He sits down. “No need to be.”
“Tate I…”
He places his hand up and stops me. “I don’t want to hear it, Sam.” He takes in a long breath before he lets it out. “Let’s talk about what happened last night with Jax.”
“You guys are lying to me,” I accuse, already knowing they have secrets.
“I lied to you. Well technically I didn’t lie. I just didn’t tell you everything.”
I clench my jaw. “Tell me everything now.”
He looks up at me. “When you came and saw me at my house, wanting to know about your mother, I told you that I had kept tabs on you. I knew the night you went and stayed with Holly and Micah that you were going back the next day to move out your stuff. That next day when they took you to the hospital, I went to your house and beat the shit out of him.”
“What?” My mouth drops. “He said my boyfriend did it.”
He looks nervous for a second as his eyes look everywhere in the room except at me. “I told him that I was your boyfriend.”
“Why?” I frown. That makes no sense.
He reaches up and rubs his forehead as if he shouldn’t need to explain this. “Because I didn’t want him coming back around you. I didn’t want him bothering you.”
I put my elbows on the table and place my face in my hands. “I’m not mad at you about that. But why couldn’t you just have told me?”
He shrugs. “I didn’t feel it was necessary.”
“Isn’t that my call to make? Since it’s my ex we’re talking about?”
“I guess you could see it that way.”
We sit there in the silence for a few seconds. “Is there anything else you want to tell me regarding Jax?” I ask.
“Just that I’m going to kick his ass again,” he says, and I swear the corners of his mouth turn up a little bit.
I laugh. “Okay then,” I reply, standing up.
He lifts an eyebrow. “Not gonna slap me like you did Slade?”
“No. Slade pissed me off. I had time to sleep off my anger. So you get off easy.”
“How did he piss you off?”
I take one last drink of my coffee before I rinse the mug out and place it in the dishwasher. “Because I know he’s keeping something from me.” Tate shifts uncomfortably in his seat. “I just can’t figure out what it is.”
He stands from the table. “Give him a break. It’s not easy living with you.”
I gasp, and he laughs. “What? I can’t imagine it’s easy living with any chick,” he adds.
I smile and then shrug. “True. But it’s also not easy living with a controlling male who thinks he runs the world.”
He chuckles as he turns around and starts to walk out the front door. “Oh, Tate?”
“What?” He turns to face me.
“Just so you know, I’m throwing Missy a birthday party here at the house tomorrow night,” I announce with a smile.
“I know,” he says releasing a sigh. “She already invited me.” He waves his hand in the air. “Don’t worry. I’m coming.”
“You don’t have an option.”
He shakes his head at me but chuckles as he walks out the door. I push Slade and last night out of my mind as I grab my purse and head off to work.
*****
I walk into the house with Courtney later that evening, our hands full of sacks.
I throw my sacks up onto the countertop in the kitchen and start to go through them. “Did you buy the entire store?” Courtney jokes.
“Just everything having to do with turning twenty-one.”
“Is everything okay with you and Slade?” she asks pulling out a pack of balloons.
“Why do you ask?” I try not to let her question bother me.
“Well, because you only spoke with him once today, and you were real short. Usually you can’t keep him from calling or texting you.”
“I was busy,” I say defensively.
“Rearranging your pens in your drawer?” she asks with a smile.
I open the second sack and start to unpack it. “We got into a fight when I got home last night,” I finally say.
“Oh I know that. Josh told me you slapped him.” She gets a dreamy smile on her face. “Wish I could have seen that. I bet he was shocked. Hell, Josh was in shock when he told me. But I’m guessing it takes a lot to shock Slade.”
I look over at her a little shocked myself. “He told you that?”
She nods. “He told me to make sure the sheets were clean in the spare bedroom, because he figured you would end up crashing at our house.” She drapes her arm over my shoulder. “Not gonna lie. I was totally looking forward to having a girls’ night.” She sighs dramatically.
“I wasn’t going anywhere. I just went to the bedroom, took a long bath, and then went to sleep. Of course I locked the bedroom door so he couldn’t get in.” I smile as I recall him beating on the door last night to let him in. I had fallen asleep but the pounding of his fist on the door woke me up. There was no way in hell I was getting up to open it though. I didn’t want to argue anymore.
“So you guys are fine now?” She removes her arm and places a balloon in her mouth and starts to blow it up.
I shrug. “Not really. He left this morning before I had woken up. Somehow he unlocked the bedroom door and got ready for work this morning. I haven’t really talked to him today about it.”
“Gotta keep these men on their toes,” she says between breaths while blowing up the balloons.
“Why are you blowing those up? I want them to be full of helium.”
She stops blowing and lets it go. It flies threw the kitchen making a strange noise as all the air releases.
“You didn’t tell me that,” she says pulling in a few deep breaths.
I raise an eyebrow. “Only ten weeks pregnant and you’re already out of shape?” I tease as she huffs and puffs.
She reaches down and picks up the pack of balloons before she throws them at my chest. “That’s not fair,” she whines. “I’ve already gained ten pounds. I have a feeling I’m going to look like a beached whale by the time I have this baby,” she pouts, rubbing her belly that is still flat. I think the ten pounds are in her head.
