Simple Lies

by Amanda Bennett

  I was impatiently waiting for PJ and Hadley to finish getting ready for dinner, so I didn’t have to walk into the firing squad all by myself. I suppose I could’ve just asked to hang out inside while I waited, given the fact that it was only about fifty degrees outside, but I didn’t want to impose on Hadley anymore than I already had. About twenty minutes later, the girls were finally walking out of the house, and Hadley looked absolutely gorgeous. She stepped out in a pair of black and white stilettos and a sleek, tight as sin, black cocktail dress. If she wasn’t engaged to my cousin, I would’ve ravaged her right then and there.

  “Well it’s about damn time. Y’all take forever.” I stood to help Hadley across the flagstone that made up the backyard. I half expected her to pull her hand out of mind when I reached for her, but to my delight, she didn’t.

  “Sorry. It is freezing out here, why didn’t you come inside and wait? Wait, why are you outside in the first place?”

  “Um hello, ex-wife inside.” I smiled.

  “Oh, right.” Just then she looked up at me and our eyes instantly met. I could feel the heat coming off of her, and I had the sudden urge to want to kiss the shit out of her.

  When neither of us made any attempt to move, PJ took it upon herself to give us a little bit of a push. “Come on boys and girls, you can make doe eyes at each other once we get inside, where it’s warm.”

  We all started making our way into the main house, and I hadn’t even realized until she hesitantly pulled her hand from mine, that we were even still holding hands. It felt natural to be that way with her, and as much as I tried to fight what I felt for her…it was becoming impossible. All I know, is that I needed this weekend to be over so I could get my ass back home and away from the temptation that was known as, Hadley Smith.

  “Oh Declan, don’t you just look dapper. It always amazes me just how handsome you really are.” My aunt kissed my cheek and led me over to my seat across from where Ryan was already sitting.

  “Oh…Hadley honey, did you forget the bottom half of your dress? I mean, it is wintertime, you know.” I could see Hadley physically cringe as my aunt spoke to her as though she was a two-dollar hooker that my cousin had brought home to try and pass off as a fiancé. I could feel my blood start to boil as Hadley took her seat next to Ryan.

  I was relieved for half a second as I glanced around the dining room, and found no sign of Len. Maybe she had taken the hint, and left. Unfortunately, I wasn’t that lucky because literally a minute later, she came strutting into the dining room in one of the tightest red dresses I had ever seen anyone wear. I’m not gonna lie, she looked amazing, but she was nothing compared to Hadley.

  “Sorry I’m late everybody. I had a work call that went over. Where do you want me, Patricia?” Of course she got to call her by her first name. Apparently these two bitches were thick as thieves now.

  “Oh honey, no need to apologize. We were left waiting for Hadley and her friend anyhow.”

  The minute the words left her mouth, I was ready to crawl over the table and literally take my aunt down. As I was about to stand up, I caught Hadley shaking her head at me to stop. I wasn’t sure why she didn’t want someone to stand up for her, especially given the fact that my standup cousin didn’t look as though he was about to stand up for her anytime soon. I plopped my ass back down in the chair, and decided to mind my own business. Apparently nobody needed my help anytime soon.

  “Alright, let’s sit down so we can all eat, shall we?” My aunt took her seat at the other head of the table, and I was relieved that she would finally have to shut her mouth. But then my uncle piped up.

  “I just want to thank everyone for coming to what has turned out to be a such an amazing weekend with some great people. Now I know this weekend has been about my son and his fiancé Hadley, but I’d like to congratulate my son once again on making partner. I am so proud of him, and thankful that he is finally taking the initiative to show me that he can grow up and be responsible. Here’s to becoming an adult, son…oh and to your soon-to-be beautiful bride.” My uncle raised his glass to the table, and I could see the daggers that Hadley was throwing in every which direction.

