Chapter 36
DERRICK
“Ican’t believe you’re leaving. I’m going to miss you, boo,” I tell Isla, giving her a big hug.
She’s getting ready to move halfway across the world to Spain to be sexy Sebastien’s assistant.
We’ve just had her going-away party, except there were two noticeable people missing, her brother and Finn.
Conveniently, they were in New York looking for commercial space for Dirty Texas Records and couldn’t attend Isla’s going-away party, but Oscar will be back to take her to the airport.
When we got back from Europe, I caught up with Isla and asked her how things were with Finn. That’s when she confessed that he told her his secret, and she knows that I know. Honestly, I was relieved not having to keep Finn’s secret anymore.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t tell.”
“I can’t imagine how hard it was for you to keep that a secret for so long,” Isla says.
“It was so hard. I told him so many times that he needed to tell you, and then when I found out about Monaco, I was prepared to cut his balls off for you. That was my greatest fear for you stumbling upon his secret,” I explain to her.
“It was a shock,” she confesses.
“A hot one?” I tease.
“In hindsight, yes, in the moment, no. My brain couldn’t compute what I was seeing. Then I was angry.”
“Don’t blame you. It was so hard seeing you heartbroken and not being able to talk to you about it. Me telling you when you were so hurt that I knew wasn’t going to help the situation. Also, you two needed to work it out.”
Isla sips her drink. “I would have blown up at you, D, if you had confessed that you knew. It was so lonely holding this secret in and not being able to talk to anyone about it. I don’t even know who knows, now?”
“Only Stacey, Oscar, and I know, not sure about his brothers,” I tell her.
“You and Finn, never?” Isla asks cautiously.
“Never!” I reassure her. “Look, Finn is hot, and I joked before I knew his secret, but once I found out about it, there was no way I would ever do that to you, baby girl.”
“I know, D, it’s just … you know.”
“I get it. Look, Finn has never flirted, nor has he ever done anything inappropriate with me at the club.” I want to make sure she understands that.
Isla reaches out and touches my hand. “Thanks, D. I just …” She lets out a long sigh.
“You don’t have to say a thing, I get it.”
She gives me a warm smile. “Guess I wouldn’t be surprised if you had, seeing as our friends have been known to bed hop amongst each other.”
My eyes narrow on her. Which people is she talking about?
I need to know. “Are you talking about Oscar and Stacey?” It’s a stab in the dark because they are the freakiest out of the group, but I don’t know who they would have hooked up with.
Wouldn’t have been Finn? No, Stacey would never do that to Isla.
“Right? Can you believe she’s hooked up with Axel, Jackson, and Olivia!
When Finn told me, I couldn’t believe it, and the fact that Stacey has kept it to herself.
Oscar was hardly going to tell me.” She chuckles, rolling her eyes.
That cheeky bitch. We are going to have words, and then she is going to have to give me details, lots of them, as is Olivia that saucy minx.
“Guess everyone was feeling frisky in Monaco.” Monaco!
This happened then? That’s been months, and Stacey has been keeping this a secret since then.
I’m hurt. I thought we were friends. “It must have been good for Axel to be hung up on Olivia like he was.” Isla laughs.
“Olivia definitely put a spell on Axel.” I smirk. “I haven’t been told specifics, just that it was a wild night, but do you think Olivia and Stacey …”
Isla is nodding. “Yep. They did. Finn said his brother told him it was the hottest thing he’s ever seen. Apparently, Stacey’s hooked up with Axel loads of time before Monaco.” Stacey and Axel! My mind is blown. “I don’t know when Jackson joined the picture.”
“You haven’t hooked up with anyone else?” I ask her, because I wouldn’t be shocked now after this bit of tea has been dropped.
“What! No. One, Oscar would kill them, two, I couldn’t do that to Finn, and three, they are like brothers to me. Only people in the group-ish are Tyler and Wes.”
“Tyler is so cute.” I gush.
“He’s a sweetheart under all that ego and tattoos.” She chuckles. “How are things with Chance?”
“I don’t hate the guy, just not going to date him. The boy has his demons,” I tell her.
