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“Maybe in the beginning, but I wasn’t going to go through with it.”
“Right,” she scoffed.
“What’s your problem with me, Lily? I get your father passed away and grief makes you do stupid shit, but what honestly is your beef with me? Funny how I didn’t treat my ‘friends’ the way you are treating me after my parents passed away.”
Lily rolled her eyes. “You had everything, Charlie. My brother idolized you from the first moment he saw you. He fell in love with you in college, and you did the same. You were so stupid to walk away from that.”
My eyes widened. “Me? What about you on the arm of the guy your father wanted you with? How can you stand there and judge me!”
Tears filled her eyes. “It’s complicated.”
Now it was my turn to fold my arms over my chest. “Really? Because even though you never talked about you and Nash, I know you cared about him.”
She wiped a tear away, and as her eyes filled with sadness, I felt the urge to pull her into my arms.
Her steel guard finally broke.
“Oh God, Charlie, I messed up so bad.”
Burying her hands into her face, she let out a loud sob. Rushing to her side, I grabbed her and guided her over to a bench where we both sat down. I held her close to my side as she cried.
“Please tell me what’s going on, Lily. You haven’t been the same since your dad passed away.”
When she finally got herself together, she took in a shaky breath.
“A month or so before my father passed away, I had to attend some fundraising event. Mark was there, and I don’t know what happened. I mean, Nash and I had a fight a few hours earlier about me not wanting to tell Tucker about us. He had been pushing more and more about it, and I was so worried Tucker would be angry. Plus, if we came out as a couple to Tucker, it would get back to my folks. My father would have been so disappointed in me. Anyway, Mark flirted big time that night, and I had a few drinks. One thing led to another, and Mark and I were in the bathroom of the restaurant having sex. We didn’t even use protection, and I have no idea why. Maybe we were both so caught up in it neither of us thought about it.”
My hand came up and covered my mouth.
“Oh. No.”
She nodded. “I cheated on Nash, and the day my father passed away, I found out I was pregnant. It’s Mark’s baby.”
My heart dropped to my stomach, and I felt sick. “Oh, Lily.”
“I was so stupid. I loved Nash.”
“Loved?” I asked, wiping a tear from her cheek.
“I still do, but I know if he found out I cheated and got pregnant, he’d never forgive me. For a couple of weeks, I tried to tell him about Mark. Tried to tell him about the baby. Instead, I pushed him away from me. I told him about Mark the other day, and that I had strong feelings for him. I broke up with Nash before he found out what a piece of crap I am. I’m so sorry I lashed out at you at the wake. I was so mad at myself, and you were an easy target. Nothing happened with Noelle and my brother. She was all over him that day, but I swear to you, they are not together. At all.”
My head spun. Lily’s conversation was all over the place.
“Wait, Lily, slow down. You’re jumping from one subject to another.”
“I know,” she said in a weeping voice. “I need you to know that I never meant those awful things I said. A part of me wanted you to leave because I knew you would think Tucker was hooking up with Noelle. The way she was hanging on him and him not being in his right mind. They didn’t sleep together though. She told me earlier that Tucker was a fool who was still stuck on you. And he is. His drinking is out of control and he’s miserable. He loves you, Charlie. Please don’t marry this guy you’re with. Please give Tucker another chance.”
My breath caught in my throat.
“I’m not marrying, Darrell. I don’t have to get married now.”
Her eyes filled with confusion. “What? But you’re dating this guy … aren’t you?”
Shaking my head, I took her hands in mine. “No. He’s a family friend, and my company is doing some work for him. He asked me to come tonight because he recently broke up with his fiancée and didn’t want to be here alone. The vultures and all. He’s young, rich, good looking, and very much single.”
Lily wiped her tear-stained cheeks.
“Wait, did you say you didn’t have to get married now?”