  I pushed my chair back, ready to take on my uncle or any other family member that wanted to take a swipe at Hadley, but it wasn’t necessary. Ryan had stood, buttoned his jacket and asked if his parents would go out into the next room and speak with him. I wasn’t exactly sure what kind of trickery Ryan had up his sleeve this time, but I did know that I wasn’t going to let him involve Hadley more than he already has.

  I glanced over at Hadley to gage her reaction to the entire situation thus far, but she looked stoic. She literally sat there unblinking with her hands folded together in her lap. I half expected her to show some kind of emotion, but I didn’t have to wait long to get my answer. Although I’m sure Ryan and his parents thought that they had moved far enough out of the room, and from earshot, but they were sorely mistaken. And unfortunately, Hadley was about to hear just how much his parents really did disapprove of her and Ryan’s relationship.

  “Dad, why must you always do that? You don’t have to rub her nose in it. She doesn’t know the deal I made with you, and I would really like to keep it that way. I did what you asked me to do, but now the both of you need to show just a little bit of respect for the woman I chose.”

  “Woman? Oh please, honey. That girl out there is nothing but an adopted girl with a long and colorful past. Do you really think that’s the kind of girl we were asking for you to make a commitment to? She will never fit into this family, Ryan, and you know that.” My aunt’s voice echoed through the marble floored hallway as she spoke, and not a single person at the table could pretend otherwise.

  “Mom, it is not your choice to make. She is who I chose, and I do love her.” Even I wanted to call bullshit on that statement, but I made no attempt to get involved.

  I thought the conversation was finally over, and that they would all return back to the table, but I was so very wrong. It looked as though my uncle had a little something to say as well. I glanced up at Hadley from under my thick black lashes, and all I saw was a broken girl on the verge of falling apart. She looked in my direction as I sat there staring directly at her, and I could immediately see the unshed tears collecting in her eyes, causing them to shimmer. I knew it was the wrong time to think it, but I couldn’t help but notice how absolutely beautiful she was when she was upset. Honestly, I just wanted to be the one to take the pain away.

  “Ryan, don’t fool yourself son. You may like that girl in there, but you don’t love her.”

  “But I do, Dad.” Ryan pleaded.

  “I won’t listen to another word of this, Ryan. You only love her because she is your ticket to getting my company. If that wasn’t on the line, then she would be just another one of your playthings.”

  I sat there urging my cousin to say something, anything to defend his love for Hadley. At least another minute had passed, and he still had yet to speak. How could he let his parents talk about the girl he is supposedly so in love with that way? Was he really that worried about being cut off? Come on Ryan, just say something. Let her hear just how much you are willing to sacrifice for her.

  “You’re the one that forced this onto me, Dad. You are the one who told me I had to get married in the next six months if I ever wanted a shot at becoming partner. You never said that you and Mom had to approve of who I married.”

  “Well we didn’t think we had to. We just expected you to choose a little more wisely. She is not wife material, son.” Before Ryan’s father could say anything more that would crush the poor girl sitting in front of me, I took it upon myself to strike up a conversation.

  “So…who wants some more wine?” It was literally the only thing I could think of to say, and I regretted even trying to take the attention off of the others in the other room. Hadley gave me a quizzical look, and I could instantly tell that she would rather kill me than have to make small talk at the moment. I reached
for the bottle of wine and poured myself another glass. “Well then, I’ll have some. Anybody else?” I asked as I offered the bottle up to each person. Not a single one of them was interested.

  I was just about to see if everyone wanted to head out back to sit around the fire, but before I had the chance to, Hadley was rising from her seat. A stray tear fell down her porcelain skin as she glanced over at me and then back at the hallway where the conversation was coming from. I wanted to reach out for her, to keep her safe from all of the ugly things they were saying about her, but she was making it pretty obvious that she didn’t want or need me at the moment.

  “If y’all will excuse me, I need to use the restroom.” And with that simple small sentence, she disappeared down the hallway.