“Those demons being drugs,” she says quietly.
“He never did them around me, but I wasn’t stupid nor blind, I could tell when he had taken them. He wasn’t himself,” I explain.
“Well, I’m glad you two aren’t dating anymore. You deserve more, someone who doesn’t have an ego.”
I chuckle. “Not sure where I’m going to find one of them in Hollywood.”
“So true. I’m kind of glad to be leaving this place for a while, it has a funny way of chewing you up and spitting you out if you let it, and I feel like that was me.”
“Are you telling me I should get on the next plane to Europe?” We both burst out laughing.
“I’m going to miss you too,” Isla says, hugging me tightly.
“I’m only a phone call away,” I remind her.
She nods. “And I’m going to keep an eye out for hot, eligible Spanish men for you.”
“You’d better. I’ll be on the next flight over to see you when you do.” I chuckle.
Tears well in Isla’s eyes. “I’m doing the right thing, aren’t I?”
“Yes! You can always come home, but you will never know if you don’t go. What’s the worst that can happen? You sleep with a hot Spanish chef.” I smirk, nudging her shoulder.
“I would never sleep with my boss,” Isla chastises me.
“Really?” I ask, raising a brow at her. Think she is forgetting Finn is technically her boss.
“Fuck.” She curses. “I won’t sleep with Sebastien.”
“I’m only teasing. Have fun, babe, please.
Go explore Europe and find what you’re looking for.
Look at Sienna and me, if we hadn’t accepted Vanessa’s request to help with the Dirty Texas tour, I wouldn’t be working in Hollywood as a stylist, nor own one of the hottest clothing stores in town with my bestie.
Imagine where your life could be in a couple of months, or six months, or a year.
You don’t know what the universe has planned for you.
Take this opportunity and run with it, the worst that can happen is you get to live in Spain and eat amazing food cooked by a handsome man. ”
“You’re right. I’m overthinking everything,” Isla states.
“Look, it’s scary, but you are strong enough to do this, Issy.
I have faith in you. Also, Finn isn’t going anywhere.
If anything, you not being at his beck and call might make him finally do something about his feelings toward you.
” She gives me a ‘Yeah, right,’ look. I have hope.
Finn loves Isla, but he loves Oscar, too, not in that way.
He probably couldn’t have done anything sooner because of the band.
He wouldn’t have done anything to jeopardize that, but now that they are retired as a fivesome, maybe he can finally grow the balls to tell Oscar that he is in love with his sister.
“Well, I have hope, the old romantic that is buried inside of me thinks that when he sees you again, he is going to declare his love for you and be on one knee.”
Isla’s face falls. “You can’t tell anyone,” she whispers. I am all ears. “When we were in England, he asked me not to go. He asked me to take a chance on us. He was ready to commit.” I had no idea. “Finn asked me to marry him.”
I gasp. What in the … I’m confused. Isn’t this what she has always wanted? “What happened?”
“I told him that I needed to go. That we both needed this, and he said he would always love me, and he would wait.”
Ah, that’s sweet. I can’t believe he did that, and she said no. I’m proud of her. If she had said yes, I’m not sure he would have delivered on his promises to her, he just didn’t want her to go because she’s never been far before.
Her brows pull together. “As much as I wanted to believe him, D, he’s not going to change. Look at the images of him and my brother in New York.”
Honestly, I’m disappointed in Finn, especially after what Isla just confessed.
He really needs to get his shit together because if he keeps pushing Isla away for the sake of his relationship with Oscar, then one of these days he’s going to push her too far and she’ll be gone.
I mean, her moving halfway across the world is the first step, but his stupid loyalty to his best friend is getting in the way of his happiness, and he keeps making stupid decisions.
“I’m so fricken proud of you for standing up for yourself. He hasn’t changed in the fifteen years you two have been hooking up, but maybe this time he will be different. Absence will make the heart grow fonder and his balls will grow bigger so he can tell Ragnar that he’s in love with his sister.”
“Doubtful,” Isla says, rolling her eyes.
