“Four shots?”
She shrugs. “Don’t be judgy. I’m on vacation.”
“I’m not judging you, I’m questioning whether I can handle two shots and half a bottle of wine.”
She smirks before saying, “Don’t be a lightweight.”
Regan and I dated brothers but you’d never know it, because Spencer—who’s only two years older than Carter—is the laid back Bosa. Spencer’s relationship with Regan is the complete opposite of the one I had with Carter. The two of them do everything together from up-scale parties to singing in the car to having sex in public dressing rooms. Spencer can be serious when needed, yet a majority of the time, he’s a fun guy people like spending time around.
Her carefree relationship is the reason she’s comfortable ordering multiple shots and a bottle of wine. If I had dared to drink anything more than one glass of wine around Carter, he’d give me a dirty look before reminding me that a lady never gets drunk.
Once our drinks are delivered to the table, she picks up a shot, holds in the air, and shouts, “To assholes who don’t deserve you.”
I bust out laughing, downing my shot seconds after she does. The burn of the alcohol trickles down my throat, warming my belly. “Shit, how do you drink this stuff?”
“This, my friend,” she holds up her next shot and says, “is how you learn to have a good time.”
She downs her shot while I don’t even bother picking mine up. I can’t or I’ll be passed out under the table before I finish my first glass of wine.
When she sits her empty shot down, she smiles and announces, “I think I should see Brenna while I’m in town.”
“Yeah, you should. I’m sure she’d like that.”
She studies me for a few seconds. “I think you should come with me.”
I pick up my glass of wine, swallowing back more than half. I want to forgive Brenna but a huge part of me is still pissed at her. “I’m not ready to see her. Not yet.”
“Okay,” she nods like she was expecting my response. “But answer me this. Are you pissed at Brenna because she slept with Carter, or are you pissed because she didn’t warn you about who Carter truly is?”
Growing up, Brenna was a huge part of my life. She was more than a friend—she was like a sister. I had a front-row view of her life spinning out of control. I always wondered what changed—what happened to make her do a complete one-eighty and now… I know. My boyfriend most likely drugged her then violated her in a way I can only assume a woman never forgets.
Every time my mind wanders to Brenna, I can’t help but wonder if she had only told me the truth…would I have believed her?
“I don’t know,” I finally answer. “She was my friend long before I started dating Carter. She should have told me.”
Her eyes narrow. “I’m not sure you would have believed her.” She places a hand up, stopping me from commenting. “It’s easy to see who Carter is now that he’s exposed himself for bastard he really is, but back then…” She shrugs. “I’m not sure I would have believed Brenna. Carter was every parent’s dream boyfriend. He had manners, he treated everyone with respect, and you could tell he was determined to make something of himself.” She pauses only long enough to take a sip of wine. “And Brenna, like your mom would say, always had a flair for being a little overdramatic.”
“So, you think she did the right thing? By not telling me?”
“I didn’t say that. But, if I were in her shoes, I can’t say I would have done anything differently.”
I want to tell her she’s wrong but…I can’t. “Forgiving her isn’t as easy as it sounds”
She taps her finger on the table with a smile. “I never said it was.” Two seconds later, when Up In The Club starts playing, she downs the rest of the wine from her glass, jumps to her feet, and shimmies to the dance floor without a care in the world.
My eyes frantically dart around the bar, but no one is staring at Regan, or me for that matter. This is LA, not Lincoln, and I’m not dating a man who’d freak out if I got drunk with one of my best friends. With a renewed sense of energy, I down my second shot before I join my friend on the dance floor.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Kase
Watching Delanie from a distance was harder than I imagined. Unknown to her, I’ve lived next to her now for close to three weeks. Some might say I’m not any better than that sleazebag ex of hers because I know every time she comes and goes.
I was close to approaching her when her friend from Colorado arrived. With the knowledge that she was out having fun, I flew to New York and set the last and final stage of my plan into motion. By the time I arrived back home, her friend was gone and she was back to being a recluse.
With my past finally feeling like it’s actually in the past, I walk out my front door, take an immediate left and knock on hers. Minutes pass and she doesn’t answer. “We need to talk.”
I can hear a soft sigh from the other side of the door seconds before she yanks it open.
“How did you know where to find me?”
Based off the way her lips are pressed together in a disapproving smile, I’m guessing now is not the time to mention I’m her new neighbor.
“I know you’re pissed and you have every right to be, but please, hear me out. If you still hate, me then I’ll leave.”
She opens her mouth to say something then shakes her head and huffs, “Fine. Say what you came to say, then leave.”
She’s in a pair of tight black yoga pants and a bright yellow tank-top, with her blonde hair piled up in a messy bun on the top of her head. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her look more beautiful than she is right now.
Narrowing her eyes, she drops onto the couch. It’s not until she crosses her arms over her chest that I spot what looks like a tattoo on her right collarbone. She follows my line of sight and almost instantly moves her hand to shield my view.
“I got a tattoo, and no, in case you were wondering, you no longer have a say in what I do.”
