I didn’t give any reaction to Kevin. As if he didn’t exist, I didn’t look at him or even acknowledge to myself that he was there.
Ryan greeted the rest of the guys then gave me a hug. “Thanks for coming out, guys. I’m sure you’d rather be doing something else other than trying on clothes.”
“Yes,” I said. “But there’s nothing I’d rather be doing than getting you ready for your big day.” I clapped him on the shoulder and gave it a squeeze.
Ryan pointed at me. “This guy, right? Best best man ever.” He clapped me on the back then turned to the lady who was helping us with the outfits. “Dress us up. Make us look beautiful. Because my wife is wearing this really low-cut dress with a slit up the side, and she’s gonna look off the hook, you know what I mean. I gotta show her up.”
“You can’t show her up,” Brett teased. “You look like a troll in comparison.”
“Shut up,” Ryan said. “My best man will beat you up.”
“No, I won’t,” I said quickly. “Because he’s right.”
“Ooh…” The guys all started to laugh.
“Whatever,” Ryan said as he walked off. “Let’s do this shit.”
We took our turns in the dressing room, and the tailors took our measurements for the clothes. As the guys finished, they hung out on the couches in the waiting room. I was one of the first to go, so I took a seat and talked to the guys while we waited. I wasn’t sure what we were doing after, but I imagined we’d go out for a drink or something.
“So, you’re literally a rocket scientist?” Carl, Camille’s brother, asked.
I shrugged. “I guess you can say that.”
“That’s so cool,” Carl said. “I’ve never actually met anyone that does that in real life. So you’ve got to be like a genius.”
I shrugged again. “I think that’s subjective.”
“He’s just being humble.” Brett clapped me on the shoulder. “He’s fucking brilliant.”
Kevin finished up, took an awkward look around like he didn’t know what to do since it was just Brett, Carl, and me on the couches. But he decided to sit down at the edge instead of waiting outside by himself.
I continued to ignore him.
Brett continued. “Ever since, like, second grade, this guy has been super smart. Remember when you built that robot in fourth grade, and the teacher got mad because it chased her around the classroom?”
“Yeah.” I remembered that moment like it was yesterday. Kevin distracted the teacher so I could pull it out of my desk and put it on the floor and get it warmed up before I directed it to hunt her down.
Kevin probably remembered the exact same moment at the same time, but he didn’t react to the story.
The guys from high school knew us when we were friends and were well aware of the falling-out, but they continued to act like they didn’t all notice the way we behaved around each other, like enemies.
“This guy is a professor at NYU,” Brett said. “And he runs an aeronautics company. And he’s a best-selling author, to top it off.”
“Brett, stop.” I raised my hand so he wouldn’t continue to brag about me.
“Whoa.” Carl looked at me. “Do you write under a pen name?”
“No. I use my name—Derek Hamilton.”
Carl’s face lit up because he recognized my name, just not my face. “Holy shit, I know exactly who you are. I always hear your name on the news and stuff.”
“So, what’s going with your new rocket?” Brett asked. “Launching that soon?”
“It’s almost finished,” I said. “We’ll do a test launch once we’re ready and the weather conditions are good. If everything checks out, we’ll hand everything over to NASA so they can utilize it.”
“Wow, that’s awesome,” Carl said. “So, you’re a billionaire? How much money do you have in your wallet right now? Do you own, like, a place in the Hamptons and have your own private jet—”
“Carl, come on,” Kevin interrupted without lifting his gaze. “Don’t ask him that.”
I hated to be asked about money. It always made me uncomfortable, how obsessed people became about my wealth, when they would never ask anyone else about money. Kevin seemed to know how I felt about it because he knew exactly how my father felt about it—from spending so much time with us over the years. But I refused to appreciate the interference because I didn’t need an asshole to defend me. If he really wanted to be there for me, he could have just not slept with my fiancée.
The subject changed, and we talked about something else.
Ryan called Carl over for something, and then Brett stepped outside to take a phone call.
So, I was stuck with Kevin.
The two of us just sitting there, pretending the other didn’t exist.
I pulled out my phone and scrolled through it, behaving like he wasn’t sitting on the other couch, going through my email and things that required my attention. I’d rather spend my time doing that than acknowledging his existence.
“I’m excited for your new book on Tuesday.”
My eyes stilled on the screen, and my annoyance immediately piqued.
“I’ve read the first three a couple times. They’re really good.”
I stayed silent in the hope that he would shut up.
“I’m not just saying that—”
“Do I look like I care?” I shouldn’t give in to the bait, but I was really sick of hearing his goddamn voice. It sounded exactly the way I remembered, the way he sounded on the boat when we fished together over the summer. I let him into my world completely, and he decided to honor that time together by shoving his dick into my fiancée’s cunt. I lifted my gaze and looked at him.
He stared across the room.
“Look at my face.”
He sighed before he turned to me.
I pointed at my expression. “You’re a smart guy, Kevin. I’m sure you’ll be able to figure this out. Does it look like I care?”
He turned away.