“Oscar does have Stacey now, and he seems to have calmed down. They’re moving in together, that’s a big step. She told me that he missed her when she was in Australia. He picked her up from the airport. Who the hell goes to LAX on purpose? Except a man in love.”
“Maybe Stacey can work on my brother while I’m gone. Let him release the overprotective reins.”
“Oh, I’m sure she will work on him,” I say, wiggling my brows.
Isla makes a face. “Ew, D,” she says, playfully hitting me.
“Those two are kinky freaks, you know I’m right.”
Isla shudders with repulsion at the thought.
“Isla seems happy,” Stacey says as we catch a moment alone together by the fire in Vanessa’s backyard.
“This will be good for her. Sucks I’m losing you to the dark side,” I say, nudging her shoulder as I take a sip of my wine.
“I’m only going to be next door on alternate days to help out.”
“Bet Ragnar can’t wait to role-play boss and assistant in his office,” I tease, bursting out laughing.
“We don’t do anything at work, I am a professional.”
“Didn’t stop Evan and Sienna,” I remind her.
“They are married, and she had pregnancy hormones that made her crazy,” Stacey adds.
True. We had to go through it a second time with them, at least I was prepared. Poor Christian, he’s been copping it from Vanessa, but now she’s bigger, things seem to have slowed down.
“Can you imagine how horny you would be if the Viking knocked you up?”
“Derrick! Don’t you ever wish that upon me.” Stacey gasps.
I turn and look at her. “Do you not want kids?”
“Not right now and not with Oscar.”
“What about with Axel or Jackson?”
Stacey stills. “Excuse me?”
“I can’t believe you never told me,” I whisper-shout at her as I take another sip of wine.
“How do you know about that?” Stacey glares at me.
“So, it’s true?”
“Yes, but it was supposed to have been a secret,” Stacey warns me.
“My lips are sealed,” I say, pretending to lock them away. “Now tell me what happened, I want all the details. How did it start?”
She rolls her eyes. “I confessed to Oscar I had fantasized about a threesome, and Oscar surprised me with Axel and …”
“And what!” I exclaim. Imagine Axel Taylor being your naked surprise.
“And I had the best time.” She grins, lucky bitch.
“Tell me that man has a golden dick. Axel seems like he knows how to fuck.”
“He does.” She giggles, and I’m so jealous of her, but also, good for her, you get that hot dick. “Jackson’s pretty good too.” Stacey winks at me. That bitch.
“Military men with that ‘Yes, ma’am’ talk make me weak.” I groan.
“I seem to have collected all the silent, brooding types.”
“Guess you have a type.” I laugh.
“Guess I do.”
“Things with Oscar are good?” I ask her.
“Sure, hope so as I’m moving in with him.”
“And how do you feel about that? Especially after the photos of him in New York with Finn,” I ask.
“He said nothing happened, and I have to believe him.” She shrugs, sipping her beer.
“Do you have an open relationship?” I question her.
“At the club we do, outside of it, no, especially now that I am moving in. There was a moment with Jackson that kind of changed things between us, Oscar got jealous as he walked in on Jackson and me …”
“Fucking?”
Stacey nods. “Jackson dropped something off at my place after work. We had some wine, and one thing led to another, and we ended up in bed together. Oscar, who had a key to my apartment, walked in and found us. Things blew up, and I guess that was the moment we defined what we were and set boundaries.”
“And you’ve been keeping this from me this entire time?”
Stacey gives me a look. “I’m a private person.”
“You’re a vault.”
“And you have a big mouth,” she says, glaring at me. This is true. I don’t mean to, but things slip out. I also have a terrible sense of FOMO, which fuels me. I’m a work in progress.
“I understand.” I pout as I sip my wine.
“I’m guessing you know about Olivia then …” she asks.
“Maybe …” I answer.
“Then you know all my dirty secrets.” Stacey grins.
“Really?” I say, arching a brow.
“Really. If I create some more, I promise I’ll tell you.” Stacey chuckles as she nudges me with her shoulder.
“You promise?” I turn and look at her.
“Pinky promise,” she says, holding up her little finger for me as we shake on it.