Page 27 of Rivers of Ink
“You were busy with the shop. Always doing boring business stuff, spreadsheets, rosters… we never seemed to go out or do anything fun.”
“So it’s my fault you cheated on me?”
“I didn’t want to.”
“Then why do it?”
“Because I loved you. I wanted to make you jealous, jealous enough to fight for me at least. You didn’t do that though, you simply threw me out. Sided with Xander. You don’t know how much that hurt.”
“That was a funny way to show it, Is.”
She finally met his gaze, her blue eyes shiny with tears. “I still love you now.”
Being best man at his best friend’s wedding, having his amazing new girlfriend with him and envisaging a future with her, then being presented with admissions from his ex, Callan’s emotions were all over the place.
“No! You can’t tell me that. You can’t treat me like you did and expect to come waltzing back into my life with declarations of love.”
“We were good together, Cal.” Isobel raised her hand and ran her fingers down Callan’s cheek.
He brushed her off. “Don’t touch me.”
“Please, can’t we try again? You know you want to.”
Callan wanted anything but. He wanted her to get away from him and get the hell out of his life. It was clear that Isobel was intent on the opposite as she forced herself on him, kissing him deeply on the lips, her tongue probing. He didn’t see Alicia enter the room to witness what was going on, nor see her bring her hand to her mouth with a gasp as she saw them together, nor see her flee, tears running down her cheeks. With a forceful shove, he managed to disentangle himself from Isobel.
“I said no, Isobel. What part of that don’t you understand? You cheated on me with my own brother. How can you possibly think that we could get back together after that?” His anger was bubbling under.
He jumped up and walked back into the main part of the barn. Isobel followed him, trying to grab his arm as he scanned the room looking for Alicia. He spotted Jason at the bar and made a beeline for him. Isobel was a few steps behind him, tears streaming down her face.
“Everything okay?” Jason frowned.
Callan squared up to him. “You shouldn’t have brought her here this evening.” Callan grabbed the lapels of Jason’s jacket. “After everything she’s done, you should have known she wouldn’t be wanted.”
Jason tried to brush off his boss’s grip, but Callan held firm. The simmering hatred directed at Isobel that he’d been trying to control came to the fore and without thinking, he threw a punch at Jason’s face, following it up with a rain of blows to his body. Jason gave as good as he got, and it wasn’t before long before the two of them were brawling.
“Callan, stop!” Isobel tried to pull them apart and got caught in the crossfire, with Callan giving her a stray slap.
The red mist that descended over Callan wasn’t showing any sign of dissipating as he and Jason fought. Horrified family and friends watched on as the pair continued their scuffle, hurriedly moving out of the way, not wanting to get caught up in the fray.
Seeing nothing else except what was in front of him, Callan wasn’t aware that they were getting dangerously close to the cake table. The table with the beautiful three-tier wedding cake, decorated with lace icing and crafted flowers, that matched Wren’s colour theme exactly. Almost in slow motion, they barrelled towards it.
“Callan!”
Aidy’s voice cut through the fog, and Callan threw a misdirected punch in his direction, catching him square on the nose. The break gave Jason the opportunity to escape, though he stumbled, tried to grab onto the cake table, and fell. Wren’s scream was loudest as she watched the scene unfold in front of her. The table collapsed, crockery crashed to the floor, and the cake swiftly followed. Wren’s bridesmaids appeared, both trying to comfort her and pick up some of the mess at the same time.
Callan felt himself being restrained, and he gave in as the two barmen led him away. The last thing he saw was Wren tending to the blood that stemmed from Aidy’s nose.
16
Alicia lay on her side, staring at the wall, the duvet pulled tight around her body. She had barely moved since she’d been home except to go to the bathroom. Her phone was switched off and buried in the drawer of her bedside table. Isobel. The name reverberated around her brain. It was always something to do with Isobel. She realised it now—that Callan had to be totally hung up on his ex. If she thought about how he had reacted to the guy at Aidy and Wren’s party, there must have still been something there for him to get so worked up. Then finding them together last night suddenly made sense. She had been stupid to think that he could get over her that easily, despite what she’d done to him.
Nell had found her in her room that morning and tried to get some sense out of her. Alicia wasn’t ready to talk and refused all offers of food and drink.
There was a tentative knock on the door. “Ali?” Nell’s head poked into the room. “I brought you some peppermint tea and plain biscuits. You really should try to eat something.”
She propped herself up on her elbows. “It’s okay, you can come in.” Inadvertently, she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror: puffy, red eyes; and a swollen complexion. That’s what came from sobbing your heart out over someone you thought you were in love with.
Nell placed the tray on Alicia’s bed. As well as the tea and biscuits, there was a packet of crisps and some chocolate. “I brought everything, in case you fancied it,” she said.
