Текст книги "Sharing You"
Автор книги: Molly McAdams
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Текущая страница: 14 (всего у книги 17 страниц)
Kamryn reached over to grab my arm, and I looked back over at her.
“It’s my fault Kamryn had to keep our relationship from you, and for that I’m sorry. I know you can’t think highly of me because of the little you knew about me before. But please, don’t be upset with her about this. Kamryn saved me. And despite how we may come across to people because of how we began our relationship, I will cherish her and love her until the day I die.”
“While that was a well-thought-out speech, sir, you will have to understand why I don’t trust you,” she said after a few beats of silence. “Please put Kamryn on the phone.”
It felt like a weight settled in my stomach as I handed the phone over to Kamryn.
“Barb? . . . I—yes, ma’am.” Kamryn blew out a deep breath as she ended the call and put her phone in her purse.
“What’d she say?”
“That she hoped I knew what I’d gotten myself into, and that she needed time to think about it,” she responded, her voice completely monotone.
“Fuck,” I whispered. “I’m sorry. We can go back to the condo—we don’t have to tell my parents right now.” I leaned forward to put the SUV into gear, and Kamryn sat up as she cleared her throat.
“No. You were right. I want to get all of this over with at once. And your family is already expecting to see you. I know your mom is going to be so upset if you don’t show up. So let’s do this.”
Cupping her cheek with my right hand, I leaned forward and kissed her forehead gently. “I love you.”
“I love you too. Come on,” she said and sat back. “I’m ready. Let’s do it.”
Putting the car in drive, I drove down the last couple streets to Jace’s house and breathed out heavily when I got out of the car. I wasn’t worried. Whatever they said wouldn’t affect me. I’d gone years with them hating whom I was with. I was just terrified of what their response would do to Kamryn.
Walking up to the door, I grabbed her hand, hoping to reassure her, but her body continued to tremble the closer we got. “Breathe, Kam. We’ll get through it togeth—”
The door was flung open, revealing my mom and dad, and Jace with an apologetic expression. My mom glanced down at our joined hands, looked up at me, then over to Kamryn, and screamed excitedly as she threw her hands up and rushed us.
I WATCHED AS my mom grabbed Kamryn’s shoulders hours later and spoke softly to her before kissing her cheek and walking out the front door with my dad. For a few seconds Kamryn stood there looking stunned—like she had all morning—before shutting the door behind them and turning to walk into the living room.
“You okay?” I asked against her forehead before placing a kiss there and wrapping my arms around her.
“Yeah, just . . . so weird.”
“Not what you were expecting?”
She was silent for a few seconds before breathing out. “No.”
“Me neither,” I replied honestly.
I hadn’t known what to expect. Even with my mom pushing girls I’d grown up with on me whenever she saw me, I still hadn’t known how she’d react to Kamryn. I didn’t know if she’d look at her the same way I knew Kamryn’s aunt Barb was judging me. I didn’t know if she’d let this change the way she’d come to know Kamryn. And I didn’t know if Mom would accept her the way she’d accepted Kinlee. But I definitely hadn’t been expecting my mom to thank Kamryn.
It hadn’t been hard to guess that my parents would be happy with the news that I was divorcing Olivia. My dad—who had always been a man of few words—simply smiled and nodded his approval. And my mom began crying before turning to Kamryn and thanking her. She hadn’t wanted to know the details, she was just happy that Kamryn had come into my life and given me the motivation to get myself out of my life with Olivia.
“Kace—um, Kamryn . . . sorry, that’s still hard to get used to,” Jace began, and I moved so I could pull Kamryn’s back into my chest. “You have to understand something. It’s not that any of us wanted Brody to have an affair, and it’s not that any of us are really happy that this is how the two of you started. But Kinlee and I already love you, and honestly, knowing you and knowing Brody, I can’t think of any two people more perfect for each other. And I know all you’ve ever heard was that we hated Olivia, but it was so much more than that. We all saw what she was doing to him, and we all watched what looked like Brody slowly dying because of her. He never saw us because of what was going on with them, and it was like we were waiting for the day when we lost him too,” he choked out. I looked down and noticed the tears falling down Kinlee’s cheeks.
I hated that I’d put my family through this. I hated that by trying to do the right thing, I’d hurt so many people other than myself.
“So to have someone come into Brody’s life and change him so drastically and bring him back to us . . .” Jace trailed off as he searched for the words to say. “How are any of us supposed to be upset about that?” Kinlee nodded, and Jace continued: “It’s like Mom said: she didn’t want to know the details, because she doesn’t want to think of you that way. And I know Kinlee and I don’t think of you that way. You saved my brother, you saved their son, and that’s the only way any of us want to see it. We love you, Kamryn, end of story.”
