Текст книги "Gold"

Автор книги: K. A. Linde

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Текущая страница: 23 (всего у книги 26 страниц)

BRYNA MADE EYE CONTACT with Audrey across the few feet that separated them. She hadn’t thought about the fact that if Lauren was inviting everyone from school to the party that it meant Audrey would show up. She had been at Bryna’s own party at the house that Hugh had purchased for her. But it hadn’t clicked that she might be here today.

“What the fuck, Eric?” Audrey cried. She closed the gap between them.

Bryna wrinkled her nose. The last time she had seen the bitch, Audrey had been on all fours on Eric’s bed. Just the thought made the liquor in her stomach turn.

“Audrey, don’t do this tonight. Just go back to your party,” Eric encouraged.

“Are you joking? I can’t believe you’re with this whore now!” Audrey yelled loudly.

It was loud enough that nearly everyone in the immediate vicinity looked over to see who she was talking about.

“She’s not a whore,” Eric said calmly. “And we’re going to walk away and pretend this never happened.”

“You can’t be serious. You’re scared of golddigging jersey-chasers, and you’ve settled for the biggest bitch of them all?” Audrey accused.

“You have no fucking clue what you’re talking about,” Eric growled.

“I might be a bitch, but that does not make me a gold digger or a jersey-chaser,” Bryna spat.

“You’re known for both, and you want me to think it’s a coincidence that you’ve chosen Eric?”

“He’s not even a football player anymore!” Bryna yelled at her.

“Somehow that negates his multimillion-dollar trust fund?” Audrey yelled back.

Bryna’s mouth dropped open. “His what?” She looked at Eric in confusion. What the hell is she talking about?

“Audrey,” Eric said in warning, “that’s enough.”

“What is she talking about, Eric?” Bryna asked.

“It’s not enough. I hate to see you like this.” The tone of Audrey’s voice changed when she looked up at him. She sounded soothing, like she wanted to reach out and touch him. “You shouldn’t have to debase yourself by dating her. You told me yourself that you would never be interested in a slut like her. You said she was the worst kind of human imaginable.”

“You said that?” Bryna asked. Her addled mind couldn’t keep up with everything that was going on.

Did Eric really say those things about me? And what the fuck is Audrey talking about? A trust fund? He’s from Dallas. He wants to be a football coach. How the hell would he have that kind of money?

“No, I did not say that.”

“Now, you’re lying?” Audrey asked in disgust. “You’ve really lowered your standards.”

“You jealous bitch,” Bryna spat.

“Fuck off, Audrey. You’re proving me right for every reason that I left you in the first place,” he said.

Then, he pushed Bryna through the crowd without a backward glance. They made it out the door and to his car before she blew up.

“What the fuck was all that about, Eric?”

He sighed and sank into the driver’s seat. “I don’t know. I never expected her to show up and try to sabotage me.”

“She’s a fucking twat.”

“That…is true,” Eric agreed.

“Let’s go back to your place.” Bryna crossed her arms and sank back into the seat. She had a lot to process. She didn’t know what to make of anything Audrey had said. Had she acted like a major bitch because I was now dating her ex-boyfriend? Is anything she had said actually true?

Eric drove back to his house and parked the Jeep. Bryna got out without a word, and he followed her inside. She felt ridiculous, having this conversation in a slutty devil’s costume, but things needed to be said now.

“So…did you say all those things?”

“No.”

“You never called me a slut or the worst human imaginable?”

Eric sighed and ran a hand back through his hair. “Okay. Yes, I said those things, but I didn’t know you then. Once I got to know you, I realized you were nothing like that person.”

“God,” Bryna grumbled. She sat down on the couch and pushed her hands up into her hair. “I’m drunk, and it’s Halloween. I don’t want to be doing this right now.”

“I’m sorry.” Eric sank to his knees before her. He pulled her hands away from her face and stared deep into her eyes. “If I could take back the things I said about you and all the other cheerleaders, then I would. It was a total dick move.”

