Double Betrayal (Surviving Book 3)

by Frost, Ada

  “Izzy,” she said slowly. I gradually held out my hand to shake hers. She looked down at it, and then two pretty, smiling brown eyes looked at me. She put her tiny hand in mine and shook it. She had a wariness about her that kind of worried me. After years of living with a terrified Jo, it always concerned me when I saw that look in a kid’s eyes.

  “Friends?” I asked.

  She nodded.

  “Hey, I hope you’re not trying to steal my fan club,” Jo said, walking into the hallway. Ellie giggled and started jumping about on the spot. My little buddy started wriggling on my lap to get down. I placed him on the floor gently and he waddled across the hall to his daddy. The little fella was all for his dad. My brother was a lucky son of a bitch to have such a great family. Lou was pregnant before they got together, but my brother fell madly in love with her and her kid. She’d been the best thing to ever happen to Jo. I kind of fell in love with her myself when I saw how happy she made him. For years Mom, Dad, and I prayed someone would come into his life and send away all his demons, but he wouldn’t let anyone close. He’d had too many people ripped away from him. I hated it when he announced he was coming to live in the UK; I even asked Mar if she’d consider moving out here with him, but like everything I wanted, she refused. Had I known what was going to happen, I would have moved with him. Followed to make sure he was okay.

  “Are you kidding me? They love me; they’ve already forgotten who you are.”

  Ellie giggled.

  “Okay, boys, enough. Honey, can you grab Alfie’s changing bag? Right, people, are we ready to par-tey?” Lou asked.

  “Yeah!” The girls jumped up and down.

  We pulled up to a house; I’d followed Johan on my motorbike. I could see the girls unbuckling their seatbelts and Alfie climbing over them to get into the front to his daddy. I pulled my helmet off. A guy opened the door with the pink balloons just as Lou opened the rear car door, freeing the little animals caged inside.

  “Daddy,” screeched Izzy. She ran across the lawn and jumped up into his arms. I swallowed down my emotion at seeing it. I once thought all that was in my future, but Marissa ripped that shit away from me ten minutes after the kid was born.

  The guy started signing to his daughter and she laughed in his arms. He lifted his head to look at the rest of us. I followed behind my brother’s family. He had Alfie on his hip and was holding Ellie’s hand.

  “Hiya. They’re all inside.” The guy turned to walk inside.

  The house was filled with pink and white balloons and girly ‘happy birthday’ banners. We walked through the living room into the kitchen. A table was set out with an array of party food. My stomach growled in anticipation.

  “Mummy,” Izzy cried and ran through the kitchen, her little sandals slapping against the tiles. We all followed, abandoning the delicious food. I wondered if they’d notice if I grabbed a slice of pizza.

  The garden was full of random toys; a huge bouncy castle was at the bottom, and I guessed the main attraction. I was having a go on that bad boy when the kids disappeared.

  Ellie ran across the garden to a man and woman; the lady looked a hell of a lot like Lou. The guy was standing behind Lou’s lookalike with his arms wrapped lovingly around her waist. They spotted us and started walking toward us.

  “Will, this is my sister, Eve, and her husband, Dominic. Guys, this is Will, Johan’s brother.” We all said hi, and chatted. Eve seemed a little nervous to meet me; she was so much like Lou in looks I wondered if they were twins.

  A sweet tinkle of a laugh drifted through the air, sparking interest in my dick. I’d heard that laugh in my shower when my hand was wrapped tightly around my cock. Please don’t tell me my walking fantasy is at a kid’s party.

  I glanced around the garden, and sure enough, walking around from the side of the house was my pixie-girl, holding Izzy in her arms. She smiled brightly when she caught sight of Lou and Jo standing there.

  “Hey, I need to find some batteries–” her voice drifted away when she caught sight of me standing there. Her face paled and she looked like she was going to throw up. That was a kicker to the old ego. But what stuck out more was how she’d made me feel the last time I’d seen her. We’d had mind-blowing sex, twice, and she’d freaked, calling me a cheating bastard.

