My Sweet Demise (Demise #1) (38 page)

“Just barely,” I answer, and his father’s laugh deepens. He holds out his hand and I shake it.

Vance urges me forward. “Raina, this is Willow, and my other son, Scott. And so on and so forth. Sit down, dear, and eat. There’s plenty.”

I nod at Willow, who nods back. Scotts reaches over and takes my hand. I have the distinct impression he’s doing it to piss Kent off even though he isn’t here. I shake his hand for as long as I have to.

“Morning, Raina,” he greets me, his voice deep and gruff.

“Morning,” I respond, my voice small. Where is Kent?

I sit next to his mother. The chair next to me is empty. There is a feast. Bacon, eggs Florentine, fresh fruit, jam, and scones. Fresh orange juice is in a pitcher and Vance pours me a glass. I watch the orange liquid flow into my cup rather than stare at the happy couple at the end of the table.

“Thank you.”

“No problem, dear.”

“So where’s Kent?” Scott inquires. “I miss my little brother.”

I have to look up at that.
Snot
.

Willow gives him a cross look. “Stop.”

He winks at her, slime and slime. “Fine. So Willow. I mean Raina.” He laughs, but no one else is. “Honest mistake.”

Scott is the real pig. Kent was never a pig. He was trying to live with the betrayal of his brother burning in his heart. Anyone would be lost after that.

Willow sinks lower in her chair, twirling a ring on her finger.

“Cut it out,” Brent tells him crossly. “Leave Raina alone. And when Kent gets here I expect you to both act your age. We’re all adults. We’re all clearly moving forward and there’s no need to keep things in the past.”

I eye her ring finger. Does Kent know? Is that why he wants to marry me? I am suddenly pissed. I swallow my anger and pick up my fork, thinking things no one should think about the man they love. For a few minutes everyone eats in silence until movement catches Scott’s attention. He grins so damn maliciously I don’t have to look to know it’s Kent.

Brent wipes his mouth off and stands up, smiling at his son the way my father never smiled at me. “Son,” he says. Out the corner of my eye I see them embrace.

“You’ve aged,” Kent teases, his voice tight and strained.

“It’s your credit card statements every month. If you step foot into another bar I’ll cut you off.”

Kent forces out a chuckle. He walks around the table and kisses his mother on the top of her head, and then without another word he sits down next to me. He won’t even look at Willow and Scott. He grabs my hand and puts it on his lap, but I pull it free and make it so he can’t reach me.

He sighs and grabs a plate, stacking it high with food.

The tension in the room magnifies.

“So,” Vance says uncomfortably, clearing her throat. “Tell me about yourself, Raina. How did you and Kent meet?”

“We were roommates.”

“Roommates?” She raises her eyebrows. “Interesting.”

Kent shoves food into his mouth.

“It was interesting at times,” I admit.

His mother laughs. “Things with Kent usually are. He has a flare for the dramatics.”

He grunts, mouth full of bacon.

Vance glares at him but doesn’t comment on his shoving food into his mouth. It’s probably best he doesn’t have the ability to speak. “Are you in school or working?”

“Well.” I look down at my plate.

“I got her fired,” Kent speaks up.

“Kent,” Brent chastises.

“I beat the shit out of her boss.”

“Kent,” Vance joins in.

“We broke up and I went apeshit.”

“Kent,” they both echo.

“But we’re together again. For good.”

Willow sighs and Kent’s back straightens. Scott is laughing.

“Leave now, Raina,” Scott teases. “This is as good as it gets.”

I glare at him and he winks. Willow smacks his shoulder.

This is not going well.

Kent will not look to his left, no matter how much I know he wants to. Under the table his hands tremble. I let my anger go and grab his hand and run my thumb across the back of it soothingly. He relaxes some, shoving food into his mouth with his left hand.

“What are you going to do?” Brent tries to salvage the conversation. “I can get you a job at Bid&Buy.”

My eyes widen. “Um, thank you, but I was thinking about going to school.”

