“I think Reed is seeing someone else,” Amber said loudly enough to Isabelle that Cora and I heard.
“That’s crazy.” Isabelle shook her head.
“Totally insane, who would want to get with someone as sexy as Reed?” Cora whispered, so that only I could hear.
I had to force myself not to smile.
“First, you found the sex toys and then I found and earring in his couch,” Amber told us.
“When was this?” Isabelle asked, frowning.
“Earlier tonight. I stopped by and brought him dinner, and I found the earring.”
Jealousy rose within me because Amber had seen Reed. I hadn’t stopped by to see him because I knew he was hanging out with the guys tonight, and it bothered me that Amber had. On the heels of that thought came the worry that Amber might have recognized my earring. I’d worn those silver hoops many times when we’d been out together.
“You were searched his couch?” Cora asked dryly.
Amber shook her beautiful head, not picking up on Cora’s sarcasm, but Isabelle was shooting Cora a look of warning. “No. I just thought I’d straighten up a little, and that’s when I found it.”
“Did you ask him about it?”
“I did,” Amber answered with a defeated look in her eyes. “He politely told me it was none of my business. What should I do Isabelle?”
“She could stop throwing herself at him,” Cora whispered to me while Isabelle hugged Amber.
“You see Reed every day, Ellie. Have you noticed anything unusual at his place? Have you seen him with any women?” Amber asked me.
“I’m sorry Amber,” I answered.
“It’s alright. I know you’d help me if you could.”
Something in her voice nagged at me, making me think of what Cora had said earlier, but I knew that it wasn’t possible for someone has beautiful as Amber to be jealous of me. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder if she knew something that she wasn’t revealing to us.
“I’ll bet my next paycheck that Jase has something to do with this,” Isabelle said suspiciously. “His harem is big enough that he could share a babe or two with Reed and still have a dozen women lining up to be his Mrs. Right-Now.”
“You don’t like Jase, do you?” Cora asked Isabelle.
Isabelle looked surprised. “I love Jase. He’s Reed’s best friend, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know what a bad influence he is on my sweet baby brother. The more I think about it the more I realize that Jase probably gave Reed those handcuffs and riding crop.”
Amber’s mouth tilted upward into a sly smile. “Reed isn’t that sweet, Isabelle. He’s never tied me up or spanked me, but we’ve had plenty of dirty sex.” Amber closed her eyes, as if savoring the memory of sex with Reed.
“Careful,” Cora warned her. “Isabelle doesn’t like to hear about anything that involves sex and her brother.”
“Sex with Reed is incredible,” Amber lamented, ignoring Cora. “He’s the best lover I’ve ever had.”
I felt sick with jealousy imagining Amber and Reed having sex, but I knew that I couldn’t show it. Keeping a smile carefully in place, I was dismayed to find Amber, once again, watching me.
“How many lovers have you had?” Cora asked bluntly, drawing Amber’s attention.
“Enough to know how amazing Reed is.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Isabelle frown and I guessed that she was as surprised as I was at the mention of Amber’s lovers. Since Amber and Reed had dated all through high school, and Amber had been trying to get Reed back ever since she’d broken up with Cade, I’d assumed Amber and only been with those two guys.
“I should never have let Reed go, but he’d only been with me at the time and I didn’t want him to have regrets.”
“You wanted him to sleep with other people?” I asked.
“She wanted to sleep with Cade,” Cora said so that only I could hear.
The expression on Amber’s beautiful face was troubled. “I know Reed slept other women after we broke up. None of them lasted. I just pray that we can find our way back to each other.”
“You can’t give up hope,” encouraged Isabelle.
“Oh, I haven’t said,” said Amber confidently. “Even if Reed is seeing another woman, eventually he’ll get tired of the kinky sex and her and then he’ll come back to me.”
“Is that what happened with you and Cade?” asked Cora innocently.
“Cora!” Isabelle snapped. “What’s wrong with you?”
“I’m sorry,” Cora replied easily. “I didn’t mean to offend you, Amber.”