From the moment I met her, this woman has consumed my soul. It doesn’t matter what she looks like, or how many tattoos she has, I will always want her, exactly how she comes. Proving that to her is now my life mission.
Walking to the chair next to the couch, my eyes scan the room. Not that I’m surprised, but she hasn’t put her touch on the place. Other than the TV, the room looks exactly the way it did when she first rented it.
“Thanks for agreeing to see me.”
“I didn’t agree to anything.” She’s quiet for a moment before adding, “Seriously. Say what you came to say so we can both get on with our day.”
I clear my throat. “I…met Anna when I was nineteen. She was fun and up for anything, and my dad hated her. Believe it or not, that upped her appeal, so I kept her around.”
She blinks several times, almost like she was caught off guard by my comment.
“My dad told me Anna was only after money, and I hated him so much that it didn’t matter what he said, I did the opposite. Shortly after Anna turned twenty-one, she convinced me we should take a weekend trip to Vegas. We did and somehow we ended up married.”
I close my eyes and sigh. When I open them again, I spot her blue eyes locked on mine.
“We drank a lot. Truthfully, I’m not sure whose idea it was to get married. All I know is I woke up the next day with a wedding band on my finger and a handful of polaroid pictures as proof. I didn’t love Anna and I never did. I figured when we got home I’d have the wedding annulled, we’d go our separate ways only…”
My eyes shut again, remembering exactly what I came home to. “When we returned, I went to my apartment and crashed while Anna went to hers. I called my mom the next day, but she didn’t answer and she didn’t call me back, which was unlike her. I kept calling until I finally drove over to my parent’s house. That’s when I found them.”
“Them?”
“My dad shot my mother then he turned the gun on myself.”
Her voic
e cracks, “Oh, Kase. I’m…so sorry.”
“I spent two years casually dating Anna. We were both with other people during that time. Marrying her or anyone for that matter was never my plan. But, as it turns out, my dad was right. Anna was after money. An annulment took the backseat of priorities when I was stuck planning a double funeral. I was still in college at the time, working on my masters, but I had to place that on hold because my father’s company was without a CEO, and investors were dropping right and left. If something didn’t happen, hundreds of people were going to be out of a job.” She’s watching me intently, and I’m hoping that’s a good thing.
“By the time I remembered I was legally married, we’d been married for close to two years. Anna was living in New York, using a joint account she managed to get her name added to. She was living off my family’s dime but she wasn’t causing me problems so…again, I didn’t make divorcing her a priority. By the time I did, she wanted half of everything.”
Her brows draw together. “How many years had you been married when you asked for a divorce?”
I brace myself for her reaction when I say, “Five.”
Her eyes flash but instead of saying anything, she nods.
“Anna was clear if I wanted a divorce, she was entitled to half of everything. A few years ago, she found investors who were interested in purchasing Star Creek. Instead of selling, I bought out her half. She walked away with around fifteen-million dollars, most of which she wasted on shitty investments. The rest she did the same with but this time, she invested in her brother’s new business.”
She regards me quizzically before sighing, “That’s where I came into the picture?”
“I needed Anna out of my life. Thornton needed Anna out of my life. She was already connected to someone on the inside who was giving her leads that she was passing to her brother. If my plan was going to work, she needed to be dead broke and willing to take whatever deal I offered, and that wasn’t going to happen if she thought Carter’s new firm was her new meal ticket.”
“And my dad was Carter’s main investor,” she finishes for me.
“Carter had made promises he couldn’t keep without your dad’s money. His clients had no idea that money came with the stipulation that he wouldn’t receive it until after he married you.”
My chest tightens when her eyes become glassy.
“You had to ensure I called off the wedding…”
Instinctively, the atmosphere in the room changes. She leans forward, placing her elbows on her knees and her face into hands. I want nothing more than to wrap my arms around her to comfort her in a way I don’t deserve.
“Delanie, I had Carter followed for weeks. I know I’m a bastard. I paid that woman to claim to be pregnant, but he was sleeping with her.” And several other women.
My instructions were clear. Go to Delanie and claim your pregnant with boss’s child. Instead, somehow, Carter found out and asked Delanie to raise the child as her own. And when she refused, he… I jump to my feet and growl, “Fuck.”
Panic forms in my chest as I pace back and forth in her little living room. “You were just a means to an end. I didn’t even know what you looked like and the truth be told, at the time I didn’t give a damn. I needed Anna out of my life, and unfortunately, you had a role in making that happen.”
I watch as she wipes a tear off her cheek, gutting me even more. Walking around the coffee table, I take a seat next to her, placing my hand over hers.
“Then I met you. I tried to stay away, but you saw how well that worked out.”
Her voice lacks any emotions when she replies with, “I’m sorry she made your life hell and I’m glad you’ve figured out a way to rid her from your life, but that doesn’t magically resolve things between us. You knew what you were doing and you had the chance to tell me but you choose not to.”
“I lied to you about my past. I can’t change that but I never lied about my feeling for you. We were real. We are real, and I can’t just walk away.”