“I know, I know,” she breathed. “We were both under the illusion that we were different people at the time.”

“Exactly.” He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

“But I don’t get the other stuff. What the fuck is with Audrey? What was she saying about a trust fund?” she asked in confusion.

“That…is complicated.”

“Well, we have all night.”

He nodded and took a seat next to her. “I met Audrey my freshman year and thought she was perfect. I trusted her implicitly from the start. When I blew my knee out, she was there for me every single day. She went to therapy with me. She encouraged me and helped me heal. I’m not sure I would be as strong as I am without her.”

Bryna nodded. “Then, I guess…we’re all in her debt.”

“She would want you to think that. She sure holds that over my head. But she didn’t do it for me. It took me a long time to realize that. Even after I broke up with her, I still went back to her, thinking maybe I was wrong, until she would do something again that made me realize that I was right.”

“Why did she do it?”

“She did it because she wanted a football player. When I decided I wasn’t going to risk playing anymore, she freaked the fuck out.” His voice was soft, as if recalling a recent injury. “She went on a rampage and talked to the coaches, the therapists, my parents—I mean, everyone—begging them to convince me otherwise. She wanted to get her paycheck at the end of all this, and when I refused to give it to her, she turned into a lunatic.”

Bryna’s mouth opened and then closed. On some level, she could see Stacia doing the same thing. “Maybe she just cared about you?”

“No. She cared about herself.”

“Then, why did you keep sleeping with her?” she asked.

“Guilt mostly.” He sighed and looked sad. “In my head, I knew that she was using me. I mean…I knew what she wanted from me at least. But she was there for me. She took care of me. She helped me so much. It’s hard to erase someone like that from your life, especially with a constant reminder from her.”

“I think that makes sense. It’s hard to let go of your past. That is something I’m very aware of.”

He smiled forlornly. “I couldn’t really escape it, so I would say horrible things about people who were after someone for what they had, and I thought you were no different. But when I got to know you over Christmas last year, things changed. Everything changed.” He reached out and stroked her cheek. “You changed my world.”

She smiled. “You changed mine, too.”

“The other thing is…I wasn’t a hundred percent honest.”

She stiffened. “About what?”

“What Audrey said about my trust fund is true.”

“You have a multimillion-dollar trust fund?” she asked in a whisper. It was strange to think she wasn’t even as eager as she once would have been. Her heart would have soared with her good fortune, but this was Eric. He could have had nothing, and she would still love him.

“Yeah.” He awkwardly looked away. “It’s weird to talk about. It’s not really me. But my family is big money oil. They have been for generations.”

“Oil,” she whispered.

“Yeah. There’s a good chunk of land in the middle of nowhere with my name on it.”

Bryna laughed. Once she started, she couldn’t stop.

Eric looked at her warily. “Why are you laughing?”

“I have no idea. It’s just…you have a trust fund?”

“Yeah?”

Bryna wiped her eyes where tears were forming. “I find that hysterical. After all this shit I’ve gone through, somehow, I ended up with someone wealthy.”

Eric stiffened. She realized how harsh her words sounded as soon as they had come out of her mouth. That wasn’t how she had meant them.

She reached out and grabbed his hand. “It was never about the money. I have money. Digging was about power and control. What I realized was that I didn’t need that at all. I needed an equal. I have no interest in your money. I love you. I loved you before. I love you now. I’d love you penniless.”

He raised his eyebrow. “Really?”

“Well, I’d give you a few pennies, but yes. This doesn’t change anything. You’re still you. I’m still me. We’re still us.”

He smiled. “I like that.”

“Me, too,” she said before kissing him.

The next morning, Bryna awoke with a wicked headache. Whatever had been in that Hunch Punch was something fierce. She swallowed down what felt like a bottle of Tylenol and a gallon of water. After a few extra hours of shut-eye, she felt mostly whole again.

Eric was downstairs, studying, when she resurfaced.