“It’s okay, Cora. The answer to your question is yes. Reed and I have a love that’s deeper than whatever we may temporarily feel for someone else. He’ll come back to me.”
“That’s romantic,” Isabelle told Amber. “I wish I had someone that would always come back to me because they loved me more than anyone else.”
Cora turned away before rolling her eyes. “She should want someone that doesn’t freaking leave her for someone else in the first place,” Cora snapped as soon as Amber and Isabelle headed for the bar. “What’s the matter with Isabelle?” Cora waited a moment and then said to me, “Well?”
“I thought it was a rhetorical question.” I thought for a moment. “You’re right. Isabelle deserves better. So does Amber.”
Cora’s jaw dropped. “How can you possibly feel sorry for Amber?”
“She thinks it’s okay for a guy to sleep around on her and she’s willing to take him back when he’s having his fun. That’s not love. It’s sad.”
“I guess so,” Cora relented. “It’s also sad that Reed has told her several times that it’s over and she still doesn’t get the message.”
“She has Isabelle encouraging her. Do you think Amber knows about Reed and I?”
Cora didn’t answer right away. “Maybe. She’s been giving you the stink-eye a lot lately.”
Isabelle and Cora came back to the table with drinks, and, thankfully, we didn’t talk anymore about Reed.
“Hey, Ellie. Isn’t that your dad?” asked Cora, glancing in the direction of the bar.
I followed her gaze and spotted him sitting at a table with two other guys I recognized from the department. One of them was Travis, the officer that had confronted Reed and I.
“ Yeah, that’s him.”
“Which one?” Amber asked curiously.
“He’s the one with the brown hair.”
“The guy with his arm around that waitress?” Amber asked, glancing at a fiftyish man with a large belly and jeans that sagged in the rear.
“Wrong table,” corrected Isabelle, pointing to where my dad sat. “See the guy with the black shirt, faded jeans and boots?”
Amber’s eyes widened. “Wow. Daddy’s hot,” Amber drawled with obvious appreciation.
I’d never heard anyone describe my dad that way, and it was weird.
“Ellie doesn’t want to hear that.” Isabelle crumpled a napkin and tossed it at Amber.
“I’m sorry, Ellie,” Amber told me. “I just didn’t expect your dad to be so young. My dad wears pleated khaki pants, has silver hair and wouldn’t think of setting foot in someplace like Shooters.”
“It’s okay,” I told her. “Eventually, I’ll overcome the emotional trauma of hearing ‘Daddy’s hot’ in reference to my dad.”
Amber gave me a blank look.
“She’s joking,” Isabelle and Cora said at the same time.
“Oh. That’s funny, Ellie.” Amber laughed.
“He’s coming over. It’s too late to hide the beer. You think he’ll call my mom?” Cora laughed.
“Is that what he did in high school?” Isabelle asked.
“Ellie and I never got into trouble back then. We haven’t gotten around to making up for it, but soon we’re going to cut loose and go wild.”
Isabelle laughed. “I can’t wait to see that.”
Dad walked up to the table as Isabelle’s dark head was tossed back in laug
hter and his gaze flicked over her a moment before he said, “Ladies,” to all of us.
“Hi Dad.” He put his arm around my shoulders and hugged me.
Amber and Cora said hello. Isabelle, who’d suddenly stopped laughing, said almost shyly, “Hi, Captain McAllister.”
Dad looked over at Isabelle and smiled. “Isabelle, how are you?”
“I’m great!” She with an enthusiastic wave of her arm, knocking over her beer and watching with wide-eyes as it splashed over my dad.
“I’m so sorry!” Grabbing a pile of paper napkins from the center of the table, Isabelle scooped them up and began to blot the front of my dad’s shirt and jeans as an awkward silence fell over our table.
Cora’s hand flew to her mouth and Amber stared speechless, at the scene that played out before us. I was shocked at how flustered and clearly embarrassed Isabelle was because I’d never seen her lose her cool.