“For?”

“Willow, what the fuck?” Kent roars, snapping. The man just snaps. He drops my hand and his fork, exploding out of his seat. “You let this dipshit knock you up?”

Willow looks at him and their eyes connect. Scott stands up too.

“Here we go,” Vance mumbles.

“Why him, Will?” Kent demands. “Why not someone else? Why my brother? Why my best friend?”

Kent Nicholson cracks.

He runs at his brother but Scott is waiting for him. Willow screams and pushes away from the table as the two of them hit the floor like angry bricks. Fists and insults fly. I don’t get up. Kent and Scott go at it like wolves, smashing their fists into each other’s faces with power and force. Brent eventually breaks them up, grabbing Kent around his neck and pulling him off his brother. Scott scrambles to his feet, wounded and enraged. Kent huffs and puffs with blood dripping down his chin.

“You should be happy for me. I’m going to be a father.” At the base of Scott’s words I hear real hurt.

“Congratulations!” Kent spits blood on Scott’s shoes. “Are you’re going to tell them I fucked their mom first?”

My eyes close in misery when Scott’s fist smashes against Kent’s face. It makes a terrible sound, and Kent’s lucky Brent is holding him up, or he would’ve hit the ground.

I get up and go to him, sidestepping Willow in the process. This is her fault. I can’t even look at her. Everything she’s done so far has led up to this. Kent can barely stand up straight and he is wounded in a way I’ve never seen. She broke my man and now I have to put him back together again.

Scott’s chests puffs in and out, fists clenched, ready for round two. “You went too far, Kent.”

“I’ve got him,” I promise Brent.

“You sure?”

“Nothing I haven’t seen before.” I duck under Kent’s arm and support most of his weight. “Let’s go.”

“Rain,” he whispers. “I love you.”

I don’t know where we’re going. I just know we need to get out of this house before round two starts. We leave out a side door that empties onto a plush green lawn. The view of the bay backdrops the yard like a painting as I drop Kent onto a lounge chair near the pool. The backyard looks like an oasis. It’s blue and green, lush and alive, and yet I can’t stop staring at the blood on Kent’s mouth. I know how it got there. It wasn’t because of me this time, and as ridiculous as it seems, it’s red like Willow’s lipstick.

“You love me?” I demand, screaming in his face. “You love me but you fight over another girl? What kind of shit is that? When we get back to Jacksonville, we’re done.”

“No, we’re not.” He takes his shirt off and holds it to his bloody mouth. His words are muffled. “We’re never done.”

“We’re done,” I insist, near tears. “How can you ask me to marry you because your brother’s marrying your ex? Is this some sick competition? Because if it is, I want no part in it.”

His eyes flash. “They’re getting married?”

“You didn’t know?” His expression is full of shock and betrayal. “You didn’t know.”

He closes his eyes and lies back on the lounge chair. “No, I didn’t know. Ahh, this hurts.” He takes his shirt away with shaking hands and stares at the blood on his mouth. “I lasted longer than summer. I coldcocked him then.”

I am near that place again with him. The one when I need a drink and to run. I start pacing, absolutely livid with the man I love. “He looks just like you.”

“Yeah,” he grumbles sarcastically. “I’ve noticed the resemblance.”

“Whose mouth is smart now?” I bite.

“You want to know the worst part? The part that kills me the most out of all of this?” He sits up and looks at me, his eyes drenched in sadness. “She’s right. She found a better man. My brother is better than me in every way. He always has been. I’m some lonely loser who can’t keep his dick in his pants. And now I have you and I’m ruining this too. I have this woman who showed me I can love again, and I’m breaking her heart all over again because of what my brother did. All of the women in the world and he chooses her.” His sadness becomes anger again. “Now they’re getting married and having a baby.”

I continue to pace. Faster, stomping my sandal-clad feet across the bright green grass. “I get why this is bothering you. I understand your brother betrayed you. But it’s over, Kent. They’re moving on. Why can’t we?”