“What time is it?” she said.

He checked his watch. “Two.”

“Jesus.”

“Yeah. I was going to come wake you, but you seemed like you needed the sleep.”

“Thanks.” She took a seat next to him at the table.

“Margaritas?” he offered.

She laughed. “I know it’s Sunday, and I’m all for our margarita Sunday, but I think I’m going to have to pass.”

His eyes met hers across the table, and she saw fear reflected back to her.

“What?”

“I’m sorry about last night,” he said. “I know we’re good now, but Audrey shouldn’t have said those things, and I should have told you sooner about my parents.”

Bryna gave him a rueful smile. “How exactly would you have brought that up? ‘Oh, P.S., Bri, my parents own big oil in Texas.’”

“Uh…yeah, that’s about right.”

“You shouldn’t have to worry about talking money to me. I don’t need to know how much you’re worth because I already know your real worth. And Audrey was just jealous.”

“I’m glad you feel that way, but I’m still sorry.” He reached across the table and gave her a kiss.

“You can stop apologizing. You have no reason to apologize, and I don’t need an explanation from you. We’re on the same page.” She nodded her head, as if that was the end of the conversation. “I do, however, have something I want to talk to you about.”

“Should I be worried?” he joked.

“Horribly.”

He made a face at her.

“I think I know what I want to do with the money and jewelry that Hugh gave me while we were together, and I was wondering if you could help me. That relationship is totally over, and I don’t want that money and guilt hanging between us any longer. You know?”

“I know what you mean.” He arched an eyebrow, suddenly curious. “What do you want to do? I don’t think he’s going to take any of it back.”

Bryna shook her head. She didn’t think so either. Actually, she knew he wouldn’t. If he could toss a Harry Winston necklace over a balcony and return the check for the house without hesitation, she knew that he wouldn’t take the money back now.

“I don’t think so either.”

“Then, what?”

“I thought I would donate it to charity in his name. Does that sound dumb?”

Eric’s face lit up. “No. That sounds like a great idea.”

“I’ve thought about a few charities, but I really don’t know which one to pick.”

“Hmm.” Eric sat back and contemplated it for a minute. Then, something struck him, and he jolted forward. “Did you ever find out how his wife died?”

“Um…yeah. Breast cancer.”

Eric nodded at her as if that were her answer.

“Oh! That’s perfect. You’re right. I’ll donate the money through him in his wife’s honor. It won’t make what I did better,” she acknowledged, “but maybe it will show him that I did care and didn’t mean to hurt him like that.”

Eric smiled at her and kissed her knuckles. “Look at you. All grown-up.”

She laughed. “Not entirely, I think, but I don’t want this hanging over my head. Hugh is a decent man. He deserved better.”

“There’s nothing you can do about the past. Do what you can to make yourself feel better now that you’ve moved on, and everything else will fall into place.”

“You’re right.”

Her phone buzzed in her purse, pulling her away from their conversation.

“It’s been buzzing on and off all morning,” Eric told her.

“Weird.” She picked up her phone and saw that her dad was calling. “Oh no.”

“What?”

“It’s my dad.”

“Is that bad?”

She bit her lip and steeled herself for this conversation. She needed to be hard to hear what he was about to say because she could almost guarantee he was going to cancel on her. There was no other reason for him to call her the weekend before homecoming.

“Hey, Daddy,” she said.

“Hey, sweetheart! How are you?”

Bryna took a deep breath. “Good. Just get it over with.”

“Get what over with?” he asked.

“You know, just go ahead and tell me you’re canceling.”

“Bryna,” her dad said softly, “I’m not canceling.”

“You’re not?” She couldn’t keep the surprise from her voice.

“No, and I’m sorry if you think the only reason I call you is with bad news.”

“We don’t exactly have the best track record.”

