Chapter Eleven
Amber
The second I’m through the door, I’m verbally attacked.
“What the fuck was that?” Pippa rages. “Was that Eddie?”
I nod, placing my bag carefully on the desk in the landing. “It was… but why does it matter?” I cautiously ask, noticing how my friend’s face is pinched in frustration, eyes flashing with anger and hostility.
“Because!” she screams, opening her mouth to say whatever is on her mind, but then it’s like you can see a switch go off in her head.
It’s almost as if she has to bite her tongue from saying anything else, blowing out a frustrated breath in the process.
“Because you two broke up. I thought we decided you were done with him?”
“I’ve missed him, Pippa. He’s my person. So, we decided to get back together. We’re still going to go through with the wedding in February.”
“That’s bullshit!” she yells, her face turning an angry red. “You guys are so fucking toxic that it makes no sense for you to keep trying. You’re not right for him. He’s not right for you. It should be over!”
“What the fuck is wrong with you, Pippa? You’re acting deranged and screaming like a lunatic.”
Poppy appears in the living room, grabbing her sister by the hand. “Pippa, calm down. We both know that Amber and Eddie have some magical chemistry no one can deny. They’re toxic and reckless, but they love each other. That should be all that matters.”
Pippa rips her arm from her sister’s grasp and turns and angry finger on her. “You’re going to take her side? You’re going to support this after everything you know about them? You’re supposed to be siding with me. So much for twin fucking loyalty. You’re just as bad as her.”
“What’s going on?” I question, the hair on my arms raising a few inches. Something feels off, even more so than usual.
Poppy gives me a pathetic look. “She’s just looking out for you, Amber. She doesn’t want to see you get hurt again.”
Pippa smirks. “Yeah, I’m just looking out for you.” She rolls her eyes. “If you think I’m going to support you getting back with that cheating asshole, you’re fucking delusional. You can throw whatever invite you have for me and Poppy in the trash. There’s no way in hell I’m going to your wedding.”
I’m not sure why her saying that hurts me so much.
The thought of the twins not being at my wedding makes me even more vulnerable and broken.
“Pippa, I need your support in this. I know that Eddie and I have a tumultuous history, but I love him. He’s everything to me.
Just like you and Poppy are. I need you two to be by my side.
It’s always been us since we were young, and the thought of you breaking up our friendship over me getting back with Eddie is a bit crazy.
He’s one of your best friends too. You’re acting like a jealous girlfriend right now. ”
There’s no emotion on her face, just pure hatred.
“I wouldn’t touch that motherfucker with a ten-foot pole.
And if you can’t see how fucking wrong he is for you, then I hope you get everything that’s coming your way.
He’s a dog, Amber. A horny, stray dog that’s going to fuck every pussy he meets on the street.
He’s going to keep cheating and cheating until there are no more girls to cheat with.
And you’re no better. You cheated too. You’re both stupid for even attempting to try again.
How can you trust each other after everything that’s happened? ”
“I don’t know. We just do. We’re just meant to be.”
She shakes her head in disagreement. “No. You’re destined to fail, and the fact that you can’t see that makes you not only blind, but dumb as fuck.”
“Please, Pippa, I need your support right now.”
She mocks me. “You need my support right now, blah blah blah. All bullshit. All of it. You don’t give a fuck about me. Never have. If you go through with this wedding, consider this friendship done.”
“Pippa, what the fuck is wrong with you?”
Her mouth pulls into a sneer. “Nothing. I’m not the one about to make the biggest mistake of her life. That’s all you.”
My phone picks that exact moment to ring, and I look down at it to see Eddie’s name.
“Go ahead, answer the damn thing, your corrupted prince awaits.”
She marches towards me, shouldering me into the wall as she moves past me to get out the door. “Where are you going?” I shout after her.
“To get some air and clear my head.” The door slams behind her, my phone still ringing in my hand as I stare at Poppy in disbelief. “What the hell is wrong with your sister?”
Poppy shrugs. “Just give her some time, Amber. She’ll get over whatever is bothering her, eventually.”
The phone stops ringing, then immediately starts up again. There are tears sliding down my face, and I’m still spiraling from the chaos of it all.
“Hello,” I ask, sniffing as I move tears from off my cheeks.
“Baby? Are you okay?”
Somehow, I find my way to the couch, plopping down on one of the cushions in frustration. “No. Pippa just went off on me for getting back with you.”
Silence filters in from the other end of the line.
“I see,” he finally says. “What exactly did she say?”
“She said that you and I are destined to fail. That if we get married, I’ll be making a huge mistake. She said once a cheater always a cheater, and that you and I are wrong for each other.”
He lets out a breath, one that almost sounds like relief.
But I brush it off, too hung up on the Pippa situation to really pay attention to him.
“Just ignore her, Amber. Obviously, there’s something going on with her, and whatever it is, it’s affecting her ability to be your friend.
If she goes to the wedding, then great. If she doesn’t, that’s okay too.
Do you really want someone there that’s just going to ruin your big day? ”
He has a point, but that still doesn’t change how her words stung. “I don’t know. I’ve just always imagined the twins standing up there with me when I say I do, alongside you, Wesley, and Rich.”
He laughs. “Oh, they’ll definitely be there. Just give Pippa some time. She’ll come around before the wedding, I’ll make sure of it.”
“How?”
He doesn’t immediately answer. “I just will, okay? Stop worrying about what she’s doing and focus on us. That’s all that matters right now. I love you.”
“I love you too, Eddie.”
Another long pause ensues before he clears his throat. “I have to do something really quick, but I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”
“Sure, sounds good.”
He says I love you a few more times before he finally hangs up, leaving me alone with Poppy.
“Tell me the truth, Poppy, am I making a mistake?”
Poppy shrugs her shoulders. “You really don’t want my opinion, Amber. You know that I’ve never really been Eddie’s biggest fan, so I’m probably the last person you should ask. I will ask you this though. Can you picture your life without Eddie in it?”
I try.
I really do.
The thought pops into my head and I do my best to picture a future that doesn’t involve Eddie, but all I’m met with is chaotic darkness. A future without Eddie, is no future at all in my eyes.
“No, I can’t.”
“Then there’s your answer. All I can say is that if you love him, and you think he’s the one, fight for it. Once you give up the fight, any hope for a future between you both is gone. If I had to guess this is your guy’s last shot at making it work.”
Her words hit me hard and sink in just as fast. She’s right this is our last shot, we’re fucking screwed if this doesn’t work out. If we don’t make it to that altar, there will be no more Eddie and Amber.
I just hope he was serious about making a change, because if he goes back to his old ways, there’s no way in hell I’ll ever say I do.