“Well then I will push you out to sea and set you free,” I quip.
She gasps dramatically. “I can’t believe you said that.” She holds a hand over her heart as if I hurt her.
“What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t try to save a beached whale?” I try to sound serious, but I can’t get through it without laughing.
“You can be such a little bitch.” She smiles at me.
I bow. “Why thank you.”
“That wasn’t a compliment.”
“I took it as one.”
She rolls her eyes then changes the subject. “What did Slade say when you told him you were throwing this party for Missy?”
I had very shortly explained it to him when we spoke today. “He said ‘oh yeah, I forgot about her birthday’.”
“Typical man.”
I nod my head agreeing with her. I feel my body stiffen when I hear the door to the garage open. I keep my head down and continue to pull a birthday banner out of the sack when I hear Slade enter the house.
He walks in, and I feel my heart rate pick up as he walks around the kitchen. He walks up behind me and pulls the hair off my shoulder. He bends down and places a soft kiss on my neck. I curse my arms for breaking out in goosebumps.
“How was your day, Angel?” he asks softly.
“Fine,” I say curtly.
He places another kiss on my neck. “My day was great,” he answers like I had asked.
I roll my eyes at him and pull away. I’m still mad at him. He had no right to talk to Jax about our relationship, not to mention everything else he lied about.
“Anyway, I made a stop on my way home for you,” he says turning away from me and placing his sack on the counter by the fridge.
I turn around to look at him as he pulls out my favorite b
ottle of wine; Barefoot Moscato. “Just something I thought you would want for the party tomorrow night,” he says with a knowing smile. “Or if you just wanted a glass tonight while you took a hot bubble bath.”
Courtney places her elbow on the table and her chin in her hand. She looks over at him with a dreamy smile as she lets out a small sigh. Pushover.
“And also.” He then pulls out a box of Godiva chocolates.
I narrow my eyes at him, and I look over to see Courtney instantly drooling at the sight of them.
“Thanks,” I say taking them from his hands and handing them to her.
“You’re very welcome, Angel,” he says sweetly. “I’m going to go take a shower,” he announces before he walks out of the kitchen.
“Mmmmhmm,” Courtney says through a mouthful of chocolates already. “He’s good,” she compliments, nodding her head. “Very good.”
“Yes.” I sigh. “That he is.” I throw down the bag of streamers and follow after him.
I storm into the bedroom and head toward the bathroom. As soon as I walk through the bathroom door he grabs me and spins me around. “I knew you would follow me,” he smirks. “Was it the chocolates or the wine? I would like to know for future reference.”
I ignore his cocky attitude. I’m not in the mood for it. “All I want to know is why you lied to him.”
He lets out a long breath as he slowly runs his hands down my arms. “I know how much he broke your heart.”
I frown. “You weren’t there, Slade. You don’t know anything.”
“I wasn’t there but I remember the way you sounded when you called me.” His baby blue eyes look deep into mine. “I knew from the second you spoke his name that you loved him.”
I don’t know where he is going with this but for a moment I regret asking.
“When he confronted me in my office he acted as if you were nothing to him. As if he never loved you.” He pulls away from me and starts to pace. “When he said you were cheating on me with Tate, I laughed. I know that you would never do that to me.” He comes back and places his hands on my face. “I know you love me, Angel. But I hate the fact that you once loved him.”
I swallow nervously. I know Slade has had women in his bed but I also know that he has never loved any of them. It must be hard for him to think about the fact that I once loved Jax how I love him now. “I thought I once loved him.” It’s true. I was blinded when it came to Jax. I really didn’t know any better.
“Don’t give me that bullshit,” he says softly. “We both know what kind of person you are.”
I bite my bottom lip nervously. “Can you enlighten me?”
He smiles, and it eases my nerves. A little. “You would never fuck around with someone, let alone move out of state with someone, unless you loved them.”
“If I wouldn’t have followed him to St. Louis, then I would have never met you,” I say placing my hands on his chest.
He picks up my left hand and lifts it to his lips giving it a soft kiss. “I know but back to the reason why I lied to him.” He wraps his arms around me and pulls my body to his. I’m guessing so I can’t run away. “I will never let someone break your heart, baby. I will never let him have the satisfaction of knowing what he did to you. Does it really bother you that much what he thinks of you?” His dark eyebrows pull together as his baby blue eyes roam my face.
“That wasn’t the point.”
“Then what was the point? Tell me what you want me to say because honestly I’m at a loss,” he pleads.
“I want to know why you didn’t tell me that he showed up at your work. You are correct, I could care less what he thinks, but why didn’t you tell me?”
He pulls back and runs his hand through his hair. It’s standing up and in different directions as if he has been messing with it all day. “We already had one fight over him, and that’s one too many if you ask me. I felt it was pointless. There was nothing that you could do, and I didn’t want to upset you.”
I walk over to the tub and sit down on the edge, needing the space for a few seconds.
He very slowly makes his way over to me. Kneeling down in front of me, he takes my hands in his. “Will you forgive me?”
I nod my head. He’s right, what Jax thinks of me is not important.
