“I’m glad you like your present, baby.”
“Like isn’t strong enough to explain how I feel about your gift.” She stroked her finger over the author’s signature. “You had to have put a lot of thought into it.”
“Not really.” I shrugged and took the books from her since they were heavy. “You read her last release the same day it came out and then again like a week later. I didn’t have to guess how much you liked her books, and when I looked her up online, she had just posted a form to order these editions the day before. The perfect present basically dropped in my lap.”
“Only because you pay attention when I’m talking,” she insisted. “I’ve been reading her books for five years, and neither of my parents would’ve ever thought to get me something like this.”
Our private moment was interrupted when an older man opened the door and stepped into the garage. His eyes widened when he saw us. “Sorry, Miss Cushing.”
“No worries, Edwin.” She introduced me to her family’s driver, and we shook hands. “Corby and I were just headed inside to the party, so we’ll get out of your way.”
I followed her inside and set the books inside a cabinet in the small room off the kitchen. Then we worked our way through the crowds of people before ending up in a corner with Emily, Sarah, and Chuck. We hung out for about thirty minutes before the girls wandered off in search of something to eat.
“What’s Caswell doing here?”
My head jerked up at Chuck’s question, and I scanned the room until I spotted the douche who liked my girl but didn’t have the balls to do anything about it. “No fucking clue, but he’d better not do anything to mess up Emme’s night.”
“I have your back if anything happens,” Chuck promised.
I searched the room for my girlfriend and realized Atticus was staring right at her. “That little prick.”
Emme’s step faltered when she noticed him, and I started to make my way across the room to her. She broke apart from the girls and headed toward her mother, who she had briefly introduced to me earlier. She’d barely said hello before excusing herself to go check on something—a handy excuse to get away from me as quickly as possible.
The woman was an ice queen while her daughter was full of warmth and kindness. But Emme looked fit to be tied, so I hurried to join her. If she was going to confront her mother, I would be at her side while she did it.
“What in the world is Atticus Caswell doing here, Mother?” Emme hissed as I joined them, lacing my fingers through hers.
Mrs. Cushing lifted her hand in a careless gesture. “I don’t understand what the issue is. I invited many of your classmates.”
“But you know how he embarrassed me when I was a freshman.” There wasn’t a hint of recognition in Mrs. Cushing’s eyes. Her lack of reaction made it appear she had no idea what her daughter was talking about, which was fucking sad. The woman should never have become a parent, but then I wouldn’t have Emme so I couldn’t be too pissed. “When he told everyone except for me that he liked me and then slept with another girl at a party, remember?”
“Oh, please. Boys will be boys.” Mrs. Cushing scoffed. “You can’t rule out a perfectly eligible match just because of a youthful indiscretion. I’m sure he wouldn’t have accepted my invitation if he wasn’t still interested in you.”
My temper flared, but I held myself in check for Emme. Not only was her mother talking right in front of my face about my girlfriend dumping me for some other dude, but she was discounting the fact that the rich prick had already hurt Emme once. That had to sting, and I didn’t want to make the situation worse for her.
“No more, Mother. I won’t tolerate any further interference from you when it comes to my relationship with Corby.” Emme gave my hand a squeeze. “I’m not a minor anymore, and I have access to my trust fund. This is your last warning.”
Mrs. Cushing sputtered, but Emme didn’t give her a chance to respond before she dragged me away. She headed straight toward Atticus, and her clenched jaw made me think she was gearing up for another battle. It had been one thing to stand back and let her handle her mother on her own. The douche who’d happily steal my girl from me—not that it was ever going to happen in this lifetime—and then treat her like shit was another story. “Relax, baby. I’ve got this.”
Emme gestured toward Atticus as we neared him. “Go right ahead. We both might as well get in on the action tonight. Since you’re into sports, we can pretend we’re on a team or something.”
“Never doubt that you’re my favorite teammate.” The flash of delight in her eyes made the cheesy line worth it. I smiled at her before shifting my focus to Caswell. My expression held no hint of friendliness when I looked at him. “I think it would be best if you left.”
Atticus quirked a brow and crossed his arms over his chest. “The decision isn’t yours, man. This is Emme’s party, and her mother invited me.”
“Emmeline,” I corrected, wrapping my arm around her back and pulling her body against my side. “She’s only Emme to her close friends and boyfriend, and you’re neither of those. You lost any chance you had when I came to Black Mountain. I won’t make the same mistake you did.”
Atticus scoffed, rolling his eyes. “As if your relationship will last past this school year. People like us have flings with people like you. Emmeline is just too nice to be honest about where this thing is going between the two of you. Nowhere.”
I stepped closer, well aware that we were in earshot of others. I didn’t want anyone to hear what I was about to say, so I lowered my voice. “You’re the last person who’d know what’s happening with Emme and me. She doesn’t talk to you, can barely even stand to look at you. But she shares everything with me. And I do mean everything.” I clenched my fists, wishing we were anywhere but the middle of Emme’s birthday party. I would’ve loved to take a swing at him. A pampered guy like Atticus would probably go down with one punch. That wasn’t possible, so I was just going to have to make do with a verbal blow instead. “I’m the only person who’s ever seen how gorgeous she is when she comes, and I’ll bend over fucking backward to keep it that way, asshole. Trust me when I tell you that you’re not ready for the kind of fight I’ll put up if you try to take Emme from me. From what I’ve heard, you didn’t have what it took to stand up to your mom over Emme years ago.”
