by Eden Finley
Paige looked stunning in her lacy dress as she walked the aisle. It hugged her in all the right places and only went to mid-thigh. If the rumours about those two were true, I’d guess she did that on purpose so they could get it on in the bathroom right after the I dos.
Gage moved closer and murmured, “Note to self, avoid the public restrooms after the ceremony, because there is no way they aren’t having sex with her in that dress.”
I tried not to laugh at the fact we were thinking the same thing, but that only caused me to snort. When everyone turned to glare at me, I tried to cover it with a cough.
Garrett rubbed my back soothingly, while Gage folded his arms with a smug look on his face.
“You’re evil,” I muttered.
“You missed me.”
My head snapped in his direction, and while arrogance glimmered in his eyes, vulnerability was prominent. “Yeah. I did.”
He leant in and kissed my cheek, and dammit, my eyes started watering.
“Six months, Gage,” I whispered.
“I know. We’ll talk after the ceremony, okay?”
I nodded.
At the vows Paige had written, the tears threatened to spill over. “I’ve always told you that there’s no reason for us to get married.” The guests chuckled. “And I still believe that. I’ve been committed to you since day one. I fell in love with you before I knew what was happening. While I think this whole shebang isn’t necessary, that doesn’t stop me from wanting it. You’re my husband on more than paper. My soul belongs to you.”
Cole’s vows pretty much broke the dam.
“As much as I told myself to stay away from you when we first met, there was no denying I knew from the beginning you were the one for me. We both fought it, but ultimately, fate forced us together. I promise to try my best to be the man you fell in love with and not the one who fell apart when times were tough. My soul belongs to you.”
I sniffed and turned to Garrett, whispering, “Is it too early to blame the hormones for this?” I waved my hand in front of my face.
He laughed and wrapped his arm around me.
Gage stiffened beside me, but he didn’t say anything. When I glanced over to him, he was glaring at Garrett’s hand on my shoulder.
Paige’s aversion to commitment also meant she had an aversion to long wedding ceremonies. Which would’ve normally been a good thing, but not now. Not when I was dreading talking with Gage.
Before we knew it, we were all filing out of our seats.
The outdoor venue was gorgeous, and even though it looked like I was studying the overhanging lanterns that would be lit at dusk and taking in the flower petals that littered the ground, what I was really doing was putting off the inevitable.
The wedding party went to get photos taken, but the venue was small, and most of the guests followed to watch.
I stayed back, knowing what was coming.
His arm wrapped around my waist, and I turned into him as he brought me against his body.
“What are you doing here, Gage?” My voice, which had never been timid or quiet, took on a meek quality.
“It was a big event. We’re always each other’s date to these things. I’m always your backup.”
A humourless laugh flew out of my mouth. He was never my backup. He was always first choice, but he never wanted me. I was able to deal with that. What I wasn’t able to deal with was the fact he gave me everything I’d wanted and then ripped it away from me not even twenty-four hours later.
“How did you know I needed a date? You’ve been gone for six months without so much as a text or phone call. Even Garrett got an email. I could have a boyfriend for all you know.” I tried to step away from him, but he followed me, bringing us face to face, mere inches apart.
“Are you seeing anyone?” His voice held no malice or jealousy as if he knew I was lying. And, of course, he had to call me on my bullshit.
“No. But things have changed.”
“How?”
“I’m pregnant,” I blurted.
His eyes widened as he looked down at my flat stomach.
“It’s not yours, if that’s why you’re freaking out.”
“You went through with the surrogacy?”
“Last month.” My voice was barely above a whisper.
His hand ran over his tired face. The hurt and surprise etched into his face would become a hard memory to shake. “I can’t deal with this right now. Sorry.” He took more steps back. “Uh … sorry.”
Tears fell on my cheeks as he turned and walked away.
Garrett was by my side not a fraction of a second later. I had no idea where he came from or if he heard everything. He hugged me. “He’ll go for a walk and cool off.”
A collective gasp came from the group of people watching the wedding photos taking place.
“Or not.” Garrett grabbed my hand and rushed towards the group.
Gage shook out his hand, and Blair held onto his eye.
“Ah, fucking hell,” Blair said.
Garrett pushed through the crowd to get to his boyfriend. “What the hell?”
“You woulda been first in line, but I didn’t realise you were right beside Pip. Although, I should’ve guessed.” Gage inspected his knuckles and shook his hand some more.
“What is wrong with you?” I screamed.
“You’re carrying their baby, and you’re asking what’s wrong with me?”
There were murmurs and more gasps, and holy fuck, why were we having this out in front of a huge group of people we didn’t even know.
Garrett held up his hands. “He’s making it sound so much more scandalous than it is. She’s our surrogate.”
A few ahhs of realisation passed through Paige’s extended family.
“You’re mine, Pip, or did you forget that promise you made me?” Gage said, stepping towards me.
“Yeah and immediately after that promise, you ran off to the US for six months.”
“My father is literally on his deathbed,” he yelled. “I’ve come back for two days so I could take you to this wedding and talk to you about what’s going on up here”—he pointed to his head—“and you turn around and tell me you’re pregnant?”