“So, can we please just drop this issue?” he asks softly. “We are throwing a party for Missy tomorrow night and leaving for Vegas the day after that. Let’s just forget about Jax.”
I release a long sigh. Can I really be mad at him for something he can’t control? If his exes come and get in my face, I would say anything to hurt them, and I know that was his intention with Jax.
I nod my head. “Deal.” I reach out my hand for him to shake. He smirks and grabs my hand. He stands and pulls me up as well, and I fall into him. Leaning down he places a rough kiss on my lips.
When he finally pulls away I’m panting. I expect him to strip my clothes off and take me right here in the bathroom but instead he turns around and starts to undress before stepping into the shower. I take a few deep breaths and walk out of the bathroom to make my way back to the kitchen.
*****
SLADE
To be completely honest, I don’t even remember much of my twenty-first birthday. I was attending the University of Missouri and some of my buddies took me out. We ended up partying nonstop for a solid week. That’s all I remember. There was a ton of alcohol and women. At times there were multiples. There were several fights, and I was banned from a couple of bars, but I expected it to go down that way.
I have a feeling that Missy isn’t going to remember much of hers either.
I smile as I watch Angel talk and laugh with Missy. She spent all last night and some of this evening decorating our house for her, and it looks great. I know growing up that Missy lived a pretty sheltered life. Her parents were very strict with her and her brother. As far back as I can remember in school, Missy’s family was very religious. They considered a twenty-first birthday celebration at Olive Garden last night to be party enough. Last night, after Angel and Courtney had finished decorating, Missy had called her upset. She said her parents wouldn’t even let her order an alcoholic drink to celebrate. Missy is their baby, and I think they want to shelter her as long as possible. After that call, Angel started adding more alcohol to her list.
Missy has always seemed so reserved and sweet, but I can tell there’s a part of her that wants to let loose. Go wild, even. Just to say she did. Even if the alcohol she consumes makes her memories foggy.
I have a feeling my little Angel may show her the crazier side of life, at least the alcohol-induced side, tonight.
“I think she’s had enough,” Tate growls to Angel.
I smirk when she gives him a go to hell look and places the full shot in Missy’s hand.
“Think I need cut off, Tate?” Missy slurs, and I can’t help but laugh. This brings back memories of the first night I met Angel, and she got drunk off tequila shots. Women can be so stubborn.
“Yes,” he says looking down at her with narrowed eyes. “I don’t want to have to hold your hair back later when you’re puking,” he growls.
She gives him a sloppy smile as she sways on her feet. Her black rimmed glasses are sliding farther down her nose. “I have girlfriends for that.” Then she brings the shot glass to her lips and tosses it back.
I tilt my beer bottle back to hide my smile from the couch across the room. I knew the girls would get drunk tonight. I saw how much alcohol Angel had purchased for this party. She wanted to throw Missy a party, and I know exactly what the word ‘party’ means to her.
“What are they drinking?” Braxton, Parker’s little brother, asks me as he plops down beside me. Micah invited him, said we need to hang out with him more. He’s actually a pretty good kid.
“Those are wet pussy shots,” I answer with a smile.
His brown eyes go big, and his cheeks flush. He’s nothing like Parker and I were when we were his age. We spent our d
ays thinking about women and our evenings getting between their legs. He, on the other hand, did not. I can tell he spent his days and nights with his face stuck in a book, doing nothing but studying. Probably picked up more classes than he needed. That’s how he graduated early.
“Ever had one?” Tate asks coming up to us.
“No. What’s in it?” he asks excitedly.
Tate lets out a little laugh, and I have a feeling he was asking about the one between a woman’s legs, not in a shot glass.
“I don’t know really,” he admits, “but they are good.” He tilts his beer back before sitting down with us.
“Will she be able to go to school tomorrow?” Braxton asks as he watches Missy and the girls tip back another shot.
“She’ll be fine,” I say brushing off his concern.
“Slade,” Josh calls from the pool table. “It’s your turn.”
I get up off of the couch and walk over to the pool table. I set my beer on the end as I pick up a pool stick. Just as I go to hit the cue ball someone bumps my stick, making me miss the shot. “Hey,” I say turning around to see who it is.
The most beautiful green eyes I have ever seen are staring up at me. Angel giggles before she says, “I’m sorry. Did I make you miss?”
“I bet money on this game,” I say pulling her into me. “And if I lose I’m going to make you pay.” I give her a threatening smile.
“What if I refuse to pay up?” she asks as she places her arms around my neck.
I grab a hold of her wrists and place them behind her back. I lean down and place my lips to her ear. “I have my ways,” I murmur.
She sucks in a breath and tries to wiggle her hands out of my grasp but I hold them tightly. “I know you do.” She breathes heavily.
I let go of her quickly, spin her around, and then swat her ass before she walks off. She turns to face me as she walks away. “Sorry that you missed. Maybe next time you will be a better shot,” she taunts.
“Keep asking for it,” I warn her, but she just laughs it off.
I turn my attention back to the game and pick up my beer that I had left on the pool table, trying to think of anything except for the hard on in my pants. How am I going to win when I keep imagining her lying naked on this pool table every five seconds?
The UN Series Complete Box Set Page 91