  Lou turned to look over her shoulder. “Oh, this is Johan’s brother I was telling you about. Will, this is Emily.” I nodded, momentarily speechless. My blonde haired pixie was standing right before me. Even though I was angry, it didn't stop my dick from stirring to life at the sight of her in tiny assed shorts and a white tank top. Fuck me, I was going to be busted for having a semi at a kid’s fucking birthday party.

  “Hi,” she said quietly. We stared at each other. I was paralysed by her blue eyes.

  “Hi.” What a fucking douchebag. Get a grip, Will. I’d turned fourteen again and was totally tongue tied. I slayed billionaires in the courtroom, brought multimillion dollar companies to their knees, and a tiny fucking pixie rendered me a useless moron.

  The guy Izzy called Dad came up behind Em, and laid his motherfucking hand on her back, leaning in to whisper something to her. She shook her head as if clearing her thoughts, and turned to whisper something back. He glanced down at her cleavage while she talked to him. He nodded and walked away. Em walked toward the house, heading straight for me.

  “She needs new batteries, excuse us a sec.”

  She stopped in front of me, refusing to look up at me. “Excuse me, I need…can I get past, please?”

  I silently stepped to the side, watching her ass as she walked by. Christ on a crutch, she was every bit my fantasy. I needed her against –

  “Don’t even think about it.” My brother rudely interrupted my thoughts with a hard slap to my chest. “She doesn’t need your kind of shit.”

  I scowled at him. Fucker was trying to cock-block me. He already had his perfect woman; I was still finding mine.

  “I–”

  “Mummy-Emmy, he’s Will, Johan’s brother.” I snapped my head around so fast it cracked my neck.

  “Really,” Em said, smiling at her daughter. Well, wasn’t that a turn-up for the books. The last time I’d seen her, she’d called me out and slammed me for being a cheat and a poor role model, when here she was, mother of the fucking century, all cosied up in her neat little home with daddy dearest and the little squirt. I’d felt like shit for how things went in the apartment, and she conveniently forgot to tell me she had a kid and a man. Who was the cheating bastard now? Motherfucking women!

  “Not interested, bro; she has a cute ass, that’s all. I don’t touch chicks with kids. Too much hassle.”

  “Yeah, I worked that out when you walked out on your wife and kid,” he snapped. I turned to face him, my mood turning sour. I glared at the cocky fucker judging me. He knew nothing about my situation with Marissa, but what cut deep was he sided immediately with Mar, not his own brother. I know I’d been tight-lipped about the whole thing, but I didn’t want to discuss what had happened. I had come over to the UK to avoid the constant questions from Mom, and harassment from Marissa. I wasn’t the bad guy, but my family sure thought I was.

  “Whatever, you know nothing.”

  “I know she spends most nights at Mom’s, crying her eyes out. You were excited about the kid; how could you just walk away?”

  “I’m not–”

  “Okay, this is a kid’s party. Johan, wind your neck in or go home. We are here for Em and Izzy; what goes on in Will’s marriage is his business,” Lou chastised in a low voice, so only we could hear.

  “What?” Johan said, clearly shocked.

  “If we split, would you want Will all up in your business?”

  “Never going to happen, sunbeam. I’d never leave you.”

  “And I bet Will never thought that about his wife,” she said. Lou glanced at me with an understanding smile. I frowned slightly because I couldn't understand why she was siding with me.

  “Daddy, down,�
� Alfie demanded, interrupting the odd moment. Johan glared at me and turned to take his kid to the bouncy castle.

  “Why did you say that?” I asked when it was just me and Lou standing on the porch.

  “Because if you just gave up on them and decided being a family man wasn’t for you, you wouldn’t be so angry and hurt. And you certainly wouldn’t be spending your nights drowning yourself in bourbon.”

  I stepped away from her, staggered by her words. I stared at her all too knowing brown eyes. “Johan thinks–”

  “Johan knows you, and it’s hurting him that you won’t talk to him. He’s mixed up because his big brother, the man he’s looked up to his entire life, is shutting him out. All I’m saying, Will, is you’ve seen the very worst of Johan, his struggles and despair. Maybe it’s time you let him be the one to stand by your side and be your hero for a change.”

  I swallowed, hating how weak I felt. “He already thinks the worst of me.”