“Answer me, asshole.” I kept my voice low so no one would hear our exchange.
He clenched his jaw before he spoke. “No.”
“Good job.” I relaxed back into the chair and returned to scrolling through my phone.
Kevin didn’t make the mistake of trying to talk to me again.
I was supposed to have dinner with Emerson and Lizzie, but I was too pissed to be in the mood for that. I texted her. I need to reschedule. I’ll see you on Monday. I shouldn’t let Kevin affect me this deeply, let him ruin my entire day, but that was difficult when I continued to play back the shitshow in my head.
She texted me back. No.
I stared at the message, not understanding the response.
You’re coming over here like we planned.
I’m really not in the mood.
I don’t care because you will be when you walk in the door. Don’t let a bad experience affect a good experience. I’m sorry that it’s so difficult for you every time you have to see him, but we’re your happy place. We’re your home. So, get your ass up and come over here. Otherwise, we’ll come to you.
I read her message a couple times, and when I heard her authoritative voice in my head, it made me smile. It was bossy and domineering…sexy. I liked that she pushed me when I didn’t want to be pushed, when she said she right thing to take me out of my head. I’m coming.
You bet your ass, you are. You’re gonna have dinner with us, watch a movie, and then make love to me before bed and again first thing in the morning. Because I love you with all my heart, and you love me with all your heart, and we should be together—not apart.
I sat at the table and typed on my laptop while I waited for Emerson to drop off Lizzie for our biweekly tutoring session. It was much easier for me to switch between my two different roles, being creative and being mathematical, than it used to be, and now I could do it without encouragement. It was hard to believe Emerson used to have to force me to sit at my computer to get anything done.
&nb
sp; I actually enjoyed it again.
Emerson knocked on the door before she walked inside with Lizzie. “Hey.”
I lifted my chin and looked at them, wearing a smile. “Hey. How was school, Liz?” I noticed she didn’t have her backpack with her this time.
She walked up to me and grabbed me by the arm. “Come on, let’s go.”
“Go?” I asked as I let her pull me to my feet. “Go where?”
“Wow.” Lizzie stared at me blankly before she looked at my mom. “You weren’t kidding. He’s totally obtuse.”
“Yep.” She grabbed my jacket off the coat rack and brought it to me. “Put this on. It’s cold outside.”
I put it on as instructed but continued to be confused. “Why are we going outside? Am I not tutoring Lizzie today?”
“I had my exam today, and we’re out of school until Monday,” Lizzie said. “So, what are we studying for? Come on, we want to show you something.” She nodded to the door before she took the lead, wearing a pea coat and a scarf.
Emerson came to me and kissed me on the mouth. “You’ll see.”
“See what?” I asked.
“Just trust me, alright?” She smiled as she looked at me, like I was her whole life the way Lizzie was. “You trust me, don’t you?”
I stared at her for several heartbeats, feeling a sudden blanket of peace, knowing that the past hadn’t repeated itself, that I could trust this woman with my life. “Yeah, I do.”
It was a cold evening, the lights from the traffic bright as we walked down the sidewalk. There was a breeze that made our cheeks sting from the cold. Emerson held my hand as she walked beside me, Lizzie in the lead.
I still had no idea where we were going.
Lizzie stopped in front of a shop with a large window, and as we came closer, the sign was visible.
Parchment Books.
Emerson guided me in front of the window and stood beside me, beaming at the books on display.
My books.
I stared into the window and saw the new release on display, along with a picture of me signing books from my book signing. A stack of books was arranged along with fake fall leaves and mugs of coffee. The sign read, “The Next Installment in the Best-selling Series Is Here!” Quotes from magazines and newspapers were underneath my picture. “Derek Hamilton brings sci-fi to a new level.” Another read, “Hamilton can weave a technical story like poetry!” The quotes went on and on.
Emerson kept her hand in mine as she turned to look at me, wearing a beautiful smile.
It was a dream come true, seeing the success of my story, the way it affected so many people all over the world. But the success didn’t compare to what I had with the woman beside me, my source of happiness. I turned to her and squeezed her hand, this moment actually meaning something because she was there with me. The only reason that book was written was because of her, because she believed in me.
Lizzie pressed her face to the window then turned to me. “Who in their right mind forgets they’re releasing a book?”
Emerson slipped her around my waist and stood close to me, holding me the way I held her. “Someone who cares about other things more.”
I leaned in and kissed her, bringing her close as we embraced in front of the display window showing the book we wrote together. “I love you.” My heart was so full, full like there wasn’t a single inch left for anything else.
She smiled before she turned away. “I know you do.”
Emerson bought two copies for her and Lizzie, and then I walked them to their apartment, which was a long walk in the cold, but the bookstore was right between my penthouse and their apartment, and it didn’t make sense to go to my place first just to get my Range Rover to drive them.
Emerson heated up their leftovers from the night before, and we ate together at the table before we watched a movie in the living room. When it grew late, Emerson told Lizzie it was time for bed. “Brush your teeth and go to bed.”
“What? It’s not a school night.”
“Doesn’t matter. Still need your beauty sleep,” Emerson said.
