Lag (The Boys of RDA Book 2) (27 page)

I push him away with a light hand, and expectantly he takes a step back as I reach up to fix the buttons on my shirt.

“Stay here. I’ll get rid of whoever it is.” Trey places one quick kiss to my lips and turns away while I jump off the counter but don't leave the kitchen.

I lean back against the sink to wait for Trey’s return. He reaches the first interior door in the living room and pulls it back in agitation.

“What the fuck?”

There’s someone right on the other side of the door, and the unexpected guest forces Trey to take a step back in surprise. I drop down to the kitchen floor and try not to make a sound, hoping they didn’t see me through the opening to the kitchen.

“How did you get in my house?” The question echoes in the space.

You have to go through Trey’s garage on the street level to reach the living area of the home, and as that thought sets in, I breathe a sigh of relief. Who else but Finn would have a key to the first floor?

“Your door was unlocked,” a voice I never want to hear again answers. Mari.

I can’t see anything and the hard tile floor bites into my knees, so I crawl to the side of the kitchen covered by a large column and slowly stand again. There is no way I want to be caught sitting down by Mari. Not twice in one night. But I’m also not going out there. I'll stand behind this column as long as I need to.

“So you opened it and came in? We are not together, Mari. You can’t do this shit.” Trey’s voice is loud, but I’m too scared to look and see if it’s because he’s closer or angrier.

“I don’t understand why you’re so mad. I’ve always followed your stupid rules, but don’t you understand? I realize now it was a bad idea. You want me to commit myself like your willing secretary. Trey, I only dated other people because you were, but I’m ready to commit to you and make this work."

Heels click on the hardwood floor and I flinch with each step as they get closer to my hiding spot.

“I came here to apologize about tonight. I was wrong, but I miss you. We belong together, Trey. We deserve another chance.”

Trey’s loud sigh settles over the room. “Mari, I told you it was over months ago. Whatever fucked up arrangement we had is done.”

“But we’re expected to get married.”

There’s a scraping sound, but I’m not sure where it comes from. A stool being pulled out? Is she planning to sit and chat about this?

“We are never going to get married. Get that through your head.”

Trey’s words are low and harsh, but with a pitch of pity. I don’t want to be around for the rest of this conversation between whatever these two now are. I trust Trey and this is private and should stay that way. I turn to my left to dash to the hallway and hide out in his bedroom, but there’s a hidden trash can on the other side of the column and it falls to the side with a crash when I hit it with my foot.

I freeze. The toppled over can wobbles back and forth on the ground. As the sound dies down, another picks up. The sound of heels as they edge nearer.

“You have someone here?”

With nowhere else to go and knowing I’m caught, I straighten to my full height and brace for Mari’s wrath head on. It doesn’t take long. Her red hair is the first thing I register as she stands on the other side of Trey’s breakfast bar, mere feet from me. She sees me as well and lunges in my direction like she’s freaking Superman, but Trey steps in front of her taking the brunt of her attack.

“We were together for years and you never invited me over, but your fucking secretary is here and wearing your clothes?” Her voice screeches in the open space and I swear some of the glasses in the cabinets shake.

“You’re a whore!” The final blow said in my direction not Trey’s.

She tries to side step him again, but Trey moves with her. All my muscles tense and ready to run from her if needed. I’m not a fighter if she gets past Trey. I’m more of the runner variety.

“If this is what you need, then have your fun, Trey.” She whips her head around to glare at me. “And you. He’ll make you all the promises in the world, but he’ll come back to me eventually and I’ll make sure you have nothing.”

Trey’s hands ball into fists at his sides. “I will never have anything to do with you and you will never talk about my girlfriend again.” His steady and hard words are ungiving.

His use of the word girlfriend brings a small smile to my face and my heart lightens for a minute. How wrong. I shouldn’t get so excited over it when we’re in the middle of a showdown, Hatfield and McCoy style.

Mari screams and I’m ripped from my happy thoughts and thrown back into battle mode. I take two steps back and get a little upset at myself for never asking Trey the extent of Mari’s crazies. Is she normally like this?

“Girlfriend. Your girlfriend!” she screams the words with distaste.

Still calm and collected, Trey stares her down from the outburst. “You have two minutes to get the fuck out of my house or I’ll call the cops and have you removed.”

She narrows her eyes at him. “You will regret this, Trey. I will make you hurt like you’ve made me. I will cut you where it matters the most.” Then as if nothing's wrong in the world, Mari sweeps her hand down the same black pencil skirt she was wearing earlier, turns on a heel, and walks out of the room. Trey turns to me and his eyes look worried. I wave a hand out to him silently telling him to make sure she gets out. He follows Mari out of the room, the door slamming behind him.

My first large breath since Mari stormed in releases in a noisy fashion, and on still coiled feet I walk to the couch and plop down on the side. A door not far away slams and I assume Mari’s left the building. I lean back and put my eyes to the ceiling resting the back of my head on the couch.

Less than a minute later, the interior door closes much softer and the couch dips beside me. “I’m so sorry, Simone.”

His hand rests on my knee and I worry he’s scared to touch me more, waiting for my reaction to this whole ordeal. “No, this wasn’t your fault. It was all over me. I'm sorry. I didn’t know what to do.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about.” The hand on my knee travels up my covered arm and rests on my jaw. He turns my head toward his and places a lingering closed mouth kiss to my lips.

“Mari was a dumb time in my life. I’ve known it was a mistake for a while now, but I didn’t know what to do about it. And I wasn't motivated to deal with the fallout… at least until now.”

His arms wrap around me and he pulls me closer to him. “I’ve learned a lot since you tried to guillotine my balls.”

I laugh and it releases some of the tension from the room.

