12. Bex
Chapter 12
Bex
“I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me.” Hurt leaked into Aspen’s tone as her eyes shifted from my engagement ring to a spot over my shoulder where I knew the man who had given it to me was standing near the bar with the guys.
My cover was blown the minute Aaron had shown up. He wasn’t supposed to get in until later tonight. I’d thought I had more time before reality caught up with me.
For as long as I lived, I would never forget the devastation written on Tucker’s face when he realized I was not only seeing someone else but that I was committed enough to marry him. I should have felt vindicated after what he’d put me through, but instead, a soul-crushing sadness settled into my bones. He might’ve hurt me so deeply that there were days it was hard to breathe, but not once had I felt the urge to strike back, to get even.
I ran a hand through my hair. “We’ve been over this. I didn’t want to take any of the focus away from your big day.”
That was only partly true. Aaron had proposed two months ago, and the last thing I wanted was for tonight to become a deep dive into why I’d kept it a secret from my best friend for so long. It was bad enough that the doubts swirling inside my brain multiplied with each passing day.
Aspen’s lips pursed, and her eyes narrowed, almost as if she could see right through me. She probably could. There was no question she knew me better than anyone else in this world. It wouldn’t surprise me if she could tell I was struggling to convince myself that getting married was the right choice.
Harper clapped her hands. “Enough of this. Everyone sitting at this table knows that by tomorrow morning, this whole thing will be water under the bridge, and I’ll be damned if I let you two ruin the only event this week where I don’t have a kid attached to my boob the whole time.”
Reaching across the table, I grabbed Aspen’s hand. “I’m sorry, okay?”
She hummed. “You know I can’t stay mad at you.”
“Okay, now that that’s settled”—Harper extended a hand, curling her fingers—“let’s get a good look at the ring.”
I fought the urge to cringe as I gave in to her demands and let her examine the diamond that felt more like a shackle than a symbol of love.
“Damn, girl. You could feed a small country with this thing,” she declared.
She wasn’t wrong. It was flashy, ostentatious, and nothing I would have ever chosen for myself. Aaron was all about showcasing his success, whether it be the penthouse apartment, the foreign sports cars, or the exclusive club memberships he held. So it hadn’t been a surprise that he expected his fiancée to wear a rock so large you could see it from space.
I withdrew my hand, tucking it under the table, hoping that if it was no longer visible, we could move on to a new topic.
“Not sure why anyone is surprised,” Penny teased from beside me. “You two always did everything together. Only makes sense you’d find yourselves getting married around the same time. ”
She sighed wistfully, peeking over her shoulder. I didn’t have to turn around to know Tripp was back there, and if I were a betting woman, I’d lay odds that his eyes hadn’t strayed from Penny all night.
Aspen groaned, her head thumping against the wood-paneled wall behind her. “I can’t take it anymore!”
Oh boy, here we go.
“What’s wrong?” Penny asked.
Huffing, Aspen gestured wildly between her brother across the room and his best friend seated with us. “For the love of God, please put yourselves out of your misery and go ask him to dance.”
“Who?” Her brow wrinkled.
“Tripp!” The name was said so loud it was a wonder the man himself didn’t run over, thinking he was being summoned.
A flush crept up Penny’s neck. “What? No, it’s not like that between us.”
“Enough!” came Aspen’s frustrated cry. “You’re in love with him.”
Eyes going wide in panic, she spared the briefest of backward glances before hissing, “Shh, he’ll hear you!”
“Good.”
“Good?! What do you mean good?” Penny’s voice rose in pitch. “That would be terrible!”
Aspen let out a weary sigh. “He’s not going to make the first move, so if you don’t, this thing you two have been dancing around since you were kids is never going to happen. Is that what you want?”
Shaking her head, Penny replied sadly, “Of course not. But he’s my best friend. It would kill me to lose him if he even entertained the idea of us dating and it didn’t work out. I can’t take that risk.”
I gripped Penny’s hand underneath the table, offering her my silent support. Her apprehension was valid. Even though we could all see they loved each other, their relationship wasn’t guaranteed to stand the test of time. I knew that better than most, given that my soulmate was currently standing across the room, playing nice with my fiancé.
“I’m ready to leave,” a voice hissed in my ear.
Speak of the devil.
Twisting my head to look at Aaron, I sucked in a sharp breath when I saw the fury blazing in his eyes. It took all my willpower not to crane my neck to see if Tucker was sitting smug at the bar, having been the one to rile him up.
I stood, pressing my hands to his chest. “We’ve only been here for an hour. We can’t leave yet.”
With his jaw clenched, he spoke through gritted teeth. “Outside, Rebecca. Now.”
Heat rose up the back of my neck, but I could sense the fuse on his anger had already been lit, and it wouldn’t be long before he exploded in front of my friends.
“Okay. Give me a minute, and I’ll meet you out there.”
“One minute. Not a second longer.” Aaron turned on his heel, shoving through the crowd until he disappeared down the hall toward the back entrance of the bar.
When I spun around to face my friends, their expressions betrayed they’d been eavesdropping. Penny’s eyes were full of pity while Harper wore a look of pure shock. Then there was Aspen. She was fuming, her skin flushed red, lips turned down in a scowl.
Great, just what I wanted. All attention on me and my subpar relationship.
“I, um.” I hitched a thumb over my shoulder in the direction Aaron had stormed off. “I need to— ”
Aspen cut me off, “Oh, hell no, Bex. He doesn’t get to talk to you like that. I fucking dare him to walk back in here if you are ‘one second late.’ Let him see what happens then.”
