Page 69 of Enticed

This was my mindset while driving to the Walsh’s residence—but as soon as the party started and the other three legs of our foursome arrived, along with Tammy, my strength I found earlier in the week started to subside.

I sat in the living room for most of the day with the ladies, listening to Amy bitch about her husband. Apparently, John has chosen his job over their marriage—at least according to her that’s the case—and she’s fed up. I mean, I don’t blame her but I understand how easy it is to get sucked into your career when you’re good at what you do. Of course, I don’t have a husband and children at home to ignore in light of that, so I agree with how she’s feeling as well.

Then, the pregnant ladies controlled the rest of the conversation—Liv and Tammy alternating between complaining about their discomfort, the terrifying thoughts of what to expect during labor, and then how eager they are to meet their babies.

I’m not gonna lie—I’m ready to meet Liv’s baby too—not only to hold her and sniff the life out of her from the top of her head, but also so I can have some resemblance of my best friend back. Ever since she’s gotten pregnant, she’s become this hormone-run human that physically looks like Liv, but has the personality of a combination of the Devil and an unstable housewife.

I mean, I can’t really say I understand at all what she’s going through, which is part of the reason I’ve been hesitant to reveal mine and Cooper’s relationship to her. But Cooper is ready and the truth is, so am I—or at least I was until I overheard a conversation through the kitchen window that depleted the confidence I felt rebuilding within myself since my attack.

I had just left Cooper on the side of the house, waiting for me to return with Liv so we could be honest with her together, and then I learned the true power of words, especially when they come from those closest to us.

“She’s seeing someone?” Liv’s voice comes through the screen covering the kitchen window that overlooks the deck on the back of the house. The light coming through the glass casts a spotlight on the patio, so I step back into the dark to keep listening, my heart pounding in my throat.

“Yeah, but I’m not supposed to say anything,” Perry continues. Fucking Perry. I knew I shouldn’t have said anything to her—at least that’s my thought right now.

“Who?” Liv replies just as Amy chimes in.

“I don’t believe it,” Amy says with the same negative tone she’s had all day.

“Why don’t you believe it?” Perry asks.

“First of all, none of us have seen him. And second of all, it’s Clara, you guys. Clara doesn’t do relationships. She’ll be the single, unmarried, fun aunt for the rest of her life and be perfectly fine with it,” Amy explains and my stomach turns in my body. “Plus, if she knows what’s good for her, she won’t bother with men. Lord knows I shouldn’t have.”

“That’s not fair,” Perry chastises Amy. “You don’t know what Clara wants out of life. Maybe if you weren’t so focused on your own lives, you’d see that she’s changed.”

“Really? Clara change? I don’t see that happening. Come on, even she is the one who’s said the only reason men were created was for sex.”

This feeling of my words being thrown back in my face so to speak, is not one I’m enjoying. In fact, it’s making me nauseous just hearing them repeated.

But the truth is, that is how I’ve thought for practically my entire adult life. I never looked for love, never wanted it. All I was interested in was sex from men.

“I mean, I guess she has been different lately,” Liv chimes in. “But Clara in a relationship? Why wouldn’t she tell us? It doesn’t make sense…”

And then the rug is pulled out from under me. The one person I need to accept this, understand that this is something that I want—well, it sounds likeshecan’t even fathom the idea of me being in love.

“Why don’t you ask her about it before you just go assuming…” Perry defends me and just like that, she’s back on my good side.

“Where is she?” Liv asks as I hear movement from inside the house. “We’ve been together all day and she hasn’t said a word. If this is truly important to her, then let’s talk about it.”

Panic sets in now when I realize I need to move so they don’t know that I was listening, but the only direction I can go in is back towards Cooper. Turning so fast I almost fall, I right my balance and scurry across the wooden deck, passing by a few people as I turn the corner and see Cooper standing there.

I run into his arms and lose it—the tears coming on so suddenly I have no choice but to let them fall.

“Babe, what’s wrong? What happened?” Cooper says while resting his chin on my head, holding me while I shudder from my crying and the hurt. But before I can calm myself down to respond, our moment is interrupted.

“Babe?”

That voices makes my head pop up and fly in the direction behind us where I find Liv standing there, mouth and eyes wide with shock, though she’s blurry from my tears.

“Liv,” I say as I fight to get out of Cooper’s arms, twisting to face her completely now—friend to friend.

“Why the hell was my brother calling you babe, Clara?” She asks, her hands on her hips and that menacing gaze she’s had all day returning.

“Liv, let us explain,” Cooper interjects, but I raise my hand to him, requesting him to stop.

Just as I move to open my mouth, Amy and Perry appear from around the corner, taking in the scene before them. Amy’s eyes narrow as Perry’s open up so far I can see the white of them against the dark sky in the background. Suddenly my tears stop falling and the pain I just felt is replaced with rage.

This is it—the moment where I can come clean, tell them all that I’m in love with Cooper and we’re together. But as Liv stares at me in question, Amy’s look of disbelief rings true, and Perry stands there waiting to see who makes the next move—my insecurities rear their ugly head and slide right in front of that confidence I had about Cooper—and then words I never thought would leave my mouth in this moment come pouring out.

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