“It’s not my baby,” I emphasised.
“Yeah. And it’s not mine either, when we both know it fucking should be.”
I never thought in a million years that it would be so easy to make sixty people go completely silent all at once. Boy, was I wrong.
***
So, I was a horrible friend. Not because I was the cause of disruption to a beautiful wedding, but because I ran out of there immediately after. I ran all the way to a bar—and by ran, I meant drove because I was in heels. I still sucked at walking in them, let alone running. There would be no running in heels, ever.
The bar was totally counter-productive due to the fact I was pregnant and couldn’t drink my problems away.
“Guys, seriously.” I turned to Reece and Spencer who ditched the rest of the reception and came with me. “I’m fine on my own. Where are your kids?”
“Our niece picked the kids up after the ceremony and has taken them for the night, so we’re going to get drunk,” Reece said.
“Well, drink up for me.” Only a few weeks in and I already saw a downside to giving up my womb for nine months. At least most people got a baby at the end of it. I’d get a thank you, stretch marks, and a fat ass.
I shook those negative thoughts away. I was excited to be doing this for Blair and Garrett. Gage was just getting in my head.
Spencer’s fingers flew across his phone screen.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Nothing.” He shoved it in his pocket.
“Let’s dance,” Reece exclaimed.
“Nah, you two go grind on each other. I’m good here, staring at all the alcohol I’m not allowed to drink.”
They reluctantly accepted my offer to leave me which I was grateful for, but I wished for them to come back w
hen, not even a song into their dance, I was approached by a guy who looked young enough to be my son.
“Can I buy you a drink?” The kid had balls. I’d give him that.
“I thought legal drinking age was eighteen? You look twelve.”
He laughed. “I’m nineteen.”
“I’m not interested in being a cougar.”
“Come on”—He leant on the bar—“you can’t be more than twenty-three.”
“Aww, you’re sweet. But I’m thirty, honey.”
His face fell.
“Thought so. You can run along now.”
When he scurried away, I noticed the guy sitting at the bar a few stools away from me. He was laughing, and I was pissed.
“Hilarious, right?”
He gave me the side-eye and smirked. “Sorry. That was brutal. You crushed that poor kid’s heart.”
Blue eyes met mine. He was definitely more age appropriate, and his blond hair had a shiny quality I was jealous of. He had a muscled physique but still had nothing on Gage. My eyes gravitated to the blond guy’s arms where he had full sleeve tatts. That was hot, but all it did was make me think of Gage’s tattoo. A bald eagle took up his shoulder, half his chest, and his shoulder blade at the back. I remember the feel of it under my fingertips and tongue as I trailed over it while he was inside me. And I hated myself for thinking about Gage again.
“Get your fill, honey?”
I realised I was still staring at the blond guy. Oops. “Sorry. Zoned out there for a second.”
He smiled and took a sip of his beer. He stood to come over to me when an arm wrapped around me.
Blondie’s eyes widened as he took in Gage.
“Drinking’s not good for the baby,” Gage said. Loudly.
I pushed him off me. “Ignore him,” I said to the blond guy. “He’s my brother. And an asshole.”
“Naw, I wasn’t your brother when you fucked me.”
Blondie’s eyebrows shot up. “You two have a lovely night.” He scurried away.
I turned to Gage. “I think that’s a record. I scared off two guys within minutes of each other.”
Gage tucked my hair behind my ear. “You could never scare me off. Ever. If anything—”
“What are you doing here? How did you find me?”
“Spence.”
“Traitor,” I mumbled.
Gage gripped my hips. “Can I please come home with you so we can talk?”
Talk? With his hands currently branding me? Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen.
“Just talk,” he said. “I need to explain why I dropped off the face of the planet. If we’re going to have a future, you need to know everything about my past, but telling you the truth means I risk losing you. As a friend and as something more.”
“Please, you make it sound as if you killed someone. It can’t be that bad.”
His eyes flew to mine, and there was something in them that I’d never seen from him. He looked guilty.
My brow furrowed. “Gage—”
“Can we go home? Please?”
Home. I liked how he always referred to my place as home. A lot of the time, it felt like he was my roommate. For the last six months, I’d been completely on my own, and I hated it.
No matter what was going on with us, he was Gage. He was still my best friend, and the pain in his eyes was evident. I couldn’t turn him away.
I let him take my hand. He signalled to Spencer and Reece who were still on the dancefloor. Spencer gave us a chin lift in acknowledgment and then wrapped his arm around Reece who fell into his arms.
My heart lurched. I wanted that. I wanted my forever. Being left by the one guy I wanted it with friggin’ hurt.
“Did you drive here?” he asked.
“Yup.” I took my keys out of my clutch and threw them at him.
On the drive back to my place, he drove one-handed, not removing his free hand from my thigh. I couldn’t bring myself to make him move it.
“I’ve missed you,” he said, keeping his eyes on the road.
