Chapter Twenty-Four
Eddie
I wake up in a cold sweat, my nightmare still taunting me even though my eyes are open. Beneath the sheets, my heart races, both anger and frustration weighing heavily on me.
In my dream, Amber was with another man. His hands brushing over parts of her only I’m supposed to touch, his lips claiming what’s definitely mine. Even dreaming, I’m jealous of the unnamed man, the guy she betrayed me with in Vegas.
Maybe it’s cold feet that’s making me dream about this again. Yeah, it’s not the first time. I’ve had this dream numerous times since she admitted to cheating on me. Every time I wake up the same way… jealous, angry, and sweating from every pore.
“Fuck!” I rage into the darkness. I’m not sure what time it is.
I invested in total darkness shades so that it would blanket my room in complete darkness.
It could be late at night or early in the morning, who knows?
Glancing over at my alarm clock, I see that it’s already eight in the morning.
Amber had her bachelorette party last night, and I hope to God that Pippa played nice.
Not that I expect anything nice to come from that woman.
Reluctantly, I climb out of bed, knowing that I have a hard day of work waiting for me. I’m trying to get in as many hours as possible before next week, since I asked for two weeks off to go on my honeymoon.
After taking a long, much needed shower, I quickly get dressed and grab my keys. Throwing open the door, I find myself face to face with Amber, hand raised mid knock, a somber look of shock on her face.
“Amber? Are you okay?”
She looks like hell. The aftermath of a night of hardcore partying evident in her glassy eyes and permanent frown.
“I’m still a bit drunk,” she admits. “And tired. God, am I tired.”
“Come in,” I tell her, moving to give her a hug.
She takes a step back, halting me with her hand. “I can’t hug you right now.”
Shit…
“We need to talk, Eddie.”
Double shit…
“Okay, what’s going on?”
She moves into the living room, but hovers near the door, almost like she’s making sure she has an exit. Whatever she has to say, it’s not good.
“I need to tell you something,” she starts, looking at her feet that are kicking at the carpet. Her head lifts, and I see tears hovering in her eyes. “We promised each other no more lies and secrets, and that we’ll always be honest with each other, right?”
I nod, hating the way my stomach is already coiling with fear. “Right.”
“So, then I need to tell you something that happened last night. I won’t feel right marrying you without coming clean.”
Goddamn it, not again. Please tell me she didn’t cheat on me again!
“Don’t worry, I didn’t cheat… well, not exactly anyway.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
She sighs, kicking at the carpet again. “I’m going to preface this by saying I had no idea what Pippa had planned, had I known, I would’ve never agreed to it.”
What the fuck did that conniving bitch do?
“I’m also going to say, I was drunk. Like really, really drunk last night. I think I’ve puked so much that I’m surprised I still have organs.” She chuckles, but it's short-lived when she sees me frowning. “They took me for a spa day and a makeover, and you know how well that went.”
“Uh huh…” My jaw was already clenching, fists balling by my sides, ready for a fight. It’s like my soul knew what was coming before she even uttered the next few words.
“She took me to one of the casinos after that. We were at a club, dancing… drinking. All things you expect from a bachelorette party.”
“Get to the point, Amber.” I don’t mean for my tone to come out so angry. And the way she slightly flinches from it makes the shell I’ve already started building around myself crack and soften.
She wrings her hands together, tears brimming her eyes that are slightly pleading for understanding. “By the time we got to the show, I was so drunk I barely saw straight.”
“Show?”
“An Australian male dance review.”
Fuck. I already know where this is going.
“He was there, wasn’t he?”
She nodded, hugging herself in complete vulnerability. “Yes.”
“Did he touch you?” I growl, the possessiveness already controlling me. That motherfucker is seriously going to die.
She nodded again, weaker… broken. “He did. He wanted more.”
“How did he fucking touch you?” I seethe, nails bedding into my palm, the pain nothing compared to the rage that’s growing stronger by the second.
She looks up at me with fear in her eyes. Then her fingers brush over her lips. “Sort of here.” Her fingers trail down her neck. “Briefly here.” She gulps audibly as her hand moves between her legs. “Here.”
“So, you fucked him!” I raged, voice filling the whole house.
“No,” she corrects me. “We did not fuck. I pushed him away. He was trying to make me remember that night, and I probably let things get too out of hand. But I wasn’t exactly in the right headspace, Eddie. Pippa… I’m pretty sure she planned this.”
I wouldn’t doubt it. But it still didn’t change the fact that the bastard touched my woman… again.
“I stopped things before they went too far, Eddie. I told him I was in love with you and engaged. I promise. I just should’ve walked away from the beginning and didn’t.
And for that I’m truly sorry.” You could see the guilt in her eyes; she must’ve been toying over how to tell me all night.
“I told you I would always be honest with you. And here I am, begging for your forgiveness. Begging with every ounce of my being for you to forgive me.”
I already forgave her. Pippa knew exactly what she was doing when she took Amber out last night.
She had to. That’s who I’m really angry with.
