her hair, taking care of the ‘something new.’

  I watched them all, trying my best to seem happy when someone glanced my way. Today was my baby sister’s wedding day. My life might be in shambles, but that didn’t matter now. I needed to stand up straight in my beautiful, slightly-too-tight dress, paste a smile on my pasty, puffy face, and celebrate for all I was worth.

  I could totally do it.

  Maybe.

  Oh, who was I kidding?

  “You going to make it through the day?”

  I blinked, turning my head to see Phoebe standing next to me. I hadn’t realized she was there. I took in her expression, which was as tight and drawn as mine probably was, and I frowned.

  “Are you?” I asked in a quiet voice.

  She gave me a sad smile. “We can try, right?”

  I wrapped an arm around her, resting my head on her shoulder. I may have been to blame for what happened with Seth, but Phoebe had done nothing to deserve a philandering husband. No one deserved to be cheated on.

  I returned her sad smile, squeezing her gently.

  “We can lean on each other,” I promised her.

  Two hours later, I once again sitting in the lavish ballroom at the LeGrand, surrounded by enough people to fulfill my social quota for a year. But I wasn’t as bothered by it as I normally would be. I couldn’t find it in me to care, not when my brain was already a cold, pathetic soup of regret and sadness.

  I took a sip of my Diet Coke, nodding as my cousin Willow told a story. I wasn’t sure what she’d said, exactly. I hadn’t been paying attention to much of anything today, if I was being honest. But Jenny and Willow were both laughing. So I smiled, hoping it was the appropriate reaction to whatever was going on.

  Suddenly I felt someone drop into the empty seat next to me, and a hand clamped over my elbow. I jumped, spilling my Coke all over the dais.

  “I don’t mean to alarm you,” Ellie’s voice hissed in my ear.

  “Too late,” I grumbled. I reached for my napkin, mopping up the soda that was seeping into the expensive ivory table linens.

  “It’s just, that guy is back.”

  I turned to frown at her. Ellie looked amazing as usual in a purple dress that brought out her eyes. But her face was pale, those green eyes wide and anxious as she stared out at the ballroom.

  “What guy?” I asked.

  I scanned the room, trying to figure out who she was talking about. There were probably more than a hundred men here today. Nearly everyone on South Bay Island had been invited to my little sister’s wedding, and they’d all showed up in their finest formal wear to take advantage of my sister’s extravagance and my father’s generosity, eating overpriced surf and turf and frequenting the open bar like it was their job.

  All except one.

  I probably shouldn’t have been surprised that Seth hadn’t shown up today. I wouldn’t have wanted to see me right now, either. The night of the bachelor party was still too recent, too raw, and he had been utterly devastated by my seeming betrayal.

  No, there was no way he’d be anywhere near where I was. Not now, and not ever, if his parting words were to be believed.

  But like the fool I was, I’d hoped. I’d let myself believe that maybe – just maybe – he would go back on his dire promise never to see me again, that he would set aside his anger and give me another chance.

  He hadn’t, though. I shouldn’t have been hurt when my precious, hard-won hope inevitably betrayed me. But somehow, I always was.

  “There.” Ellie’s fingers dug into my arm. “No, don’t look,” she hissed. “Act natural.”

  I frowned once more, wondering what in Hades was up with her. How was I supposed to look without looking?

  “Who are you talking about?” Willow leaned in, her eyes widening with intrigue.

  “The blond guy,” Ellie whispered urgently. “The one who came to see you the other day.”

  “Who, Ward?” Jenny asked. She leaned over Willow’s other side, her dark eyes darting from Ellie to me.

  “That blond guy?” Willow asked. She pointed to where Ward was standing near the bar, chatting with Ty Jennings. His gaze turned to us as though he’d heard us talking about him, and he smiled.

  I glanced back at Ellie, only to see her face was now completely drained of color. She didn’t even bother to get mad at Jenny for blowing her cover.

  “Ward?” she asked. “The banana stealing jerk?”

  “Bananas?” Jenny’s brow wrinkled in confusion. “What is she talking about?”

  I shook my head. “Never mind.”

  “Krista.” Ellie put her hands on my shoulders, turning me to her. “Is that the same guy who was an asshole to you for basically all your life? Who stood you up at the dance and kissed your archnemesis and then treated you like a joke?”

  “Yes,” Jenny helpfully answered for me. “That’s him. Ward Hopkins.”

  Ellie let go of my shoulders, bringing her hands up to cover her face.

  “You have got to be kidding me,” she groaned, the sound muffled by her palms.

  “What?” I asked, my gaze bouncing from Ellie to Ward. “What happened? Did he say something to you the other day?”

  She shook her head, dropping her hands. “Never mind,” she said. “It doesn’t matter.”

  I watched her for a beat, waiting for her to say something else. But she remained silent, her jaw clenched like she was grinding her teeth. Just as I was about to ask her again what had happened, a voice stopped me.

  “Hey Krista. Won’t you introduce me to your friend?”

  I turned to see Ward standing in front of the dais, a smirk firmly in place. He’d addressed me, but his eyes were locked on Ellie.

