Chapter 19
Rainey
Leo: I’m so pissed at him. I quit two days ago.
What is he talking about?
Me: Why did you quit? Did you get into an argument with Max?
The bubbles come and go.
Leo: Did you see it? The headlines?
The mixture of emotions crashes through me like a wave. Pain stabs at my chest while searing, angry blood rushes through my veins.
Me: I did.
Leo: I’m sorry. You don’t deserve this. I think fame is getting to him. And on top of it, Carlos, his promoter, and his manager keep him busy.
Me: Don’t be sorry. I told him to move on, so he did.
With her!
I don’t think it’s fame because he’s never been big on attention. But Carlos is keeping him busy. I do believe that.
Leo: It’s just not right. He said he loved you and had been searching for you for years, and for what? To end up with a woman who is a completely stuck-up brat?
I sigh, get out of my car, and search for Lana. She wanted us to meet for dinner to finally meet the guy her dad set her up with. The doctor.
Leo: I’m sorry, I’m probably upsetting you more. What are you doing tomorrow?
Me: I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow.
Leo: I’ll come with you. Text me the time.
I send a quick okay and head into the restaurant.
It’s nestled in a sprawling outdoor shopping center where palm trees sway between storefronts.
On all sides, upscale restaurants with gleaming windows sit between a bistro where waiters in crisp white shirts pour expensive wine and carry platters of sampler appetizers visible through floor-to-ceiling windows, all arranged around a central courtyard where a fountain sprays in time to upbeat music.
The hosts are dressed in short, skin-tight black dresses.
“Hello, how many are in your party?” the woman asks.
“I’m here to meet Lana.”
She glances down at her iPad, the screen’s glow illuminating the soft angles of her face.
“Right over here,” she says, her voice barely audible above the ambient chatter.
I follow three steps behind her, watching her navigate between tables with practiced ease.
The restaurant unfolds around us like a secret—plush crimson velvet booths curve against exposed stone walls.
Flowers hang against the walls like a fairy garden.
I wave at Lana and Toby. Damn, my friend is smoking. Her long blond hair is curled, and her ocean-blue eyes stand out with her matching eyeshadow.
“You made it!” Lana yells over the loud music, jumping out of her seat as if we didn’t see each other last night.
“I did. I wouldn’t miss it.” She hugs me tightly. Last night I couldn’t hold it in. I cried in her arms. I try to be strong, but sometimes we have to let it out.
“This is Toby.” He’s already out of his seat.
Lana wasn’t lying. He’s an attractive older man, but honestly, I wouldn’t have noticed he was a couple of years older if Lana hadn’t mentioned it.
He’s tall, slightly built, with the same ocean blue eyes as his date.
He’s wearing a crisp white shirt, a blazer, and denim jeans.
“Toby, this is my best friend R…Rainey.” She tilts her head at me.
I nod. I hate it that everyone tiptoes around me, unsure what to call me.
“Hi, nice to meet you. I’ve heard a great deal about you. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” Toby’s hand is out, and I take it with a smile to finally meet the man Lana has talked about.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Toby. Lana tells me you two have so much in common.” I slip into the velvet booth.
He bites his lip, and his gaze trails down every curve of her beautiful body. “We do. I’m trying to convince her to work with me. Imagine having this beauty by my side every day.” He winks at her.
I’m in awe. I like him. He’s looking at her like how Max once looked at me, but Lana… She doesn’t look at him how I view Max. Like we wanted to tear each other’s clothes off all the time.
“I haven’t decided yet.” Lana’s lips press on the wineglass. “He wants me to work with him. He’s a ring doctor and has his own practice.”
His arms hang over her shoulder, and his thumb circles on her bare shoulder.
“I love working at the hospital,” she admits.
I’m still slightly full from eating a large lunch with Alex, but I order fajitas.
The conversation flows, and I can’t help but wonder how life would be if I hadn’t been adopted or lived in a fucked-up foster home, or if the accident hadn’t occurred.
Would we have grown up together, or maybe kept in touch?
I can imagine Max and me running away together.
But I never would have met my sister and brother if I weren’t adopted.
“Try the fried zucchini sticks,” Lana mumbles around a mouthful.
I take a small bite, though I’m not a fan; I do it to avoid being rude.
Toby orders a couple of appetizers. “So a ring doctor? Were you at the last fight? My ex fought.” The word ex tastes like acid in my mouth.
I know I’m to blame. Damn, does it piss me off.
Is she warming his bed? The thought of him touching her makes me sick.
“Unfortunately, I wasn’t. I had to fly out to another fight. Who’s your ex?”
I take a long sip of my water. Damn, I’m thirsty. “Max Cano.”
Toby’s eyebrows perk up. “Max Cano? I’ve met him before.” He laughs. “Well, not personally, but from a distance.” He whistles. “He’s good.”
“He is,” I admit. The taste of guacamole triggers my gag reflex. Oh, this baby doesn’t want me to enjoy anything. “I need to run to the restroom,” I tell them and jog toward the bathroom.
“Are you okay?” Lana asks. I hadn’t realized she’d followed.
“I felt queasy. The guacamole on the nachos grossed this kid out.”
She laughs, rubbing my belly. “Are you giving your mama trouble?”
Mama. I’m going to be a mother. I’ve been so busy with work, school, homework, and thinking of every damn thing going on in my life, trying to find balance, that I haven’t really sat and thought about the title. I’m going to be a mom.
“I’m good.” I splash some water on my face. “I like Toby. He’s sweet, and it seems he’s really into you, like, tear your clothes off with his teeth.”
