A Redo (The Sterling Shore Series #6) (17 page)

Chapter 22

ALLIE

Pro

Sexual attraction is out of this world.

He loves Angel.

He’s so damn nice…

Thoughtful…

Sweet…

Sexy…

Funny…

If this worked out, Angel would have both parents full time.

If this worked out, Angel would have everything she ever dreamt of.

If this worked out, I’d also have a family.

He’d give Angel the world if he could.

I’d get to have guilt-free sex with Wren all the time.

Con

He’s too leashed to let me know how he feels.

He fights me harder than I fight him—unless he’s drunk.

Wren drunk = traumatic memories, and I don’t know if I can get past that.

If it went bad, Angel would suffer.

If it went bad, we’d lose the friendship we’ve just started.

If it went bad, his friends might start talking poorly about me in front of Angel.

If it went bad, I might lose that closeness I’ve just developed with Melanie.

I keep studying my pro/con list with a shrewd eye, knowing I’m not listing anywhere close to everything. But it’s hard to concentrate when I can’t stop thinking about anything other than his lips on mine.
Oh. Incredible kisser. I need to add that to the Pro column.

It’s been over a week since the Christmas party, and I’ve barely spoken to him. The few conversations we’ve had have been stilted, as though he’s intentionally being nothing more than cordial toward me. And he’s gone out of his way to
not
touch me.

Which leads me to the conclusion that he does remember exactly what happened between us the night of the Christmas party. Either he regrets it, or he’s under the impression that I turned him down for reasons other than he was drunk. Or maybe he’s embarrassed.

I’m. So. Confused!

“Still studying that pro/con list?” Bella muses, sitting down at the bar while I scribble down another con—
Wren is confusing.

“Yes. A lot of good it’s doing me. I’m sure as hell not making the first move, and I think he’d rather ride piggyback naked on a glacier than to touch me again.”

“You both feel the attraction, Allie. You’ve said he’s confessed as much. But this is all very overwhelming. The guy just found out he has a daughter, and let’s face it, you hated him. It has just gotten to where you can tolerate him.”

I roll my eyes.

“I went straight from hate to lust to… I don’t know what,” I groan, eliciting a small chuckle for her.

“This is why I’m glad I’m no longer looking for that guy who can blow my mind. I want more control.”

Control—stupid freaking control. Bella and Wren are perfect for each other because they both want complete control over their emotions.

That thought roils my stomach. I’d kick her ass. Then I’d beat the hell out of him.

“Well, my mind isn’t blown; it’s a freaking mess.”

She pats my arm sympathetically while I continue to study my pointless list. It’s dark outside, and I’m bored out of my mind. I don’t know what to do with myself without Angel here.

“It feels weird being here without Angel, doesn’t it?” Bella asks, doing that freaky thing where she seems to read my mind again.

I’m trying not to freak out. Thank God she has her own phone, even though I thought it was over the top when Wren initially got it for her. But it’s come in handy, since I can at least call her whenever I want.

This is the longest I’ve ever gone without her, and it’s a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. But she’s having so much fun that it makes it worth it. It’s only been three days, but it feels like weeks. I still have to make it three more before I can join her.

“Yeah,” I say, frowning as I continue to add things to the list to distract me from missing my baby girl.
Pro—he watches movies with us without complaining.
“Don’t make me think about it. Especially since you’re about to go on a date. I need to distract myself.”

Con—he really does suck at making popcorn.
A small smile curves up on my lips as I write that one down.

“I could ask Benjamin if he has a friend.”

My head pops up, and I stare at her, confused. “I thought you were dating Doc Pervy.”

She rolls her eyes. “Ha. He’s a douche. I dumped him.”

“Is Benjamin a prick, loser, or asshole?” I ask absently, adding
frustrating
to the Con column.

“Nope. Which means he’s not at all my type. He’s also not a douchebag.”

Sighing, I toss my pen down.

“I’ll pass on the date offer. You need to get going if you’re meeting him.”

She stands before grabbing her purse, and glances over at the clock. “Alright. You sure you don’t want to come?”

I give her a no-way-in-hell-am-I-tagging-along look, and she shrugs before going to the door. As soon as she swings it open, a squeal bubbles out of her lips, and I whip my head over just as a guy laughs.

“Sorry. I was just about to knock. Is Allie home?”

I can’t see him, but he sounds familiar.

“Yes,” Bella hisses, still trying to catch her breath. She hates being scared or surprised.

I walk over to see Billy Prize standing on my front porch, and he grins at me. What the hell is he doing here? Why isn’t he in Aspen?