“My mom will only be a problem for so long. When I turn twenty-one, I’ll get access to my trust fund, and she won’t be able to say shit,” he boasted, puffing his chest out as though he was trying to make himself look bigger.
It wouldn’t do him any good since he had no chance of scaring me. I faced off against guys who were taller and heavier than me every day on the ice, and he was neither. “Yeah, well then I guess it’s just too damn bad that you don’t have what it takes to go up against me now or in three years because she’s mine and I’m not giving her up.”
“If you really cared about her, you’d let her go so she could have a better life with me,” he taunted with a smirk I wanted to wipe off his smug face.
“The last thing she needs is to end up with some rich jerk who’s already hurt her once.” I pressed a kiss to Emme’s temple and smiled. “I’ll bust my ass to make her happy, and not just with the crap I’ll be able to provide her with when I hit the ice as a pro. And I’ll do it all on my own, like a fucking man instead of a boy who needs his mommy’s approval to go after what he wants.”
“I—”
“You’re done here,” I growled, unwilling to hear any more bullshit from the guy. “Like I said before, it’s time for you to leave.”
Chuck joined us, crossing his arms over his chest as he stood next to me. Atticus took a step back and rolled his eyes. “What-the fuck-ever. Plenty of other girls would be thrilled to go out with me.”
“I’ll follow him out,” Chuck offered after Atticus stomped away.
I lifted my chin in his direction. “Thanks, man.”
“You know I couldn’t care less if you ma
ke it big in professional hockey, right?” Emme asked when we were alone again.
“Yup.” I pressed a kiss against her forehead. “But I’m still looking forward to the first present I buy you when I get my signing bonus.”
“I don’t see how you’ll be able to top what you gave me today, but I’m excited to see what you come up with.”
Her response was a big part of why it didn’t matter if I went pro this season or four years from now. Emme was going to be there with me.
15
Emmeline
After the confrontation with my mother on my birthday, things settled down through the holidays and the first month or so back at school. She still got her little snide remarks in whenever the subject of my boyfriend came up, but so far, she’d refrained from crossing the proverbial line I’d drawn in the sand. I wasn’t sure how long our truce would last, but I graduated in only a few months, so I wasn’t too worried. I wouldn’t be living under the same roof with her for much longer.
My wandering thoughts were interrupted when I closed my locker and my two best friends rushed to my side. “Did you hear what happened?” Emily whispered.
I shook my head, starting to worry when I noticed how pale her skin was and that her lips were trembling. “No, Corby and I were running late this morning, so I missed whatever gossip is going around. You guys didn’t mention anything strange at lunch either. So whatever happened is news to me.”
I’d gotten my license during winter break, and my dad had bought me a BMW. But I enjoyed the ride into school with Corby, so the brand-new vehicle sat in our garage most of the time.
“We didn’t hear until last period. They found a body on Devil’s Bluff.” My jaw dropped at Sarah’s explanation. I wasn’t sure what I’d been expecting, but it definitely wasn’t that someone was dead. Most crimes around here were either white collar or stupid stuff like cars being broken into. “Rumors are already flying around school that Knox is connected to the murder somehow. I don’t know how true that is, but Aspen and Violet look super freaked out about the whole thing, so it could be.”
“The rumors aren’t because the police found evidence against Knox or anything. You know how people like to gossip about him,” Emily pointed out.
“Yeah, like they’re going to find any evidence implicating him when his dad is with the freaking FBI and has already covered up a death for him,” Sarah argued.
I wasn’t surprised people would jump to the conclusion that Knox was involved in a nearby murder since the gossip spread about him being responsible for his mom’s death back when it had happened. I’d stayed far away from him all the years we’d gone to school together because he’d always been scary—even without the rumors. And that was before he’d taken his bullying of Aspen to a whole new level after she became his stepsister.
“Wow, that’s a lot to take in.” I dropped my book into my backpack and zipped it shut. Other than my grandparents, I hadn’t known anyone who had passed away, and their deaths hadn’t been suspicious. Not that I knew anything about whoever it was they had found at the bluff, but a possible murder that close to home was more than a little unnerving.
Just as I was wishing Corby was here, he appeared at the end of the hallway. Moving quickly, he was at my side in less than a minute. I was always happy to see him—especially now—but I didn’t understand what he was doing here. “Hey, aren’t you supposed to be headed to the rink for practice?”
“I told Coach I was going to be late,” he explained, jerking his chin at Emily and Sarah in greeting. “I wanted to make sure you were covered getting home before I left.”
The reason behind the frantic look in his eyes clicked in my head. “You heard about the body at the bluff?”
