Chapter 24 Eva #2
This has always been my favorite area of the property. It’s next to a medium-size pond with lily pads floating on the surface during the warmer months. In the distance, you can see the mountains with leftover snow blanketing the peaks.
But most of all, I love how if you stand quietly, you can hear the sounds of nature coming to life.
In high school, Maddy’s parents would host fancy parties out here. Tonight, we are letting loose and celebrating the end of Maddy’s singlehood.
There are twenty of us here. Some of Maddy’s friends from work and college, Myles’s cousins, and family friends, too. Billie canceled at the last minute as her mom isn’t feeling the best. I really wish she could be here but didn’t want to make her feel guilty.
The dress code is all white, making it easy for everyone.
Most women have turned up in dresses, except for Maddy, the star of the show, wearing a white pantsuit.
Beneath the low-cut blazer, she has nothing on, exposing the middle of her chest and the curves of her boobs.
The gold necklace she has hanging between her cleavage, with a diamond cross lying flat against her olive skin.
I opted for a two-piece—a cropped lace corset with a matching skirt.
The skirt’s slit runs up to the top of my thigh, showing my leg in my sparkly knee-high boots.
I brought my coat but thoughtfully organized plush blankets for everyone to place on their laps to keep them warm if the outdoor heating isn’t enough.
“You’ve done an amazing job,” Carolina, one of Maddy’s college friends, says out loud. “And to pull this off in less than a month. Are you sure you don’t want to plan my wedding?”
I smile proudly. “Think I’ll stick to running Donuts Ever After.”
The server pulls out a chair for me to sit beside Maddy, who is sitting at the head of the table. With my shoulders back and a knowing grin, I take in all my hard work.
It looks spectacular.
The table is decorated with gold-plated china and cutlery, and white linen napkins are embroidered with Madelina’s Bachelorette in pink.
Centered on the table are hot-pink roses in these gorgeous mosaic vases next to candles burning inside lanterns.
Everything has come together just how I envisioned, including the male servers who are supposed to be shirtless.
At the last minute, I felt sorry for them and suggested they wear a bow tie with a jacket so at least you can still see their abs, but so they won’t suffer in the cold.
We have a professional chef from Brooklyn cooking dinner for us and a bartender who concocted signature cocktails. They are pink, of course, and taste very feminine. That’s if it is possible for a drink to taste feminine. I guess fruity would be the more appropriate term.
After everyone has arrived and is seated, I stand and raise my glass. “To Maddy, the bride-to-be. May this night be as wild as you were back in high school.”
All the women laugh, including Maddy, who quickly disagrees playfully. “I’m still wild, thank you very much. Who else would get married a month after being proposed to?”
While this is Maddy’s night, I’m quick to observe she’s had a number of drinks already.
The servers march out of the house carrying gold platters with plates of food. Since Mediterranean is Maddy’s favorite, serving all the dishes she loves to eat made sense. Aston knows the chef at a restaurant Maddy visits often in the city and paid him to cook tonight.
We start with Zeytinya?li yaprak sarma , as pronounced by Maddy. It’s made from vine leaves with a rice filling and slightly sweet cooked onions, then seasoned with fresh parsley and dill. They are so yummy, but I make sure not to overindulge and leave room for the other courses.
Next, we are served lamb shish kebabs with bell peppers, tomatoes, and onions. On the side, there is a simple Greek salad. The food tastes amazing, and even though I promised myself not to overeat, I devour everything and leave no room for dessert.
With my stomach full, I turn to Maddy and say, “Are you having fun?”
She hesitates, then drinks her cocktail before requesting the waiter serve her another. “It’s what I wanted, right?”
“Yes,” I answer with raised brows, questioning her tone. “You did want this.”
Maddy becomes distracted by the girls seated across from us telling a story about another friend’s wedding.
Apparently, the bride’s ex showed up right before the vows and made this long speech about how he never stopped loving her.
All hell broke loose, and then the groom and ex got into a fistfight.
It sounds like a reality television show.
When the story ends, Ramona stands up with a grin on her red-stained lips. “Did somebody say dessert is next?”
This is the code for Watch out, some dick is gonna flop out.
The girls all look at each other in confusion until “Pony” by Ginuwine plays loudly, and three men wearing togas walk around the table.
I want to crawl into a hole and die. For them, not me.
Maddy surprises me by raising her napkin and swinging it around. I’m not sure how much she’s had to drink at this point, but I can tell by the way she’s dancing that it’s more than I’ve had.
The men circle Maddy, practically shoving their crotches in her face. Since I’m sitting next to her, one of their butt cheeks rubs against my arm. I shudder at the contact, removing myself from the table to give them more space.
The cocktails keep coming, and by my fourth one, I start to loosen up and have more fun.
The togas eventually come off, much to my surprise since I wasn’t expecting to see so much manhood .
At least they are wearing thongs, but the teeny piece of gold fabric isn’t enough to hide everything.
One guy’s balls accidentally slip out, but I think he’s more embarrassed than we are.
Ramona is a loose cannon, rubbing her body up against one of the strippers, who keeps eyeing me. It wouldn’t surprise me if she goes home with him at this stage, if that’s even legal. I have no idea what the stripper code of conduct is these days.
We play games, dance to music, and laugh so hard I nearly pee my pants.
Maddy is blind drunk, slurring her words and talking crap about the wedding. As soon as I hear her mention how she wasn’t sure about walking down the aisle, I know she’ll pass out soon.
Thankfully, Myles’s cousins don’t hear, as they are too busy trying to flirt with the servers, who seem to have let loose, too.
Maddy is the type of drunk to get sad and cry about first-world problems. I’m the exact opposite. I want to party harder and dance my life away like I’m eighteen without a care in the world.
