Scarlett called her father and asked if he would meet her for dinner. I did the same with my mother, and shortly, we’ll have two unsuspecting parents to deal with. Neither of us bothered to mention there would be two additional people joining the party.
I haven’t said one word in defense of my mother or myself to Scarlett. I figure my odds of digging myself out of this hole are better with another person by my side pleading my case. If anyone would have ever told me, that one day, I’d recruit my mother in helping to save my relationship, I would have accused myself of going off the deep end. I did, of course, right into an ocean of emerald green eyes. Scarlett Kent has the power to drive any man to the brink of insanity.
“He’s here!” Scarlett jumps and waves her father over. He’s all smiles until he spots yours truly then that happy-go-lucky grin glides right off. “Batter Bits.” He leans in and kisses her on the cheek. “Rex.” He nods amicably my way. “Everything all right?”
“Rex?” My mother pops up, and poor, unsuspecting Bradley turns in horror. His shoulders sag as if he’s acquiescing to the situation. “What’s going on?”
“We’re going on.” The words slip out a little harsher than necessary. “Why don’t we take a seat, grab a quick bite, and get everything off our chests?”
Bradley and my mother enter a quiet standoff before he breaks into a peaceable smile. That kind heart of his pours right through his eyes. “Please, Lynette. I would love to spend the evening with you.”
She gives a quiet nod, and we each take our seats. My mother and I on one end and Scarlett and her father on the other. Team Toberman versus Team Kent, nothing any of us wants to see. Ironic that Scarlett and I are here bidding for unity, where as far back as a year ago we were anything but.
Cassidy skips over and stops cold once she spots the four of us. “Um, uh”—she sputters and coughs until Scarlett gives her a nod—“can I take your orders?”
Scarlett and I order the house nachos to split, the grande version that comes on a platter. Mom orders the salmon—a dish I had no clue they served at the Black Bear, and Bradley gives a thumbs-up as he requests a cheeseburger. Something about his humbled dinner selection makes me like him that much more.
“So here we are,” I slay the silence once Cassidy takes off. “Let’s start at the beginning and land somewhere near next week at the country club where the two of you will tie the knot.”
Scarlett reaches across the table and picks up my hands with an approving nod. Who knew we’d practically have to force our parents into walking down the aisle? Of course, we won’t really twist anybody’s arms. We’re just hoping against hope that this wrinkle can somehow iron itself out.
Scarlett clears her throat. “Should we start at the beginning?”
My mother takes a breath and closes her eyes. “I was jailed for a time for supposedly giving fraudulent loan information—and, apparently, back taxes owed.” She shakes her head as she blinks back to life. “I was unaware of both. I made restitution and every red cent has been paid back in full both to the bank and the IRS. I spent nine months at a minimum security correctional facility, and I’m here now.” She lifts her chin in defiance. My heart wrenches just thinking of that horrid correctional facility that caged my mother in like an animal. But that’s all water under the bridge—all restitution has been paid in full. I visited her every weekend that she was there, but my father wasn’t as diligent, and since both Knox and Trixy were underage at the time, they didn’t exactly see her for those dark months either.
“I survived.” She swallows hard. “Although that was a painful time in my life”—she bears hard into Bradley’s tear-filled eyes—“I seem to have caused myself just as much pain, if not more, by letting so much time slip by between now and the first day we met.”
Bradley’s chest rolls with a sad laugh as he reaches across the table and picks up her hands. “I suppose it’s not the ideal ice breaker on the first date.”
Her fingers curl tight over his. “But by Christmas, you should have known. It was one excuse after the other with me. I was so thrilled to have your company, and then the holidays were coming, then we went on that ski trip to Aspen. Turks and Caicos was on our heels, and the next thing I knew there was another holiday coming up, and soon enough you proposed. I wondered at that point how I would ever get it out.” Her fingers fumble over her lips a moment. “I foolishly thought I’d tell you a week before the wedding. For some reason, I justified that late date with the fact you wouldn’t let anything get in our way. It felt like such a hiccup—nothing at all that I was trying to hide. We had already signed the prenups, so I knew you wouldn’t think it was your money I was after.” Her other hand finds a home over his. “It was simply you I was after, Bradley Kent. From the moment I met you, I only wanted you.”
