Chapter 13 Sophie #2
My cheeks heat, and I’m thankful they can’t see me. Elijah comes up behind me, his lips close to my ear as he brings the necklace around my neck. “I saw this and couldn’t help but think about how beautiful you’d look in it.” I melt from the heat of his breath, his lips grazing my ear slightly.
I pull my hair around so he can fasten it. “You shouldn’t have,” I say, smiling from ear to ear because it really is gorgeous.
It’s not about the money, though I know it was probably expensive. It’s about the thought. Opals are my birthstone.
“That’s not all,” Benny says as he offers me a small box too. I open it to see a matching pair of shell earrings.
“Really?”
He smirks. “Couldn’t let Eli take all the credit.”
“It’s not a competition over here, Benny.” Elijah huffs.
“Keep telling yourself that.”
Matthew laughs as I take the earrings out and put them in.
Benny moves my hair out of the way, the gesture not all that strange or unlike something a friend would do. But it’s the look in his eyes that is anything but polite.
“Mmm, Eli was right. You do look stunning,” he says with a grin as he leans in to whisper in my ear. “I bet you’d look just as pretty in nothing but those earrings. Sucking off boy wonder over there.”
I blush six shades of red as I look at Matthew, who’s smiling from ear to ear.
“Oh! I have one too!” he says, reaching into his pocket and bringing out another box. I look back at Benny who smirks at me like he didn’t just say the dirtiest things in my ear.
Fucking bastard.
“Allow me.” Matthew clears his throat. He presents the box to me with a grin. “For Princess Sophia.”
Benny rolls his eyes.
I take the box from Matthew, opening it to find a matching ring. It’s small and dainty, the shell the focal point, but there are still little diamonds on the silver band.
“It’s…”
Matthew takes it out of the box, grinning gleefully.
“Now you have the full set,” he says, grasping my hand.
I freeze as he squeezes my hand before sliding it over my ring finger.
It’s a little snug, likely because of the swelling from all the salt I’ve consumed since I’ve been here, what with all the seafood and other delicious things.
But the moment Matthew’s thumb brushes my knuckle, I feel tears come to my eyes.
It’s just a ring. It’s not an engagement ring or anything. But…it feels like it’s more than just a ring. It feels like a promise. A vow of some sort.
“Thank you,” I say.
Elijah smiles at me. “Now you have something from each of us,” he says softly.
I hear his words, but they sound like he’s saying something else. Acknowledging something I don’t quite understand, but want to all the same.
“You guys ready for dinner?” Sam says, breaking our spell.
“Abso-fucking-lutely,” Benny says, throwing his arm around my brother. “I’m starving.”
Sam shakes his head. “You’re always starving. Raegan’s convinced you have a tapeworm.”
Matthew laughs as Elijah says, “More like a brain worm.”
I shake my head as Raegan and the bridesmaids make their way over to us, followed by my parents and hers as well as our relatives. I stare at them all for a moment, the large group that we are. All of us here to celebrate my brother and Raegan.
My mother catches my gaze. “You look lovely, Sophie,” she says sweetly as I thank her. Her eyes flash to my neck. “That’s a lovely necklace. It suits you.”
“Thanks,” I say. “Elijah got it for me.” I give him a smile and note the blush in his cheeks.
“Always such a thoughtful friend,” she says, smiling at him.
Friend.
The word hurts more than it should, all things considered. Because as far as anyone knows he is my friend. So is Benny. And Matthew, but…
The word friend doesn’t feel like it fits anymore.
But the word boyfriend doesn’t quite fit either.
Are they all my boyfriends? How does that even work? I know we haven’t exactly discussed this in depth, but boyfriend doesn’t feel right either…
“Table’s ready,” Aunt Susan says, and with that, we follow her into the restaurant to our over-sized table that is set to the nines.
Elijah moves to pull out my chair, but Matthew beats him to it, claiming the seat next to me while Elijah gets the other side.
Benny sits across from me, next to Sam. Everyone else fills in—the bridesmaids, our parents, family members.
Soon the table’s full and the waiters are filling our waters and taking our drink orders.
I’m just starting on my glass of wine when I hear my name.
“Sophie…”
No. There’s no way. I hurriedly pull my phone out, pulling up my text thread, thinking maybe I might have missed something. But no. No texts from anyone outside my family or the guys…
“I’ve been looking all over for you, sweetheart.”
The world stops around me as I slowly turn to see my fiancé. Ex-fiancé.
Keaton.
I feel Elijah’s hand on my thigh, gripping me underneath the table. Matthew lets out a curse under his breath, and Benny turns to look in the same direction.
“Keaton,” I say, trying to keep my resolve.
What the fuck is he doing here?
“Hey,” he says as he looks at me with laser focus.