He sighed. “No, we don’t, but we’ll work on that. I actually called because I wanted to let you know that the whole family is going to come up on Thursday for homecoming. Celia, Lacey, Kacey, and baby Zoe, of course, are all going to come up with me. We thought that we could meet you and Pace at the condo and have a dinner with just us family.”

“Really?” she asked.

She wasn’t sure if she could quite process this. Her dad wanted to have dinner with the whole family, and he was coming to homecoming to see her.

“Yes, I think it would be fun. I haven’t seen you or Pace since school started, and I thought we could spend time together.”

“Can my boyfriend come?” she asked without thinking.

Eric’s head popped up, and their eyes met across the table. Maybe proper etiquette would have been to ask Eric first if he wanted to come and meet her dad, but it was too late now.

“Boyfriend? I didn’t know you had a boyfriend. You haven’t mentioned anyone since Gates—”

“Yep, new guy. His name is Eric.”

“Well, sure. Tell Eric he’s invited. I’d like to meet the guy who is dating my daughter.”

She laughed. “Sounds good, Daddy. See you on Thursday.”

She hung up the phone and shrugged. “I guess you’re meeting the fam this week.”

“WHY ARE YOU FIDGETING?” Bryna asked.

She brushed her hand down the front of Eric’s button-down shirt. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and he had on a pair of dark wash jeans. He looked down at her with his hazel eyes, trying to conceal his worry.

“Seriously, I never guessed you would be afraid of meeting the rest of my family.”

“It’s more your dad.”

“My dad?” She raised her eyebrows. “What about him?”

“Between football and his movies, he’s a legend!”

Bryna laughed and pushed him away. “He’s just my dad. Football was a long time ago. You of all people should know that football doesn’t define who you are.”

“What about the movies?”

“He’s good at what he does,” she acknowledged, “but he’s still just my dad. You should be more afraid that I’m introducing you as my boyfriend to my dad.”

“Okay. Now, I’m more nervous.”

She shook her head and dragged him out of his house. Her heels clicked against the tile, and she tucked her dark pink skirt underneath her as she slid into the passenger seat of his Jeep.

Bryna and Eric arrived at the condo early. Her dad was still a good fifteen minutes away as they walked up to the front door. Bryna felt weird about knocking on the door to the place where she used to live, but this was Pace’s place now. Just another reason she didn’t want to walk inside.

Eric knocked for her, realizing she was just going to stand there, staring. He kissed the top of her head while they waited. Pace opened the door a minute later. He looked between them, grunted, and then turned away.

They followed him inside. It was crazy to see the transformation of her condo. He had certainly made it into a bachelor’s pad. She shuddered to think how many women had probably wandered in and out of here.

They all stood around in silence. Eric and Pace were still on unsteady ground after Eric had punched him after the Colorado game. Bryna was the last one who wanted to break the tension anyway. It was nice to have someone on her side about the whole Pace situation.

Finally, Pace broke the silence, “Have you heard from Stacia?”

“I live with her.”

“Yeah, I know. I mean…has she asked about me?”

Bryna made a face. Even if Stacia had, she wasn’t about to tell Pace that. “No.”

He clenched his jaw and nodded. “Okay.”

The knock at the door interrupted the awkwardness. Pace walked over and answered it.

Lawrence, Celia, Lacey, Kacey, and another woman holding Zoe, who Celia introduced as the new nanny, all paraded into the condo at once. They were a bustle of hugs and kisses for both her and Pace. Even the twins seemed to have some enthusiasm in their steps. It was probably because they were out of school for tomorrow, which meant no Harmony Prep for a day.

“And this must be Eric,” Lawrence said. He stepped forward and shook Eric’s hand.

“Yes, sir.”

“Eric Wilkins in fact,” Lawrence said with a smile. “You didn’t tell me this, Bryna.”

She shrugged. “Wasn’t sure if you would recognize him.”

“Wasn’t sure?” he asked. “After that impressive national championship win three years ago? How could anyone forget?”

Eric laughed and stared over at Bryna before looking back at her father. “I’m honored that you recognized me.”

