Page 14 of The Final Temptation (Men of Honor 3.5)
He is about to say something but Mrs. Vail cuts him off. “Oh yes, Cooper is at our house often for supper, and we always enjoy having him.”
I try to rein in the pain and fury rushing through me right now, but my control finally snaps when Brittany leans over and kisses his cheek. “I hope you’re still coming to the lake house with us next weekend.”
Okay, that’s fucking it. I lean over, pretending to reach for the butter, and knock her full glass of red wine over, making sure it spills on both of them, which isn’t hard since she’s practically on top of him. Brittany gasps and flies backward.
“Oops. Sorry ‘bout that,” I deadpan, clearly not meaning it.
“Uh oh,” Julia mumbles.
“You bitch, you ruined my brand new Vera Wang top.”
“Brittany!” her father scolds.
The room erupts in chaos as everyone rushes to Brittany’s aid. I feel Cooper’s eyes on me but I don’t look at him, I can’t, and I can’t look at my father either.
“Come on,” I grab Julia’s hand, needing to get the hell out of here. “I’m sorry, dad,” I whisper as I rush past him.
“Kayla, where are you going?” my mom calls out, but I don’t stop and answer her, my throat getting tighter by the second.
Julia swipes her purse from the couch as we make our way to the door. I decide to forgo mine, not wanting to run to my room to get it. Once we’re outside I tug Julia behind me, urging her to move faster to my car.
“Kayla, wait! Get back here!” Cooper shouts as he chases after us, but, again, I don’t stop. I get in and immediately start the car then as soon as Julia’s ass hits her seat, I’m peeling out of my driveway. “Fuck!” I faintly hear his curse through my open window as I speed down the street.
It isn’t until I’m far enough away that I finally take a deep breath, though it’s a struggle through the lump that’s lodged in my throat.
“Well, that was intense,” Julia whispers, trying to find words for the cluster-fuck we just left behind. I don’t say anything, I stare straight ahead, the road blurring in front of me from the tears clouding my eyes. She reaches over and places a hand on my leg. “Are you okay?”
I shake my head, because I’m not. I’m angry, hurt, confused and, most of all, I feel guilty for just ruining everything for my father.
“She was just doing it to hurt you, Kayla. Don’t let her win. It was easy to tell she was making Cooper uncomfortable, too.”
I choke out a bitter laugh. “Yeah, well, not uncomfortable enough, considering he didn’t push her away.”
“You’re right. He should have.”
“He fucking lied to me, Julia. He said he hasn’t had anything to do with her since they broke up.”
“Maybe he was over at her house for another reason?”
I shake my head, dismissing the suggestion immediately. No way, it didn’t sound like that at all. I glance over at her. “Do you still have the invitation to that party in Callingwood?”
She hesitates. “Yes. It’s in my purse, but I sort of told Jax I wouldn’t go since you told Cooper you weren’t going.”
“Yeah, well, that promise to him is out the fucking window now, but you don’t have to come. I can drop you off at home on my way. I would completely understand, but I need to get out of here, Jules. I need to get my mind off of what just happened back there.”
She shakes her head. “Of course I’m coming. I’ll drive home if you want to have a few drinks.”
“Thanks,” I whisper, glad that she always has my back. Because that is exactly what I want to do—I want to party my ass off and forget this night ever happened, and more importantly, I want to forget about Cooper McKay. Though I doubt any amount of alcohol will ever erase him from me, especially my heart.
*
An hour later I realize this was a mistake, because no matter how much I drink or how much I try to mingle, nothing lifts the heaviness that’s weighing down on my chest.
People bump into me from either side as I make my way through the heavy crowd to find Julia. Some stop to hug me and ask how I’m doing, some try to get me to join their drinking game, and suddenly it all becomes too much.
I dart to the left and push my way through the crowded bodies until I finally make it into the deserted woods. The loud music starts to fade as I walk a little ways in, finding the privacy I need. I take a seat against one of the big oak trees and try to get my head together, but the quiet has me thinking about the night’s earlier events. Hugging my knees to my chest I let my tears flow freely, and try to think of how I’m going to make it up to my parents. As for Cooper… I shake my head, the pain is too much to think about it right now, but I know what I have to do.
The sound of a branch snapping has my head shooting up, and I see none other than Mark fucking Stevens stumbling toward me. Great, just what I need.
“Well hey there, Goldilocks.” The nickname I was given back in grade school by my peers slurs out of his drunk mouth.
“Keep walking, Mark, I’m not in the mood for your shit tonight,” I mumble and swipe at my wet cheeks, hating for anyone to see me cry.
He clutches at his chest dramatically. “Your words cut me deep.” I roll my eyes at his theatrics. He makes his way over to me, completely ignoring my brush-off, and takes the spot next to me. “Here, have some of this. It will make you feel better,” he says, thrusting his drink toward me.
“No, thanks.”
He dances the cup closer to my face. “Come on, take it, I know you want it.”
