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Not waiting for a response, I headed into the hall and grabbed a glass of wine off a tray carried by a passing waiter.
My mother caught up and then my father and Cheney appeared, like two vultures swooping down.
“Father, Cheney, how’s the scotch?” I asked. I didn’t want to say they looked well or ask them how they were doing.
They stood side by side, my father in a charcoal suit and Cheney in a black one with… yeah, a green velvet tie just like the dress.
“You’re really married?” my mother wondered. “But Cheney–”
“If Cheney still thinks he has a chance with me, then he’s an idiot.” I gave him a pointed look, then down at the tie. All of them still believed we were together even after Cheney met Silas and we told him we were married. The guy had either hit his head or really was an idiot. “I was out of town, but now that I’m back, I’ll ensure my lawyer connects with you about my trust.”
“Where is this husband of yours, Evelyn?” Cheney asked, glancing around. Out of all the things he said and all the things hecouldsay, this was the sharpest arrow. As if he knew Silas was my weakness.
He was. Because I ruined it. My own insecurities had come out in a ruthless rush. The three people standing in front of me had made me question him. Doubt him. They made me never know what love really was. Silas had and I’d tossed it back at him like a cheap, worthless gift.
I swallowed hard, knowing Cheney wasn’t done with his barbs. Why had I come? Why had I shown up? My lawyer could handle the trust. It was literally paperwork that shifted my trust’s control into my hands.
“Did he drop you so soon?” Cheney pushed. “I mean, you own acoffee shop.I’d think the man would–”
“–apologize for being late,” a deep voice said from behind me.
A hand settled on my hip and as a kiss settled on my head. I startled and a little gasp escaped.
I knew that voice. I knew that touch. And the kiss.
Silas. He was here.
56
SILAS
I knew country club parties.I could read this crowd because I grew up with it. My father had thrived in this fake, gilded, and exclusive world. About a hundred people mingled and chatted with wine and whiskey in hand. A string quartet played Bach from a discreet corner. Waiters in stiff uniforms circled with trays of bacon wrapped scallops and filet on toast tips.
My brothers and I shunned this kind of formal misery. Even in a laid-back town like Hunter Valley, there were still pockets of stuck-up elite. Money didn’t keep anyone from being an asshole. Like our father being a dick and needing to be the center of attention in a crowd he’d specifically selected. We didn’t need a therapist to pull that out of our subconscious thoughts.
If it weren’t for my need to be by Eve’s side–mywife’sside–I’d turn around and leave. Stop at the bar downtown and kick back. Have a few drinks. Play some pool. Fuck my woman over a desk in the back office again.
She had reason to hate this crowd, starting with the couple standing with her and Douglas. Eve’s parents. No question.
There was a resemblance between Eve and her mother. The same coloring. The eyes. But Mrs. Hunter was all veneer. Shiny and bright on the outside. I had to wonder if she was vicious and conniving or just dumb on the inside.
The answer would soon become obvious.
I spotted Eve immediately. She didn’t want to be here. From across the room, I saw. Could read her misery. Feel it, even.
Yet she practically sparkled with the way the sequins caught the light. Her outfit was modest but sexy-as-fuck. Unlike in the cam room where her curves were flaunted, her pant… outfit showed off every curve I knew by heart but revealed barely any skin. In a sea of plain and boring, she was stunning.
It was clear her mother hated it by the pruned-up look on her face and the way she stared.
“Sorry I’m late. You look perfect,” I commented, cutting off anything the woman might say. I’d never seen Eve wear much makeup or have her hair styled. She could polish herself up well, like dinner with the Hyports, but I knew what she looked like with her hair tangled in only my shirt. I was eager to muss her up later if she’d let me. Smear that lipstick and see it coating my dick.
But not yet. She could only be here for one purpose, to finally be done with her ex and deal with her father once and for all. Good, because I was here to help. She’d stood by me. It was time for me to stand by her. To show her that I’d always be at her side. I’d always support her. Love her.
She reached across her body and set her hand on top of mine. Squeezed. I felt the desperation and I was going to take it all away.
As for Vance Hunter, who loomed tall and broody, he was truly an asshole through and through. And desperate. With his always perfect timing, Bradley had shared the damning information I’d been waiting for and I’d gone through it on the flight. It had been illuminating and made me really fucking furious.
“Father, Mother,” Eve said. She cleared her throat and lifted her chin. “This is Silas James, my husband.”