“Then where was my email? My messages? My phone calls?” Apparently, all I had to do to get him to take his hand away was get angry at him.
“I’m not in a good headspace when I go home. I thought I was doing you a favour by not contacting you.”
“A favour?” I yelled. “I thought we completely ruined everything by sleeping together. You left without so much as a reason, and I had to find out from Garrett that your dad is dying. I don’t get it. I don’t get why you didn’t come to me, or why—”
He pulled into my townhouse driveway and killed the engine. “You know what I did the first few months I was home?”
“Spent time with your dad? Caught up with friends?”
He shook his head. “I hid. I literally stayed indoors the entire time.”
“Huh?”
“Let’s go inside. I need to tell you about the hell that was my life before I moved here.”
8
- GAGE -
I threw my suit jacket on her couch and headed for her kitchen. “I know you can’t drink right now, but I’m stealing some of that disgusting peach schnapps you always have.”
“Okay.” Her voice was quiet.
I slammed down a glass of schnapps, realising it was going to do jack shit to untie the knot in my stomach. How could I explain to the person I wanted to spend my life with that an entire town thought I was a monster?
I took the couch opposite where she’d sat, and my leg bounced as I thought of what to say. I’d practiced this speech so many times over the years, trying to get it right, but there was no way for it to come out with finesse. “I told you about the girl I dated when I was eighteen and was charged with statutory rape because she was sixteen.”
“Yeah, that’s basically all you’ve told me about it.” Hard to miss her bitterness.
“Lucy and I started … I guess you could call it dating. Really, it was feeling each other up behind the school. I was seventeen when it started. She was fifteen.” I cringed. Back then the age difference wasn’t important. Sitting here right now, I couldn’t fathom a fifteen-year-old doing the type of stuff Lucy and I got up to. I knew it was common, but it seemed so young to me.
“You’ve seen what it’s like for people who are stupidly in love. They’re usually stupid,” I said.
She laughed. “Yeah, just have to look at Reece’s love life to see how being in love can make you do stupid things.”
“It didn’t take long before we were having sex, and Lucy and I were together for a full year before we were caught, so when everyone found out, I was already eighteen.”
“Why was it a secret apart from her being younger than you? Like, everyone knows teens have sex. It’s just a fact.”
“We had to keep it a secret because of my dads. I was the bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks with sinful parents. You think people suck now? Try growing up in the nineties with gay dads.”
Pip grunted. “People suck. How’d you get caught?”
Here we go. I couldn’t look her in the eye as I said, “She got pregnant.”
“Oh, shit.”
“Yup. Her dad was a deacon at the church, and her mother was the epitome of a fifties housewife. Traditional views, strong religious beliefs … another reason we kept quiet about it.”
“You … you’re a dad?”
I shook my head. “We were so fucking dumb. We thought we could get married, have a family, and force our relationship on her parents. I guess they thought the only way to get rid of me was to fuck up my life permanently. They … they had me arrested for rape.”
Pip looked confused. “Statutory rape, right?”
“No. That’s the only thing they could charge me with in the end. They originally went after me for rape, but Lucy refused to press charges. She was the ‘victim,’ so it was in her hands. No matter how many times she said we were together and in love and spouting all that bullshit we believed, they thought she was just ‘too scare
d’ to tell the truth. Because we both admitted to having consensual sex, they reduced the charge to statutory rape—a class four felony which involves prison time, a fine, or both. They also wanted me to register as a sex offender. So goodbye college or getting a reputable job. My life was fucked.”
“Wait, are you trying to tell me you’re on some sex offender list or that you have a kid out there somewhere? I thought they didn’t allow sex offenders in the military.”
“They don’t.”
“Then how—”
I reached over and put my hand on her thigh. “This is a really long story. If you keep interrupting, it’s going to take all night.”
Pip animated zipping her lips shut.
“I was lucky with the judge who was assigned to the case. One bit of good luck in a bucket of shit. He believed me when we said we’d been together for a year. He reduced my charge again. There was a close-in-age exemption in the law that applied to fifteen- to seventeen-year-olds. Ironically, it’s known as the Romeo and Juliet law.”
“What happened with the baby?” she asked and then slammed her mouth shut, because she’d already broken her silence.
I winced. I hadn’t thought about the kid in a long time. “She … they …” Tears threatened my eyes, but I blinked them back. “There were two reasons her parents went after me for rape. In the eyes of their church, it was the only way they could …” I swallowed hard. “It was the only way they’d be forgiven for an abortion.”
Pip gasped.
“I was too busy dealing with the court case to stop it. I didn’t even know they were fucking doing it.”
“What about Lucy? Why didn’t she stop it?”
I asked that question so many times. We were going to be a family. We were freaked out when those two lines on the pregnancy test appeared, but we were also excited. Then Lucy threw it all away.
“Lucy said her parents threatened to kick her out if she didn’t go through with it.” I wasn’t sure if my voice was loud enough to be heard properly. “She said she wasn’t ready, we were too young, and we had forever to have kids. We had no money or ways to support ourselves. I told her my dads would’ve taken us in, but—”