“It’s okay, Isabelle,” Dad said calmly.
“I should’ve been paying attention!” Isabelle frantically wiped the front of my dad’s jeans, oblivious to what she was doing.
“Isabelle,” Dad said when she continued to touch him.
“I’m really sorry, Captain McAllister.”
I stared in horror as tears filled Isabelle’s eyes.
Reaching down and plucking her hands off of him, Dad said gently to Isabelle. “A little spilled bear won’t hurt me.” He looked down into Isabelle’s eyes, and lightly chucked her under the chin like he’d done to me a thousand times, but somehow I knew that the way he looked at Isabelle was completely different from how he was with me.
“If any of you need a ride, let me know,” Dad replied, glancing over at me. I knew he was talking about Isabelle, thinking a few too many drinks were responsible for strange behavior.
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Don’t forget about next week,” he said, reminding me that he wanted to meet Reed.
“Is Saturday okay?” I suggested, thinking that if Reed didn’t feel up to it then I’d cancel.
“That works.”
He said goodbye to all of us, and as he walked away I noticed Isabelle’s gaze following after him.
Chapter 15
“What’s wrong, Ellie?”
Reed’s softly spoken question pulled me from reverie, and I glanced up to find him watching me. We were sitting on his deck in front of the fire pit and had just finished roasting marshmallows when he’d spoken. I realized I’d been so lost in my thoughts that I’d spaced out on him.
“I was thinking I should probably let you get some sleep.”
“I’m not tired. Besides, I can sleep during the surgery.”
“Knowing you, you’ll be up and walking around this time tomorrow.”
Reed grinned. “Lying around doing nothing is the worst part of being in the hospital.”
“I thought it was the food.”
“That’s a close second.” He was quiet for a moment, before giving me a knowing look. “You were thinking about more than me needing sleep.”
“I know, but that was what I didn’t mind telling you,” I admitted.
Reaching out, he gently tugged a curl, sliding the strand of hair between his fingers. “Tell me,” he cajoled.
I thought for a moment and sighed. “I was thinking about something Amber said last night.”
Taking a deep breath, he nodded slowly. “Since you don’t want to tell me, I’m guessing it’s something that upset you.”
I debated saying anything, not wanting to upset him. While I was thinking, Reed said, “Amber told you that she came over and brought me dinner last night.”
I looked up at him and nodded.
He put his hand on my bare leg and gave me reassuring squeeze. “Ellie, I don’t want you thinking I’ve got something going on with Amber. We’ve been patient with Isabelle but it’s time to tell everyone about us.”
“I know,” I agreed, even though I worried about hurting Isabelle and Amber. “My dad didn’t get why we were keeping things a secret.”
Reed made a sound deep in his throat. “Imagine him not understanding that,” he said wryly. “He probably thinks I’m an asshole. How much did Officer Winston tell him?”
“Dad isn’t going to shoot you,” I assured him, but from the look on Reed’s face I don’t think he was certain.
“That bad, huh?”
I hesitated the blurted out, “He told Dad that we were making out behind the runway.”
“Fantastic.” Reed shook his head. “I should probably be encouraged that your dad hasn’t hunted me down yet.”
“He’s waiting until Saturday.”
“He’s waiting until Saturday to hunt me down or to shoot me?” he said with a wry smile.
I laughed. “I told him we’d meet him for dinner on Saturday. If you’re not feeling up to it, I’ll cancel.”
“No, we’re having dinner with your dad Saturday,” Reed insisted. “If we cancel, he’ll think I’m some loser that wants to keep his daughter a secret and doesn’t have to the balls to face him.” He glanced down at me. “I’m glad this amuses you.”
“I’m sorry, I know you’re worried about meeting my dad.” Actually, I thought I saw a hint of a smile tug at the corners of Reed’s mouth. “You’re not getting out of the hospital until Tuesday if we have to reschedule, he’ll understand.”
“We’re not cancelling. We’ll meet him and then we’ll tell Isabelle about us.”
