Saving HER: A Brother's Best Friend Fireman Romance by Mia Ford (27)

It took Lindsey about ten minutes before she pulled up out front. When she came through the front door and into the living room, she stopped, pouting her lip. I waved in a sickly motion and gestured for her to come in.

“You poor thing,” she said. “You look like you feel terrible.”

“I have definitely been better,” I said.

“Sorry to intrude on you while you are sick, but I really have to vent,” she said, sitting down in the chair. “You know I don’t do well holding things in, and I just have to get it out.”

“It’s fine,” I said. “I am losing my mind in the quiet anyway. Is it Jordan?”

“No, it’s not Jordan,” she said. “He is wonderful. It’s Sarah.”

“Ugh.” I cringed.

“I know,” she said. “She is being the biggest fucking brat about every little thing that has to do with the wedding. She doesn’t like where she is sitting, she doesn’t like that she has to walk third down the aisle, she doesn’t like the color of her bouquet, and everything else you could imagine there was to complain about. She is driving me absolutely insane. I finally told her to shut the hell up today and then left my parents’ house.”

“I’m sorry you have to deal with her,” I said. “I can hire a hitman if you would like. And what I mean by hire a hit man is me taking my sick ass to her house and kicking her butt up and down the street. She is in real need of a good ass kicking.”

“I appreciate it.” She laughed. “But you would make it three steps outside and collapse.”

“You may be right,” I said, laughing. “I have some good news.”

“Good,” Lindsey said. “Tell it to me.”

“Me and Nathan are going to get married at the courthouse as soon as I feel better,” I said, holding my breath for the reaction.

“What? Are you serious? Already? I mean, you love him that much?”

“Yes, of course, I do.” I chuckled. “When have I ever done something without thinking about it?”

“Don’t get me wrong,” she said. “I want you to be as happy as you can be, but are you sure you really want to get married? You haven’t really known Nathan for very long. You learn a lot of things about people when you spend enough time together. Maybe you guys should move in together first and see how it works out. I’m not trying to mock you or make you think I don’t support you. I’m just being the devil’s advocate. That’s my job as your best friend.”

“Let me ask you a question,” I said. “Did I ask you that when you told me you were marrying Jordan after dating for seven months?”

“No, but seven months is a lot longer than you’ve known Nathan,” she said.

“Look, I am positive that I want to marry him,” I said. “You knew way sooner than seven months. He just waited that long to ask you.”

I could feel Lindsey’s judgement as I laid there on the couch, trying to argue my side of things. I really wanted her to be happy for me, request to be at the courthouse, and start talking about cute outfits I could wear to get married in, but that didn’t happen. Instead of happy girl talk, I got a lecture on getting to know someone before jumping straight into marriage. It was like she didn’t understand that I knew that. I let it go, knowing that eventually, Lindsey would come around. She was my best friend, and the last thing I wanted to do was fight with her. She had her own big day coming up, and with her already being pissed with her sister, the last thing she needed was me picking a fight with her. So, instead, I changed the subject back to Sarah. It was the first time I had ever wanted to talk about Sarah over my own personal happiness.

After about twenty minutes, I could feel the nausea coming back full force, and I told Lindsey that I needed to close my eyes. She brought me a new soda and then let herself out. My heart was sad that I couldn’t share this special time with her. I knew one day, everyone would realize that Nathan and I were meant to be, but for now, I just had to be happy with knowing I was going to get to marry the man of my dreams soon. All I had to do was shake whatever was kicking my ass first.

Chapter 14

Nathan

It was Sunday afternoon, and I was laying on the couch, staring out the window. I never went back to Amanda’s house after meeting up with John, and I hadn’t talked to her since then, either. My head was spinning from our conversation, and I didn’t know what to think or say about any of it.

I wanted so badly to believe in the fairytale that I had created, but it looked like it was a load of bullshit. When I had met up with John, I was irritated, not wanting to listen to what he had to say. I had been with Amanda, taking care of her, and didn’t have time for his bullshit. He had started out by letting me know that Amanda had recently, in the last couple of days, started really looking into starting her own practice.

At that moment, it didn’t seem strange to me at all, and it irritated me how John was acting so accusatory when he told me. He was acting like I didn’t know anything about her dreams for the future. He then continued by telling me all about her financial situation. Apparently, at that time, she didn’t have all of the funds that she would need to get the clinic up and running. I didn’t really find this strange, either, assuming that if she did have the funds, she would already have the clinic up and running.

I had rolled my eyes and sighed, waiting for him to either quit or tell me something worth hearing. I almost wish I hadn’t even thought that because the news just kept spewing out of his mouth. Apparently, Amanda had been living off of a trust fund that her father had passed down to her from when her grandparents had passed away. I had never asked her how she paid her bills, and honestly, the question never even crossed my mind. This trust fund wasn’t bottomless, though, and she either used it to open a clinic and then was broke, or she spread it out over the next few years until it ran dry. My interests became piqued at that moment, but only because she hadn’t shared that information with me yet. It was very likely that it wasn’t something that she even thought to share with me.