  “No, he doesn’t; he’s acting like an idiot because he can’t understand what’s happened. Johan knows you; he knows this isn’t you and it’s pissing him off you won’t allow him to be there for you.”

  “Why are you so sure I’m not the bad guy, when my entire family is on my back?”

  “Because you’re a man nursing a broken heart, not a man who just walked away because he’d had enough. You’re in too much pain to have made the decision lightly.”

  I let out a shaky breath and scraped my toe across the paving stone beneath my foot. Words stuck in my throat as it closed with emotion. I wasn’t the bad guy in all this; I did feel like shit for just walking away, but Marissa had ripped me apart. I was a man capable of walking on water, preparing for the birth of my first kid, and within minutes my world collapsed and I drowned in a sea of grief.

  “Seems you and Em have more in common than a love of motorbikes,” she said, nudging me in the side with her elbow. My cheeks flamed with embarrassment at her meaning. Pixie-girl had told Lou what had happened between us.

  “How did you know?”

  “There are very few men around here we can call ‘giant’ and who have dazzling green eyes.” She smiled.

  I pulled my shoulders back and puffed out my chest. “She said I had dazzling green eyes?” I looked into the kitchen at the sexy as fuck pixie, a huge grin on my face.

  “She also called you a cheating bastard.”

  I nodded. “She called me on it, too. I’m not cheating on anyone; I wouldn’t do that,” I said honestly, and it was true, I wouldn’t.

  “She’s beautiful and one of the best people I know.”

  “I’ll stay away, I promise.” If she thought her friend needed protection from me, I wouldn’t cause Lou any stress. I loved my family and I refused to cause them any added pain.

  “That’s not what I’m saying.”

  “What are you getting at?”

  “She’s a good person; you deserve to be happy. It’s about time Em had some fun, too. It’s time you both let go of your pain.” I shook my head feeling totally baffled. Why would she want me to pursue a woman already attached, with a kid? Lou looked up at me and softly gripped my bicep in a reassuring gesture. Her eyes widened. “Bloody hell, you really are a giant. Jesus, no wonder you’re so acrobatic in the sack.”

  I choked on a laugh, my ears burning.

  “Oh, sweetheart, you really are going to have to give up this bashfulness; it’s far too adorable.”

  “My brother is one lucky son of a bitch.” I leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. “Thank you,” I whispered.

  “Step back, asshole,” Johan said jovially.

  I grinned at my brother. “She wants me, what can I say?”

  “Pulease, I’m the sexy Senior. You are an old fart and way past it.” He laughed, and for the first time in months, I laughed with him and truly felt happy.

  I couldn't hide in the kitchen all day; it was my babygirl’s party. I’d saved forever to give her this day. I refused to take money from my brothers to support her. Any money they gave me was put into an account for Izzy for when she was older. I did struggle; I had student debts and rent, and my wage barely covered monthly costs. “Stop being a wuss and go out there,” I muttered to myself. Sucking in a big girl breath, I walked out into the sunshine. Izzy was squealing in delight as Will, my giant, bounced around on the castle with Ellie, Izzy, and little Alfie. He had Alfie in his arms, cradling him to his chest. Cas stood leaning against the castle, laughing at the kids. And if I knew my brother, he was checking Will didn't hurt any of them.

  I’d nearly passed out when I saw Will standing in my back garden, large as life in all his massive hulking glory. How the hell did that shit happen? You had a one-night stand, no, make that a two-night stand, you kicked him to the curb, and he turned up in your kitchen and was playing on a bouncy castle in the back garden. What the fucking hell? That did not happen. I was living in the bloody twilight zone.

  “So, you little hussy, you’ve been boinking my brother-in-law,” Lou said, sidling up to me.

  “You’re not married; he isn’t your brother-in-law.”

  “I recognise you didn't deny the boinking part.”

  “Stop saying boinking,” I laughed.

  “You shagged Will; he’s the giant?” She hooked her thumb over her shoulder and grinned.

  I nodded slowly. I stood watching his gloriously sexy body roll about on the inflatable bouncy castle. “Gave him a dressing down, too, I hear?”

  “Yup.”

  “For cheating?”

  “Yup, cheating bastard, remember? Wedding ring and photo evidence.”