  TWENTY-THREE

  Hadley

  I couldn’t fathom the things they were saying about me, and about why Ryan even asked me to marry him in the first place. I mean, it all made perfect sense, but I still couldn’t grasp how in the world they thought me or anybody else in the house for that matter, couldn’t hear every word they were saying. My heart was literally tearing in two as every mean and awful opinion of me came spewing out of their rich uppity asses. I was done. No one deserved to be treated like this, not even the poor little “adopted” girl.

  I turned the corner down the hallway, holding back the tears that were forming as I walked right in between Ryan and his parents. The hallway immediately fell silent, and I could tell that all three of them expected me to say something as they stood there frozen in shock that I had heard what they were saying. But I mean really, what was there to say? They had all made themselves very clear, whether they wanted me to hear it or not. I held my head high as I made my way upstairs and into the spare bedroom that I was supposed to be staying in. I guess I could’ve been a little overly dramatic and slam my door shut, but I really didn’t want to give these people anymore ammunition to hate me.

  Once inside the confines of the massive bedroom, I threw myself onto the bed and buried my face in the closest pillow I could grab. Now that I was alone, I couldn’t control the onslaught of tears that began to fall freely from my eyes as I cried. And I cried harder than I had ever cried before. I could barely hear the rapping on the door over my hysteric sobs, but when I finally did, I pushed myself up off of the bed and made my way over to it.

  I cracked the door, and when Declan’s face came into view, I almost lost it again. He pushed the door open slowly, and then quietly closed it behind him once he entered the room. There were no words exchanged, only lustful stares that had me instantly feeling a bit better. He stepped towards me, and I subconsciously stepped back, not wanting him to take my vulnerability as a sign for him to worm his way back into my heart. A heart that he never actually left to begin with. I looked up into his big gorgeous blue eyes, a mistake I knew I would pay for because all I could see in them, was lust and desire…for me.

  When I backed up a few feet more, I found the back of my knees hitting the edge of the mattress, and I instantly feel backwards, landing on my back. I closed my eyes as I let out a frustrated sigh. I could’ve stood up, it’s not like he was preventing me from doing so, but somewhere in the deep caverns of my mind, I didn’t want to. I wanted him, all of him, in me, on me, near me. Hell, at this point I wouldn’t say no to anything he asked me. I could see in his eyes that he was feeling the exact same way.

  Seconds later, he was climbing up the length of my body, and onto the bed. Within seconds his lips were crushed against mine, moving at a dizzying pace. I pushed my fingers back through his thick hair, giving it a small tug as his lips suddenly left mine, and began moving down my neck, making his way to other parts that I so yearned for him to touch again. He left no surface untouched as his warm tender kisses scorched my cool skin. I let out a strangled breath as he slowly pulled my dress up over my ass, exposing my panties and bare stomach.

  His lips pressed against the soft skin above my navel, and then at an excruciatingly slow pace, he began tracing every dip and curve of my body with his tongue. A small moan began to escape my lips as he made his way over to my ribs…and my scar. Instantly I was brought back to reality, and I roughly pushed him away. He sat back on his knees, in shock. As much as I wanted to explain, I found myself getting defensive. I quickly stood up and pulled my dress down.

  “I’m engaged to your cousin, Declan. We can’t do this.” I whispered sheepishly as I stood in front of him, ashamed.

  “Yeah, I get that.” He half shouted at me.

  I could hear the anger in his voice, and it instantly broke my already broken heart. I hadn’t meant to say it to make him feel like shit, but it was true. I had never been one to cheat, and I wasn’t about to start now. Regardless of how Ryan and his parents had betrayed me, I wasn’t about to stoop to his level and do something just as bad or detrimental to him. I was better than that.

  “I’m sorry.” I muttered.

  “Look at you, Hadley. Even after all that he said, all that you heard, you’re still willing to make him happy. Maybe you should start caring about yourself and less about pieces of shit like Ryan. I have to go.”