  I glanced back at her, hoping she’d give me some kind of signal on how to proceed. Her behavior in the last couple of minutes had been odd, and I wasn’t sure what she’d want me to do.

  But her expression was so hard, so angry, that there was no mistaking her feelings on the matter.

  “No, she can’t.” Ellie’s voice was colder than I’d ever heard it, and I frowned.

  But before I could figure out what was going on, she stood up, turned her back to us, and stormed off.

  “Okay,” Jenny drawled.

  Willow leaned in to whisper in my ear. “What was that about?”

  I shrugged, because I had absolutely no idea. As far as I knew, Ellie and Ward had only met briefly the other day. She’d looked upset when she walked into my office, but I hadn’t given it much thought at the time. I’d been too preoccupied with my own issues. But now, as I watched her scurry away like a rabbit escaping a wolf, I was afraid I’d missed some important clue.

  “Hold that thought,” Ward said, his tone distracted as he watched Ellie. Then he too walked away, following my best friend, who had almost disappeared into the crowd by that point.

  “Okay,” Jenny repeated. “That was weird and I would love to stay here and dissect it. But I need to go find Sage. Flint probably needs to eat.”

  “Let him feed the baby,” Willow argued. “I want to hear more about the goat.”

  I blinked. Goat? Wow. I really hadn’t been paying attention.

  Jenny shook her head, pulling herself to her
feet with a sigh. “Can’t. I’m the food.”

  Willow chuckled as Jenny went off in search of her husband. Then she turned to me, smiling.

  “So,” she began. “I had this idea for a game, and I thought we could collaborate.”

  I blinked again, trying to focus on her. A game idea. Right. That was my thing.

  “Okay. Shoot.”

  But before she could explain, her younger sister flopped into the seat next to her.

  “Come dance with me,” Emilie pleaded. “I don’t have a date and everyone is having fun out there without me.”

  I glanced at the dance floor, discovering that everyone was, indeed, having fun.

  “You don’t need a partner,” Willow pointed out. “Go dance by yourself! You’ll still have fun.”

  “But I want to dance with you.” Emilie turned the puppy dog eyes on her big sister. “Please?”

  Willow turned back to me with a rueful smile. “Remind me to come see you next week. I have a meeting with my publisher on Thursday, so maybe we can have lunch?”

  I nodded. “I’ll be there.”

  Because I was going back to work in the city on Monday, far from South Bay. Far from Seth.

  Not that it really mattered anymore, not when he didn’t want to see me.

  Willow and Emilie sashayed onto the dance floor, and I watched them laugh as they moved their bodies to the music I couldn’t even hear. My pulse was glugging between my ears, muting all sound. So I sat in silence, watching all the happiness, the celebration surrounding me. Jess and Adam, twirling around the dance floor, their eyes locked as though only the two of them existed. Lindsay and Owen and the kids, all holding hands and bopping to the beat. Mom and Dad standing near the gift table, laughing and chatting with Nana, Uncle Chris, and Aunt Rita. Kit surveying the room from behind the DJ booth, a happy grin stretching his lips.

  My eyes travelled the room, taking in all the smiling faces of all the people having the time of their lives. Kelly and Ty. Sage and Jenny, Violet and baby Flint. Larkin and Graham. Alessandra and Antonio. Mrs. DeLuca. Friends and family and neighbors and people I’d never even met. Even Phoebe was out there on the parquet floor, her long black hair flying as she spun in a circle, dancing by herself.

  Everyone seemed so happy.

  I blinked, trying to stave the tears that had been a constant companion these last couple of days. This was such a joyous occasion, and here I was throwing myself yet another pity party.

  Well, no more. I would get out of this chair, hold my head up high, and march out onto that dance floor, broken heart be damned.

  But before I could, someone tapped on my shoulder.

  “Hey.”

  My eyes fluttered closed at the sound of that deep, rough voice I knew better than my own. I stood slowly, terrified that if I moved too fast, it would all turn out to be some sick hallucination my fevered, heartsick mind had conjured up.

  But when I turned, Seth was standing there. Really standing there, right in front of me, close enough to touch.

  “Hey,” I croaked. I swallowed roughly, trying to clear the lump in my throat. “What are you doing here?”

  He gave me a sad smile. “I was invited.”

  I huffed. “Yeah, but what are you doing here?” I pointed to the floor beneath our feet.

  He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he took several deep, noisy breaths, like he was gathering his courage. Then he held out his hand.

  “Dance with me?”

  I blinked, sure now that I was, in fact, hallucinating.

  “Why?”

  He stepped forward, taking my hand in his. “Because I want to dance with the woman I love to her favorite song.”

  I inhaled, the beating of my heart quieting at once as though a switch had been flipped. The soft, sad acoustic riff of “Wild Horses” was pouring from the speakers, and I blinked away those damn tears again.

  Had he just said what I thought he’d said? Had I heard him correctly? Had he said he loved me?

  No. I was hallucinating. There was no other explanation.

  “Please?” His dark eyes were unsure, but his smile was hopeful.

  Slowly, I nodded, unable to find the voice to answer. What was the point, anyway? I’d never been able to say no to him.