I leaned my head back on the couch and closed my eyes, feeling my chest aching from the pain of an impending heartbreak. I wanted to sit in my house and never leave again, feeling like such an idiot for not listening to John in the first place. I had been pissed at him when I went to the bar to meet him, but by the end, he was buying me shots to ease the pain. I sat there replaying the whole conversation over in my head.

“There’s more than just that,” John said in a calm tone. “And I want to say ahead of time, I’m sorry for doing it this way, but I had to do something before you made a mistake.”

“Yeah, well you haven’t told me anything damning yet,” I said with irritation.

“I am pretty sure the fact that she can’t make her dream clinic come true and that she is running out of money are the reasons why some mystery girl out of nowhere decided to marry you so fast,” he said.

“Or it could be that she loves me like she told me that she did,” I said, sipping my beer.

“Okay, well how about the fact that she is married?” he asked.

I stopped and stared forward, the beer barely touching my lips. I shook my head, trying to decide if he really just told me that Amanda was married. There was no way that was true. It couldn’t be true, could it? I had seen her, stayed at her place, showed up unannounced, and everything seemed kosher. I never once saw any remnants of another man at her place. I turned my head slowly toward John.

“You have exactly five seconds to explain to me exactly how you came to that conclusion,” I said. “And it better not be a gut instinct.”

“Well, first of all, it makes sense if you really think about it,” he said. “She didn’t tell you about her financials, she is only available to see you on certain nights, making up excuses when it is spur of the moment, and she doesn’t really talk about any man other than the mystery ex that she had cheating problems with.”

“That does not point to her being secretly married,” I said. “Try again.”

“Fine,” he said, sliding an envelope over to me. “I found this. It’s a marriage certificate with her name on it. I looked it up online, and I found a site that said she got married on that date, and that her maiden name is Adams.”

I slapped my hand on the envelope and opened it up, pulling out the piece of paper. It was a marriage license, or at least, looked like one, and sure enough, it had her name on it. I stared at the paper for a minute before looking back up at John. It was all history from there, shot after shot, trying to drown my heartbreak.

My eyes opened, and I stared up at my ceiling, hearing my phone ringing on the table next to me. I looked over to see Amanda’s name flashing across the screen. I had been screening my calls ever since I left her house, but I felt like it might be the right time to finally talk to her. I knew she wouldn’t stop calling until she knew why I disappeared, and I wanted to get it all over with as soon as I could so that I could go on with my life.

“Hello?” I answered.

“God, finally,” she said. “I have been worried to death about you. Why haven’t you answered my calls or texted me back at all? I thought you were coming back over last night, and you never showed up. On top of being sick from whatever I have going on, I was nervous as hell thinking something had happened to you.”

“I found out some information, Amanda,” I said with irritation. “I needed a little bit of time to process it before I could talk to you. I’m sorry if you were worried about me. I will be fine when all of this is resolved.”

“All of what?”

“Look, we need to talk,” I said. “I’ll be over in twenty minutes.”

I hung up the phone before she could respond, knowing that I needed to see her face to face. I headed over to her house and let myself in, finding her showered and sitting up on the couch. Her cheeks finally had some color in them, so I didn’t feel so bad attacking a sick person.

“Why have you been looking into starting your clinic?” I asked. “You just started looking over the last couple of days.”

“Hello to you, too,” she said. “Of course, I have been researching it. I told you that was what I wanted to do since I graduated. Right now, I live off of a trust fund from my grandparents, and if I open the clinic, it will leave me with no money. I figured while I was sick, laying around doing nothing, I would look up ways to finance it. I have a full business plan already, so I know what kind of money it will take. It’s just deciding whether to take the leap, or wait longer and figure out a better plan.”

“Okay, so say you take the rest of the trust you never told me you had,” I said.

“I didn’t think it was pertinent,” she said. “I don’t ask you where your money comes from exactly.”

“I own a company,” I said snidely. “You know where it comes from. Anyway, say you take the rest of the trust, and you put it into the clinic. Great. How were you planning on living? Were you planning on living off of my money until it got up and going? I think that is something you should have told me.”

“First of all, I was never, and let me repeat that so you hear it correctly, never going to ask you for a cent of your money,” she said, getting angry. “Secondly, I wasn’t aware that when I married you, we were still going to live separate lives. I figured my clinic would be yours, and whatever we had would become ours. I didn’t know you were so worried about me stealing your money, which I don’t want a single dime of, and I’ll sign a pre-nup in a heartbeat to prove that to you. I don’t understand where all of this is coming from.”

