by C. J. Thomas
“You don’t mean that. What did he do?” I dipped my head and met her gaze. “Did he threaten you?” Our eyes danced as my heart constricted. “Tell me and I’ll make sure he regrets everything he said.”
She swallowed hard. “I’m sorry, Trevor. But I can’t do this anymore. I’m marrying Gary.”
My eyes rounded. I was rendered speechless as I watched Sienna backpedal toward the house before turning her back and walking away, leaving my heart completely shattered.
34
Sienna
I drifted through the party in a series of emotionless interactions. I smiled when I needed to. Laughed when appropriate. But, mostly, I was only putting on a face for the sake of keeping Gary’s threats at bay. What he didn’t know during the little bit of time he was actually at my side was that I didn’t see this as a wedding rehearsal or time for celebration, but rather a funeral where I was the main character.
Turning my head, my gaze landed on Monica floating across the room. She headed toward another bachelor, at least her third of the night.
“Darling.” Gary’s mom slid up next to me. “You hardly ate anything, are you feeling okay?”
Barely able to look in her direction, I lied, “I’m fine.”
The worry line in her brow deepened as she continued staring.
The truth was, I was anything but fine. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out. I didn’t want to pretend any longer. Didn’t want to act like everything would get better. It wouldn’t. Gary had shown his true colors and convinced me that it wouldn’t. The fire had only just begun and our house of supposed love was about to burn down.
“How about some water?” She called over to the waiter and requested a glass of cold, lemon water for the bride to be.
I nodded and gave her a small smile of appreciation, but when our eyes briefly met all I could think about was Trevor.
I held my hand to my side, the cramp twisting harder than before. I couldn’t stop seeing the feelings of despair flash over his blue eyes when I told him it was over—that I didn’t love him.
That, too, was a lie.
The waiter was back with a cold glass of water a moment later and I thanked him for his efforts. He was here for me, after all. Wrapping my lips around the rim, I took a small sip if only to calm Gary’s mother’s worries.
“There.” Gary’s mom smiled. “Feel better?” If only it were that simple.
I nodded and caught Sophia shoulder staring in my direction over her. She was with Nolan and, by the looks on both their faces, I knew that they were talking about me.
“You’ll need to keep up your energy.” Gary’s mom gave me a knowing look. “Trust me.” Her brows raised. “The first week of marriage can be quite passionate.” A glimmer of past memories twinkled in her eye while the contents of my stomach threatened to reappear with what she was implying.
Without thought, I flicked my gaze to Gary. He was smoking cigars with his groomsmen, laughing it up like he didn’t have a care in the world.
I narrowed my eyes and felt my skin crawl at the thought of having to open my legs for him. That passion was long gone, out of our lives for good. I grinded my teeth when I thought about how he’d blackmailed me into making sure I didn’t bail on this marriage completely.
“You and my son will make beautiful babies.” She giggled.
I rolled my eyes back to Nolan, wondering what Trevor had said to him. Could Trevor’s latest accusation of Gary only marrying me to get close to my father have made it all the way to Nolan’s ears already?
“Excuse me.” I skirted behind Gary’s mom with thoughts Gary’s intentions swirling my mind. Whatever his reasons were, Gary certainly hadn’t bothered sharing them with me.
“Sienna,” she called after me. “Did I say something wrong?”
I ignored her pleas, not having it in me to be polite any longer. This was past simple nerves. My raspy breaths of air were driven by terror and I didn’t know where to look for the exit that was going to lead me to safety.
Picking up my pace for fear I would be stopped before I reached the powder room, I kept my head down and disappeared into the back.
My eyes prickled with the threat of tears as a distant relative called my name. I didn’t stop. I kept going, knowing that I was about to belt out and cry into the sky.
Knots filled my belly as I pushed through the doors. Spinning quickly, I closed myself off and slid the lock into place. Turning to the sink—
Silence.
