A sharp pang filled me. So many times, I had thought a particular foster home was where I belonged, only to find myself alone and empty.
An unfamiliar longing stirred deep inside me. I couldn’t deny it any longer, but it was the worst fucking time for me to finally admit it to myself. For now, my feelings would have to wait.
“Ugh, I’m sorry. Tonight’s about you and Benji. Tomorrow … tomorrow can be about me, right?” She dabbed at her smeared mascara then stood straight and plastered a smile on her face.
“One hundred percent.” I placed my hands on her shoulders. “I don’t know how, but it’s going to be okay. Avery, you’re beautiful, smart, and funny. I’m not sure what is wrong with Justin, but if he’s not in this relationship with you, then girl, he’s so stupid, you just don’t want him in your life.”
She stared me dead in the eyes. “Really?”
“Yeah. Really.” I hated seeing my confident friend deflated. No guy was worth her feeling like less of a woman. I gave her a quick hug, then held my arms in the air. “I’m not sure how we managed, but you don’t have any paint on you.” I released a soft laugh.
“Let’s get you cleaned up and grab another drink.” She took a paper towel, got it wet, and began to dab my face.
Ten minutes later, we stepped out of the restroom, ready to join the rest of the group.
I grabbed Avery’s hand and gave it a squeeze as I spotted Layne and Benji. Then I saw Franklin.
“Fuck.” I stopped abruptly while butterflies ran amok in my chest. There was no other reason for Franklin to be there other than the test results.
“Hey, would you do me a favor?” I was a shit friend for asking while she was hurting so much. “Could you ask Layne to meet me back here?”
“Are you all right? You look a little pale.” Avery touched my forehead with the back of her hand, making sure I wasn’t running a fever.
“Yeah. I just need to talk to him. The crowd is a bit overwhelming.” Well, Franklin was overwhelming, but Avery didn’t know about him yet, and I didn’t have the patience to explain it all right then.
“Sure. I’ll send him back.” She squeezed my shoulder, then made her way over to the group.
Leaning against the wall, I rubbed my arms and watched as Avery gave Layne the message.
His head popped up as he searched around the bar. In seconds, he was next to me. “Babe, are you okay?” He smoothed my hair as his eyes searched mine.
“Yes.” I pulled on his hand. “I need to talk to you.” I turned on my heel and shoved open the back exit door. The cold night air greeted us as we huddled against the outer wall of the building.
Layne pulled me to him, and the heat from his body warmed me. “Ten, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” I peered up at him. “I just needed a minute.” I pushed up on my tiptoes and kissed him. “I love you.” I was overwhelmed with so many emotions, my words caught in my throat. “I don’t know what to do with it or how to …” I shook my head, attempting to clear my thoughts. “All I know is that I love you.”
Layne remained still. I wasn’t sure if he was waiting for me to say something else or if he doubted my words.
“Babe,” he whispered, “say it again.” His mouth crashed down on mine.
“I love you,” I answered between our heated kisses.
“Again. Tensley, I’ve waited so long. Please.” His kisses became frantic, filled with need, as we whispered how much we loved each other in the darkness. That moment would be burned into my memory for the rest of my days.
A flicker of light caught my attention.
“Baby,” I said softly, “I think our bodyguard is telling us to get back inside, where it’s safe.”
Layne glanced across the parking lot. “Let’s get you warmed up. It’s getting really cold.” He gave me a gentle kiss, then opened the door, and we slipped back into the bar.
Before we entered the main area, I pulled on his arm. “Wait.” My heart jumped into my throat. “Did I see Franklin?”
Layne turned toward me. “Yeah. But tonight is a celebration, so we don’t have to talk about anything if you don’t want to.”
I struggled for words. “I’m scared. I need to know, but …” My fingertips traced his chin. “Promise me, no matter what the results are, that you’ll be next to me in the morning and that we’ll be okay.”
“I promise. And no matter what Franklin says tonight, I’m going to take you home and make slow love to you.”
“I can’t wait.” I sucked in a deep breath, grabbed Layne’s hand, and marched straight up to Franklin.
His bright-blue eyes landed on mine. “That was one hell of a performance, Tensley.”
“Thank you, but I’m guessing that’s not why you’re really here.” I clenched my jaw. My nerves were already frazzled.
A sad smile graced his handsome face as he slid a manila envelope across the table. “There’s no hurry to open that. Finish your evening, drink, and have some fun.”
My chin tilted up. From that, I already knew what the results were. “Can we talk? I don’t want to wait. It will just mess with me for the rest of the night.”
“If that’s what you want, yes. I’ll have my driver bring the car around so we can have some warmth and privacy.”
“Layne? Are you okay if I talk to Franklin for a few minutes?” My eyes pleaded with him. I needed to know the answers and what the next steps looked like.
“Yeah.” Layne kissed me on the forehead. “I’ll wait for you here.”
I grabbed the envelope from the table and followed Franklin to his car, which was a limo.
“I had client meetings tonight before coming here,” he explained as he opened the door for me.
The moment my butt hit the plush leather, I could feel the heat from the seat warmer. Franklin joined me on the other side and turned toward me.
“What are the results?” I asked, my pulse spiking.
“Tensley, you’re a fifty percent match to Jack Flannery. He’s your father.”
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. How? How can this man …” I shook my head as the gravity of the situation hit me full force. “I’m sorry about my language. I’d just convinced myself that there was no way he was my biological fath— Ugh. I mean sperm donor. And what about the name? He wasn’t Jack when he was with my mom.”
“When the FBI began to trace his murders, they learned it all began before he and your mom were married. Bart Benton was an alias. I’m so sorry, Tensley.”
“What does this mean now? What do we do about the FBI and cops thinking I’m helping him?” Disgust churned in my stomach, and I wrapped my arms around myself. “It makes me sick just thinking about what he’s done. Those poor women.” My stomach twisted into a million knots.
“We make sure you have an alibi. If you were at school, they have cameras.”
I drummed my fingers on my leg anxiously. “I work at the library, so I’m either at college or at home.”
“You have two roommates, so if you weren’t at the library or classes, then hopefully you were with one of them. The picture of Jack on your property was taken six weeks ago, so we have a date to start with.”