“Life is made by the people we live it with. You’ve made my days worth living and I want you in every one. For so long I’ve worked to make RDA what it is, but meeting you on that beach showed me another way. I’m working hard to be a better man.”

“Why?”

“So I’m worthy of you.”

I suck in a breath, full of emotion from his words. Tears well up in the corner of my eyes. I tell myself it’s the release of adrenaline from Mari, but it’s not. Trey, this gruff and sometimes stern non-emotional guy, twists my world every time he lays it on the line for me.

I can’t handle the feelings and I refuse to cry in front of him again, so I try for a subject change. “So I’m your girlfriend, huh?"

He laughs at my obvious tactic and his body relaxes. “I thought we’d already established that. You’re mine now and I’m not giving you back.”

So much for my subject change being less emotional.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

I step on the sidewalk and turn back to wave good-bye to Jake as he pulls away from the curb. Aspen’s already reached the door with Cosmo’s Comics and Café stenciled on the glass, and the bell chimes as she walks through.

Inside Marissa and Amanda are already waiting for us on the orange-ish couches in the back corner. The rest of the store is empty of customers. Sundays at nine must not be a prime time for comic buying, but the smell of coffee as I walk farther into the store continues to pull me in until I reach an empty space on the couch.

Aspen stops beside me but walks around the large coffee table and sits on the couch opposite.

Marissa drops her tennis shoes from where they were propped on the table. “Tell me again why we’re at a comic shop for girls’ brunch?"

“Many reasons, Rissa.” Aspen stops to take off her coat and throws it in the empty space beside her.

“Rissa?” Marissa asks with one eyebrow raised.

“You don’t like it?” Aspen waits for Marissa’s quick head shake. "No? I was testing it out, but fine.” She holds up a hand with all her fingers raised. “We’re here because it's locally owned by a friend of Finn’s.” She checks off one finger.

“His most underappreciated friend,” the balding man known as Jason wearing his black store polo approaches us and stops by the coffee table. He pushes some napkins out of the way and places a large white bag in the now empty space. "This arrived for Aspen Adams a few minutes ago.”

“Ah thanks, Jason.” She reaches into the bag and pulls out the familiar white Styrofoam containers, our Sunday staple. French toast topped with bananas and syrup. “It's breakfast.”

“Don’t touch the merchandise with your syrupy fingers.” Jason looks to the group as a whole with his directions and then returns to his counter.

Marissa turns her head in a slow circle taking in the store. “Um, don’t worry. I don’t think that will be a problem.”

“Next week we’ll get an order for him.” Aspen passes me a container and then goes back to her earlier points, fingers raised again. "So one, it’s owned by Jason who rocks. Two, it’s warm.” Another finger is placed down. "Three, we can sit on furniture. All of the guys who shop here will be too intimidated by a group of woman to hit on us.” Her last two fingers go down and her smug expression is proof she thinks her reasons are enough.

I’m the only one in our group not here with some form of coat, my thick sweater being more than enough, but her reasons make sense to me. I like indoors and furniture.

A series of three beeps sounds in our small group and Aspen reaches into her folded over coat to bring out a phone. “Oh look. They put Sadie in one of the baseball outfits Finn and I bought her.” She holds the phone out and circles the group so we can all see the picture of her baby niece.

“She’s so cute, Aspen. Have you gotten to babysit yet?”

Her face falls and she puts the phone back in her jacket. “No.”

“Aspen, she’s six months old already. I told you threatening to turn her into a gamer would come back to bite you.”

She scrunches up her face at Marissa. “That is not why. They’re new parents so they haven’t left her anywhere, but he’s going to ask any day now. I’m first on the list.”

“Uh-huh.” Amanda gives Aspen the platitude all while shaking her head in the negative at us.

Aspen catches the movement but only laughs at the lack of faith in her abilities. “Anyway, enough about me, the real news here is what happened Wednesday.”

I rest my fork on the side of the breakfast container since I know where this conversation is headed.

“You finally agreed to move in with Finn?” Amanda asks from her side of the circle.

Aspen finishes chewing the bite she just put in her mouth. “No. My word, you guys are way too in my life. We’re not moving in together permanently. This one is about Trey, Simone, and Mari.”

Marissa turns her head toward me with bug eyes. “Mari?”

“Spill it, Simone. Finn is like Fort Knox with the details and it’s taken everything in me not to come visit you and find out the details before today.”

I give them the shortened version of events from Mari’s ridiculous visit Wednesday night. All three girls sit quietly without interrupting the story — a first for this group. When I finish I shove another bite of my French toast in my mouth and wait for their questions, but they don't come right away. Shock probably.

Marissa is the first one to break the silence. “I didn’t know Trey had it in him, but that’s pretty sweet.”

“Yeah.” I stare dreamy eyed at the far wall lined with comic book character dolls in tall rectangular boxes. “But…" looking back to the group I use a few seconds to pick my words. “It’s weird. He so all ‘us' at full steam lately. He says the sweetest things, but he’s still…”

“A dickhead?” Marissa fills in the blank for me.

“Marissa!” Aspen yells and scowls at her friend, but Marissa doesn’t flinch.

I laugh a little. “Nooo. Maybe unemotional and bossy describes it best. He’s particular. I overlook it for the most part, but sometimes it’s hard."

“That’s what he said,” Amanda shouts into the group and then turns red when what she’s said registers. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”

“Well this has gone downhill.” Aspen throws her balled up napkin at Amanda. “The way I see it, you guys have experienced some lag and it's making you nervous to believe him.”

“Huh?” My question seems to be the one on the other ladies’ faces as well.

Aspen’s face reddens. “Come on. You know what lag is. When your game slows down,” she suddenly perks up and her voice becomes excited. "Or like when your Internet stops and you can’t get your tabs to load. It’s lag.”