“What’s up, Billy?” I ask, trying not to sound as rude as I’d like to be.

I still don’t like him, but he’s Wren’s brother—and Angel’s uncle.

Bella’s head whips toward me when she realizes who he is, and she eyes me questioningly. I don’t have any damn answers to those questions.

“I guess I’ll see you later,” she says to me very hesitantly, still giving me a chance to scream for help.

Billy is a jerk, but he’s a harmless jerk.

“Yeah. I’ll see ya.”

She lets Billy in, and then she mouths, “What the fuck?”

I shrug, and she glances at the back of Billy’s head one last time before leaving me alone with him.

“I hope you don’t mind. I thought I’d drop by the plane ticket, since I heard Ash talking about how you and Wren seem a little tense around each other lately.”

I shift uncomfortably. I really don’t want to discuss Wren with him.

“I was going to buy my own ticket. And for the record, Wren and I are fine. Ash shouldn’t be discussing things like that if she doesn’t know what’s going on.”

He barks out a laugh that startles me. “She’d kick my ass if she thought I was stirring shit. Let me rephrase that. Ash asked Wren if everything was okay between the two of you, and he told her to butt out. She just mentioned it to Mom in front of me, trying to find out if she needed to have Tag kick Wren’s ass. Don’t get mad at her. She’s looking out for you. That’s how she is.”

Ash’s maternal instincts are kicking in heavily. I remember being pregnant, and I swear I made Bella’s life hell by constantly threatening every guy she came into contact with. It’s almost embarrassing to look back at it now.

“Can I sit?” he asks when I get lost in thought.

“Why?” I say, sounding much more defensive than I mean to.

He grins like I’m amusing him. “Because I’d like to get to know the mother of my niece. Angel is wary of new people, and I don’t think she’s too crazy about me.”

I immediately feel more defensive. “She loves Wren. He’s her father. If you want to have a relationship with Angel, you’ll have to treat Wren like you love him. Angel is very loyal. She wouldn’t give Wren a real chance until I did. Now he’s solidly in her life, and she’s just as dedicated to him as she is me or Bella.”

His smile falters, and he blows out a breath while taking a seat on my sofa. “My relationship with my brother is… complicated. Saying that it’s
strained
would be putting it too nicely. But we’ll eventually work through all our issues. I’d really like to be a part of her life. Yours too. You’re great, Allie. You deserve a hell of a lot better than Wren can ever offer.”

Taking a deep breath, my fists clench until my nails dig into my palms. But he continues before I can let my mouth run wild.

“Wren will hurt you. He’s loyal to Tag and Ethan. He’s loyal to Mom. He’s loyal to Kade and Rye. But that’s about it. Everyone hates Erica for what she did, but she was just lonely and drunk, and I was just there. She needed attention, and even though it was stupid, I was the one willing to give her that attention. Wren isn’t the kind of guy to give a damn about what someone else needs, and he doesn’t defend too many people from the verbal attacks that come. He’s just… well, he’s not really selfish, per se, but he’s too self-involved. He genuinely doesn’t care about anyone or anything other than who I’ve already listed. I’d hate to see you get hurt by him. Again.”

To hell with niceties.

“You know what? You’re an ass.” His eyes widen, and I realize how pathetic my insult really sounds. Hell, I sound like a third-grader dishing out trash talk. But I pretend it’s a badass retort instead of a lame one, and I continue. “Wren is great. He doesn’t have to be a saint. He’s loyal to Angel, so add her to that list. You need to go. I won’t do this. I’m not arguing with you, and I’m not letting you bash my daughter’s father in my home. It’s not right.”

He holds his hands up, surrendering. “I’m sorry. I realize I sound bitter. Can I have another shot?”

He gives me an innocent expression, grinning at me like he’s a charmer. I don’t care how pretty he is, I’m not one of those girls. Well, I’m usually not. Wren seems to turn me into one of those girls, but his brother sure as hell doesn’t.

“I’d seriously like to know a little about my niece. As you’re aware, Wren and I don’t necessarily talk too much, and Mom is a little mad since I brought Erica to the Christmas party. I just want to know about Angel.”

Inhaling a fresh breath, I try to calm down. I almost feel thankful now that I never had a sibling.

He’s Angel’s uncle.
Even though Billy screwed Wren’s fiancée, Wren still started talking to him again. I really don’t want to be the one pushed out when fences are mended this time. No doubt Wren will choose his brother—family always sticks together no matter how deep the scars are between them. Bella’s the only exception to that rule that I’ve ever known.