She didn’t understand that by following him outside, I was saving myself from being caught up in an even bigger scene than the one they’d already witnessed. Trust me, I was none too pleased that he’d barked at me like a dog, expecting me to obey without question. Though I was coiled tight with tension, I held myself in check, not wanting to misdirect the anger bubbling inside me toward my friends.
“I’ll be right back. Promise.” I didn’t give her any time to argue, practically running for the back door.
The cool night air was a shock to the system, but it did nothing to temper the rage simmering beneath my skin. With my sights set on Aaron, I charged forward.
“You embarrassed me in there,” I yelled, getting up in his face.
Aaron huffed out a disbelieving laugh. “ You’re embarrassed? When I was the one who had to sit there while your friend’s fiancé publicly humiliated me?”
For a moment, I was stunned enough that my anger was put on hold. “What?”
“Fucking Blaze.” Aaron began pacing before me, shoving a visibly shaking hand through his perfectly styled blond hair. “I try to do him a favor by offering a partnership with one of my biggest clients, and what does he do? He not only alludes to them being mafia but goes so far as to threaten to burn every bridge I might even think of crossing in the future.”
Go Mac. If he weren’t the one footing the bar tab tonight, I’d buy him a drink.
“So, you thought it was a good idea to take out your frustrations on me?” I pressed a finger to my chest. “Like I’m somehow guilty by association? ”
Aaron paused his restless motion, eyes narrowed on where I stood. “I was disrespected, and I will not stand for it. You need to pick a side.”
My fists clenched, and I seethed, “Are you seriously asking me to choose between you and my friends?”
Unbothered, he lifted a shoulder. “I don’t know why you’re acting like it’ll be a difficult decision. They’re your past. I’m your future.”
“You’re unbelievable.” The words came out muttered under my breath.
“I don’t care for your attitude. It doesn’t suit you, Rebecca.”
The detonator went off. “Rebecca doesn’t exist here! Bex does. And if you don’t like it, then you can leave.”
He scoffed. “You’re acting as childish as that nickname.”
Folding my arms across my chest, I lifted my chin defiantly. “I’m staying.”
“Whatever.” Aaron shook his head. “Don’t expect me to wait up for you.” Without another word, he weaved through the cars parked in the dark lot and out of sight. Within minutes, a car ignition sounded, and headlights flashed on, moving toward the street.
His presence carried a heavy weight, so his departure came with relief. Though that feeling was short-lived when I heard footsteps behind me.
Expecting Aspen demanding an explanation, my shoulder drooped as I turned around. “Listen, I’m—”
The apology died on my tongue when my eyes lifted from my feet to find Tucker standing opposite me. I knew instantly he’d been witness to the entire fight.
Fuck my life.
Completely drained, I sighed. “Is this the part where you judge my terrible taste in men? ”
He stuffed both hands into his jeans pockets and rocked back on his heels. “Would be pretty foolish if I did.” The implication that, in doing so, he’d be insulting himself was left unsaid.
“If it’s all the same to you, I’d like to go back inside.”
“Of course.” Ducking his head, he extended an arm, signaling for me to precede him.
Mac and Aspen were waiting right inside the door, wearing identical expressions of concern. Embarrassment coursed through me, and I found myself blinking back the tears that came along with it.
Aspen pulled me in for a hug as Mac tried to apologize. “Shit, Bex. If I’d have known he was going to take it out on you . . .”
“It’s okay.” I offered him a weak smile.
“No, it’s not,” Aspen declared firmly. “I can’t believe he had the audacity to call you childish when he was the one throwing a temper tantrum because someone called him out on his bullshit.”
So much for hoping they hadn’t heard any of that.
God bless him, Tucker put an end to the conversation. “Probably best that we get the guests of honors back to their party.”
Peeking back at him, I mouthed, Thank you .
“Go. We’re right behind you.” I shooed the happy couple who were reluctant to leave.
Once they were out of sight, my knees finally gave out, and I sagged against the wall.
With my eyes closed, I said to Tucker, “You don’t need to stay with me. I just need a minute.”
“I’ve got nowhere better to be. Take all the time you need.”
His silence as we stood there shocked me. I expected him to ask a million questions the minute we were alone. Chief among them: why was I with a guy who treated me as badly as Aaron had ?
Honestly, I was used to Aaron’s condescension. It was no secret he thought he was better than everyone. And while I’d been witness to his temper at work—when deals didn’t go his way—it had never been trained on me before. Tonight was the first time either of us had raised our voices at each other.
Perfect fucking timing.
A finger brushed mine, and my eyes flew open. Turning my head to the side, I found Tucker watching me.
“Bex suits you perfectly.” His words were said so softly that if I hadn’t seen his lips moving, I might’ve believed I had imagined them.
Without conscious thought, my fingers tangled with his. “Thank you.”
He shoved off the wall, tilting his head toward the open end of the hallway. “You ready to go back out there?”
I hummed in the affirmative. “Might need a drink to take the edge off, though.”
“You still on the pain meds?”
“Haven’t taken one since this morning.”
“Good.” He nodded. “If you can promise you won’t take another until tomorrow, I’ll happily get you that drink.”
“Deal.”
Bex was living on borrowed time. Soon, Rebecca would take her place permanently. Might as well make tonight her final hurrah.