Kamryn grabbed and squeezed my hands, where they were resting on her stomach, and nodded a few times. “’Kay,” she managed to choke out.
Jace looked up at the ceiling and blinked back the wetness in his eyes before looking back at us and letting out a loud breath. “Gah. Can we stop with the mushy now? I’m going to spontaneously grow a vagina and have to stay for the girls’ nights with you two if we keep this up.”
Kamryn laughed and wiped at her face, and Kinlee elbowed Jace.
“Can we go back to celebrating the fact that Olivia is gone? Jesus Christ, I’ve been waiting for this moment since Brody went into the Army eight years ago!”
I rolled my eyes, but smirked when Jace winked at me. Kissing Kamryn’s neck, I whispered in her ear, “I’ll get you something to drink,” before releasing her and following Jace into the kitchen.
“I am happy for you, Bro, I hope you know that,” Jace said quietly once we were grabbing beers out of the fridge.
“I know you are. I am too.”
Straightening, he shut the fridge and took a step in the direction of the living room before looking back at me, his face reflecting the sincerity of his next words. “But I wasn’t lying when I said Kinlee and I love that girl in there. You hurt her again, I won’t think twice about beating the shit out of you, big brother.”
Laughing, I nodded and bumped his shoulder as I passed him. “Noted. But you won’t have to carry out that threat.”
“I better not have to.”
Looking at Kamryn talking to my sister-in-law, a calm I hadn’t felt in years settled over me, and I knew I would go through hell and back to make sure I gave that girl the forever I’d promised—the one we both deserved.
18
Kamryn
July 26, 2015
I RELAXED DEEPER into Brody’s side and smiled as we walked through the marketplace downtown almost a week later. Brody had been trying to make up for the time we’d lost in the beginning, so while I’d been working during the weekdays, he’d randomly show up at the shop just to say hi, bring me coffee, or steal a cupcake and a kiss before running errands as he tried to sell his house and everything in it. At night we’d done everything from grocery shopping to going out for coffee to going for a run together, and tonight we were on our first real date.
After a long dinner followed by a movie, we were walking through downtown Jeston looking at the shops and just enjoying being out together. We’d done everything so backward from the very beginning. These dates should have been done then, but they hadn’t been. And somehow, after all we’d been through, it made them that much more special.
Knowing we didn’t have to hide made an indescribable feeling swell inside me. Like I was happier than I’d ever been. Like I was on some high you couldn’t even get from drugs. Like I could do absolutely anything in the world . . . and like, if I stopped touching Brody, all of it would come crashing down around me in a second. This feeling made me want to scream in excitement—and then cry because all the hiding and stress was finally behind us.
“You want to do anything, or do you want to go home?”
I smiled up at Brody and tried to not roll my eyes. “I love being able to be in public with you just as much as you love it,” I said, “but I kind of just want to go back home.” I kissed him quickly and skipped a step ahead of him so I could turn to face him. “I was thinking we could curl up on the couch and watch another movie, or maybe you could feed me something sweet . . .” I trailed off, and his eyebrows rose. “Maybe a shower together . . .”
He grabbed at my waist and pulled me back into his arms, his lips falling lightly onto mine. “All of the above,” he said against my mouth. “Come on, let’s go.”
Brody turned us around to walk in the opposite direction, picking up the pace as we made our way back to his SUV. The entire time we walked he whispered into my ear what he wanted to do when we got home, and by the time we got to the car I was practically running to get inside—and was almost positive we would be skipping the movie and couch time.
“Eager?” he asked, and I winked as I laughed, but the laugh stopped short when I noticed Brody’s expression fall.
“What?” When he didn’t respond, I rounded the front of his Expedition. “Brody, what is it?”
He swallowed hard and looked around us as he tore off the note that had been taped to the driver’s side window.
“What is this?”
“Get in the car, Kamryn.”
“But what—”
“Get in the car first, then we’ll talk about it.”
His tone left no room for discussion, but even still, he put his arm around my shoulders and walked me to the passenger door to let me in before going back to his side and getting in.
“What—” I cut off quickly when he handed me the paper, and I hurried to put my seat belt on when he started up the car and tore out of the parking spot and onto the street. “Jesus, Brody.”
“You know what Olivia looks like, right?”
“Uh, yeah . . .” I said uncertainly, drawing out the word like it was a question. I knew exactly what she looked like, but I didn’t understand. Flipping over the paper, my mouth fell open and I felt dizzy when I read the words.
