Page 57 of When You're Home
Jake looked up at Rhett, his eyes laced with frustration. He was back on babysitting duty and trying to keep the peace. Rhett owed him big time.
“No worries, babe. I’m pretty sure those guys don’t give a shit about feeling hungover tomorrow anyways.” He shrugged as he accepted the water bottle from her.
“Can I get one of those water bottles, too, babe?” Tori heckled from the couch.
Guilt rose inside him when he heard her tone. The word “babe” had just slipped out. She probably sounded like a bitch to everyone else, but Rhett could hear the sadness in her voice through the Jameson-laced slurs. She was hurting. He was hurting her. He knew he couldn’t fix everything tonight, but he owed it to Tori to at least try and smooth things over as much as possible.
He hopped off his barstool, grabbed another water bottle, and slowly approached the couch. Cory wordlessly stood up and moved out of his way, giving him a clear path to Tori.
Rather than sit, he chose to squat in front of her. He felt Lia shift uncomfortably next to them. He glanced up and offered what he hoped was a reassuring smile: he came in peace.
He tried to speak calmly as he uncapped the water bottle and handed it to her. “Here you go.” He gently set both hands on her robe-covered knees for balance. She looked at him but said nothing as she took a long drink of water. Rhett searched her face to try and gauge his next move. Where was her head at right now?
“You look tired, V. Can I take you home?” he inquired, silently pleading with her to not fight him anymore tonight. If he could just get her out of here…
“I didn’t come to this party with you or for you, Everhett, so no, you can’t take me home,” she replied loudly before she shoved the open water bottle back into his hands. He didn’t know if she was intentionally making sure Chandler heard her from across the room or if her volume was just fueled by the whiskey coursing through her veins. Either way, Rhett knew she was unfiltered and nowhere near done fighting tonight.
“You could always ask Jake to take me home.” Tori sat up straighter and shifted to the edge of the couch before parting her legs. “I heard he’s a really good babysitter.”
He didn’t break eye contact as she gave him a clear visual of her bikini bottoms. When her first attempt didn’t garner a reaction, Tori spread her knees even wider, testing him. They both knew he couldn’t react to her body in front of everyone without giving himself away. She leaned forward and wrapped one of her hands around Rhett’s wrist, pressing her fingers into his pulse point as she used him as an anchor for balance.
“Or better yet,” she leaned in even closer, stopping just a few inches from his face, “I should ask Fielding to take me home,” she mused, biting down on her bottom lip and arching one eyebrow.
Rhett jerked back and rose to his feet. She had no idea the conversation that had just taken place in the hot tub. She had no idea what was at stake.He raked his hand through his hair, desperate to get her far away from Fielding and everyone else at this party.
He glanced around the room to confirm what he already knew: They had a full audience. Jake and Chandler were eyeing him wearily from behind the bar. Lia hadn’t taken her eyes off the two of them, and Cory and Tiff were desperately trying to look anywhere but the couch. Everyone knew he was on edge, and at least half the people in the room knew they were witnessing a dispute between lovers, not just a fight between friends.
Fuck it. He was done playing games. Nothing was worth losing her over, even if it meant other people got hurt in the process. He decided at that moment that protecting her—that protecting them—was his only priority for the rest of the night. He had to get Tori away from this scene before things escalated any further. He knew he was about to leave carnage in his wake, but he didn’t care. Jake could deal with Chandler and hold her off until morning.
Rhett locked eyes with Tori, singularly focused on making her listen to him. He needed to stop her downward spiral now that he had given up on keeping up appearances. He had to get this night under control.
“Tori, I need to talk to you alone. Upstairs. Now,” he barked. He didn’t even glance toward Chandler behind the bar as he made his way across the sunroom and into the house.
“Uh-oh,” he heard Tori taunt from behind him. “I think I made Daddy mad.” She obviously knew they had an audience, too. She was just putting on a show. He didn’t need to turn around to know she would follow him inside.
Chapter 33
Rhett
“Up,”heordered.Rhettwaslegitimatelyconcernedshewasn’tgoingtobeabletomakeitupthestairsinherinebriatedstate.TheJamesonmusthavefueledher,though,becauseshetookthestairstwoatatimebeforeturningtowardhisbedroom.
His weight made the squeaky stair groan in protest when he stepped on it. He turned into his bedroom and scanned the space for her.She must have ducked into the bathroom. He flopped onto his bed and exhaled. He was exhausted and despondent. The last eighteen hours had just been a long string of wrong calls on his part. How had he fucked this all up so quickly?
The woman he loved was locked in his bathroom after embarrassing him in front of the girlfriend she had required him to date. She was lowkey threatening to hook up with another guy, and that guy was eager and willing to get into her pants so he could win a bet. The whole situation was a twisted mess.
When he sat up, he noticed Chandler’s overnight bag on the floor by Tori’s side of the bed. He grabbed it and tossed it into his closet.
After a few minutes with his own thoughts, Rhett felt considerably calmer. They were alone now. It would be easier to get through to her. He was confident he could get everything straightened out. He just needed Tori to come out and talk to him. He stood up and approached the bathroom door, worried she was getting sick but didn’t want to tell him.
“Hey, V,” he called softly through the door. “Everything okay in there?”
When she didn’t respond, he tried the handle, but the door was locked.
“Tori,” he called again. Silence. “Tori, are you okay? Answer me, or I’m using the key to open the door. We need to talk.”
“Go away, Rhett,” she finally responded. Her voice was muffled. She sounded so far away.
“Open the door and let me in, please.”