  “What if he wasn’t cheating and it really wasn’t what it looked like?” Lou said slowly, as if she was unravelling a huge mystery.

  “I’m not in the mood for this, Lou; it’s Izzy’s party and the man who’s been starring in every fantasy of mine for the past fortnight is currently bouncing around on the bouncy castle with our kids.” I knew Lou was being a friend, but my battered ego wouldn’t allow rational thought into my brain.

  “I’m just saying, babe, he isn’t a cheating bastard. He left his wife.”

  “So he’s just a bastard, then?”

  Lou chuckled and shook her head, handing me a glass of rosé. “No, I think he’s nursing a broken heart. I’m just assuming, so no die-hard facts, but there is more to why he left her.”

  I looked at her incredulously. “Have you lost your ever loving mind? I think multiple orgasms are addling your brain.”

  She smiled smugly, little witch.

  “No need to be so smug, wench,” I laughed, nudging her shoulder.

  “Yes, there is when you have Johan between your thighs.”

  “Lou, Jesus.”

  “I’m guessing he’s not the only Senior man to satisfy the ladies.” She laughed loudly. I took another sip of my wine, loving the warm numbing feeling. She was right, of course.

  “You seem extra tense today though, babe, what’s going on? I know seeing Will hasn’t helped, but something else is going on. Is it Jack?”

  I’d opened my mouth to answer and purge the shit swimming around in my head, when Jack interrupted us.

  “Em, sorry to interrupt, but when are we doing the cake?”

  I looked into the kitchen at the clock. “I wanted to wait for Rhea; she said she’d be here about three.” She was already late, but she was always late. Jack’s face paled and he glanced out at Izzy.

  I placed my hand on his arm. “Thanks for organising the cake; it looks amazing.”

  His shoulders relaxed and he smiled. “Anything for my little princess.” He really was a fantastic dad. Izzy was his princess in every sense of the word; he doted on her. It was a bittersweet feeling really, because I couldn't help feeling betrayed by life.

  “Do you want to see it?” I asked, smiling at him. He had ordered and paid for it but had yet to see the finished product. He nodded. “I’ll be two minutes, Lou,” I said. She nodded and started walking further into
the garden. Jack’s hand at the small of my back was as familiar as it was foreign. Jack knew my body better than I knew it; his hands had been all over me at one time. I screamed at myself to get a grip. My emotions were all over the place lately. Yes, I had regrets and missed him—no, I didn't miss him, I missed what we’d had. And for some reason, I was beginning to crave that connection with someone.

  “Mummy, Daddy, look!” shouted Izzy. We both turned at her voice. Jack’s arm slid around my waist, holding me in an awkward embrace. We watched Izzy as she bounced a couple of times before doing a flip. We both cheered and clapped her. She smiled brightly, proud of herself. I was about to turn when I caught sight of Will standing beside the bouncy castle, his eyes fixed on me. I swallowed as hot tingles raced through my body and shivered involuntarily from the heat in his gaze. Jack rubbed my upper arms, catching the attention of two emerald eyes. I felt suffocated under his watchful eye and Jack’s lingering touch.

  “You cold, Em?”

  I shook my head and turned to go inside. “I’m fine. Let me show you the cake.”

  When we entered the house, I could finally breathe. I inhaled a deep breath and stepped out of Jack’s arms. I walked over to the white box on the counter and braced my hands. I was a mess today. I needed to reel it in and take stock, but with Will here, Rhea’s imminent arrival, and Jack being touchy-feely, my nerves were shot. I wanted to feel grounded, and usually in my own home with Izzy, my life made sense; I didn't need anything else. But I felt like I was hurtling toward a cliff and I had nothing to grab onto to stop me from going over the edge.

  Warm hands slid onto my shoulders, massaging the tight knots in my neck. I dropped my head forward and closed my eyes, blowing out a tense breath. Jack’s feet shuffled forward, bringing his front closer to my back. I could feel the heat of his body against mine.

  “Jack,” I said in warning.

  “You seem tense, Em. I just–” he turned me in his arms and cupped my face. I stared into brown eyes, so similar to my babygirl’s. “I’m here for you. We could make a good team, you and I.”