by K. Walker
"I am! I did!" Wes insisted, holding up his hands in defeat. For once, he actually looked ready to run from a fight, which was almost as surprising as Lucas's anger.
"He did look out for me," I told Lucas, not wanting Wes to be the one thrown under the bus. If it hadn’t been for him last night, I wasn’t sure what might’ve happened. "He took care of the guy. Made sure he won't be hurting me or anyone else any time soon."
"Or walking..." Sebastian muttered under his breath, which earned him Lucas's glare next. "Sorry..."
"Did you call the police? Was the man arrest?" We all looked at each other, and when none of us answered, Lucas, cursed. "Damn it, why the hell not? That bastard should be rotting in a jail cell right now!"
Wes actually looked sheepish when he answered. "I didn't think the cops would be too happy when they showed up. Sebastian wasn't really joking when he said the guy wouldn't be walking any time soon. I may have let my anger get the better of me last night."
I noticed he didn't mention the role Hunter and Jaxson had played in teaching that bastard a lesson, which was probably a good thing since Lucas let out a sigh and nodded. "Next time, let the cops handle it. The last thing I need is for detectives to come poking around because you let your temper get the better of you."
"Yes, sir," Wes replied immediately. When Lucas looked at the rest of us, we all said the same thing, all promising to be on our best behavior, which seemed good enough for Lucas.
That settled, Stella loaded us all up with food. For the first time since I had gotten here, Wes didn't keep his gaze firmly locked on his breakfast. In fact, the few times we locked eyes, he actually smiled a bit.
It wasn't much, but it was progress.
Though, after Lucas’s outburst, I was starting to wonder how much of last night was because Wes actually liked and how much was because his father wanted him acting like my babysitter. Part of me had wanted to argue that I didn’t need a babysitter, but after last night, I was even more conflicted.
Chapter 32
"Shit!" Adrian said, eyes wide. She poked and prodded my cheek, which I was sort of getting used to. "You weren't kidding. That's one hell of a bruise!"
"Sebastian's worse," I muttered. Once he climbed out of the back seat, Adrian turned to look at him, letting out an impressed whistle as she looked him over.
Unlike me, Sebastian seemed to enjoy the attention his battle scars were earning him. As if eager to show off some more, he untucked his shirt, then lifted it, showing off the green and purple bruising over his ribs, which of course, impressed Adrian even more.
I rolled my eyes at the two of them. I was more than happy to put that night behind me, but Sebastian was enjoying getting to brag about being the hero who had saved me. Sure, Wes and the guys had been the ones to take care of the bastard, but he had been the one who had gotten him away from me.
Of course, everyone was staring at me as I walked to my locker. My face flushed red, and I wished I had left early with Wes. At least then I wouldn't have felt like I was on parade in front of the entire school.
I had just gotten my locker open when I saw a shadow rushing toward me. "Oh, my God!" Charlotte said, eyes wide as she stared at my bruise. "Are you really okay? That looks so nasty!" She held up a finger like she was going to poke it, but when I shot her a look, she smiled sheepishly and put her hand down.
"It's fine, just a bruise."
"Still... I'm so sorry that happened to you. That guy didn't even belong there. He was with some college guys from out of town that wanted to crash our party. His friends carried him away after Wes took you home." Charlotte grinned. She'd had a front-row seat to Wes and the guys beating him to a pulp. The fire in her eyes told me exactly what she thought of a man protecting a woman. "I'm just so glad he didn't hurt you anymore."
"Oh, my God, Charlotte, give it a rest." Paisley walked over, rolling her eyes. "It's just a bruise. No big deal."
Charlotte stared at her, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. "Oh, my God, Paise! Seriously? She could've been raped! At our party! That is so not okay."
"She's got a point," Margo Summers spoke up from next to Paisley. She was busy tying her dirty blonde hair into a ponytail, but when we locked eyes, her gaze was sympathetic. "We were responsible for that party. We're gonna have to start having security if dirtbags think they can come crash our party."
