Eloise takes her arm. “It’s fine. He needs time,” she tells her before turning to me, her expression fake with anguish. “I know this is a lot to dump on you, but when you are ready, I’m here to talk. Okay?”
Does she think talking in a sweet voice will butter me up, will make me believe the crap coming out of her mouth?
And the tears.
I inwardly snort. “Mum is going to hear about this,” Natalie threatens.
I stop myself from storming out, knowing Mum will believe the shit coming out of her mouth. I narrow my gaze on her. “You believe this?”
Natalie sniffs. “I was there for her.”
“Really?”
“Andrew, this girl has you being an insensitive prick. How can you treat a long-time family friend like this, someone you shared something so special with?”
“Because the only thing I remember from our encounter was pulling off the used condom in the morning,” I snap, and she pales, stepping back.
“We had sex more than once,” she argues.
“No, we didn’t,” I tell her, my voice firm. “I might not remember much from that night, but I remember passing out blind drunk, which explains why I still had the condom fucking on.”
“We had sex, Andrew. I was pregnant. I lost our baby at eight weeks.”
I think back to that year. I had argued with Mum because I switched to fitness and business. She had been so mad and I went out and got shit faced. The same year, I had to stay with Dad because it had become too much at home. Eloise, I have no clue. She isn’t on my radar now, and she certainly wasn’t then.
“If you lost a baby, I’m sorry, but I wasn’t the father. I don’t appreciate you telling me I was either.”
Her expression tightens. “You are only saying this because of her.”
“Why are you so threatened by her?” I ask, my words biting. “Even with her out of the picture, you still wouldn’t stand a chance, Eloise. I don’t like you like that. At all.”
“You’ll see we belong together,” she argues, tears gathering in her eyes. “Everyone wants us together. It’s just you who won’t see it.”
I throw my hands up. “Because it’s only my decision that matters. Just because someone says it should be ‘so’ doesn’t mean it should be. I’m sorry you’re upset, but I’m done here.”
“Andrew,” Natalie yells.
I stop with my hand frozen on the door handle and turn to her. “Don’t, Natalie. I understand her being your friend, but you’re my sister. You more than anyone should know when the bitch is lying and stand up for me. Instead, you enable her lies to continue, and in turn, could have tarnished my reputation.”
She has the gall to look ashamed. As she should. “Andrew.”
I leave, slamming the door closed behind me. I head back to the table, coming to a stop when I find it empty.
“What the fuck?” I whisper. I glance around and on the other side of the room, is Charlotte, leading a conga line with nearly every fucker in attendance behind her.
She waves from the other side of the club and I chuckle, my mood lightening. Dad breaks off, coming to stand beside me. “If I was—”
“Not even then,” I warn him, knowing what he was going to say.
He chuckles. “You can’t blame a guy for trying.”
I watch her draw closer, her smile lighting up her entire face. “Best date ever.”
No. She is the best date ever. She moves past, and I arch an eyebrow at Rampage, the bulky, muscled guy in line. He shrugs, grinning. “And here I was afraid of tonight being boring,” he yells.
He moves past, and when I spot Howie, one of the event organisers who is in his eighties also in line with his wife, I chuckle. “Bring her again next time,” he calls out.
Dad claps me on the shoulder. “They love her.”
I turn, arching an eyebrow. “How could they not?”
He tilts his head side to side. “You got me there,” he replies, his forehead creasing. “What did Natalie want? And don’t think I missed that bitch following behind.”
I sigh, running a hand through my hair, and quickly run over everything that was said. “I just don’t get why she would take up for her like that.”
“I do.”
“What?”
“It’s no lie Eloise gets around. She’s a snake waiting to strike, but I’ve been hearing rumours.”
“What rumours?”
“Her dad has threatened to cut her off if she doesn’t hurry up and get married. He wants a male heir for his business and he’s too old for any more kids.”
I snort. “And she’s picked me?”
“They’ve all picked you,” he points out. “But like I said, she gets around, and it wouldn’t surprise me if she wants you to give her a chance so she can get pregnant.”
“To trap me,” I surmise. “Natalie has always teased about her becoming a real sister eventually. Now I know why.”
Dad shudders. “That woman is made of ice,” he tells me, before laughing at the dance Charlotte has them all doing. “Unlike that one. She’s all warmth.”
“And she’s mine,” I warn him, grinning. I leave him laughing to go and get her. All these fuckers have had her for long enough.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHARLOTTE
Tonight has been filled with so much laughter. My face aches from being unable to keep the smile off my face. And there’s a fine shine of sweat beading on my chest and back from all the dancing I had done.
To top the night off, people are interested in my library. The fighter pauses, glancing up from his phone. “And this is on Main Street?”
“It is. We have various books on the subject, and if one of them isn’t the right fit, I can order some in for you. It’s not a problem.”
“What are you doing now?” Drew asks, his arms snaking around my waist.
I lean back into him. “Trevor needs some coursework books. I have them. I was just telling him studying in this light isn’t good for the brain.”
Pressing his lips against my shoulder, I feel him smile. “Yeah, sorry for taking her time up, man,” Trevor announces, yet his focus is still on his phone. “Thanks again, Charlotte.”
Dev and his wife, Michelle, step forward. “And thank you for those tips. We’ll get on it.”
“You’re welcome.”
Once they leave, I turn, placing my hands on Drew’s chest. His gaze flicks away from the couple who have just left us, to me. “What tips?”
I lean in. “They heard about the sex toys from someone at our table and asked what I’d recommend so I recommended this book at the library. It has some amazing tips on how to spice things up, and oddly enough, it’s the same list I went by first to see if we had, in fact, done every position.”
His lips twitch, but the normal happiness isn’t there. Ever since he headed off with his sister earlier, he has been tense, not fully here with me, and I’m beginning to worry it’s me. Sometimes I can get carried away and I’ve been told once or twice to grow up.
“And have we?” he asks.