Her cheeks get all rosy. “I like him too…but…”
“Are you still thinking of that one guy? The hospital guy?” She hasn’t spoken about him in a while, but when she did, it was like she was seeing a galaxy when she spoke of him.
“Would it be pathetic if I said I did? There are times I still feel him on me.” Luckily, it’s just us in the restroom. She sighs. “See? Pathetic. I’ve never been this scandalous. If the hospital knew, they would terminate me.”
God, I never even thought of that.
“I was so close to contacting him from his records, but I stopped myself. I don’t want to get in more trouble, and besides, he left. So this is why I decided to give Toby a chance. I need to stop thinking of the mystery man who gave me mind-blowing sex.”
“Have you slept with Toby?”
“Nope, we’re not there yet. Baby steps with him because, as you said, he wants more. He wants to make me his wife.”
My jaw unhinges. Dang, he moves fast. Lana sets my jaw back in place. The door opens, and a group of women walks in, and we make our way out.
“Wow, he wants marriage.”
“He didn’t exactly propose. He just said you would look good with a wedding ring on your finger.” She comes to a halt so suddenly that I almost walk into her. Her hand goes to her mouth.
I follow her gaze.
“Honey, why don’t we go get some air?”
I choke on the words. “O-okay, w-why…”
My lungs collapse like I’ve been sucker punched.
I can’t breathe. The violent pounding of my heart drowns everything—the laughter, the music, the world.
I’d built a fortress of denial brick by brick, desperately believing it was all fabricated.
Max always said to ignore her, and I did.
I believed his words that he wasn’t interested in her.
I clung to those words for dear life like a raft.
I even started to believe Hector that maybe the media added to it.
But seeing them here at the restaurant, just the two of them... The fabric of his button-down shirt strains against his biceps as he lifts the beer to his lips. Amber liquid sloshes against the glass rim, foam spilling over his knuckles while he tips it back, his throat working with each swallow.
The bitch watches him with lust in those vicious eyes. Her breasts are on display for him. The way he’s seated, he can’t see me unless I walk up to him.
“Let’s go, Rainey. You don’t need to see this sack of shit. I swear I’m so close to ripping her fake lashes off and spilling her drink on her desperate face.”
Lana drags me out. My body feels numb, my legs wobble, and Lana holds me up. She takes her phone out and taps it angrily.
“They are a couple,” I say. It sounds like a question, but it’s a statement. They are together, which explains it all. “They are together,” I whisper out loud this time.
My heart slams into a steady rhythm, each beat a war drum.
I release Lana’s shoulder, leaving white fingerprints that flood crimson.
The blood in my veins ignites, scorching me from within.
My jaw locks so tight I taste metal. I won’t allow a man to walk all over me.
I won’t be anyone’s punching bag. Fuck him.
Fuck Annette and Fuck Carlos. This is where I draw the line.
My baby will know a mother who fights back, who tears down worlds for them.
He’s going to pay for it. Him sitting with her is a slap to my face.
I won’t be the joke. I sure as hell won’t walk in there and tell him off.
I’m going to hit him where it hurts. “I’m going.
” My voice sounds like it’s been dragged through broken glass.
Lana cups my cheeks. “Toby is getting the check. Then we can take you home, or you can stay at my place. I don’t want you to be alone.”
I take her warm hands in mine. I’m grateful to have her in my life. “I’m fine. I’m going to the sporting store next door, then I’ll head home.”
She raises a questioning brow, confused. “The sporting store?” Her gaze goes to the store behind us. “Rainey, what are you going to do?”
“You’ll see. No one fucks with me.”
Lana’s mouth hangs open.
“Oh, and you can call me Sol.” I was raised to be a fighter. The name my adoptive parents gave me was a storm of chaos because that’s all I was—a buried secret. A rainstorm.
Toby walks out, and his face softens when he sees me. He’s holding Lana’s handbag. Poor guy pities me. “Would you ladies like to go elsewhere to eat?”
“Thank you, Toby. It was a pleasure to meet you, but I’d better go.”
“I’m worried.” Lana’s eyes gloss with unshed tears.
“Don’t be. I can handle this.”
After giving Lana and Toby a hug, I walk to the store. My heart pounds in my chest, and the blood pulsing sounds like a violent wave. I might end up in jail tonight.
I meant what I said. I won’t let anyone weaken me.
I’m so tired of my head throbbing and my heart aching.
I’m tired of feeling lost and alone. I might not have Max, but I have my child.
I also meant what I said; he deserves better, and that’s not Annette.
She isn’t good for him. All she thinks of is herself.
I might not have Max, but I have my child. Sol was vibrant and brave. Growing up as Rainey, I always had a piece of Sol. I might not have remembered, but now I do.
“Listen here, you bird brains. If I ever hear you talk badly about my friend, I will make you pay.” My foot is on his neck, and I tug on his hair hard.
Andy tries to push my foot off, but I push harder.
My mom once said never to let anyone bully anyone else.
And I won’t let this sleazeball pick on Max.
He called him an orphan and trash no one wanted. I saw the pain in his eyes.
My dad once said never to let guys mess with me and to walk with my chin up and shoulders squared.
“I’m sorry,” Andy chokes out.
“Are you going to mess with him?” I slap him around, and tears fill his eyes when I punch his nose.
“No.”
I pull his hair harder, and some strands let loose. “Don’t even look at him.”
“Okay.”
I release him and walk to the bus with a smile on my face. No one fucks with me or what’s mine.