Chapter 9 #3
Reed’s jaw flexed as he chewed. “As opposed to what?”
With a raised eyebrow, I stated. “That asshole that I know you still have lurking in there,” I explained, pointing towards his chest.
He glanced down his torso with a puzzled expression before lifting his chin. “And you call yourself a doctor? That’s not where my asshole is.”
I full-on belly-laughed, probably for the first time in months, and Reed joined me. We then both finished our sandwiches and looked out at the water.
“There’s enough for seconds.”
As I took the next ham-filled brioche, mirroring Reed’s grin, we both started to reminisce.
“So, the Gazette will be pissed,” I said, placing the cap back on the bottle of Evian.
“Why?”
“That they didn’t get their scoop for the entertainment section. Macy-Jane was counting on getting to meet you.”
Reed took the bottle of water and unscrewed the lid. “Mary-Jane?”
I watched his tanned throat move as he drank. “Yes, a local girl. Tom Piper’s kid. You remember he used to own the hardware store on the corner of Broadway?”
He scoffed, gliding his fingers through his hair with a perplexed look. “Tom Piper had a kid?”
“Yeah. Why so surprised?”
“We all thought he was gay,” Reed admitted with a shrug.
“Why would you think that?”
“He took a liking to Hudson, is all I’m saying,” I remember the brothers used to wind Hudson up after he was hit on by Spencer Harris, a high school guy who was on the football team.
He’d met Hudson at a college game party he’d attended and become overly familiar to the point where Hudson had knocked him over a wall.
The ribbing had gone on for weeks with Phoenix, Reed, and Micah all telling their oldest brother that he just had ‘a quality.’
We were both sitting sideways, and from our banter, it was like we’d never been apart. “Well, Piper must have been straight enough to knock up Mrs. Wallis.”
Reed recapped the bottle of water he’d been holding. “Mrs. Wallis, our science teacher? As in, Beaker?” His astonished expression matched the one I had probably worn when I found out about Tom Piper and Mrs. Wallis.
“Yep.”
“I remember you told her she was incompetent once,” Reed chuckled, and I smiled at the memory.
“Yeah, that got me a weekend detention.”
“I know, I was there.”
“I can’t believe you set the fire alarm off on purpose so you could join me,” I laughed.
“It was worth it,” Reed replied with a wolfish look. I knew exactly what he was referring to. During the thirty-minute break we were given that day, we’d met up in the storeroom. That was the first time I’d let him come in my mouth. He’d returned the favor. Reed had always been a generous lover.
We both shared a look before he flipped the subject. “Anyway, I thought she was a spinster.” A sad thought fluttered into my head as I realized all the things Reed had missed when he went away. There’d been some proper drama over the years.
“You’ve been away too long, Reed. Things change,” I said, taking the bottle from his fingers. The plastic was almost crushed.
Leaning his head back against the rock, Reed replied. “Tell me about it.”
I didn’t want the conversation to be about look what you missed, so I changed the subject. If the chat got too personal, I was screwed. My emotions were all over the place, even more so now.
Nudging his leg with my bared foot, I asked. “So, how’s life in the spotlight then?”
Reed lowered his head and opened his eyes. “It has its ups and downs, but I’m sure you know that.”
I wasn’t a celebrity. “What do you mean?”
“Growing up, you were like Newport Royalty yourself,” Reed pointed out. I couldn’t remember it being quite like that.
“Not the same as an international star, though, is it?”
“It isn’t that different. Sure, the scale is amplified, but the basics are the same.”
I found his voice so soothing. “In what way?”
Moving his body to face mine again, his eyes ran over my face. “Well, life sometimes feels like you’re living it for someone else. Your time isn’t your own. You must always be at your best and be careful what you do, say, eat, and drink.
You’re always looking over your shoulder and spend most of the time conforming to the masses.
High points need to be savored while they last, as it isn’t long before someone or something is dragging you down to rock bottom again.
Life in the public eye is exhausting. Just like being the most popular girl in school, I imagine. ”
I got his point.
“So why do it then? Why not disappear? That’s what I did in college.” I had purposefully kept my head down and worked my ass off, determined not to become one of those society wives, as everyone had expected.
Reed scratched his jaw. “I love playing football. I never wanted the shit that came with it, though. Well, the money is OK, I suppose, but not the fame.”
“You’re such a liar. I’ve seen you on TV and how you are with your fans.”
“It’s all an act, Storm. Surely you can recognize one of those.”
Clearing my throat, I pulled back slightly. “What’s that supposed to mean?
Reed held up a hand. “Don’t get your panties in a twist. I meant, we are all guilty of wearing masks.”
Pulling my legs up to my chest, I glanced out at the water. “I get that. But I’m not. Not anymore. What you see is what you get.”
Reed chuckled as he started clearing up the picnic. “Bullshit.”
I turned back to him, glancing down at his strong hands as he crumpled the bread wrapper in his fingers. “It’s not bullshit, Reed.” The memories of where they had been and how they felt against my body made my tummy flutter.
Shoving the trash into the backpack, Reed lifted his head. “Then why are you marrying someone who was picked out for you as part of a business deal? That isn’t the Storm I know, to be pressured into doing something she doesn’t want to do.”
I swallowed hard before saying. “The choice is mine.”
Reed’s jaw started to tick. “Why? You don’t love him. I would know.”
My eyes narrowed. “And how would you know that? You’ve seen us together twice.”
“I know you don’t share a room at the house. Nix told me.” Phoenix and his big fucking mouth.
“So, that doesn’t mean I don’t love him: Daddy is old-fashioned, you know that.” Fuck the words felt like acid in my mouth.
The aggression in his shoulders softened as he gave me a knowing smile. “I know you don’t love him, Storm, because you don’t look at him the way you look at me.”
Busted.