Scarlett buries her face in her hands.
“She cries at weddings.” I shrug. “You can find out for yourselves next week.” I blink a smile over at my mother.
“Rex, please.” She closes her eyes.
“I’ve heard enough,” Bradley says it pleasant enough, but for whatever reason, the words demand our attention. “I mean it.” He brings my mother’s hand to the back of his lips. “I’ve heard all I want or need to hear.” He nods toward Scarlett. “I hear she cries at weddings. I think perhaps we should find out firsthand.”
“Aw!” Scarlett hops up and hugs her father. Before I know it, my mother finds her way into Bradley’s arms, and I come around back and enclose them all in a strong embrace.
“Would you look at this?” Cassidy swoops in, landing a heaping tray of nachos on one end of the table. “Y’all look like one big happy family.” She grins wide at the four of us.
“One big happy family,” I say with a question in my eyes as I look to Scarlett.
“I guess that’s what we are.” She shrugs as our parents plant one on each other.
I pull Scarlett in, and we step away from the two of them for a moment. “I think we did good.” We glance back at the happy couple.
“I think we did better than good.” Her glittering eyes give their approval. “We saved our family.” She shrugs as if giving in to the idea.
“I know what I’m about to say might sound wrong, but I really mean it in the very best way.” My arms cinch tight around her waist. Scarlett and I melt into one another as if it were the only thing in the world left to do. “You’ve always felt like family to me.”
We share a simple kiss and linger, assuring ourselves of what’s to come. Scarlett, then me.
Exactly in that order.
Happily Ever After
Scarlett
I’ve seen a heartbreak darken my life like a demon’s shadow. I’ve seen families torn apart, sister against sister, daughter against father. I’ve lived it. And, now thanks to Rex, I’ve seen the rainbow that comes after the storm, the quenching dew of forgiveness that swells up within me, strong enough to kick-start my beating heart. Rex has done exactly that. I’m alive again. I’m vibrantly aware of this electric heat between us. More than that, I’m happy. I’m happy with me, and I’m happy with Rex. That’s the way it should be, first fulfilled from within, then my cup runneth over with the outpouring of his love.
“It’s going to look like hell.” He runs a line of kisses up and down my neck. “I’ve missed the shit out of you,” he grunts as he opens the door to his humble home and lets us into the darkened living room.
“It can’t look like hell because you have a housekeeper. My dorm looks like hell. At least my half. If you want to see what the grief of missing you looks like, you’re free to venture over—and help clean the mess if you like.”
A growl emits from deep within him as he shuts the door with his shoe.
“I’ll lick the damn place spotless.” His lips seal over mine with a sopping wet kiss. “In fact, why don’t I start with you?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
Rex lands us on the sofa, and we wrestle with our clothes, laugh
ing, panting as we disrobe at lightning speed. His hands roam over my body in long hot tracks, his hard-on lays over my stomach, heated and heavy as lead between us. Rex plunges his fingers deep inside me, and I catch my breath and hold it. He’s loving me with his kisses, with a furious velocity that in every way seems incomprehensible. This is frenetic love, ravenous affection, the acts of a starving man with a feast of wild proportions.
He kneels on the floor, pulling my knees over his shoulders in a fit of spontaneity. His mouth finds a home over that tender part of me, and I’m craving his oral affection. This feels like years in the making, decades of anticipation encapsulated in this one fierce moment where opportunity meets passion in the most desperate way. My hips grind into him, and he lets out a groan as his tongue rides me with ferocious greed. My fingers weave through his hair as his feverish mouth takes me to where I need to be.
“Rex,” I pant as the room begins to spin. My body bucks as I press his face deeper into me, and I hit that zenith, riding the spasm of his affection in sharp, violent bursts. My knees cage him in, as he trails kisses to my belly.