“Have you seen her at all in the last week when we’ve been out?” Brody asked when we stopped at a light. “Kam, baby, have you?” He turned my head so I was facing him, and then pointed down at the letter. “Don’t worry about the lawyer and court bullshit. I’m not. It’s just, until I saw that, I forgot she’d been to your bakery, and I don’t trust her not to pull some stupid shit with you.”
“I haven’t seen her,” I said breathlessly.
I wasn’t worried about the words on the paper either. After telling Brody to show up on Tuesday for a meeting with their lawyers so they could settle things or she’d take him to court, she ended the letter with:
By the way, cute girlfriend you have there.
xo Liv (your wife)
And like Brody, when I read those words, I remembered that I’d already met Olivia. But my first thought hadn’t been fear that she might try to make my life hell by showing up at my bakery. My first thought was that she knew who I was.
“Brody,” I began, taking deep breaths as I prepared myself to tell him about my past—about Kamryn Cunningham.
“Yeah? Shit, hold on.” He grabbed for his ringing cell phone, and I snapped my mouth shut, taking that as a sign that now wasn’t the time to tell him.
I RAN TO the door of my bakery on Tuesday morning, thankful that today wasn’t one of the days Kinlee and I drove together. But I didn’t know how long this would continue, or if it was even something I should tell her.
We should totally go for drinks . . . you can bring my worthless, cheating husband!
Every day since Saturday morning there had been a note on the front of my bakery from Olivia—Monday there had been two since we were closed on Sundays. Brody knew about them, and every day I’d tried to tell him about my life in Kentucky before I’d moved here. But it never failed that something happened when I started to tell him, and then, when we were talking later, I wouldn’t have the nerve to bring it up. I wanted to keep living as though that time in my life had never existed.
But the more Olivia left me notes, the more I worried she would mention something to Brody.
As of right now, he only knew about Barb, who he still thought was my aunt. Barb had called once since we told her about our relationship, and while it was better between her and me, it wasn’t how it had been. She’d even asked to talk to Brody, and apparently she’d been nice to him. But even Barb thought it was better if everyone in Jeston thought of her as my aunt. She didn’t want me to have to think of my old life any more than I wanted to.
I left it for a reason. It’s not like I’m hiding a criminal history. I just don’t want to be Kamryn Cunningham anymore! And I couldn’t believe I was actually standing outside my bakery with my head to the glass door, trying to justify not telling Brody.
“Uh, KC?”
I rolled my head to the side, still letting it stay on the glass as I turned to look at Grace.
“You going to go in or stay out here?”
“Did you forget your keys?” Andy yelled as he walked across the parking lot.
I held up my keys without responding and looked back at Grace. “It feels like a Monday, and Mondays suck.”
“Oh, my God, is it a ‘Mondays suck’ day?” Andy asked excitedly as he finished running up to us. “Let’s do this!”
I smiled at my employees and unlocked the door to the bakery to let us in.
Sometimes you just need to throw some cake.
Brody
July 30, 2015
“KAM?” I CALLED out over the loud music as I stepped into the bakery. I looked at the large chalkboard with the bright words MONDAYS SUCK . . . SO THROW A CUPCAKE! on it, and shook my head. “Babe!”
Kamryn bounced out of the back room with a large smile on her face, and I couldn’t help but laugh. She didn’t have just flour and icing on her, she had pieces of cake plastered to her arms and glasses, and she couldn’t have looked more adorable if she’d tried.
“Is this helping?” I asked, nodding at the chalkboard.
She sighed happily and leaned up on her toes to kiss me. “Like you wouldn’t believe. Do you want to throw one before you go into the meeting?”
“No, but I’ll probably come back after and throw some.”
“Okay, good, I want to know what happens anyway. So I’ll make sure to save you a few . . . or a dozen.”
I smiled and looked at her meaningfully. “Do you have anything for me today?”
Her happy expression fell, and she jammed her hand into her apron before pulling out a piece of paper covered in red velvet cake. I raised an eyebrow, and she shrugged. “I threw it with a cupcake.”
“God, I love you.” Opening up the letter, I bit back a growl and folded it up before putting it in my pocket. “This is getting ridiculous.”
“There’s something . . .” Kamryn began at the same time I said, “Okay, I need to get going, I’m already running late.”
“. . . I wanted to tell you about Olivia,” she mumbled and looked down at the floor, defeated.
Cupping her cheeks in my hands, I waited until she looked up at me again. “Did she do something to you? Because now is definitely the time to tell me since I’m going into this meeting.”
“No, she didn’t.”
“Okay.” I kissed her hard before releasing her face. “Then tell me when I come back, all right?” Kamryn nodded slowly, and I smirked at her, hoping to see her face light up again. “Throw a cupcake for me. I’ll be back soon. I love you, Kamryn.”
Her lips slowly tilted up until she was smiling wide. “I love you too, Brody Saco.”