“Of course, I did. We’re all proud Gamblers here.”

The guys talked football.

In the meantime, Bryna walked over to the nanny and took Zoe in her arms. “Oh my God, she’s so big.”

Celia smiled and walked closer. “They grow so fast.”

“I didn’t know you were going to have a nanny.”

“That’s all Lawrence. I’d keep her close to me at all times if I could. Even though she’s lucky number four for me, I want her near me. It’s hard being away.”

Bryna bounced her little sister in her arms. Zoe laughed and cooed up at Bryna. “I could see that.”

“How have you been? I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever. It was nice having you home for the summer, you know.”

Bryna didn’t take her eyes from the baby. “It was nice being home, but I’ve been so busy with school and cheer.”

“Of course. Not to mention, a new young man,” Celia said. She eyed Eric and wiggled her eyebrows. “I see you’ve found some of that love that you were asking me about at the hospital.”

Bryna smiled as her eyes fell on Eric, too. He was talking to her dad as if they had known each other for years. She had known he had nothing to worry about.

“Seems I have,” she said.

“Bryna! You didn’t tell me that Eric was coaching,” her father called.

“I didn’t tell you anything actually. Just that he was coming.” She handed the baby off to Celia with a smile and wandered over. “Should I have told you his life story ahead of time?”

“Now, Lawrence, give him room to breathe. You just met him. Don’t want to run him off,” Celia said.

“I don’t mind,” Eric said.

“Well, we do,” Celia said. “We don’t want to be late for our dinner reservation.”

After Celia left Zoe with the nanny, they piled into two cars and drove to a nice steakhouse near campus. It wasn’t a place where many students would go unless their parents were in town. Even Bryna had never actually been there before.

They were seated at a large table for seven with Bryna tucked in between Celia and Eric. Her father and Pace were across from her, and the girls were at the end of the table.

“So, did you two meet during football?” Celia asked.

“Actually, Eric showed me around campus on my visit during my senior year,” Bryna answered.

“What are your plans for the future, Eric?” Lawrence asked, leaning forward.

He gave Bryna a meaningful look, and she almost laughed. It was weird to have people interested in what was going on in her life…with her boyfriend. Her father had never really cared about what happened with Gates, but he had known him for a while, so maybe that didn’t count.

“I’m waiting to hear if I got into grad school for sports management here at LV State next year. I plan on spending two more years coaching with Coach Galloway and then getting a job as an assistant coach for another university when I graduate.”

Her father nodded. “Good goals. Smart.”

“More than Bryna can say,” Pace spat under his mouth.

“Bryna has goals,” Eric said, automatically defending her.

Pace stared him down. “I’d love to hear what her goals are. The last I heard, they were quite…colorful.”

“Pace, don’t be rude,” Celia whispered.

Bryna sighed and shook her head. She had no interest in being baited by Pace. “Yes, I have goals, but we’re not talking about me tonight.”

“I’d love to hear them,” her dad said.

Bryna bit her lip. “Um…”

She still hadn’t told her dad about her interest in film. He didn’t even know she was a film major. She hadn’t been sure how to say it without it coming off poorly. She didn’t want him to think that she wanted his help or that he would need to give her a job or something. Worse, she worried he would be flippant about the entire thing.

“Go on,” Eric said. He squeezed her leg under the table.

“I’m actually a film major,” she said. Her back was ramrod straight.

Her father’s eyes brightened. “Film?”

“Yeah. I’m in history of film this semester and took intro to film last semester.”

“That’s great,” Celia said. “Don’t you think that’s great, Lawrence?”

“What do you want to do with that?” he asked. Dad mode had fled, and director mode had returned.

She hated this. This wasn’t what she’d wanted.

“I don’t know. It’s just something I’m good at,” she said offhandedly.

Eric gave her a stern look. “Bri.”

“I don’t need anyone to make a big deal out of it.”

“I was just curious,” her dad said.