  His palm was warm and dry as he led me onto the dance floor, and I focused on my breathing, desperately trying to keep my whole body from shaking. He squeezed my hand, gently turning me to face him. Then his free hand moved to my waist, pulling me in close.

  I laid my chin on his shoulder, shamelessly taking advantage of the opportunity to be close to him as we shuffled back and forth. Neither of us had improved our dancing skills in the last decade and a half, apparently.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, the words rumbling in my ear, loosening the tension in my ribs, healing the little fault lines in my heart. “I should have let you explain.”

  I blinked again, but it was getting harder and harder to contain the tide. The tears were winning.

  “I’m sorry, too,” I murmured.

  He tipped his head back, his brow furrowed. “Why are you sorry?”

  I gulped. “Because I gave you reasonable doubt.”

  “No.” He shook his head immediately. “No, I was an idiot. I couldn’t see what was right in front of me.”

  “And what was that?” I whispered, too afraid to speak any louder.

  He smiled. “That you love me.”

  A sob escaped me, and I nodded quickly, unable to hold back the tide of emotion any longer. I felt overstimulated, overwhelmed, like the waves were crashing over my head and pulling me down into the depths of the sea, and I closed my eyes, letting it take me.

  “I do,” I whispered. “I love you so much. I always have.”

  He squeezed my waist, and I looked up at him once more. His brown eyes were what I’d dreamed of so often as a kid, and even as an adult, though I’d denied it again and again, even up until the day I’d reunited with him. Those eyes were warm, and sweet, and full of an emotion I could name now, something I could let myself bask in.

  Something that was finally mine to keep.

  “Seth, I fell in love with you on the first day of kindergarten, when you pulled my hair and smiled at me with half your front teeth missing. And I never stopped loving you. Not ever.”

  He blinked, too, and I could have sworn he was about to cry. Or maybe my own tears were simply blurring my vision, like rain on a windshield, making the whole world appear damp and sodden.

  “I love you, Krista,” he said. “It has always been you. Always. It took me too long to see it, and even longer to admit it. But I love you and I will never let -”

  I cut off his speech with my lips. On his lips. I kissed him, right there on the dance floor in front of the gods and everybody.

  His arms wrapped around me, lifting me off the ground and spinning me, and I gasped.

  “Put me down!” I squeaked.

  He shook his head, laughing softly. “Nope.” He lifted his head, closing the gap between us and recapturing my lips once, twice, a third time. “Never letting go of you again.”

  I laughed as I slid down his body. “Fine. But don’t come crying to me when you can’t walk tomorrow.”

  “That’s okay,” he rumbled. “We can just stay in bed.” He grinned down at me. “There’s this thing called rehab sex, and I’m here to tell you, it works.”

  I laughed, but my laughter was drowned out by cheers and wolf whistles. I turned my head, shocked to see everyone on the dance floor smiling once more.

  At me. And Seth.

  “Finally!” Jess wrapped her tentacles around me, squeezing my ribs hard enough to crack them. “Ah, this is the best wedding present ever!”

  I laughed, and she squeezed me again. Beside us, Jess’s new husband gave Seth a serious look.

  “Remember what I said,” Adam warned him.

  Seth nodded solemnly. “No need to worry,” he replied. “It’ll never happen.”

&
nbsp; I turned to them with a quizzical frown, but Adam merely winked before prying his wife off me.

  But it hardly mattered, because a moment later we were surrounded by the entire town of South Bay, more or less – all of whom had apparently been eagerly waiting for Seth and me to get our shit together. I lost count of the hugs, smiles, slaps on the back, and congratulations. Our friends and family were treating us as though we were the ones who’d just gotten married, and my cheeks flushed at the attention.

  But I secretly loved it, too. They were happy for me, and happy for Seth. Because we loved each other.

  When the buzz finally died down, Seth pulled me into him again, and we began awkwardly swaying to the music once more.

  “I’m so glad my evil plan worked,” he muttered, pressing his lips to my temple.

  “What was the evil plan?” I asked.

  He grinned. “Tell you I loved you.” He lifted a shoulder. “That was it. That was my whole plan.”

  I laughed. “And instead, you told me I loved you.”

  He hummed as he pulled me even closer, his hands squeezing just above my ass. “Well, I was right.”

  I scoffed. “Lucky for you.”

  He moved his head just the slightest bit, pressing his lips to mine once more.

  “Don’t need luck anymore,” he said. “I have you. That’s all I need. It’s all I’ve ever needed.”

  And in that moment – and all the moments to come – I believed him.

  Which was a pretty big victory, when I thought about it. And I gladly celebrated it.

  “Hey.” I lifted my voice to be heard over the music pouring from her speakers. “Come here, I want to show you something.”

  Krista didn’t look up from her keyboard, though she did give me a soft smile. “In a sec. I’m just working on this thing.”

  I watched her for a minute as her eyes scanned her computer screen, her fingers flying over the keyboard as she worked out some bug in the code for her next big game.

  But I tapped my fingers against the door jamb of her home office impatiently, because I had a game of my own I wanted to play.

  “Krista.”

  She looked up finally, her brow creasing at my serious tone. “What’s up?”