I forced my lungs to expand beyond the restrictions they allowed. Oxygen made me dizzy but managed to calm my racing heart. I moved to the mirror and stared at an unfamiliar face. I blinked, hoping she would go away and the woman I knew would return.
I didn’t know the person I had become. In such a short time, my life had turned completely upside-down. The walls moved in and I was afraid that I would never be able to get my old self back. Where things had once felt perfect, they now felt foreign.
On my next blink, I squeezed out the first tear. It didn’t take long for the gates to open and, soon, the faucet streamed down my face uncontrollably.
Reaching for a tissue, I dabbed at my eyes with little result to show for my efforts. There was too much suppressed emotion—too much anxiety to make them stop. I was ashamed of myself for not being able to put a stop to this but Gary had made me fear the consequences. I didn’t want to make anyone else’s life as miserable as my own. Soon, I held my head in my hands as my chest heaved through heavy sobs of grief.
When I calmed myself down, I lifted my head and hated how awful I looked.
There were dark bags beneath both my eyes but it didn’t compare to the pain I’d felt when I turned Trevor away.
Trevor had given it his all and could have gotten himself shot in the process.
I’d betrayed him. Gone back on my word. Because of my actions—or rather, my inactions—Id caused confusion when there shouldn’t have been any. But I couldn’t risk Gary exposing the truth of what really happened when Gary saved Trevor’s life. I wasn’t doing this for me. I made my decision with Cooper in mind—wanting to save the image he had created for Trevor. It didn’t matter what really happened during the war, because Trevor would always be a hero in my eyes.
Yet, I still felt like a fake. A phony. Someone who couldn’t be trusted.
I thought back to Dad’s speech tonight—the toast he’d made before dinner. When looking me in the eye, he mentioned the importance of living a life with no regrets. His look tonight was different, and I almost wanted to believe that he was starting to understand what I had been saying all along.
A knock on the door sent my heart racing.
“Sienna, we know you’re in there.” The doorknob shook. “Open up.”
Wiping my nose and drying my cheeks, I unlocked the door and opened it to find both Monica and Sophia pushing themselves inside.
“We saw you try to disappear on us.” Sophia gave me a glance while Monica was babbling on about already landing several handsome men’s digits.
I floated back to the sink and took another tissue between my fingers.
Sophia stared at me in the mirror’s reflection with an unwavering look of disappointment lining her face.
“Say it,” I said to her.
“You’re not hiding anything, Sienna.” She crossed her arms and leaned her hip against the counter’s edge. “Everyone can see how miserable you are.”
Stepping forward, I narrowed my eyes. “What were you and Nolan talking about?”
Her brow arched.
“Whatever you two were saying, you can say it to my face.”
“You think we were talking about you?”
“I can hear the whispers.”
“You’re the bride, Sienna. Of course people are going to be talking about you. But Nolan and I are not the enemies here.”
Monica’s expression pinched as her eyes darted between us, shocked at the tone in both our voices.
“The
n why does Nolan keep glaring in my direction?” I asked.
“Trevor told him that Gary hit you.” Sophia’s gaze hardened with raw truth.
I felt my eyes bulge and my heart stop. A split-second, later my pulse started to race. “Shit.” My palm hit my forehead. “Does he know about—”
Sophia reached out and took my hand. “Don’t worry. Nolan doesn’t know you slept with his brother.”
I looked into her eyes with unspoken apologies. My fingers started to shake, followed by my entire body trembling before my knees gave and I crumbled to the floor like an accordion.
“Sienna!” Monica reached out to catch me but it was too late. “Why is this wedding still happening? Look at you.”
“Monica,” Sophia snapped.
Monica swiveled her head around to glare at Sophia. “It’s a fair question.” She turned back to me. “Did you stand up to your father?”
Through blurry eyes, I shook my head. “Gary, he knows—”
Sophia hovered with pinched brows. “—knows what?”
