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“I've told you Mellie, his interference in the game caused me to go down and slip a disc. Permanently”
“Todd, can we please talk about the elephant in the room?” Mellie says with a sigh. “I know you're mad at Jared because he had a thing with Katie.”
What? Whoa, no this is not happening.
A ton of weights slams and reverberates in my stomach like a weightlifter's dropped barbell. Jared, my Jared, got it on with my Mom? I don't believe it.
“That jock must have had every single woman in our year,” Dad says.
“I don't recall him being like that at all,” Mellie disagrees. “The girls all wanted him and -”
I have to get out of here. I can't listen to any more. Tears are welling up and the force is not the kind that I can hold back. More geyser than trickle. I can't believe Jared would do this to me. He knows whose daughter I am. Has he been using me as a pawn in some sort of competition with my Dad? I cannot believe he'd be that cruel. That's not the Jared I saw getting emotional when he looked at his lovely mom.
“You okay, Baby?” Dad calls as I hurtle from the open plan kitchen, up the stairs to my room.
I let out a throaty groan in response, then throw myself down on my narrow bed. It seems smaller and harder after the king size pillow top I've been luxuriating in the last two nights.
The tears pour down my face and I sob uncontrollably. The memory of being encircled in Jared's powerful arms floods my mind. The aroma of his woody skin, mixed with sweat from our energetic sex lingers in my nostrils. His heart beating against mine through my back molded to his carved abs.
He did not do this.
He's been so good to me, buying me beautiful things to wear. Okay, so the money means nothing but when he took me up the mountain, he didn't once leave my side. Not even to take a crazy run down a black while I waited. That was all about me. Sharing with me, playing in the snow with me and asking me to challenge myself.
I cannot believe he's having sex with his old flame's daughter. My head and especially my heart refuse to believe it.
“Are you okay, Sweetie?” Mellie taps at my door and I bolt upright, fixing my hair and slapping at my wet face to remove the tear streaks.
“Just a little headache,” I croak.
“Oh no, take a nice bubble bath and rest up before the party starts. I don't want you to miss it.”
“I'll be down soon,” I promise.
I have to go and celebrate with my family but I'm torn about seeing Jared. My heart still bunny-hops when I visualize his face but I can't figure out how the hell I'm going to face him with this new information. Will I slap his face or fall into his arms and beg him to love me for me?
I dress and make myself up very carefully after splashing a ton of cold water on my puffy face in the bath. I fell asleep for a while so when I come down, guests have already arrived and the party's starting to swing. There's a little gaggle of women, Mellie's friends from pilates mostly, hanging out at the drinks table.
And in the midst of them is Jared. A shard of fury scores my core even though his eyes are fixed to me and don't budge. His stare calls me to him but I don't trust myself. I turn my back and strut across to the room to where a few of my sister's friends are hanging.
“Hey, I'm Eric,” a kind of cute guy, around my age, sticks out a hand to shake. “Can I get you a drink?”
“Love one. Appletini please.”
“Coming up.”
Eric hangs out close, regaling me with stories of work or his latest vacay. Things I used to be content with in a potential date. Which he is, judging by his gaze trailing up my body when he thinks I'm not looking. I can't help myself from floating off in my mind and seeking out Jared.