“So you’re Keaton.” My mother sighs. “Honestly, Sophie, you didn’t tell me he was such a looker.”
Keaton smiles that perfect rich-boy smile and I want to throw up.
“In the flesh, Mrs. Martin. It really is lovely to finally make your acquaintance.”
He saunters toward us and I feel like I want to crawl into a hole as the truth comes flashing back, the memory of our love, our life. His cock in that girl’s ass on our bed.
He leans close to me, his lips brushing my ear. “Can we talk somewhere?”
My body shakes—with fury, anxiety and shock.
“Absolutely not,” Elijah says, his voice darker than I’ve ever heard it.
“Take it easy, Eli,” Benny warns.
“I—”
“I don’t mean to interrupt, obviously, I just need to talk to Sophie for a moment.” Keaton flashes a glare at Elijah. “And who are you? Some cousin or—”
“Back up now, asshole,” Elijah says.
Matthew leans closer to me. “You don’t have to talk to him,” he says. “If you don’t want to.”
“Why on earth would she not want to talk to her fiancé ?” my aunt asks. “I mean, the man must have braved hell to get here if he was so sick.”
Keaton raises his eyebrows. “Sick? I wasn’t sick, I—”
“Five minutes,” I say, picking up my napkin and pushing away from the table if only because I need to get away from this moment. Before everything comes crashing down.
“Over my dead body,” Elijah says as Matthew curses.
“Eli, sit the fuck down,” Benny snaps.
I push my chair in as Keaton grabs me by the elbow to lead me out.
“It’s fine, Elijah, I—” I look at him, noting the pain there. The guilt. I clutch my shell necklace, rubbing it as I implore him with my gaze. “I promise it’ll just be a few minutes.” I push away from Elijah and nod for Keaton to lead us. “I’ll be back in a few…go on, order without me.”
And with that I follow Keaton into the lobby, but I hear the screech of chairs behind me and cursing that tells me the guys are not far behind. Keaton and I don’t have much time.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I bite out.
“I came to apologize. Obviously,” he says, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
“Apologize? You want to apologize? For what? Cheating on me?” I ask in a hushed whisper.
“It was an accident, Soph. I can explain—”
“An accident?” I snap. “What, did you trip and fall and land cock first in her ass? Without a condom? It’s been days, Keaton. You didn’t call, text—”
“It’s not like that, Gail was—”
“Oh, Gail is her name? Well she can call the Wicked Witch and poof herself to hell for all I care.”
“I know I’ve made mistakes, but—”
“You never even called me! Texted me! I told you we were done, I—”
He slips his hand from his pocket and holds up a ring. My ring. My engagement ring.
“I had a lot of time to think, and I think if you just think rationally about this…” He picks up my hand, aiming to slide the ring onto my finger. “You’ll find the truth in your heart. We’re meant to be together, Sophie. You know that.”
I push him away. “No.”
I don’t miss the flash of anger in his eyes.
“I wasn’t asking you, Sophie. I proposed once and you said yes because you love me. Because you want a life with me.”
“I threw that at your head and told you to fuck off,” I say as Elijah, Matthew, and Benny arrive, flanking my sides.
“There a problem here, princess?” Benny asks.
Keaton looks over him with judgment. “Who the fuck are you?”
Benny doesn’t growl or yell like Elijah. He only stands still as a statue and says, “Not the guy who cheated on her.”
Keaton’s eyebrows shoot to his hairline, and he grabs my hand, pulling on it so hard I yelp as he tries to force my ring onto my finger.
I try to push him away, but his grip on me tightens.
“I came here because I knew you needed me,” Keaton says to me. “After all, I am your plus-one.”
“Maybe she doesn’t need your plus-one,” Matthew says. “Maybe we have it all taken care of.”
Keaton scoffs at me. “How many of them have you fucked?” he asks, and my mouth drops open in shock. I hear the crack before I even register Elijah’s fist flying, knocking Keaton in his jaw.
Keaton pushes me and spits out a pat of blood. “Did you feel better when you did it? Like you were getting back at me?” He chuckles.
Matthew steps forward. “Get your hands off her, asshole.”
Keaton shakes his head.
“Get her out of here,” Benny says as Sam comes up to us, his face panicked.
Everything is a blur as Keaton fires back at Benny, and before I know it I hear footsteps and Matthew’s gaze finds mine. “Go!” he roars.
I twist in Elijah’s hold, wanting to pull Keaton off of Benny, but it’s no use. Elijah pulls me the other way. “Benny said to get you to safety, so that’s where we’re going,” he says.
“I can’t believe he showed up here,” I say, shaking my head. “This is my fault, I—”
I hear a yelp and try to turn around, but Elijah keeps walking me. We make it to the elevator and get on, my heart beating a million miles a minute.