Through stuttered speech I told them everything. My determination to call this whole thing off like we’d agreed the last time we spoke; that Trevor was also a Marine and what Gary did to save his life. I ended by explaining how Gary essentially blackmailed me with a story he was willing to take to the press if I went against him.
“I swear I’m going to kill him.” Monica clenched her fist.
Sophia was speechless at first, but then she asked, “Do you believe him?”
I could still smell the alcohol on his breath after a day of heavy drinking. “He’s been drinking all day. He meant what he said.” I sighed. “The truth always comes out when he’s drinking.”
Monica’s gears were churning and I could tell she was deep in thought. Her head snapped forward. “I’m sick and tired of this.” She turned to the door.
Pushing myself up off the floor, I called after her. “What are you going to do?”
“Take matters into my own hands.”
“What does that mean?” Sophia asked.
My stomach flipped, scared to know the details, but I listened anyway.
Monica flicked her gaze to me. Her eyes sparkled with an evil grin curling her lip. “We know he’s been in contact with his ex, and now we’re going to catch that bastard in the act.” She pulled the door open and ran out without another word.
“Monica, wait!” I called after her but it was too late.
The door pushed open and, to my surprise, Mom entered.
“Please,” Mom’s eyes landed on Sophia, “let me speak with my daughter alone.”
Sophia glanced to me and nodded. She politely excused herself, leaving me to wonder where this conversation was going to take me next.
“Sweetie.” She stepped forward and brushed my cheek with her thumb. “Have you been crying?”
My eyes had barely dried, but they began to water again at the mere mention of me tearing up. “I feel like I can’t breathe.”
Mom’s brow furrowed. Wrapping me in her arms, I started to sob uncontrollably. She rocked me like a baby and tightened her hold on me.
“I can’t do this, Mom.”
“I’m here for you,” she whispered into my ear.
“If I’m suffocating now, there is no way I’ll survive this marriage.”
Mom pulled back and took my face between her hands. Forcing me to look her in the eye, I swallowed down the tears as best I could.
I watched her search my face before ending on my lip. My breath hitched and I immediately thought about what, if anything, Trevor had said to Dad. Because Dad’s speech, and now this, was no coincidence. They knew.
“Did Gary do that to you?” Her voice cracked and I could hear the pain she was feeling.
I drowned in my own feelings of guilt. I didn’t need to answer, with words or otherwise, because Mom already knew the truth.
“Sienna, I’m sorry for not slowing down.” Her words caught in the back of her throat and she swallowed hard. “Preparing for this weekend has had me scrambling to ensure everyone would enjoy themselves.” Her round eyes locked on mine. “Somehow I … f-forgot—”
“Mom, this is why I told you I can’t love him.”
Mom’s eyes started to pool with her own tears.
“It was my last straw.” A sudden surge of confidence pulled my spine straight. “Mom, he’s been secretly seeing his ex. That’s why he hit me. I confronted him about it and this is what I got.”
She inhaled a sharp breath of air. “I let you down.”
“Mom, I let myself down.”
I finally felt safe in her arms.
“If I call this off, I’ll let everyone down.”
Mom tried to convince me otherwise, but I cut her off and confessed to everything I’d just shared with Monica and Sophia. By the end, Mom was speechless though I wasn’t sure she was ready to go to battle the way Monica was.
“And there’s something else I learned,” I said.
Mom’s chest rose as she blinked and nodded.
“It has come to my attention that Gary may only want to marry me to get close to Dad. Politically.”
Mom frowned and gave an impatient huff. “I’m going to handle this. It’s not too late, Sienna. If you believe that all you shared is true, then I do, too.”
A faint smile pulled at my lips. I still had doubts that this was all a pipedream. We still had to get Dad on board. Despite what he might already know, he was going to be a tough nut to crack. “What are you going to do?”
“I promise you I will find a way to make this right.” Mom’s normal strength was back.
