Before I can tell her that her parents’ whereabouts truly aren’t that important, she stands on her tiptoes and looks around the room. Somehow, she spots him clear across the room.
“Brey? Loras Breymas! Look who’s arrived!” Rea hollers across the room. If that isn’t enough, she gesticulates wildly.
At once, he catches his sister’s gaze and then looks at me. His eyes widen with surprise. He waves and begins to walk toward us.
“Loras and I don’t get the chance to socialize as much as we wish to,” she confesses with a small slur. “When the opportunity arises, we must take it.”
I don’t know what to make of her words because I don’t know her well enough, so I nod and give her an amicable smile.
When he reaches us, he also brings along friends of his. My momma and daddy raised me with manners, so I say hello and introduce myself. But I don’t have it in me to stand there and endure any stiff and polite conversation. My motivation for coming here tonight was purely driven by anger, and to prove to Livingston that even though he may not love me, someone out there might.
And I know my thinking might be childlike and foolish, but when your heart has been cracked in half, you will do anything in order to save it from breaking any further.
After some time, his friends break apart. Rea leaves to get another drink, leaving me with Loras. Chewing on my lower lip, I think of what to say. I’d rather have the floor open and swallow me whole than endure a long, painful stretch of silence.
“What would you prefer I called you, Loras or Brey?”
“My friends call me Brey, but if you want, you can call me Loras.”
I nod. “I’m glad I asked. Loras it is.”
“And what about you? Is Rainey short for anythin’?”
“My name is, in fact, Raina.” The second my name slips from my lips, I picture Livingston above me, driving his cock in and out of me. Seconds later, he groaned and repeated my name over and over.
After that, it felt as though he forever staked claim to my name.
“You can call me what you wish,” I rush out, noticing it’s been several seconds since I’ve said a word.
His gray eyes glint as he looks at me. He smiles, revealing straight, white teeth. “Rainey it is.”
Why do I feel a sense of relief? I push the nagging question aside and keep my focus on Loras. “There are you and Rea. Any other siblings?”
“Yes, one younger sister.”
“I don’t think I saw her at the funeral. Is she here now?” I begin to look around the crowded room.
“No, she’s unfortunately away at the moment. Her name is Juliet.”
I mull over the name for some time. “What happened there?”
Loras tilts his head to the side. “Pardon?”
I realize how blunt my question came out, but there’s no stopping now. “Well, you and your sister have unique names. When your momma got to Juliet, was she simply too exhausted to come up with anythin’ creative?”
While I prattle on, Loras’s smile widens. And when I finish, he shakes his head ever so slightly. “As much as I would love to give you an entertainin’ and detailed story for her name, the truth is she’s named after my maternal aunt. If you’d like, the next time I see my momma, I can ask her if there were any uncommon names she had in mind for Juliet.”
“Please do.”
A guest from the party walks up behind Loras and pats his back, saying hello. He gives them his attention, and a courteous smile before he immediately turns to me. “Although, I’m beginnin’ to wonder if our nanny Toy’s name was never up for consideration.”
There’s only one person I know named Toy, and she’s an elderly woman with more fire in her blood than me. She’s quite possibly the only lady I was afraid of as a child. To be honest, I still am. “Wait … are you speakin’ of Toy Waring?”
Loras’s eyes widen. He looks as shocked as I am. “You know her?”
“Of course. She caught me in her garden when I was a little girl and was fit to be tied.”
“What led you to be in her garden?”
I lift a shoulder and look away evasively. I’m used to people being au fait with my history. It’s nice being able to distribute pieces of information about my life at my discretion. “Let’s say I had a … colorful childhood that was rich with adventure.”
He lets out a loud laugh. “And those adventures never led to trouble?”
I shake my head. “Never. Except the time when your nanny Toy caught me in her garden and nearly walloped me with her cane.”
Loras shudders. “You must be fast. Rea and I could never seem to dodge that dreaded cane.”
Rea walks toward us, carrying a champagne glass in her hand. Her eyes have a look of disinterest as she searches the room. “What are you discussin’?”
“Juliet’s lackluster name,” Loras provides.
“Juliet. Juliet,” she repeats, taking great care to pronounce each syllable. Finally, she scrunches up her nose. “Yes, very lackluster.”
It’s hard to ignore the note of bitterness that sinks into Rea’s words.
“I believe I haven’t met your sister, but Loras said she isn’t here.”
“Yes, unfortunately she is away at the moment,” Rea replies.
Brother and sister gave me the same answer. Why?
“I believe you might have seen Juliet in Charleston several times. Her fiancé lives there.”
“Who’s her fiancé?”
Loras begins to answer me, but he looks at Rea and closes his mouth. He rubs the back of his neck. “Ah. You know, his name has slipped my mind.”
Furtively, I look between the two of them. He’s lying. What are they hiding?
Loras clears his throat and dips his head, his eyes focused on something behind me. “I believe someone is here for you.”
Looking over my shoulder, I find Livingston. My heart becomes lodged in my throat. My lungs become restricted, and his light eyes are fixed on mine. His strides are long and confident. The women around him stopped and stared. Even though I was hurt, I still felt possessive of him.
They can’t have him!
What can I do, though, when Livingston won’t have me?
Livingston doesn’t notice the attention the women are giving him. As he advances on me, I see the furious glint in his eyes. He looks ready to tear someone apart.
Swallowing, I look for a way out, but Livingston is coming from that direction.
I’m trapped.
I knew Livingston would discover I wasn’t at dinner, but I depended on Momma giving me some time. When it came to the three M’s—me, men and marriage—there’s nothing she wouldn’t do. If she had to lie to Livingston and our hosts, then so be it.
Livingston reaches me. I can feel the anger radiating off him in waves. There are no preambles or friendly smiles. “Come with me. Right now,” he says through clenched teeth.
Charmingly, I smile at him. “I didn’t know you were invited to this party.”
“Rainey, now.”
Already, people are beginning to stop and look in our direction. They may be strangers, but I don’t want them listening. I smile at Loras and Rea. “If you’ll excuse us for one moment?”