Paisley's lips were drawn in a tight line. Her annoyance was barely contained below the surface. She was definitely not thrilled with her friends being buddy-buddy with me all of a sudden. To be honest, I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about it either.
And of course, I couldn’t help being unable to resist such a great opportunity, so I grinned at them. "Paisley's right," I said, which made her eyes go wide. "It's just a bruise, that's all. Wes looked me over thoroughly when we got home that night. He said it'll heal in a couple of days."
That snapped Paisley out of her haze. She was still suffering from the delusion that Wes was hers. And while I really didn't care who Wes slept with, she'd been an annoyance since I got here. “God, you really are just a ghetto piece of Compton trash, aren’t you?”
I pushed Paisley up against the locker, holding her there with my forearm pressed against her throat. Her friends all backed away as she stared at me, eyes wide. “I’m gonna tell you this one last time. Whatever your problem is, it’s between you and Wes. Leave me the fuck out of it. Next time you open your mouth, I’m gonna knock every single one of those pretty little teeth of yours down your fucking throat. Understood?”
Paisley just stared at me, shaking like she was about to piss herself. I glared at her one last time, then let her go, watching as she slumped down against the lockers. Without a word, she stormed off, not daring to even look at me.
Her friends ran after her, and I let out a sigh, shaking my head. I was so fucking done with Paisley and her bullshit.
"That was cruel," Adrian said from behind me. Her sudden reappearance made me jump, and I glared at her, which earned me a smirk. "But it was hilarious to watch. You'd think Paisley would know by now Wes isn't her exclusive property.”
I wanted to agree with her, but she hadn't been there in the bathroom that night, seeing Wes's intense gaze. He had been so angry someone had dared to touch me. And the way he’d held me afterward, how I’d fallen asleep in his arms.
If I was being honest, Todd wasn't the only one who had gotten a bit turned on by the protective macho man routine. Every night since then, my dreams were filled not just with Wes but with Jaxson and Hunter as well. They were like my guardian angels. Guardian angels whose bones I wanted to jump every time I looked at them.
Especially since, in my dreams, they weren't wearing much at all, showing off those gorgeous muscles. Muscles I could still see clearly in my mind, even now.
"Hello? Earth to Bella!" Adrian said, snapping her fingers in front of my face. I blinked at her in surprise, and she laughed. "Jeez, you sure that guy didn't hit you harder than you thought? You're not usually one to wander off to la-la land."
I rolled my eyes and shut my locker. Books in hand, I smirked at her. "Shut up and let's get to class. I am so ready for this party to be old news!"
But, of course, that was asking too much. Everyone seemed to be talking about the fight. Every time I was in the halls, it felt like everyone was staring at me. Lunch was the worst, though, with the entire cafeteria constantly looking over at us.
Sebastian wasn't helping either. He was still eagerly showing off his bruises like battle scars, proud of getting a chance to prove his manliness, I figured. His dorky friends were all eating it up, of course. I swear, he must've told the stupid story about him saving me at least a dozen times as various girls came to swoon over him. If he hadn't been gay, he'd have been getting laid before the school day was out.
But as bad as that was, Jaxson and Hunter coming over to check on me was worse. Though he was a Cabot, Sebastian was like the black sheep of the family. He didn't quite garner the same attention
as his older brothers. Hunter and Jaxson, however, were like walking gods to everyone in the school.
So when they came to talk to me at lunch, checking to make sure I was okay, everyone was watching us. After what I'd seen at the party after the football game, I couldn't help but wonder how many people knew just how intimate the three of them were. For all I knew, everyone was assuming I was the new cream in their three-way Oreo. But that wasn’t my forte at all. One man was more than enough.
"I'm fine," I insisted, glaring at the two of them. "It's just a bruise, that's all. Now go play with your Barbie dolls and let me eat my lunch in peace, would you."
Hunter and Jaxson exchanged smirks, then winked at me. "If you need us, you know where to find us," Hunter said before the two of them finally wandered off to join their own little group.
"I hate my life," I muttered, which made Adrian cackle.