  As much as that was what I wanted him to do, it still threw me off. I needed Declan, and right now, I needed him more than anybody else, but he was leaving…just like everybody else had. “Please don’t go.” I pleaded.

  “Why? Is it because you want me, or is it because you can’t stand to be alone?”

  That was harsh, and I had to make a valiant effort to keep myself from breaking down yet again. “You know I can’t-“

  “No Hadley, I don’t. What I do know, is that I can’t keep being your little pawn in this push and pull game. I don’t have the patience or the time for this bullshit in my life. So as of this very minute, I’m out. I’m officially backing away, heading home, and leaving you and Ryan to live your dysfunctional unhappy life together.”

  He headed for the door, and I reached out to stop him, but he brushed me off. There wasn’t a single thing that I could do or say that would change how he felt, because in the end, I was always the one left behind. I tried to open my mouth and beg him to stay, to tell him how much I love him, regardless of how little we knew of each other, but I could tell by his angry reaction, that he really was done. He turned back as he reached for the doorknob, and I silently prayed that he would come running for me, pick my up in his well defined tattooed arms, and tell me that we were going to run away together. But lets face it, there were no fairytale endings for me, only villainous nightmares.

  “Good-bye Hadley. It was truly a pleasure to meet you. I hope you and my cousin have an amazing life together.”

  As the door clicked into the doorframe, I fell to the floor and tried to decide what exactly it was that I wanted out of this life. It always seemed that no matter how hard I tried, my efforts always went unnoticed. My face was buried in my hands as I heard the distinct sound of the bedroom door opening, and I quickly looked up, hoping that it was Declan. Unfortunately, it was Ryan. I pushed myself up off of the ground, and walked right up to him ready to unleash my wrath.

  “Is that all I am to you, Ryan? Just some girl who was dumb enough to fall for all your lines so you could use me to get a promotion? A promotion with your father, of all people.”

  “Hads, wait. Please just let me explain.”

  “Explain? Explain what? How you are a lying, no good, piece of shit guy who can’t even stand up to his daddy? You’re pathetic, Ryan.”

  His hands reached out for my arms, holding me in place. “I do love you, Hadley. I do. I didn’t ask you to marry me just because of the job. I asked you to marry me because you’re the only one who believes in me. You make me a better person, Hads, and I need that in my life. Yes, I rushed into asking you, but in all fairness, I would’ve asked you eventually anyway.”

  I heard every word that was coming out of his mouth, and I was starting to feel like he was telling me the truth, but I was still finding it hard to believe that he would e
ven let it get this far. And then the last thing Declan said to me began running through my mind on repeat. “Where do we even go from here?” I asked as I looked up at him.

  He slowly started pulling me into his arms, hesitating just a bit to make sure I wasn’t going to pull away from him. “We start over. Forget the engagement. Lets try dating each other again.” His arms encapsulated me, and I could feel his warm breath as it caressed my skin when he spoke. “Let me prove to you that this is what I really want.”

  As much as I wanted to say no, and turn and walk away from him and his family for good, a part of me couldn’t. Despite how much his parents loathed me, there was something still there between him and I, and I was finding it hard to believe that he was anything like his parents. So I caved. I let my head fall to his chest as he hugged me tight, and as much as I wanted it to be him that I wanted, I secretly knew that if I stayed with him, my chances of making amends with Declan was at least in my reach.

  TWENTY-FOUR

  Declan

  I rushed out of my aunt and uncle’s house as fast as humanly possible. Lucky for me, in my haste to get out of there, I narrowly avoided my ex and got out without another run in with even more bullshit. Unfortunately, I wasn’t that lucky, because the minute I made it to the airport my phone started ringing its very specific ringtone for Braxton. Of all the shit I had been dealing with lately, this was the one thing I absolutely just couldn’t deal with at the moment. I really was just going to ignore him, but something in my gut told me not to.