“What about Amber?” I asked warily.
“I’m not hiding us from Amber,” he said, looking into my eyes. “It’ll be okay.”
“She’s so confident you’ll come back to her after your done with me.”
“She said that?” Reed asked, clearly surprised.
“I don’t think she knows about me, but she thinks you’ll get tired of whoever you’re seeing and she’ll get you back.”
“What else did she say?” He sent a cautious look my way.
“Not much.”
Reed frowned. “You’re upset. Tell me, Ellie.”
“She said she loved having sex with you. You’re are the best lover she’s ever had.” Why I’d admitted this to Reed, I wasn’t sure.
Reed stared at me in disbelief. “I’m sorry, Ellie. I don’t why she said that to you.”
“Probably because it’s true.”
He was watching me with a wary look in his eyes. “If I’d had to listen to some guy say that about you, I would have been jealous as hell.”
“I was,” I confessed. “But I also felt bad for her.”
His gaze was suddenly warm. “What can I do to fix this?”
“There’s nothing to fix.”
He didn’t look sure. Reaching out he brushed the side of my face lightly with is knuckles, and I shivered. “I won’t hurt you, Ellie,” he whispered.
“I know.” And I did. Reed would never do anything to purposefully cause me pain. Even though he didn’t know it yet, my heart belonged to him, but I wasn’t worried in the least that he’d break it because I trusted Reed as much as I loved him.
We slept in Reed’s bed and held each other throughout the night. I’d meant to wake up and leave before Isabelle came by to take Reed to the hospital, but for some reason my phone alarm didn’t go off. I woke up to the sound Isabelle’s shocked gasp and shot up in the bed to see her staring wide-eyed at Reed and I.
“Morning Isabelle,” Reed said easily, as if we were somewhere other than his bedroom and Reed and I weren’t almost naked.
I hadn’t realized he was awake, but he sat up, bare-chested, and placed his hand against my back, offering what comfort he could. My heart was pounding, and I wondered if Reed could feel it.
“It’s okay, Ellie,” Reed whispered against my ear. To Isabelle he said, “Can you give us a moment? We’ll be right out.”
Isabelle just stared at us.
“Isabelle,” Reed replied gently. She started, blinked, and finally she turned and walked out of the room.
&nbs
p; “We were going to tell her this week.” He cast his eyes my way, as if trying to determine how I was doing.
“I’d imagined this differently.” Trying to follow Reed’s lead and make light of the situation especially since he was having surgery in just a few short hours, I suggested, “Maybe with clothes. And someplace other than your bed.”
“Nah, that would have been boring,” he said with a smile that made heat pool in my lower belly. “Think of how funny this will seem years from now.”
I liked that he implied we might still be together years from now, but I hoped it didn’t take that long to see the humor in this situation. We got dressed quickly and went into the kitchen where Isabelle sat still as a statue on a bar stool with her elbows propped on Reed’s granite countertop.
“What’s going on here?” she demanded when she saw us.
“I think that’s obvious,” Reed replied effortlessly. “You want some coffee?”
Isabelle’s eyes flashed angrily. “No, I don’t want any damned coffee.” Her gaze darted from Reed to me. “Did you sleep together?”
“Ellie and I are seeing each other. We wanted to tell you, but you were upset that Amber and I weren’t getting back together so we decided to give you some time.”
“Isabelle, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you or Amber,” I said, trying to make her understand.
“How long has this been going on?” she snapped.
“It was two years ago, but we--”
“Two years! That night you drove Reed home from the cemetery?” Isabelle looked livid and hurt.
“Yes,” I admitted, feeling the weight of her pain.
“The handcuffs and riding crop, you’re using those with Ellie?” Isabelle cried. “She’s my best friend, Reed!”
“It was joke, Isabelle,” I said patiently. “I never meant to upset you.”
“You never meant to upset me?” Isabelle cried. “Because you’ve been lying to me for the last two years, Ellie! Does Cora know?”
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