“We are,” he promises. “Rain, I love you. I love you more than I could ever love that cold-hearted thing in there.” He flicks his hand in the direction of the kitchen disgustedly. “But I can’t get over what my brother did to me. I can’t. You don’t understand. It’s like Becca being with me after you and I break up.”

I grab my chest at the example and groan in pain.

“You understand? Now imagine falling in love again. Would you be able to let it go even then?”

“No. I’d kill you both.” I glare at him, picturing him getting Becca pregnant and marrying her. The image makes fury move through me like an electrical shock.

“Believe me, I’ve thought it.” He chuckles uncomfortably. “I’m kidding,” he promises when I spin around to glare.

“What if they’re truly in love?”

He shrugs. “Doesn’t matter. They snuck around behind my back. They could’ve told me. Instead they waited for me to find them together. I went over to Scott’s hotel and what to do I find? Willow sucking his dick on her knees.”

I’m trying to put myself in his shoes. His distrust issues make perfect sense to me now. All of the anger he had towards women wasn’t much different than my abhorrence towards men. But we have to let that go now. It’s hurting us more than it’s saving us. Our pasts are trying to ruin our future.

I walk away.

“Where are you going?” he demands, stomping after me.

“I need a few minutes to accept the fact that no matter what I do my boyfriend will always be caught up on his ex and her fiancé.”

He grabs my hand and spins me around, pulling me against his chest. “You’re not going anywhere all week. You’re staying right by my side. Everything will go back to normal when we get back to Jacksonville.”

“Will it? How? It’s not fair I have to compete with two people who don’t even think about you anymore. They’re moving on with their lives and we’re fighting over them.”

He pulls me against him tighter. “You love me. Don’t forget.”

He keeps telling me to remember our love as if it wasn’t falling apart. I sense one of us needs to take a leap here, or we’ll succumb to the pain of our pasts. I yank myself free of him as my eyes sting. “I do love you. That’s why watching you fight over your ex is killing me. I should go home. I’ll call a taxi. We can talk about this later when you’re not covered in blood on your parents’ lawn.” I pull away and leave.

“You’re not going anywhere,” he growls, chasing after me.

“You’re not my boss, Kent Nicholson. I can do what I damn well please when I damn well want to.”

“Please stay, Rain. I won’t be able to get through this week without you.” His voice breaks and he stops chasing me. “I’m sorry, baby. I’m sorry I can’t get over it the way you want. But I’m trying. I’m here with you, aren’t I? I never bring girls home. I introduced you to my parents; to the people I love. What more do I need to do?”

He looks pitiful. He’s covered in blood and his eyes are glossy. I relent rather unlovingly. “Fine. But I don’t want to see you unless I have to.”

“Not going to cut it. I need to see you or I’ll lose it.”

“Spoiled brat.” This time when I stomp away he doesn’t follow.

I walk toward the water and to a wooden walkway that leads through the property right up to the bay. I pick a spot at the deck and sit, letting the hot sun warm my face and the breeze coming of the water cool the heat. Boats are stationed in a tight circle, docked behind mansions similar to the Nicholson’s. The water is murky and still, interrupted by the occasional breeze. There’s a large boat docked behind their property.
The Nich
is painted along the side of the boat.

In Jacksonville, Willow was a picture. She was a memory in his past that wouldn’t leave his present. Now she’s real. She exists. And she’s messing with my man. The only one who should be affecting him is me. But it wasn’t like I knew Willow is with his brother. Somehow this changes everything. She isn’t in his past. She’s in his future. Kent’s the uncle to her child. No matter what we do she will be there.

Willow Serena, soon to be Willow Nicholson, will be a part of our lives.

I remain on the bay until the heat gets the best of me. I don’t want to see Kent, face his parents, or see his ex. This man is a tangled mess. I take deep breaths of the soggy air and the warm sun and then force myself to go back inside. Walking across the lawn, I notice Mr. Greene cleaning up Kent’s bloody t-shirt.