“Was that good?” he murmurs as his mouth covers mine with equal enthusiasm. Rex fumbles for his jeans and rolls on a condom so quick, a part of me feels he should be extolled for such a feat.
“That was good,” I groan as he rolls me onto his lap. Rex sits while I impale myself slowly over his body. A soft cry evicts from my throat as if I’ve never experienced such a sensation before, and in truth, I haven’t. This position, this night, this maddening wine of make-up sex are all unfamiliar territory that taste bittersweet, an exotic delight in its own right. But I would never want to go through hell like that again to get here. I think I’ll savor the momentum, the sparks of our love as they electrify the air, the dangerous current of grief rippling just below the surface.
Rex places his hands onto my waist and pounds me over him like a ragdoll, my head thrusts back just enjoying the ride. My nails dig into his sinfully rock-hard shoulders as we make the night our own. Rex lets out a heated roar as he thrusts me over his hips one last time. His entire body convulses and trembles as he comes deep inside of me. He gives my thigh a gentle tap, and I fall over him, my lips cradled between the heavy cords of his neck. I take in his earthy scent, the musk of his cologne mingling with sweat, and I memorize it. Rex Toberman has me so completely, our lives have transposed over one another in the most beautiful way. Something that felt like a curse months prior feels like nothing short of a blessing now.
“We did it,” he whispers into my ear with a pulsating kiss. “They’re back where they should be, together.”
“And so are we.” I sit up just enough to see his skin glow silver from the moonlight. “I wish we had this—what we have right now, a year ago. I guess what I’m trying to say is, I wish we didn’t waste any time.”
“We didn’t, I promise.” Rex offers that heartfelt smile, anguish mixed with pure joy. “It all worked out exactly how it was supposed to. Our parents, you and I—this is our new world. I wouldn’t worry about the old. There’s no going back.” He pulls my finger to his lips and dots it with a kiss.
“No going back. I like that.”
Rex and I kiss, shower, repeat.
It’s a long, sleepless night, and neither of us would have it any other way.
The final week of summer tumbles by in a blur. Daisy and I head down to meet with Piper and Cassidy at Hallowed Grounds for a cup of coffee, effectively ending the season the same way it began. The four of us sit outside in the fresh air and sunshine as the last whispers of a heat wave emulsify the oil from the pines.
“You guys ready for next week?” Piper leans over her straw and sucks away without holding on to her drink. Piper’s summer was spent with Owen where they hung out at Briggs most of the time. They went back to New York for a few days in July, but they’ve spent the last week and a half showing Owen’s little sister, Ava, around campus.
“I’m ready.” Cassidy thumps her hand over the table. “Bring on the new year—school year. Cade just finished up his work-study at the Black Bear, so I’ll have my man back at night. I’ve decided to stay on part-time—less than part-time, actually, but it’ll work with my schedule.”
“I’m ready, too.” Piper rolls her eyes before glancing over her shoulder. “Don’t get me wrong, Ava is my new best friend, but Owen is freaking out. Yes, she’s beautiful. Yes, she’s really into boys. I kind of feel sorry for the first guy who tries something with her. Plus, she’s just seventeen.”
“Seventeen?” I tick my head at the idea. “Wow, she’s pretty young.”
“She skipped her senior year,” Piper grunts at the idea. “Thanks to summer school, she had enough credits to graduate early, and her guidance counselor helped pull a few strings to get her into WB.”
Cassidy strums her fire engine red fingernails along the table, her face twitching with that devious smile she’s known for. “Sexy and seventeen? Owen Vincent is going to need a defibrillator to get him through the next four years. Should we pass the hat to make this happen, or are you gonna get him one for Christmas?” She winks at Piper.
“I feel sorry for Owen.” I take a sip of my iced tea to drown out my laughter.
“I feel sorry for Ava,” Daisy pipes up. “Believe you me, I know exactly what she’s going through. I’ve got two big brothers who made sure any boy who even thought about looking my way regretted it. I’ll give her a little talking to—cheer her up and show her the bright side.”