And the guy. If she told him she was engaged and still touched her, that guy has some big fucking balls.
Balls I’ll fucking crush into pebbles if I ever get my hands on him.
Tears fall down her face in rivers, she’s practically sobbing, the guilt eating her alive.
“Come here,” I encourage, holding my arms open for her.
She rushes into them, fingers trembling as she holds me tighter than she ever has. “I’m sorry, Eddie. I’m so fucking sorry.”
Cupping her cheek, I lift her head so she can look me in my eyes. “Baby, I’m not mad at you. You would’ve never gone had you known what she had planned. But consider my friendship with Pippa over. I don’t want her at our wedding.”
“Eddie!”
“I don’t want her there, Amber. She’s been causing nothing but chaos for us the last few weeks, and if she goes, I feel like it’s going to end badly.” This is me telling her without telling her. She just doesn’t know it.
“I don’t know if I can uninvite her. If I do, I basically only have a handful of people going.”
“Then we elope. We’ll cancel all our reservations and just go to one of those quick chapels or something. I don’t need a fancy wedding, Amber. I just need you.”
She sniffs. “I don’t know… Poppy and Mallory already bought their dresses, and we’ve ordered catering.”
She starts to hyperventilate. “Shhh, it’s okay. Everything is going to be fine. Calm down, baby girl. We got this.”
She wipes at her nose with the back of her sleeve. “Are you sure? I know how much your parents want you to have a big wedding…”
“We can do one later. We’ll renew our vows or something when Wesley’s out of jail and your mom gets out of rehab. How does that sound?”
Relief washes over her. “Sounds better, actually.”
Possessively, I kiss her, fingers clutching onto her as if she’ll dissolve underneath them. “I love you, Amber. We’ve already been to Hell and back. And I’m not going to let this dude come between us. Not now. Not ever. As long as we make it to that altar, that’s all I care about.”
“Me too,” she whispers, still shuddering through silent sobs. “Are you sure you’re not mad?”
“Oh, I’m definitely mad, but not at you. I promise you that. And if it helps, I’ll tell Pippa she can’t come to the wedding.”
“No, it’s okay. It should come from me.”
“Are you sure?”
She nods, but barely. “Yeah, I’m sure.” Taking a step back, she wipes away more tears. “I should go. I’m supposed to be at work soon, but haven’t even called them to tell them I can’t make it. Are you sure we’re good?”
Nodding, I kiss her again just to confirm it. “We’re fine, baby girl. Promise.”
She weakly squeezes my hand, retreating before I can say another word. The second she’s gone, my phone is queued up, ready to go to war.
Pippa picks up on the first ring.
“Figured I’d be getting a call soon,” she replies, the smugness evident in her tone. “I’m guessing she told you who we bumped into last night?”
“More like who you orchestrated to be there.”
She laughs. “You act like I planned that shit.”
“Didn’t you?”
“Perhaps,” she says, toying with me, making me even more enraged. “Or perhaps he’s been stalking her this whole time?”
“Fuck off, Pippa. I know you did this. It has your name written all over it.”
“I do hope it’s in pink glitter. You know how much I love pink glitter, Eddie. You did wake up with it all over your dick the next morning.”
My fingers curl around my phone, my entire body vibrating with hatred.
“Listen here, Bitch. I’m tired of your games. I’m only calling to tell you that we’re done. Friendship and all. You’ve done nothing but sabotage my relationship since it began, and I’m over it. Do me a favor and stay the fuck away from me and my girl.”
Her laughter fills the phone. “Hard to do when I’m supposed to be in your wedding party in a week.”
“You’re uninvited.”
“You can’t uninvite me, motherfucker. Only Amber can.”
“She’s on her way home right now to confront you, Pippa. She’s going to tell you exactly what I’m telling you right now. We don’t want you there.”
Her tone shifts ever so slightly. “And what if she walks through that door right now and I tell her everything? What will you do then?”
“I’ll beg for forgiveness. Everything I did, I did under the influence. I would’ve never fucked you willingly.”
“And yet you did. Many, many times that night. Over and over again. You marked me as yours. You begged for me to stay the night and hold you until morning. Don’t you get it, Eddie?
I’m the one who’s always been here for you.
The one that would walk on water just to save you from drowning.
Amber’s left you multiple times, but me, I’ve always been here.
I’m the one who fucking worships you—the one who will always be here. ”
“We’re done, Pippa. Whatever you think we have is over. I love my fiancée, and I’m done with you wrecking my relationship.”
The line goes silent.
“Pippa?”
“Sorry, I’m just trying to figure out exactly what I’m going to say to her when she walks through that door.”
“If you fuck this up for me—”
“You’ll what? Break my heart even more? Face it, Eddie, there’s nothing you can do to me right now that you haven’t already done to me in the past.”
“If you say one word to her, I’ll—”
“Oh, I think I just heard her car. Goodbye, Eddie.”
“Pippa, don’t—”
But the bitch hangs up on me mid word, her manic laughter the only thing I hear before the line suddenly goes dead.
Fuck.