An ache of disappointment forms in my chest when she yanks her hand from mine. “You asked me questions about my life. Where I came from, who my friends were, already knowing the answers. Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?”
Her eyes thin, and I can tell she’s not just flustered. She’s pissed and she has every right to be. But I’m secretly taking it as a good thing when she continues to ask me questions. “Annalise mention something about you two having a child?”
“She’s lying,” I say with a groan. “I haven’t slept with Anna since our trip to Vegas, yet she has a five-year-old daughter and the bitch put my name on the birth certificate.”
Her eyes narrow in disbelief and shit, I can’t say as I blame her. I’ve done nothing but lie to her and now that I need to her to believe, I’m facing an uphill battle.
“Why would she do that?”
“Because Anna is fucking crazy. She’s the older version of her brother, and you’ve only recently started to see his true colors.”
She blows out a long frustrated breath before turning her head to the side and looking me straight into the eyes. “I’m sorry for everything you’ve been through.” She gets up and walks to the door, opens it, then looks back at me. “But it’s time for you to go.”
I lift a brow in challenge. “She’s signed the papers. Our divorce is legally underway.”
“That’s great,” she says tilting her head toward the door.
I push to my feet and take a few steps in her direction. “I’ll leave. You need time to absorb everything I told you, but I’ll be back.” When she opens her mouth to speak, I place my hand in the air. “Save whatever lie is about to come out of your mouth. You want to hate me, and I get that, I even deserve it, but we both know what we share is worth fighting for, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. You want more time you can have it but don’t think for a second that I’m walking away from us.”
I’ve never felt more emotionally exposed than I do in this moment. This woman is my purpose in life. She’s my reason for getting out of bed, she’s the only light that has shined in my life in years, and I know from the bottom of my soul that she’s worth every battle I’ll face if it means at the end of the day, she’s mine to keep.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Delanie
When I was a little girl, any time my mother was upset with me—which was often—I started playing a little game. I would think back to the last time I visited my dad and I would return to the last fun thing we did together. I played that game so often that it was no longer exclusive to only things I did with my dad.
Today, I’m doing the exact opposite because this weekend, I would have married Carter. I’m grateful I’m not marrying him, yet I can’t stop my mind from wondering if Kase hadn’t interfered with my life what I would be doing right this moment. My mother had so many appointments and parties planned that I couldn’t keep things straight. A part of me—even though I shouldn’t give a damn—hopes my mom has moved on, that she’s not still hoping and praying that, by some miracle, I’m going to show up and pretend like nothing happened. I fear my mother is just delusional enough to still hold out hope.
After binge-watching a series where a mother—a good mother—spins out of control after the death of her husband and ultimately ends up selling drugs in upscale neighborhoods, I decided that could be me if I wasn’t careful. Therefore, I got up, used my apartment gym membership, showered, and then I decided to venture out looking for a job. Five hours later, I applied to three places—none of which sounded like a job I would like—before I decided to call it a day.
The second I turn my car off, my cell phone rings. I stopped answering calls from people I don’t know, but I did just apply for several jobs, which has me going against my gut reaction and answering the call.
“Hello?”
“Delanie, it’s me,” Carter grumbles into my ear. “Please don’t hang up.”
“I have nothing to say to you.”
<
br /> “I need you to talk to your dad. He’s pissed but he needs to know what happened wasn’t my fault.”
“Are you crazy?” my voice practically screeches. “Our break-up is completely your fault.”
“No,” he snaps in a state of panic. “That fucking boy toy of yours set me up. First, he gets Brittney to lie, then he gets your dad to pull his money, and now he’s somehow got Annalise to flip sides. I made promises I won’t be able to keep, promises that come with some huge fucking consequences.”
“Tell me exactly how any of this is my problem?”
“Don’t act so fucking heartless. You don’t date someone—promise to marry them—then shit all over them the way you have.”
“Wow,” I say with a laugh. “How did I overlook how crazy you are? It’s a good thing we didn’t have kids because I’d be seriously worried about their mental stability.”
“Just, please, tell me you’ll talk to your dad.”
“I’ll talk to my dad. I’ll make sure he knows to stay the hell away from you.” I pull the phone from my ear and hit end.
Inhaling long deep breaths, I attempt to calm myself, which is short-lived when I spot Kase in a dark suit, phone to his ear, walking out of the apartment next to mine without a care in the world.
“You have got to be fucking kidding.”
I tear myself out of my car, like a woman on a mission. “What in the hell are you doing?”
He’s probably still a good twenty feet away but when he hears my voice across the parking lot, he turns my direction, says something to whoever he’s talking to, and disconnects his call.
“Hey, fancy seeing you here.”
“Really?” I point to the apartment next to mine. “Is it really a surprise when you just walked out of the apartment right next to mine?”
“Oh.” He looks over his shoulder then back to me. “I meant it was a surprise to see you on this side of the door. You’ve been held up in there like a prisoner for so long I wasn’t sure if you were ever coming out.”
Kase Of Deception Page 19