“THIS WAS RIDICULOUS,” I whispered. “What was the point of this meeting, Liv, if you were just going to have your lawyer go around in circles about things you both know you have no case on, and then take me to court anyway?”
“I’m sorry,” she choked out, holding a hand up toward me before covering her mouth with it. “I can’t talk to you, it’s just too hard seeing you.”
“Save your tears for the judge. Maybe you will have screwed him too and you’ll have his sympathy.”
Olivia’s eyes darted left and right for a second before shrugging. “No, I don’t think any of the guys were judges.”
“God, this is—do you hear this?” I asked J. Shepherd, who was standing on the other side of the room with my lawyer. “She’s admitting to sleeping with other guys in front of all of us, and you’re still going to play it so she was the victim and I was the cruel husband. Got it. Makes sense to me.”
Olivia slapped her hand on the table. “You’re really going to try to put words in my mouth even now when we’re all in the same room, Brody? My God. Acting like I told you my parents paid off the doctor was one thing, but this is taking it to a whole new level.”
“You fucking said—”
“Don’t go making more accusations when you have no proof of any of these so-called conversations with my client, Mr. Saco. As for just now? I’m afraid I didn’t hear anything,” J. Shepherd said with a shrug and smug grin, and my lawyer just sent me an apologetic look and put his hands up in a gesture showing he hadn’t heard a thing either.
“This is bullshit. I’m leaving.” I stood to go and had just made it around to the other side of the table when Olivia spoke again . . . and stopped me in my tracks.
“Don’t you think the judge will be interested in your little cupcake girlfriend? Poor Olivia, kicked out of her home . . . her possessions taken from her so her husband could buy his girlfriend a bakery.”
“You have got to be fucking kidding me.” Bending down, I rested my hands on the table near her. “You don’t go near her,” I growled low enough that my voice wouldn’t carry. “You hear me?” When Olivia only responded with a slow malicious smile, my hands curled into fists. “Don’t forget I still have all the evidence of you and your boyfriends from when we were still together, and now, thanks to you, I have the notes you’ve been leaving us. What do you have? Kamryn and me out on dates after you and I were already separated? Yeah . . . good luck with that one, Liv.”
“Bro—”
“Do not contact me or Kamryn again. I only want to see or hear from you when we’re in front of a judge. Any more notes or evidence that you were near her bakery or our place, and I will get a restraining order against you faster than you can fuck your way into trying to get me fired again. You ruined the last six years of my life, Olivia, I’ll be damned if I let you touch my life with Kamryn. Stay. The hell. Away.”
Her smirk fell, and she looked to the side. “He’s threatening me!”
Oh, Jesus Christ.
Both lawyers looked at us, but before either could say anything, I straightened up and walked toward them. “Threatening? Hardly. I was simply strongly advising. Isn’t that right, J.?”
J. Shepherd’s face fell before he could compose it, and he looked past me at Olivia. “Olivia,” he said in warning.
I tried to control my shaking as I left the room. I wasn’t worried about them actually finding out and having proof that I’d been having an affair with Kamryn before I filed for divorce. I had enough on Olivia, in addition to the threats her attorney had made on me if I did file, that they wouldn’t be able to get much off the fact that I’d been having an affair too. But I knew Olivia, and I knew how vindictive she was to people she saw as a threat. Even though Olivia didn’t want me just as much as I didn’t want her, Olivia had lost her control over me because of Kamryn—and she knew it. To her, that was exactly what Kamryn was—a threat. And I wasn’t about to let Liv come near Kamryn.
“Mr. Saco,” my attorney called after me. “I know the things you’ve told me, but I strongly suggest you don’t speak with Mrs. Saco unless Mr. Shepherd and I are moderating or we’re in front of the judge. There’s too much she can make up, and we won’t have anyone who can verify either way.”
“I understand.” I nodded in the direction of the room. “All I told her was that I would get a restraining order put on her if she came near my girlfriend or me again. She’s been leaving notes on our cars and on my girlfriend’s place of business. I’ve kept them all, and I’ll scan them and send them to you in the morning. You can let J. know that, by the way.”
My attorney raised one eyebrow, and a small grin crossed his face as he nodded and began backing up toward the room. “Perfect, send me everything. I’ll talk to you in the morning, Mr. Saco.”
Taking off my tie and rolling up my shirtsleeves, I walked quickly to my car. I was done with Olivia. I was done with her family. I was done with their entitled view of themselves because of their money, and the way they could sway people and look down on others because of it. I was just done. I only wanted to get back to Kamryn, throw a fucking cupcake, and go home with her tonight and try to forget all about Olivia until I had to see her in court.
