“If I saw it there, I would have cut it off,” I respond flatly.
“The ring or the finger?”
I shrug with indifference. “Both.”
She tilts her head back and cackles, causing me to blink in shock. “Oh, I like you.”
“Lana? Are you up he—” My mother stops short when she finds us. “Cassandra? I didn’t expect you to be here this weekend.”
Cassandra makes a production of rolling her eyes. “It is my house, Faye.”
My mother twists her fingers around the thin gold links of the chain she always wears. A blush creeps along her cheeks. “Oh, it’s a beautiful house.”
“You can’t have it. It never belonged to him.” And then she saunters away, her martini glass balanced high in her hand.
My mother raises her eyes guiltily. I’m on the verge of combusting.
“She’s Nick’s wife. What the hell are we doing here?” I yank the ring off my thumb and slam it down next to the photo on the dresser.
How many more lives will she destroy with her lies?
The message written on the back of the picture I received has finally taken on a meaning. One that makes my stomach sour as I watch my mother redden with shame.
“Olivia assured me she wouldn’t be here. I didn’t know,” she replies in a rush. “And they’re not together. He left her about a year ago. But she refuses to divorce him. I had no idea until … well, that morning you found his ring.” She eyes it, sitting on the dresser. “I can’t believe you kept it!”
“I can’t believe you had an affair with a married man! Is this the first time, or have you done it before?” I present myself with a flourish of my hand to insinuate that I could be the result.
She blanches.
I move past her, bubbling with anger, leaving her speechless in my wake. When I get to the bottom of the stairs, I’m a shaking mess, overcome with rampant thoughts and an onslaught of emotions. Not to mention, I’ve never raised my voice at my mother before. I have no idea what to—
I come to an abrupt halt. Mr. Garner has just arrived with Lance. Olivia greets him enthusiastically, and he leans down to hug her. He spots me over her shoulder, and the color drains from his face. What the hell is going on?
“Lana!” Lance exclaims, bypassing his mother and Mr. Garner to approach me. “Where have you been? I told you to let me know when my dad was picking you up so I could catch a ride.”
“You did? When?” I ask, my eyes still trained on Mr. Garner as Niall shakes his hand and affectionately sets a palm on his shoulder. My hands continue to shake. Or maybe it’s my whole body now.
“In the tree. I left a note yesterday,” he explains impatiently. “I also warned you that my aunt and uncle were going to be here, so you’d be prepared.”
I scan the faces that are beginning to accumulate in the open living space now that my mother has descended the stairs. She walks over to hug Mr. Garner. I catch sight of Cassandra hovering by the bar with a fresh martini. But I don’t see Nick … or Kaden.
“Which uncle?” I ask slowly.
“Isaac,” Lance answers like it’s obvious. When he notices the dumbfounded look on my face, his mouth drops open. “You didn’t know? Isaac’s my uncle. He’s my dad’s brother. Technically half-brother. My grandmother remarried before I was born. But whatever.”
“I think I need to sit down.” My voice has no fluctuation. I may seriously be in shock.
That’s when the doorbell rings, and Grant appears on the other side.
“Thank fuck.” I rush over and pull him through the small crowd before he has a chance to introduce himself. “I’m losing my mind.” Without caring who’s watching, I throw my arms around his chest and hug him.
He wraps me in a hug without hesitating. When I look up at him, he’s smiling awkwardly, his attention directed behind me. I turn my head to find that all of the adults have stopped talking and are gawking at us.
“Oh, this is Grant,” I tell them and then assertively lead him outside, away from everyone.
He waves in apology as we exit. “Nice to meet you.”
I clunk down on one of the benches by the firepit on the lower deck.
“What’s going on?” Grant asks, tucking me under his arm. “You look like you’re hyperventilating.”
I shake my head, at a loss, not knowing where to start.
“I didn’t know you were going to be here.”
The snarky voice coming from the other side of the firepit snags our attention. Lily glowers at Grant with her hands on her hips. Before he can utter a single word, she stomps away.
“Oh, this is going to be fun.” Brendan sits down on a bench next to ours.
He’s dressed impeccably in a pair of pressed charcoal pants, shiny black shoes and a fitted V-neck T-shirt—looking a little too pleased by my distress. I close my eyes and pray for the control to keep from kicking that smug look off his face. I’m on the verge of having a full breakdown, and homicide isn’t out of the question.
Parker stands behind Brendan, holding a glass that looks like Coke but undoubtedly has something stronger added to it.
“Nice. Everyone’s reunited,” I announce with a slight note of hysteria. “So, Parker, I know you and Brendan go way back. But tell me … how well do you know Ashton?”
Brendan stiffens.
“I don’t really,” Parker answers casually. “I met her a couple years ago at a club in New York.”
“Right.” I nod dramatically, like I’m recollecting the details. “Brendan was with you the night you met her. Business aside, I didn’t realize you two were friends?”
Lance sits on the bench on the other side of us. Having only caught the last of my words, he begins laughing. “Them? Friends?”
Brendan and Parker exchange a look. Brendan’s hand curls around his pant leg while he wears a face of pompous amusement.
“We’re … sort of … friends. He asked me to go. Not a big deal. Why are you asking?”
I ignore Parker’s question. “And why did you want to attend a party where you knew no one?” I target Brendan. “A certain contact you wanted to connect with?”
He glares at me in warning. “I think we should finish this conversation in private.” He stands just as Joey and Lincoln approach.
“Hey, Lana,” Lincoln greets casually. Then he scans the group, picking up on the tension. “Not much has changed with you, huh?”
“Not really,” I sigh, ducking out from under Grant’s arm. “I’ll be right back.”
Grant wants to come with me. I can sense him beginning to rise.
I stop him before he does. “It’ll be better if I do this alone.”
He settles on the bench again. Joey and Lincoln occupy the seat Brendan vacated.
I follow Brendan down to the private beach. Before he can speak, I need to explain, “Ashton told me about that night. What you did for her. And now I completely understand why you have this unbreakable bond. I do. Doesn’t mean I think you’re good for her. But that’s not what this is about.”
“What is this about?” Brendan demands impatiently.
“Why were you there that night? You didn’t give a shit about the party.” I study his eyes, impenetrable stone, then look down at his clenched fist. “Either you were stalking Ashton, or … you knew Morgan would be there.”