Chapter 26
“I’m going to shower,” I told Easton when we walked into my house.
“I’m going to grab my suitcase from my place.” He kissed me. Easton was going out of town. He had a meeting in Japan he couldn’t push back, and he had to leave tomorrow so he would be back in time for Aurora’s launch party.
“I love you so fucking much.”
“I love you more. Hurry back, sir.”
He kissed me again, harder. “Fuck, I’ll be right back.”
I swatted his ass before going to the bathroom to shower. Alone in the shower, I sagged against the tile. The cold was a shock against my back while the heated water soothed my chilled skin.
Guilt swamped me thinking about Easton and his parents. Kelly Ann seemed so sure that there was nothing wrong with not telling him what happened.
Technically, nothing did happen.
I shuddered again thinking of Kelly Ann’s reasoning about kids wanting no knowledge of their parents’ sex life. Guilt still clung to the edges of my soul, but I could only hope after time it would fade.
I heard the door shut while I was slathering lotion on my legs. I was using the vanilla strawberry lotion Easton loved.
“I’m in here, darling,” I drawled in my best impression of a Hollywood starlet.
Easton walked in, his expression blank, his hands behind his back.
“Darling, did you bring me more flowers?”
Something’s wrong. Rachel, brace yourself.
Without a word, Easton pulled something from behind his back. No, not something … Gnomen. The fucking broken gnome that was still in my trunk.
I sucked in a breath, both of us staring at the cracked gnome. My soul cracking right along with him.
“Since Cole was over at Jules, I had him drive me home so I could bring your car back since I’m going out of town and didn’t want to leave you stranded. Imagine my surprise when I see my old friend Gnomen in the trunk of your car when I was putting my suitcase in it.”
“Easton.”
His hand shot up, stopping me.
“I never told them you were allergic to bell peppers. The whole way back to your house I tried to figure out how they knew about your allergies. And then the mystery of how you had Gnomen in your backseat. You know what I think?” he asked.
My knees went weak and I landed hard on the edge of the tub. It was over. He knew. Kelly Ann was wrong.
“No, you don’t want to guess? I think my parents were the people you were going to have a threesome with.”
Bile surged up my throat, mixing with tears and clogging everything up, not letting me speak.
“Fuck, Rachel. How am I supposed to look at you, knowing my parents picked you, and you picked my parents to have a threesome with?” He ran his finger through his hair. “Fuck.” He refused to look at me.
“Easton, please.” I didn’t know what I was asking. Actually, that was a lie. I was asking him to forget. Asking him to still love me. Asking him not to leave me.
“I’ve got to go. Don’t call me, I’ll be out of the country and I need to think.” Still not looking my way, he set Gnomen on the bathroom counter and walked out the door.
I huddled on my bathroom floor, heaving sobs wracking my body. Gathering what was left of my strength, I put on my PJs and robe and walked across the street to Jules’ house.
I needed my best friend. I needed my soul mate, because maybe she would let me borrow some of her half of our soul since my half was shattered.
Cole answered the door. His smile fell when he took me in. “Jules,” he called out, panic edging his voice. He pulled me into her house, her rug sinking between my toes since I hadn’t bothered to put shoes on.
“Who is it?” Jules called out, rounding the wall leading out of her kitchen. She took one look at me and ran, wrapping her arms around me.
I sobbed into her shoulder.
“Oh, sweetie, tell me who I have to kill.”
“If it’s my best friend I want dibs,” Cole said.
I collapsed on the couch snuggled into Jules. “Kelly Ann and Robert,” I sobbed into her shoulder.
“Who?”
“Easton’s parents,” Cole answered Jules’ question.
“Were they awful to you? Fuck, you sure pulled the short straw when it comes to parental figures.” Jules rubbed my back.
“Rach, what happened? Easton was on fucking cloud nine when I dropped him off at his place to get your car. He said his parents loved you.”
I shook my head as I cried harder. “Easton’s parents were the people I almost had a threesome with.”
The room went silent. I didn’t blame them, that confession wasn’t something you expect to hear from your best friend or your girlfriend’s best friend.
“Holy fuck, what happened?” Jules asked, her voice confused.
I took a deep, shuddering breath and told them about the dinner, about Easton finding Gnomen and storming off. The key I’d given him was in the ugly bowl by my door. He was done with me.
“Oh, honey, fuck him. You didn’t even go through with it, and if he knew you just a little bit, he’d know you would never have entertained going through with it. What a fucking asshole.”
“I mean, I understand why he’s upset,” Cole said.
“Cole Matthew Fox, I suggest you get the hell out of my house if you aren’t going to take my best friend’s side.”
“Jules, he’s my best friend,” he countered.
“And you need to go talk some sense into him before he boards his flight. This is a boy-free zone tonight.”
“Jules, you don’t have to kick Cole out.” I didn’t want to ruin two relationships. One was my quota.
“I know I don’t have to, but I’m going to. We are going to drink and eat ice cream while we go on an online shopping spree. We still don’t have anything to wear to the launch party. I’ll see you tomorrow. Go talk to your best friend.”
Cole got up and kissed the top of Jules’ head since she refused to look up to give him her lips.
“I’ll go talk to him.”
“Cole, don’t try to convince him to forgive me. Just make sure he’s okay.”
Cole stood above us for a second before leaning down and kissing the top of my head. “It will be fine, Rach. He loves you.”
Another round of body-jolting tears tore out of me. Jules poured enough vodka down my throat to make a seasoned Russian drunk. I wasn’t positive, but before I blacked out, I think Jules convinced me to purchase a gnome with his little pudgy middle finger sticking up in all its gnome beauty.