“Would you?” Piper lights up. “I swear, I think she holds back around me because she knows it’ll get back to Owen. I feel like some horrible spy, but I swear I’m not.”
“Consider it done.” Daisy pats her hands together. “I’ll be the big sister she never wanted.”
“Good.” Piper flicks her straw. “Because her real big sister is in prison.”
That’s right. Aubree Vincent went away for killing some poor girl, then trying to kill Baya Brighton. Piper filled us in on the entire nightmare last fall when she first started dating Owen.
“How about you?” I look to Daisy. “You keeping your summer job?”
Daisy is beautiful by anybody’s standards, a blue-eyed blonde with enough assets to outfit four girls comfortably. God was in a generous mood the day he was designing Daisy Pembrooke. I just wish Daisy wasn’t so generous in gifting the opposite sex a peek-a-boo.
She smirks into her drink. “I’m vacillating. Things are complicated.” She shrugs without elaborating. I know this girl inside and out. She’s hiding something. “What about you, Scarlett O’Red-haira? It seems you and ‘Sexy Rexy’ finally found out that you can’t live without one another.”
My face burns with the intensity of that fire Rex and I lit up between us last night. “Damn straight, we can’t.”
The table breaks out into laughter, and Piper lifts her drink. “To one long, hot, damn good summer.”
“To a long, hot, damn good summer.” We toast.
And it has been exactly that.
Saturday afternoon, at the Hollow Brook Country Club, my father stands under a rose-laden arch awaiting his new bride with tears in his eyes. The crowd is small but enthused to witness this new partnership, the formation of our new family.
Both Rex and Knox walk their mother down the aisle, both looking dapper in formal black tuxedos. But Rex—Rex knocks the wind out of me with his hair slicked back in wet ropes, his broad chest, that come-hard-for-me dirty smile that makes my sweet spot quiver on command. His watery blue eyes meet up with mine, and my heart bursts, fluttering around the room with the flurry of a thousand sparrows.
Lynette takes her rightful place next to my father with her pale blue dress, the delicate lace showcasing her natural beauty. Yes, Lynette is beautiful, and I can say that with an honest heart. After this entire treacherous year, I’ve come to accept her for the treasure my father already knew she was. And now, she’ll be my stepmother. I’m looking forward to the two of us growing closer.
I know we will.
Trixy waits at the altar along with Lawson who is standing up for my father. I brim with a smile over at the man of the hour. My father is in rare form, completely speechless and stunned, as he takes in his beloved by his side.
Rex and Knox take their seats up front next to Sabrina and me. Rex falls into the empty seat by my side and takes up my hand. We watch with sober attention as the minister asks our parents to share their vows. My father’s promise to love and honor his precious bride makes my chest heave with joyous grief.
Rex pulls the handkerchief from his breast pocket and gifts it to me with a spreading grin, tears in his own eyes that match mine. I lean into the boy I love and dab my tears away, then his.
Lynette and my father exchange rings, light the unity candle, and embrace one another just before the minister looks to the crowd.
“Are there any among you who wish to say something against this couple? Speak now or forever hold your peace.”
Something in me enlivens, and before I know it, I’m on my feet. “I would!” The entire room fills with gasps.
Rex jumps up by my side, giving my hand a quick squeeze. “Everything okay, Muffin Top?” he whispers from the side of his mouth like a bad ventriloquist.
“Yes, Goob.” I give a little wink. “Just doing what we should have done to begin with.” I clear my throat, looking straight ahead where a wide-eyed Lynette and my stunned father look pale as toothpaste. Crap. Watching them pass out on their wedding day was not my intention. “I just wanted to say that I can’t think of two people more perfect for one another, and I’m thrilled right down to the deepest chamber of my heart to have you together. Thank you, Lynette, for blessing my father with your love.”
The room breaks out into titters as a perturbed look washes over the minister’s face. “Very kind of you.” He motions for the two of us to be seated. “Anyone have a genuine grievance they would like to air before we send these kids on to their honeymoon?” A light circle of laughter bounces through the room.
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