She released me, took my hand, and tugged me toward the limo.
“Hey, old lady.” Graham smirked as she walked into his arms.
I tried not to read into her smile, wondering if she smiled bigger for Graham, but I couldn’t help it. For the first time in over five years of marriage, I felt like we weren’t invincible. And that hurt worse than any pain I tried to numb with medication.
“Roses …” She took them from Graham and sniffed them. “My favorite.”
He stepped aside so she could climb into the limo. “Did you have a pleasant flight?” Graham patted me on the shoulder and smirked.
I returned a stiff smile. No. I didn’t nail Evelyn to the leather seat in the plane. She nailed me to the cross and informed me my only salvation involved checking into treatment for a disease I didn’t have. Could he read all of that from my smile? Doubtful.
Lila and Evelyn giggled as they tried to maneuver Lila and the balloons back into the limo.
“Screw it.” Lila let go of the balloons, sending them into the air.
“Brilliant, babe. We’ll probably get fined for releasing balloons into the air at an airport.” Graham grabbed her waist to guide her back into the seat as she lifted her casted leg, propping it up on the seat between Evelyn and the door.
Evelyn rested the long-stemmed roses on her lap and grabbed my hand. It felt like a fucking lifeline. She had no way of knowing just how emasculating it was to have her give me that ultimatum on the plane.
“Are you tipsy already?” Evelyn cocked her head at Lila.
“No.” Lila jerked her head back, but at the same time she fell into a fit of giggles. “Maybe.” She grabbed a bottle of champagne and poured a glass, miraculously without spilling it, and handed it to Evelyn. “For you, birthday girl.”
Evelyn took a sip. “Thank you.”
“And for you.” Lila handed me a glass.
“Thank you.” I took it, feeling the full weight of Evelyn’s gaze on me, further emasculating me.
“Your dress, dear.” Graham frowned, covering Lila’s lap with his jacket.
She wore a short, black dress that hit just above her cast which ended pretty close to the top of her leg.
“Yes, my husband doesn’t need to see all of you.” Evie rolled her eyes.
“Such prudes.” Lila sipped more champagne, probably the first time she’d had the chance to kick back and throw caution to the wind again since the accident. I couldn’t blame her.
“Besides …” Lila shot Evie a mischievous look. “We’re all friends.” She slid her drunken gaze to me for a second while rubbing her glossed lips together. “Well, except Ronin. We really need to bring him into our circle. Don’t you think?”
“Lila.” Graham said her name like a warning.
She had too much alcohol in her blood to heed any warnings at the moment.
“So where are we going for dinner? I’m starving.” Evelyn changed the subject, or so I thought.
I wasn’t sure. Lila seemed to have a secret she was dying to share, while Graham and Evelyn exchanged a few uncomfortable glances with each other.
Yes, I knew they had sex in college. Surely, Lila knew Evelyn shared that with me.
“Evie, you’re forty!” Lila leaned forward, resting one hand on Evelyn’s knee while taking another sip of champagne with her other hand. “Carpe the fucking diem! We should all get deliriously drunk later and replay Vancouver with a plus one. Ronin really should have stayed that night.” Lila winked at me while sliding her hand up Evie’s leg a few inches beneath the flowers and her skirt.
What … the fuck?
Evie grabbed Lila’s hand, stopping its ascent and squeezing it while smiling past her gritted teeth. “I thought the four of us were already having dinner tonight … like we did in Vancouver.” She pushed Lila’s hand away.
“Time to sober you up before the—” Graham caught himself before saying party as he took Lila’s champagne from her hand and shoved a bottled water into her hand instead. “Dinner. Time to sober you up before dinner, Mrs. Porter.”
“Humpf!” Lila stuck out her lower lip.
It was actually quite funny. I’d seen Evelyn do it a few times over our years together. It must have been a move they perfected together as young girls.
After a few seconds, as if everyone else was waiting to see what would come out of Lila’s mouth next—because we were—she smirked at Evelyn. “I bet you still think of me when Ronin sucks your nipples.” Lila slid her tongue out to show us her tongue ring and tapped it against her teeth a few times while looking at my wife in a way I had never seen her look at Evelyn.
“Jesus …” Graham leaned his head back, closing his eyes and massaging his temples.
“You’re so drunk,” Evelyn murmured.
I was the odd man out, left with nothing but a drunk woman’s confessions to spark my wild imagination since no one else offered to elaborate or clarify anything. Evelyn wouldn’t even look at me, so I took a nice long drink of my champagne, nearly emptying my glass all at once.
That got her attention.
She tore me apart with a look. Evelyn made me feel more vulnerable than I ever thought humanly possible. She was the beginning and the end, the mother of my children, the keeper of my heart, the reason my lungs took breaths, my absolute favorite … everything.
Wanting her felt like an honor. Needing her felt like a failure.
Silence took us hostage until we reached the Porter estate. Evelyn didn’t wait for anyone. She didn’t ask why we were there instead of at her favorite restaurant. Letting the roses fall to the floor of the limo, she jumped out and ran toward the front door.
Lila cringed, giving me a regretful frown. Graham completely avoided making any sort of eye contact with me as he helped Lila slip on her black coat. I climbed out of the limo, taking long strides after Evelyn.
Everything in my chest ached as she opened the front door before I could stop her.
“Surprise!” echoed from the crowd of guests.
Her body froze, like hitting a wall. I made it to the threshold just as her mom hugged her.
“You look beautiful, baby.” Madeline smiled at me from over Evelyn’s shoulder.
Had she only known how her baby’s husband and her friends shit on her birthday before ever getting to the party, she wouldn’t have been smiling. I couldn’t get to my wife. The crowd of guests swallowed her, showering her with hugs and birthday wishes.
“Forget everything I said …” Lila mumbled to me as Graham helped her into the house. “It was the alcohol.”
Graham finally looked at me as Lila followed the crowd toward the great room filled with more people and catered food and drinks. “It’s all good, buddy.” He squeezed my shoulder before following Lila.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Evelyn
I didn’t want a surprise party.
It wasn’t my thing. It was Lila’s and Graham’s thing. However, after the string of events that led me to the front door of the Porter estate, I felt for the first time that day like I could breathe.
My family and friends.
Ronin’s parents were there after spending months in Singapore while Ling finished approving the final line of her summer collection.