“I think I should get some water into you soon,” I tell her, observing her glazed eyes. “You look ready to crash.”
“You ever loved someone so much you can’t think about anything else? And it hurts so much when you’re not with them?” Maddy’s questions come out as a giant slur.
“Maddy, you’re just drunk. I’m sure that’s how you feel about Myles.”
She points her finger into my chest, pushing a little too hard and hurting me. “But what if I don’t?”
“Well, you’re lying because why would you agree to marry someone you’re not in love with?”
She bursts out laughing. “You’re right!”
“See, everything is going to be okay.”
“But what about you?”
I raise my brow. “What about me?”
Maddy motions for me to come closer, then giggles in my ear. “I gave the stripper your number. He thought you were hot.”
“Why would you do that?” I raise my voice, only for two girls across from us to look over. “I’m not interested in dating someone. I already—” I cut myself off, almost carelessly mentioning Aston.
“Relax, why not have a little fun? You sure need to. It’s not like anything is happening with the doctor or anyone else. You wouldn’t lie to me, now would you?”
I shake my head without even thinking.
Maddy hiccups this time, her face looks pale. She reaches for another drink, quick to distract herself.
“Speaking of dating,” Hailey, Myles’s other cousin, pipes up. “What is the story with your brother, Maddy?”
My body stiffens at the change of topic, but I quickly add, “We tried to set him up with Ramona, but apparently, he’s seeing someone.”
The moment it leaves my mouth, I hide my satisfaction. There’s no chance in hell any of these girls will touch what’s mine.
Did I just say what’s mine ?
“I tried stalking him on Instagram. Turns out he doesn’t have one.” Hailey pouts. “Everyone has Instagram. He’s probably sneaking around with someone he wants no one else to know about.”
For some odd reason, it never occurred to me to stalk Aston online. Talk about a red flag on my end. How could I have been so distracted with everything going on to not cyberstalk the man I’ve slept with?
“My brother refuses”—another one of Maddy’s loud, obnoxious hiccups breaks her train of thought, but she continues, slurring—“to go online. He likes things to remain private. I don’t even know who he is supposedly dating, but whoever it is, he’s not breathing a word. God, she could be my sister-in-law.”
I clear my throat. “I highly doubt he will get married. That’s not his style.”
“How do you know?” Maddy accuses, her brows furrowing. “What if he meets the one woman with whom he wants to spend the rest of his life, huh? He’s not a robot, Eva. Just because you hate him doesn’t mean other women do.”
“I never said he was a robot. Plus I don’t hate him.” I drag the words out and then take a drink to ease the tension building inside me. “Aston doesn’t strike me as someone who wants to settle down . That’s all.”
“Yeah, well, you weren’t there this morning when he was rambling on about one day wanting to get married and have kids. Trust me, I know my brother. He has changed.”
The lump inside my throat thickens, forcing me to stand up and say, “I’m going inside to get you a bottle of water. You need to sober up.”
But truthfully, I need to sober up.
Aston wants to get married and have kids.
That is absurd.
One of the servers offers to go instead, but I kindly tell him I need the walk.
With the fresh night air caressing my heated skin, I try my best to drown out the conversation between Maddy and me. Something is crawling beneath the surface, pestering me to pay attention, but I have no idea what the voices inside my head are even trying to say.
As I step inside the kitchen, the staff have cleaned up and only two people remain. I open the refrigerator door to pull out a bottle of water, only to close it to see Aston on the other side.
His presence makes me jump in shock, and my hand presses against my chest to still my racing heart. He’s supposed to be at the bachelor party, which is being held on some fancy houseboat on Peppermint Lake, owned by his business acquaintance.
I immediately notice the black suit jacket and pants he wears with a white shirt beneath. The shirt is partially unbuttoned, exposing his tanned chest. I’m quick to inhale his scent, only to remember he shouldn’t be here.
“Aston, why are you here?”
He takes my hand, not saying a word, a look of desperation in his eyes. In a mad rush, he pulls me up the back staircase leading to the end of the south wing. I beg him to slow down since the heels of my boots are higher than I typically wear.
Aston ushers me inside the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Then, he unexpectedly smashes his lips onto mine, causing me to gasp. I can taste the liquor on him and suspect he’s had more than a few drinks.
My hands press on his chest, pushing him away. “Aston, we can’t. Maddy and everyone are downstairs.”
“I need you.” His voice breaks in the dark.
“But…” I breathe, dropping my chin. “We agreed.”
I glance into his eyes, and despite the room being dark with only the light of the moon illuminating the space around us, his pain is evident. I reach for his cheek, caressing it gently. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Okay, but how can I fix it if you don’t tell me?”
“You can’t fix everything, Everleigh,” he mumbles.
I place a soft kiss on his lips, hoping to calm him down. “No, I can’t, but I can at least try.”
He doesn’t say another word, taking my hand and leading me to the bed.
As I lie down, he climbs on top of me. Unlike the night in his apartment, this feels different.
There’s something behind the urgency of his kiss, and the touch of his lips makes me forget how to do the simplest of things, such as breathe.
“Aston…” I moan into his mouth mid-kiss. “We shouldn’t be here.”
“Everleigh, please, I need you.”
I hold on to him, wrapping my hands around his neck until he pulls away to undress me.
When I’m completely naked beneath him, he takes a moment to drink me in before sliding inside of me.
I gasp at the fullness swarming my belly, and this time, he takes me at a slow pace.
In and out, kissing every inch of my skin and making sure nothing is missed.
Then, he stops and holds my gaze as if this moment will save him. Whoever he needs saving from, I want to be the one who wears the cape and promises him nobody can hurt him. And in this vulnerable moment, the reality of this cat-and-mouse game we’ve been playing becomes crystal clear.
It’s no longer a game.
Not when my heart is suddenly the one caught in the trap.