Chapter 33
Sitting on my bed, I stared down at the picture frame I had taken from the library. Every time I wanted to bring it up with Lucas, I'd come up with some excuse not to. Even though I'd basically been dragged here against my will, I was actually really starting to like living with the Cabots.
Sebastian was one of my best friends now. Even Wes and I were getting along pretty well since he'd saved me at that party. Lucas had been nothing but kind to me. Certainly, a better father figure than I'd ever had growing up. And while he worked long hours and I didn't seem him very often, he always made it a point to be at breakfast in the morning to talk to each of us, even if it was just for a couple of minutes.
Kathy... well, I could've done without Kathy. But, other than weird looks and the occasional snippy comment, she didn't bother me much. I stayed out of her way, and she stayed out of mine.
I had let myself get settled into a routine. I had actually started to think of this place as my home, everyone here as my family. Did I really want to rock the boat by asking a bunch of questions about my father? What possible good could come out of it?
And yet, that gnawing feeling inside me wouldn't go away. Lucas had lied to me about when he had died—lied to me about him not leaving me anything. And while I could only remember bits and pieces of what I'd read in the will, I knew he'd left things to me. When I had gone back into Lucas's office one night while he was out, though, the safe was locked, so I hadn't been able to get another look at the folder he had locked in there.
Why would Lucas lie to me about him? I didn't think he'd done it to try and steal my inheritance or anything like that. I mean, why would he? He already had more money than he could spend in five lifetimes. Even if my father had had a significant chunk, it wasn't like Lucas would've needed it.
I honestly couldn't think of any logical reason for him to have lied to me. And yet, he did. The picture in my hands proved that.
And yet, was it really worth it to confront him?
Worst case scenario was he would kick me out. It wouldn't be the end of the world. I could probably go back to JP's, help him out with his social media stuff again. And I had more than enough cash stuffed in that old backpack to get me by for a while now, thanks to Wes's overeager friends and their poker nights.
But just because I could survive being kicked out didn't mean I wanted to go through that. I didn't want to lose Wes and Sebastian and everyone else. I liked living there. And it wasn't just because I lived in a mansion with maids and a personal cook and everyone drove fancy cars. Those were all bonuses, sure, but it was the people I'd miss more than anything.
I finally had a family. A real family. Yeah, I still missed Mom, and I thought about her almost every day. But I knew she would be happy for me. She wouldn't want me to keep wallowing in despair over her. She'd have wanted me to move on and make the best out of my life.
Which was what I had done, for the most part.
A knock on my door jarred me out of my thoughts. Looking up, I saw Wes leaning against the doorframe, smiling at me. "Since it’s such a beautiful day, I was thinking of heading to the beach to get some fresh air. You want to come?"
Nodding, I set the picture aside and stood up. Then, I looked at it again, frowning. "Did you know my father?" I asked Wes.
Wes nodded. "Yeah, I met him a couple of times. Didn't know him too well, though. He seemed okay."
I narrowed my gaze, and the way Wes's eyes went wide, he knew he'd just been busted. I stood up and crossed my arms in front of my chest. "I thought your father said he died not long after I was born. You're only a couple months older than me. So how did you meet him?"
"Bella...." Wes said, then sighed. He looked at me, pleading with his eyes as he struggled to figure out what to say.
"Damn it, Wes! Why is everyone lying to me about him? Is he even dead? And why didn't he ever come see me growing up?" Tears streamed down my cheeks as everything came out all at once.
Wes stepped into the room, closing the door behind himself. "Bella, please..." Wes kept his voice low as he walked over toward me.
"Please? Please what? Forget you've all been lying to me this entire time?" My hands balled into fists as I fought to get myself under control. It was like everything I'd been bottling up since Mom had died was exploding inside me. I couldn't stop myself. "Why won't you just tell me the truth, Wes? Why?"
Wes reached out and took my hands in his. I tried to pull away at first, but he held me tight, standing just a couple inches away from me. "It's not what you think," he said, then he took a deep breath. "It's for your own safety, I promise. You... you know me. Do you think I would actually want to hurt you? Do you think any of us would want to hurt you?"