If I have tension with Billy, Wren will start excluding me from his life to keep peace. It wouldn’t matter if the tension was caused because I was defending him.

Play nice, Allie. Even if you have to bite your tongue hard enough to draw blood.

“Fine. What do you want to know?”

His triumphant grin gets broader as he relaxes. “Pictures always bring about interesting stories. Got any?”

There’s a very small photo album in my room. That’ll be plenty to show him, and then I can kick him out in less than ten minutes.

I nod and grab the album. When I return, he’s staring expectantly, and I consider not sitting anywhere close to him.

“Promise I won’t bite,” he jokes, nodding to the empty space on the sofa beside him.

Since we’re going to be looking at pictures, I concede to sit by him, but I grab a throw pillow and subtly tuck it between us. No way am I letting him touch me.

Chapter 23

WREN

“I told you I’d be there later,” I grumble to my very persistent mother.

Corbin is sitting in the passenger seat of my car, trying his best not to laugh at my exasperation. We’re not too far from my house, and this day can be called done.

“When?” she demands. “Where are you right now?”

“I’ll fly up with Allie so that she doesn’t have to go alone. And not that it’s any of your business, but I’m with Corbin. We went to help set something up for Rye.”

“You mean you helped Rye set something up to prank Brin,” Mom corrects, a small smile in her voice. “I thought they were calling a truce until after the New Year. Rye said things were getting too out of hand.”

“Yes,” I say, actually smiling. “Don’t give it away. They have a truce not to prank each other. Rye says that leaves a loophole—he can get help from third parties. He better not rat me out. By the way, I heard Rygan Clanton is in Aspen, too.”

“Yes. He is. And he seems to very taken with Eleanor. Kode is having a small panic attack, worrying to death that Tria and Rye might become stepbrother and stepsister. Dane isn’t overly fond of the idea either.”

I finally manage to laugh, but Mom isn’t one to be deterred from her train of thought for long.

“So you and Allie will—”

“Will be coming together. Stop worrying.”

“You never told me what happened between the two of you, and she keeps assuring me that everything is fine. But I can tell it’s not.”

“It’s not a big deal. We just have some… history, and with history comes certain issues.”

And I want to be inside Allie so bad that I can barely keep my head straight around her.

Mom sighs heavily. “Fine. Whatever you’ve done to create this tension, you need to fix it. Allie keeps swearing nothing’s wrong, but I hear it in her voice.”

I groan, wishing I could just hang up on her without hearing her nag me about it later. This situation is more complicated than my mother realizes. I still don’t know what to say or do, and Allie hasn’t once mentioned that night. Like a creepy pervert, I still have her torn panties. They’re not under my pillow or anything, but they are in a locked drawer instead of the trashcan.

I’m. Pathetic.

My phone beeps, signaling I’m getting another call.

“Gotta let you go. Getting another call. I’ll call later to talk to Angel.”

I hang up before she can say more and answer the incoming call without checking to see who it is.

“Wren Prize.”

“Hey, Wren, it’s Bella.”

I immediately tense. “Is something wrong with Allie?”

She laughs lightly. “I don’t think so. Look, I know what went down with the two of you. In fact, I know a lot of shit, including how your brother screwed your ex just before your wedding. I also know he brought her to the Christmas party.”

Confused, I purse my lips, glancing over at Corbin before I round another curve, closing the distance between us and my house.

“What does that have to do with anything?” I ask when she doesn’t continue.

She groans just as my house comes into view.

“Do you think your brother would ever try to hit on Allie just to get at you?”

Immediately my grip on the steering wheel becomes painful. Corbin looks over at me as the leather whines under my death-grip, and he sits still even as I whirl into my driveway.

“Why do you ask, Bella?” I growl, not bothering to put my car in park.

Corbin warily gets out, carefully looking back at me as he walks to his car. Bella takes for-fucking-ever to finally speak.

“Look, I don’t want to cause problems for you and your brother, but I also don’t trust him or his intentions around Allie. She’s trying so hard to make life easy on you by not causing waves in your family, but—”

“Bella, just tell me what the hell is going on!” I snap, my patience gone.

With one last hesitant breath, she finally says, “Billy just showed up over at the house. I left a few minutes ago, and he’s alone with Allie. I don’t think he’d touch her, but it’s still weird. Says he came by to—”

I cut the call before squealing tires in reverse, and slam on my brakes before charging down the road. Corbin’s lights follow me, but I punch the gas harder, pulling away because I’m going to fucking kill my brother before he can catch up and stop me.