Page 20 of Forget Me Not

“Jesus, Willow,” King scolds her. “We don’t say those things to people.”

“Why, Dad? She has a boy’s name!”

“It’s okay.” Logan laughs softly, bending down so she is closer to Willow’s height. “All my friends call me Lo, so you can too.”

“Does that mean that we’re friends?” Willow asks.

“Sure does, if that’s okay with you.” Willow stays silent for a second as if she’s thinking about it.

“Okay, we can be friends. Now come meet my sister.” Willow grabs Logan’s hand and yanks her away from the rest of us.

“Sorry,” King yells after them, apologizing for his daughter. Logan smiles and shakes her head to show she doesn’t mind at all, following Willow across the yard.

“I’m gonna grab a drink,” Demi says.

“Great idea, I’ll show you where the good stuff is.” Asher rushes Demi away before I have a second to talk to him alone.

“I’m going to kill him.” I bring the bottle to my lips and down the rest of it.

“She seems nice. Hot as fuck, too, can see why you can’t stop thinking about her,” King says.

“I’ll kill you too,” I respond.

“Nah, I’m the one who signs your paychecks. Plus, you’d be leaving those two little angels parentless.” He nods his head toward his daughters, but the only thing that is registering is how fucking beautiful the woman sitting on the grass across from them is. She looks like she’s in her element. Like the two small girls bring out the very best in her.

“I might let you kill Asher if he’s the one who invited her though.” King’s voice pulls my attention away from Logan and toward the front of the yard, where I see none other than my ex-girlfriend and Asher’s on and off again fuck buddy walking in.

Kayla and I dated for about six months. I ended things with her about a year ago, but I swear the woman still ambushes me every chance she gets. Things were super casual between us and then they were just comfortable. That is, until she wanted more, and I didn’t. Then she went nuts.

She claimed I had been leading her on. That she’d been expecting an engagement ring for the last month of our relationship. She told me she loved me all the time but alwayssaid it in a casual way like, “love ya, bye,” and I never said it back, something she never questioned, so I figured she got the message. Apparently not.

Six months into our relationship, I found her birth control pills in the trash. When I asked about them, she said it was about time we started trying for a family. I was completely caught off guard and told her that I thought we both had different ideas of what our relationship was. She broke into full hysterics and stormed out of my apartment.

For the next two months, she practically stalked my every move, refusing to accept me breaking up with her, and kept pretending like we were still together. She constantly blew my phone up, showed up at my house, my job. It got to the point where I had to call her best friend, also known as Asher’s occasional fuck buddy, Sabrina, and ask her to control her friend.

Things got better after that, but she still occasionally texts me that she misses me and will tag along to places that Sabrina is invited if she knows I’ll be there. She flirts with me and tries to start things back up, but it’s not to the level it once was. Regardless, her being here is fucking annoying.

“Fuck,” I say. Her eyes skate across the group of people, as if hunting for her prey, until they land on me. I immediately look away, storming toward Asher, seriously ready to beat the shit out of him if he went as far as to invite Sabrina, knowing Kayla would tag along with her while also inviting Logan and my sister.

“Did you fucking invite them?” I cut off whatever conversation Asher is having with Demi. Demi looks surprised by the intrusion, or it could just be that she’s never seen me as pissed off as I am right now.

“What are you talking about?” Asher asks, genuinely confused. “I just told you I invited Demi and Lo—”

“Not them,” I cut him off, nudging my head toward Kayla and Sabrina.

“Fuck,” he says. “No way, man. You know I wouldn’t invite Sabs here. She’s friends with Trix, it was probably her.”

Trix, also known as Beatrice, is one of the piercers that work at the shop. I knew she was friends with Sabrina but didn’t realize they were close enough for her to be invited to the barbecue.

“Incoming,” Asher whispers, just as I feel a hand grasp my arm, long fingernails digging into my skin.

“Kade.” Kayla’s high voice grates on my very last nerve. I don’t know how it didn’t bother me while we were together, but hearing it now is my own personal version of nails on a chalkboard. “It’s been forever. How are you, babe?”

Asher clears his throat.

“Oh. Hey, Asher.” She smiles at him. “I didn’t see you there.”

Asher snickers at the ridiculousness.

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