"No," I said immediately. Sure, he'd been an asshole to me when I first showed up, but even then, I had known it wasn't personal. He'd been dealing with something, and I was his outlet. And everyone else had been perfectly kind to me. But that didn't change the fact that he had been lying to me all this time. They all had.
"Look, I know you're confused right now. I get it. I would be too if I was in your shoes. But you have to trust me, please. Just let this go and forget about it. You're part of our family now. That's all that really matters, isn't it?"
I stared into those seafoam green eyes, letting myself get lost in them. I wanted to believe him, to trust him. I was happy here. I loved everyone here, loved being here. I didn't want any of that to change. But I still couldn't just forget about this and pretend it never happened. I just couldn't.
Wes must've seen that in my eyes. He took another deep breath and let it out slowly. He was close enough I could feel the warmth from it. "I'll talk to Dad, okay? I promise. If you drop this, for now, I'll talk to him. He knows more about everything than I do, and it's only fair you hear everything from him. But you've gotta give me time. Can you do that, Bella? For me?"
I found myself nodding, agreeing to his terms. It didn't fix everything. Didn't fix anything, really. But, at the very least, it was a start. And, after everything they'd all done for me, I felt like I at least owed it to Lucas to make things right.
Maybe he really had lied to me to protect me or keep me safe or something. I couldn't believe he'd had some kind of malicious intent behind it. And because of that, I figured I would try things Wes's way, at least for now.
"Fine," I said, letting out a breath of my own. "But I swear Wes if you don't talk to him and get him to tell me the truth, I'll confront him myself. I don't like being lied to about anything."
"I know," he said softly. "And I'm sorry we've lied to you. I really am. If it makes you feel any better, I was opposed to this whole thing right from the start."
"Is that why you were such a dick to me when I first got here?"
Wes shrugged, giving me an apologetic smile. "Sorry," he said again.
I let out a sigh and shook my head. It didn't matter anymore. I'd gotten over his attitude ages ago. "Was everyone in on it?" I asked, looking him in the eye.
He was silent for a moment, staring right back at me. I could see the war inside his head as he struggled to figure
out what to say. "Sebastian doesn't know anything," he said at last, which made sense since Sebastian had been nothing but friendly toward me. Wes smirked and let out a short laugh. "I don't think Sebastian could keep a secret if his life depended on it!"
I snickered, fighting back the urge to burst out laughing. Oh, if you only knew, I thought as I smiled at him. "So, you said something about the beach?"
Wes grinned again. He squeezed my hands one last time, then let go. To my surprise, I actually found myself missing that little bit of contact. "Yep. I'm driving. You in?"
"As long as you're driving your car, not mine," I teased. He had enjoyed being behind the wheel of my Mustang a little too much that night after the party. More than once, I had caught him eying up my baby. But she was my baby. He had his own toy to play with.
Wes pouted for a moment, then the two of us started laughing. "All right, all right," he conceded. "I'll drive my own car. Now let's go. I’m tired of sitting around here.”
Chapter 34
Wes wasn’t kidding. The weather was gorgeous. The sun was shining and while it was warm, it wasn’t overwhelmingly hot. God only knew how much longer this weather would last, and I was glad we were getting a chance to enjoy it while we could.
Part of me had expected it to just be me and Wes at the beach, but Hunter and Jaxon were there too. And, to my surprise, so was Adrian. She grinned and ran over to wrap her arms around me when we walked up.
“It’s about time you guys got here! Maybe now those two boneheads will stop acting like children.” She nodded toward where Hunter and Jaxson were sitting with a bunch of surfboards. They grinned at us, giving us a thumbs-up, and I rolled my eyes.
“You ever surf before?” Wes asked, and when I shook my head, he smiled. “Oh, this is going to be fun!”
To my surprise, Wes actually had a wetsuit in my size stuffed into the duffle bag he’d brought. When I looked at him, eyebrows raised, he just smiled and shrugged. I wasn’t sure if him having already gotten me one was thoughtful or creepy.