“Directing, okay? I’m interested in directing, but I don’t need help, and it’s just an idea at the moment,” she said in a rush.

Her father broke out into a smile. “That’s great!”

“It is?”

“I always hoped you would be interested in directing since you never took to acting. Plus, I would never want you to get into acting. You always seemed more interested in the behind-the-scenes anyway. Makes me proud to know you want to do this, too,” he said.

His smile was broad, and she saw…admiration in his eyes.

“Really?”

“Absolutely. I understand you wanting to make it in Hollywood yourself. I was exactly the same way. But if you need something, I’m here,” he said.

“Thank you,” she breathed, relieved.

The rest of dinner went off without any more awkward exchanges. Even Pace seemed to loosen up. He still disagreed with Eric and didn’t seem comfortable, but it was the best they could get at the moment. It made her happy that not only had she been able to get everyone in one place, but they also all liked Eric, and she had even confided in her father about film. A lot of big steps in one dinner.

Her father paid the check and then drove back to the condo. Bryna had classes in the morning, so she and Eric were planning to leave early.

“Bryna, do you mind if I have a word with you before you go?” her father asked.

“Uh…sure,” she said, looking at Eric.

He smiled. “Don’t mind me. I’m going to play with Zoe.” He took her from Celia and rocked her in his arms.

Bryna’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe how small Zoe looked in his huge arms.

“Okay. It’ll just be a minute.”

Bryna stepped out the back door with her father. It was dark and beautiful outside. The desert heat was gone and had been replaced with a nippy chill that sank into her through her shirt and skirt. But it didn’t even matter. She was out here with her dad, and she hadn’t been alone with him in a long time.

They were silent for a moment, just content with the other’s company. It had been even longer since that happened. She had always been daddy’s little girl. After the divorce and Celia, things had changed. For the first time…it almost felt like things were coming back together.

“Bryna, I want to apologize,” her father said. He turned to face her.

“For what?”

“Everything. Too much to account for, but especially for homecoming last year. Not to mention, how absent I have been from your life for the last couple of years.”

“Oh,” she whispered in shock.

“I should have been here for you. You wanted me here for homecoming and Christmas the year before. You wanted me to be there for a lot of things. I know I can’t make up for missing those things, but I want to try. I’m sorry. This isn’t the way a father treats his daughter, and I know that now.”

She didn’t have any words. She had never thought this day would come. Things were better between them, but like Bryna herself, her father was stubborn with his apologies.

“I had my head up my ass long before Olivia and I got a divorce. The baby has made me see that my priorities were all out of alignment. With Celia’s help, I realized the damage I did by not being around.” He reached out and held her hands. “I don’t want to wake up and find I don’t have my daughter anymore.”

Tears leaked from her eyes without warning. “You’ll always have me,” she whispered.

“Bryna”—he pulled her into a swift hug—“I love you, sweetheart.”

“I love you, too, Dad.”

He pulled back and wiped the tears from her eyes. “We’re going to make things right between us.”

“I’d really like that.”

“I know your mother hasn’t reached out like this, and I know we’re not on the best of terms.”

Bryna snorted.

“Not on good terms at all,” he clarified. “But I don’t wish bad things for her and you. You’re still her daughter. I don’t want to be completely selfish and keep you from her.”

“I don’t even know the last time I saw Mom,” Bryna admitted.

“She needs a push. I worry I would be in her same place if it wasn’t for Celia. Olivia might not want to see me, but I would go with you to see her if you want. I want my daughter to have a relationship with both her parents, and if you let her, one with Celia, too.”

Bryna swallowed back the tears. “You’d go see Mom with me?”

“Of course.”

“That would mean everything,” she told him.

“Then, it’s settled.”

“I’ve missed you,” she said, grabbing him for another hug.

She suddenly felt so very young, wrapped in her father’s arms. But it was right. Hearing him say that he wanted to mend their relationship meant more than the world to her. It meant she could finally start to heal.