“What I heard was that some dude we go to school with got away with killing his mom and now he might’ve murdered someone else.” A muscle jumped in his jaw, and he scrubbed his hands over his face. “No way in hell was I going to leave before I knew that you had a safe way to get home.”
Emily waved her hand. “I was planning to give her a ride.”
“Thanks, Emily. I appreciate it.” He pulled me close and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “Do you mind giving us a minute?”
“Not at all.” Emily tugged Sarah away when she looked as though she wasn’t going to take the hint.
When they were out of earshot, Corby said, “Will anyone be at your place when you get home?”
I shrugged. “Probably not.”
“Your parents leave you alone way too often,” he grumbled, not happy with my answer.
“I’m never really alone when I’m home,” I reminded him gently, stroking my hand down his back in a soothing gesture. “Marta and Edwin are there most of the time, too.”
“Yeah, but they’re on the other side of the house from you at night.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I don’t fucking like it.”
It was how I’d always lived my life, so I didn’t see the problem. “It is what it is. There’s not much I can do about how busy my parents are.”
“Maybe not, but you could move in with me.”
“Whoa.” I held up my hand as I shook my head, trying to process the suggestion he’d just thrown out there as though it was on the same level as giving me a ride home or something. “Moving in together is a huge step. We’ve only been dating for like five months. Adjusting to living with each other would put a big strain on our relationship, and it’s still so new.”
“Yeah, I know how hard it can be to settle into a new home with someone. I had to get used to living with all sorts of people in the foster system. It’s not as bad as you think. And it’s not as though we’re strangers.” He wrapped his arms around me, his blue eyes burning with fierce determination that resembled how he looked when he was playing hockey.
Corby had lived in so many different homes since his mom died, so I understood how moving in together wouldn’t be as big of a deal to him as it was to me. But what I didn’t get was why some stranger’s death would push him to ask for this. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was just a knee-jerk reaction to losing his parents since I was the first person he’d let into his life since then. “I need to understand why you’re asking me to take this step. We’re both still in high school. If I say yes, this is going to be a big deal to a lot of people.”
“I don’t care about anyone but you,” he insisted, his hold on me tightening.
“And your feelings come before anyone else with me, too.” I knew many people would urge me to be more cautious since Corby was my first boyfriend and our future was uncertain since we’d be graduating soon, but it was impossible to stop my feelings for him from growing with each day we spent together. “But I still need you to tell me why you’re so freaked out by a rumor that has nothing to do with either of us.”
Corby looked over his shoulder to make sure we were alone. The other students with early dismissal had already left, and everyone else was in class. Even though nobody could overhear, he lowered his voice when he explained, “My life was ruined by violence. It kills me to think yours could be touched by it, too. I’d do anything to stop that from happening, baby.”
I hated how awful his voice sounded as he remembered such a tough time in his life. He rarely talked about his mom, and I hadn’t wanted to push the issue because in the few times she’d come up in conversation, it was easy to see how much he missed her. Driven to give him whatever comfort I could, I went up on my toes to brush my lips against his. “I know she died before you went into foster care, but I didn’t realize she’d been taken from you because of violence.”
“The man responsible for her death wasn’t the violent one.” His fingers dug into my hips hard enough to leave a mark, but I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to make the moment more difficult for him when it already seemed as though the words were being dragged from the depths of his soul. “My dad never had been until she was taken from us, and he’ll be paying the price for his single act of brutality fo
r years to come.”
I rocked back on my heels, surprised by what he’d just revealed. “You never talk about your dad. I guess I assumed that he was dead too since you were in foster care.”
“No.” He heaved a deep sigh, running his fingers through his hair. “Fuck, I’m sorry. Most of the guys on the team already knew the story because it was big news at all the rinks back then, and the hockey world is small. I figured word spread around the school, too.”
“No, the guys must’ve kept it to themselves,” I reassured him. “This is the first time I’m hearing any of this. What happened?”
“My mom and dad were on their way home from dinner. They did a date night every week.” His eyes had a faraway look in them. “They were hit by a drunk driver, T-boned on the passenger side of their car after he blew through a red light. The guy didn’t have a scratch on him and was babbling about how he wouldn’t spend a single day in jail because his brother was a cop who’d already gotten him off on two DUIs before. My dad lost it. He punched the guy, who fell backward and hit his head on the curb. When he didn't make it, they charged my dad with manslaughter.”
“Oh, my gosh,” I gasped, pressing my fingers to my lips as tears welled in my eyes. “Did they actually convict him? And sent him to jail? Even though he had just seen your mom die right next to him and didn’t intend to kill the guy responsible for the accident?”
“Yeah, the guy’s brother pulled all of the strings he could to make sure my dad paid for his death. He got ten years, and the earliest he’ll get out is still four years away. Just in time to see me play professional hockey if I finish my bachelor’s degree first.” His lips curved up in a rueful grin as he shook his head.
“Is that why none of the hockey families took you in?” I hadn’t intended for the question to slip out, but there was no taking it back. “They were worried you inherited your dad's temper, and something might happen when you were living with them?”
Charity: Black Mountain Academy/Fortuity Page 11