I believed her. But I still felt like a sacrificial lamb heading for slaughter. I didn’t know how I was going to get out of this without hurting my father’s career, our family reputation, and that of Cooper, Trevor, and the entire Foster family as well.
The door slammed open behind Mom.
We both gasped as Monica came rushing in. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize …”
Mom turned to me and smiled. “I love you, sweetie.”
I told Mom I loved her, too, and as soon as she left Monica jumped forward and held up Gary’s cell phone. “What are you doing with that?” My voice cracked like a teen boy.
Her eyes flashed with mischief. “I’m going to request I, Gary,” her brows wiggled, “secretly have my last date before marriage.”
“I don’t know.” I frowned. “This seems like a bad idea.”
Sophia came rushing into the powder room. Her eyes immediately zeroed in on Gary’s phone as if not believing what she was seeing. “Holy shit, you actually did it.”
Monica’s thumbs quickly worked the screen. We held our collective breath as she pressed send. “Now,” her eyes lit up, “we put it back in Gary’s hands and see what happens.”
35
Trevor
I tightened my grip as I held my phone to my ear.
The line continued to ring but Nolan still wasn’t picking up.
Moving to the edge of the pool, I watched the different blues dance in the sunshine as my mind stayed stuck on Sienna. Despite her devastating comments that struck me like bullets, she was the one meant for me. I wasn’t about to give up on her. But the longer I was out of the loop, the more hopeless I felt at ever seeing her again. I needed to respect her decision and take her at her word—trust that she knew what she was doing.
When the line clicked over to voicemail I left my brother a message. “It’s me again. I really need an update. Call me as soon as you get this.”
Dropping my phone away from my ear, I glanced to the screen wishing I had the courage to call Sienna. I doubted she had her phone on her, and I couldn’t stir the waters any more than I already had. But the desire I had for her made me want to die trying.
The glass door to the house slid open and I turned to see Dad striding toward me with a tumbler in his hand.
I turned back to the water, letting my gaze travel to the bottom of the pool.
>
I held my breath and clenched my stomach, waiting to hear what he had to say. I feared Senator Day would have most certainly called after my latest stunt.
Dad stood next to me, staring into the deep end. He quietly sipped from his glass, only adding to the suspense already zipping through my veins.
Without moving, I waited for him to speak. The seconds turned to minutes as I distracted my thoughts by replaying the events from earlier inside my head.
I could still feel the sharp knee being jabbed between my shoulder blades as I was rushed to the ground after nearly getting my head blown off. The longer Dad remained quiet, the more convinced I was that he didn’t know. That was a good sign. No news was generally good news.
“Where are the others?” I asked.
His eyes flicked up to mine. “They went looking for you.”
Dropping my head back to the water, I said, “I didn’t mean to be gone so long.”
“You missed your mother’s dinner.”
“I know, Dad.” My voice deflated knowing Mom would be upset with me.
“Care to share where you were?”
My thoughts swirled with possible explanations. “Took a ride on the bike to clear my head.”
Dad curled his lips over the rim of his tumbler as my thoughts drifted back to Sienna. I could still hear her words telling me she loved Gary. I knew she wasn’t speaking from the heart, but out of fear. I wanted to blame her for tearing us apart, but, really, this was Gary’s fault. He’d said something to her. I knew it. I could see the terror in her eyes, feel his aggression toward me. With all that was happening around us—with all our secrets slowly being exposed—I was surprised he allowed Sienna time alone with me at all. But with Senator Day watching, he couldn’t let his true self show.
Dad lowered his glass and asked, “Is everything all right?”
I rolled my eyes over to him and muttered, “I’ll take that drink now.”
“Come. Let’s sit.” He slapped my back and turned to the patio table. I followed Dad and watched as he tossed what little liquid remained into the grass, not wanting to tempt me into breaking my newfound sobriety. Lowering myself into the seat opposite him, Dad lifted a brow. “This has something to do with Sienna, doesn’t it?”