“Get up, Lucy,” I order her.
Her head pops up above the mattress. “What?”
“I’m not going to let you sleep on the floor all night.”
“You should have the bed. I’ll be fine down here,” she tells me before her head ducks back down.
The chance of me sleeping tonight is slim to none whether it’s in this chair or in the bed. There’s no point in her being uncomfortable, even if she does deserve it for lying to me.
“Lucy, get your ass in the bed!” I shout at her.
“No,” comes her quiet refusal.
Sighing, I get to my feet and trudge around the bed to her. Her hair is pulled back and her face is clean of makeup, making her look even younger and more innocent, even though I know it’s a bullshit illusion.
Bending down, I scoop her up in my arms, blanket and all, and then drop her on the mattress before retrieving her pillow, tossing it at her face.
“You shouldn’t have to sleep beside someone you hate,” she tells me softly, still hiding behind the pillow.
“I don’t hate you,” I reply, and it’s the truth. I could never hate her no matter what she did. I don’t even hate Ellie for hurting me, up and leaving without a word the same way my parents did. The most fucked-up part is that she knew how the shit from my past tore me up and still she did it anyway. Hate is too strong a word for her. I hated Ellie’s decision, her stupid ass choices. If she wasn’t happy with me, she should’ve just told me so before leaving, let me know it was over. Maybe she did in her own way and I just wasn’t paying attention. I never really thought the two of us would work out, not when Ellie was from a wealthy family and I was broke as fuck back then. The money I have now is mostly earned illegally, which I doubt she would have tolerated…
“Are you gonna sleep in the bed too?” Lucy asks, putting the pillow behind her head and watching me. I know if I don’t, my rejection will sting her badly.
“Yeah, I am,” I reply. My day has been too shitty to sleep in a chair or on the floor. May as well enjoy as many comforts as I can now before I lose them.
Once I remove my cut and shoes, I turn off the lights and climb in bed in my t-shirt and boxer briefs but keep every inch on my side, careful not to touch her. It’s not that I don’t want to. Even pissed a part of me would love to kiss Lucy and lose myself inside of her to forget about this fucked-up day and make shit okay between us. But being a suspect for murder and finally facing my ex-wife, who has moved on, has put a damper on everything.
That first one, the life prison sentence, is the main thing that has me keeping my hands to myself.
It wouldn’t be fair to Lucy to sleep with her this weekend, knowing I won’t see her again once we get back home. I hate it; but in the long run, Lucy will be glad she didn’t fuck a killer.
I stare at the dark ceiling for most of the night, thoughts racing in my head, trying to deal with one of my problems at a time.
And it finally hits me what I need to do first once the sun is up.
I have to confront Ellie, to finally get everything I want to say off my chest and hear what she has to say for herself.
With that plan in mind, I finally doze for a few hours before getting up and taking a quick shower. Lucy is still sound asleep when I creep out the door and take a walk around the resort.
Maybe it’s pure luck or maybe it was my hunch that Ellie is a control freak, but either way, from the hallway I can hear her barking orders at hotel staff before eight a.m. She’s standing and pointing in one of the ballrooms while worker bees hurry around her, putting table and chairs together. The white pantsuit she’s wearing hides her bump well and is no doubt expensive but stiff, making her look twice her age of almost thirty. It’s possible I’ve just grown accustomed to being around Lucy and prefer her bright colors and youthful exuberance.
Ellie doesn’t hear me or notice my approach, which is great because she won’t be able to run.
When I’m standing right behind her, I finally say, “You and I need to talk.”
Her shoulders tense up, but she doesn’t turn around or have to look at me because I can tell she still recognizes my voice. “Right now? I’m sort of busy here, Nash,” she replies with a scoff.
“Too bad. I am sick and fucking tired of waiting on you. So, either you can turn around and talk to me like a normal person, or I’ll shout what I have to say to you loud enough for the whole goddamn resort to hear!” I threaten her.
With an exaggerated exhale, she turns around and hisses, “Watch your mouth with me. There’s no reason to get nasty.”
“No reason, huh?” I mutter as I glare down at her.
“Fine. Come on,” she huffs, and then I’m following the click-clack of her stilettos over to the empty side of the ballroom away from the workers. “So, talk,” Ellie turns around and says, crossing her arms over her chest.
And great, now that I’m standing here with her, my mind momentarily blanks as I stare at her face that’s still the same as it was three years ago. The face is the same, but she’s not the same woman I once loved more than anything.
So I say the first thing that pops into my head. “I knew you were vicious wrapped in a pretty package, but how could you steal your own cousin’s boyfriend?”
Apparently, that wasn’t what she was expecting me to say. Her mouth flaps like a fish before she finally says, “I know it looks awful, especially since Lucy was going through a tough time with the cancer and all, but really that’s what Barry and I bonded over, our concern for her.”
“Bullshit, you’re never concerned about anyone but yourself,” I grit out before all of her words sink through my thick skull. Hold on. Back the fuck up. “What was that part about Lucy’s cancer?”
“She didn’t tell you?” Ellie asks with her eyebrow lifted as if calling us on our fake relationship.
“Of course she did! I just can’t believe you were hooking up with fat boy while she had cancer.”
“It was just the one time! But then I found out a few weeks later that I was pregnant, so we had no choice but to tell her.” Her arms unfold and her palms mold around her belly. “It wasn’t like I got pregnant just to rub it in her face that she can never have kids. She knew Barry wants them, so it worked out for the best really.”
Jesus. Why the fuck didn’t Lucy tell me she had cancer or that she can’t have kids? That shit has to be hard on her, and yet she’s always so bubbly and happy, like nothing gets to her.
“The best for you and him maybe, just not for Lucy,” I grumble. “And I guess it worked out the best for me too since I don’t want any kids. Saves us a ton on condoms too.”
Ellie’s jaw drops as my intended low blow lands. When she’s able to recover enough to speak, she stammers. “I…you…you’re not actually sleeping with her, are you? You can stop with the bullshit lies about ‘being in a relationship.’ She’s not even your type!”
“Lucy is every fucking thing I didn’t know I’ve always wanted,” I reply honestly. “And she never mentioned the wedding was yours. She tried to stop me from coming, more than once. I insisted on crashing, because I couldn’t imagine being away from her for even just a few days and nights. Guess she was just trying to protect me from the likes of you all along.”