Lizzie rolled her eyes. “I could not sleep ever and still be this beautiful.” She left the couch beside me and walked into the kitchen.
Emerson smacked her butt as she walked past.
I watched the TV again.
Lizzie returned a moment later, holding my book in her hand. “Sign it for me?”
I stared at the book in her hands, seeing my name on the cover along with my best-selling label. I stared for a moment before I lifted my gaze and looked at her.
“I’m only on the second book, but I’ll get there.” She extended the pen.
I still didn’t move because the request was so unexpected. “Um…”
Lizzie sat beside me and placed the book in my lap. “And make it out to Liz…since that’s what you call me.”
I lifted my chin and looked at Emerson.
She smiled from her seat in the armchair.
Lizzie handed me the pen. “And make it good. I want to show everyone at school.” She left the couch and walked into the hallway. “Night, losers.”
Emerson rolled her eyes. “Night, honey.”
I opened the first page that had the copyright details and the publisher information. The pages were cream-colored, and the font for the title was in a futuristic style. I grabbed the pen but didn’t write anything.
“Don’t take as long as you did with mine…”
I looked back at her, seeing the smile on her face that suggested she was joking. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Say what you really feel.” She turned back to the TV like she was trying to give me privacy.
I stared at the book awhile longer, trying to think of the right words to add to the blank page. When the message came to me, I pressed the pen to the paper and started to write.
For Liz,
The best student I’ve ever had.
-Your friend,
Derek Hamilton
I closed the book and clicked the pen so the ink wouldn’t get everywhere.
“What did you write?”
I left the couch and walked toward her before I handed it over.
She flipped the page and read the message, her eyes softening. “Aww, she’ll love that.”
22
Emerson
“I’m nervous.” Lizzie stood beside me on the sidewalk as we waited for Derek to pick us up on Friday.
“Don’t be.” We didn’t have a car, so we had no way of getting to the cabin outside the city, so Derek had offered to drive back and get us. “His parents are very nice and warm.”
“I know, but…I don’t know.”
I rubbed her back as I stood beside her. “Trust me, you’ll do great. They’re going to love you.”
“I hope so.”
Derek appeared in his black Range Rover and then pulled over at the curb.
We both climbed inside, fastened our safety belts, and then we were off. Derek was in black jeans and a maroon sweater, his jaw freshly shaven, his handsome features stark and undeniable.
“Hope you guys aren’t still full from yesterday.” Derek drove with one hand on the wheel while the other moved to mine so he could hold it on the center console. “Because we’ve got a lot of food at the house.”
“I mean, I’m always hungry,” Lizzie said. “That won’t be a problem.”
“What about you, baby?” he asked without looking at me.
I liked that he still called me that, even in front of my daughter. “I skipped lunch, so I’m pretty hungry.”
“Great.” He maneuvered out of the city with a single hand, getting onto the open road once we were past the tunnel. With more distance between us and the city, the wilder the landscape became, showing patches of snow along the road and in the fields.
Lizzie had her face pressed to the window as she looked outside. “It looks like it’s going to snow.”
“It usually does on Thanksgiving every year,” Derek
said. “At least out here.”
I knew Derek spent a lot of his childhood at this cabin, so I was excited to see, to imagine those steps he took as a five-year-old boy.
An hour later, he made it past one security gate and then another, and drove down the gravel road between tall pine trees and approached the front of the house. There were already cars parked outside, probably from his siblings.
Derek parked the Range Rover then we walked up the steps to the front door. Voices were already audible inside, then uproarious laughter.
Lizzie stilled. “Sounds like people are drinking some wine…”
I gave her a gentle smack on the arm. “Be polite.”
Derek smiled. “She’s fine. They’ll get a kick out of her.” He opened the door and walked in first. “We’re here.”
The voices turned quiet, and Cleo emerged from the living room and to the front door. “Happy Thanksgiving!” She threw up her arms and hugged her son even though she’d seen him yesterday and then turned to Lizzie. “It’s so lovely to meet you, Lizzie. You’re so pretty.” She opened her arms and hugged my daughter tightly.
Deacon came next, ignored Derek, and went straight for Lizzie. “Hey, sweetheart. We’re so happy you’re here.” He gave her a hug too, like he already knew her.
Lizzie looked a little timid, like she couldn’t believe these strangers were smothering her with love when they’d never met.
“It’s not Christmas yet, but we have a few things for you.” Cleo placed her hand around Lizzie’s shoulders and guided her farther into the living room, where there was a half-decorated Christmas tree in the corner. A classic holiday movie was on the TV, making it feel like Christmas Day rather than the day after Thanksgiving.
Lizzie sat on the edge of the hearth of the fireplace while Cleo handed her a present wrapped in Christmas wrapping. She looked more comfortable than she did when she first walked in, but she still looked like a deer in the headlights. She opened the first present and pulled out a beautiful scarf, which was perfect for her because she loved to wear them. “Wow, it’s pretty.”
The Boy Who Has No Belief (Soulless Book 7) Page 22