My heart cracks, seeing the sadness in his eyes. At some point, they’re going to have to all talk. From the comments he’s made, I don’t think the issue is with his mom but her fiancé. Since it’s not my business, I keep my mouth shut, enjoying the dinner they made.
Ben looks like he wants to push Brody, but then he sighs. “All right, maybe this weekend. Ted’s out of town, so it’s just her at the house until Sunday. Then she’s flying back out to meet him.”
Brody nods his okay, then goes back to eating his food.
“What if instead of Brody going over there, you guys go out to dinner?” I suggest, going against my previous thought to keep my mouth shut.
Ben glares, but Brody’s face brightens. “Will you go too?” Brody asks. “Please?”
“Oh, umm…” I glance at Ben to save me, but he just smirks, as if saying I walked into that one all on my own. When I look at Brody, he’s eyeing me as if waiting for me to say no and let him down. “Sure. If she’s okay with it.”
“Cool,” Brody says, snatching up his now empty plate.
“Dishes,” Ben calls out as he walks away.
“I’ll do them,” I offer. “You guys cooked. It’s the least I can do.”
Ben clears his throat. “No, you’re the guest. We got it.”
Taking my plate up to the sink, I stop at the trash can to dump the little bit of remaining scraps into it. As I’m pressing my foot on the pedal to pop the top to the garbage, both guys yell, “Wait!” But it’s too late. The open lid has exposed their lie.
“Seriously?” I accuse through a laugh, lifting the disposable aluminum dish. “You ordered food and pretended you cooked it?” Ben looks at me sheepishly while Brody cracks up laughing. “You both owe me a home-cooked meal!”
“That’s what you’re wearing?” Brianne scrunches up her nose at my jeans and hoodie combo paired with my favorite comfy UGGs.
“What? It’s cold out, and I was in heels all day.”
She sighs. “There are going to be good-looking guys there, Savy.”
“So?”
“So, you need to move forward.”
“Bri,” I warn. “I’m going as your wingwoman. That’s it. And I’m only staying for a little while, so whatever you need me to wing better happen quickly.”
She rolls her eyes, returning back to her mirror so she can finish putting her makeup on. Once she’s done, we head upstairs to Lucas’s apartment, where the poker night is happening. When we arrive, a group of guys is sitting around a large circular table, drinking and laughing, with cards in their hands. I look around and count five guys total, all good-looking, just as Brianne mentioned.
“Geez,” I mutter under my breath, making Brianne laugh.
“Told you. Hot guys flock together.”
“Does that include your brother?” I joke.
She crinkles her nose. “I don’t see him like that, but you can’t deny he isn’t ugly.”
“What are you doing here?” Lucas asks, glancing over at us, repeating the same question he asked me earlier today. Great… not off to the best start with my new boss. First, I’m hanging out with his best friend, and now I’m crashing his poker night.
“Hello to you too,” Brianne snarks, walking over and hugging the one other woman who’s here. “Savy, this is Laura, the saint who puts up with my brother. This is Savy, my best friend from college and—”
“And the new CFO of Sharp,” Laura finishes. “It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard wonderful things about you from Lucas.”
“Thanks,” I mumble, glaring at Brianne. How did I not think about the fact that coming here meant hanging out with my boss?
“Oh my God, stop!” Brianne scolds. “Lucas, your annoying attitude is scaring Savy. Tell her it’s okay to be here.”
Lucas’s face softens. “It’s okay to be here.”
“Damn right it is,” Ben says. “Drinks are in the kitchen.” He shoots me a playful wink before going back to his card game.
“Which one is Marcus?” I ask Brianne once we’re in the kitchen, and she’s mixing us each a Jack and Coke.
“The one on the right of Ben. The other two are Ian and Scott. Ian owns an investment firm, and Scott’s a divorce attorney. Both single.” She waggles her brows.
When I glance behind us to check them out, my eyes land on Ben instead. He’s laughing as he slams his cards on the table and claims the chips as the other guys give him shit.
As if he can sense me staring, his gaze ascends, and he locks eyes with mine. His lips quirk into a soft smile, and butterflies that have no business residing in my belly spread their wings and fly.
“Oh my fucking God!” Brianne shrieks, making me jump.
“What?” I wait with bated breath for her to call me out on the way I’m reacting to Ben, but instead, she turns her phone around so I can read what’s on the screen.
It’s a picture of Lois and Neil with their hands on her stomach. The caption reads: Baby on board! #16weeks
Lois is pregnant…with Neil’s baby. And based on how far along she is, he knocked her up while we were still married. I stare at the picture of the two of them. Lois is smiling at the camera, looking as if she’s just won the lottery. But Neil… he doesn’t look like a man in love at all. No, he looks like a man who cheated on his wife and mistakenly got his mistress pregnant and has to make it right.
And now the rushed divorce makes sense. He’s from a Catholic family. It was one reason he pushed for us to get married—said his mother would be disappointed if we were living together out of wedlock. I’d bet his parents found out about Lois being pregnant and threatened his life and job if he didn’t make it right. His parents are all about appearances. Although, anyone with a brain will be able to do the math and know she got pregnant while he was married to me.
I click on the next photo, and it’s of the ultrasound. My hand instinctively goes to my stomach, and my heart clenches in my chest. When Neil insisted that we try for a baby right away, and month after month, I found myself unable to conceive, Lois was there. I cried to her, worried something was wrong with me. And when I had a feeling my husband was cheating on me, she’s the person I whispered my fears to.
After over a year of not getting pregnant, the doctor didn’t have any answers as to why I couldn’t conceive and referred us to a fertility specialist. The next day, I found out Neil was cheating on me, so I didn’t bother following up. I guess between me refusing to stay home and not giving him the family he so desperately wanted, he replaced me with someone he thought would be better suited to meet his needs. In hindsight, it was a good thing I couldn’t get pregnant because had I succeeded, I would be stuck in a loveless, controlling marriage with a cheating husband and a baby. But it still hurts to know she could get pregnant so easily while I’m… broken.
“Hey,” Brianne says, knocking me from my thoughts. “You’re not seriously upset about them, are you?” And then, as if the light bulb in her head clicks, her face falls, remembering every time I cried to her over the phone. “Shit.” She pulls me into a hug. “Your time will come.”