“It’s just so convenient that you jumped at the chance to marry me just days after you looked into a practice for the first time,” I said. “You hadn’t even cooled your internet search before deciding that I was the man of your dreams.”

“Um, if I remember correctly, you were just as excited to marry me as I was to marry you,” she said. “When did I become some manipulative woman in your eyes? I don’t know what John told you, but this is absolutely ridiculous. I don’t want your money. If marrying you meant I’d never get my clinic, then so be it. I would take it and throw my dreams out the window. The whole situation was a big coincidence. You have made me feel ready and comfortable to chase my dreams, and because of that, I started looking into it. I thought that maybe since you believed in me so much, it was worth putting my feelers out there and trying to get this thing off the ground. When I realized, it would take more money than I had, I stopped looking. Apparently, you didn’t, though.”

“That’s bullshit,” I said angrily. “There is no such thing as a coincidence when it comes to money like that. And how about your husband, Jack?”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Here,” I said, tossing the envelope at her. “This is your marriage license. You should already have a copy,”

“I have never been married,” she said, pulling the paper out of the envelope. “I don’t know where this came from, but it’s fake. I have never been married in my entire life. You can call my father, call the courthouse, or just look at this and realize it is a fraudulent document.”

“What is your maiden name?” I asked.

“Johnston is my maiden name, and the name I have always had because I have never been married,” she said, yelling. “What in God’s name is going on here? Have you and your best friend lost your ever-loving minds?”

“Apparently, I have, because this paper says that your maiden name is Adams and that you married Jack Johnston six years ago,” I said. “So, what was that story about your ex? Was it all made up for my benefit, or did you marry that prick, too? You have been pulling the wool over my eyes this whole time. I bet you knew exactly who I was when you sat down at that bar.”

“You are so off-kilter right now,” she said, shaking her head with tears in her eyes. “I can’t believe this is happening. You know who I am.”

“Apparently, I don’t,” I said quietly. “It’s over.”

I turned and walked from the room and out the front door, slamming it behind me. I didn’t let my feet stop. I kept going until I was in the car and heading back to my place. It had been exactly what I feared, and I had been made a fool of all over again. My heart was broken, and the girl of my dreams never existed in the first place.

Chapter 15

Amanda

For the first time in my life, I was a complete and total mess. Nothing was helping me feel better. No matter how many pints of ice cream I ate or long phone calls I had with my dad, I still felt emotionally and physically like total shit. I couldn’t believe that Nathan flipped switches on me like that, and I had no idea where he was getting his information, but it was more than wrong. Someone was trying to sabotage my life, going so far as to give Nathan a fake marriage license. As far as online, I found one site that listed me as married, but when I looked further, it was another Amanda Johnston from Iowa. It wasn’t even me.

As far as my physical ailments, I was still feeling terrible. I had gotten to the point where I could get up and shower every day, but I think that was more because I was getting used to feeling like hell, not because I actually felt any better.

I was starting to get concerned about my wellbeing. Stomach flus never lasted this long, so I made an appointment with the doctor and dragged myself to his office. They did all kinds of tests and left me sitting in the office on a crumpled strip of paper with an examination gown that swamped me. I dangled my feet over the edge of the table and looked down at my feet, feeling so small in the world. It was times like these, when I was sick and scared, that Nathan was supposed to be there comforting me.

“Amanda,” the doctor said as he walked in, looking at my chart. “I think we found the culprit to your stomach issues.”

“Oh, good,” I said. “What do I need to do? Take some medicine and get some sleep I hope because I’m exhausted.”

“Well, it’s not quite that simple,” he said. “You are going to be feeling exhausted for quite a while, although there are things I can do for the nausea.”

“What do you mean? What’s wrong with me?”

“Nothing is wrong with you.” He chuckled. “You’re pregnant.”

“Wait, what did you say?”

“You’re pregnant, Amanda,” he said, taking off his glasses and looking at me. “And I can tell now, this is coming to you as a surprise.”

“Uh, yeah,” I said. “I mean, the thought of me being pregnant never even crossed my mind. Not for a second.”

“I’m assuming you are sexually active,” he said.

“Yes, well, I was,” I replied. “We broke up.”

“Maybe you should call him,” he said gently. “You don’t have to go through all of this alone.”

“I don’t think that’s an option,” I replied, completely stunned. “And you’re sure I’m pregnant? It’s not just some weird mishap with the test?”

“Blood tests don’t lie about something like this.” He smiled. “And from your chart, it looks like you are a week late for your period at this point.”

“Yeah, I just thought it was because of whatever I had,” I said.

“Well, in a way it is.” He chuckled. “Why don’t you lay back, and I will take a look with the portable sonogram? It’s not as elaborate as the full version you will get in a month or so, but it will show me the gestational sac, and I can tell you about how far along you are.”

I laid back and lifted my knees, pushing them apart. He reached under the sheet and inserted the wand, moving it slightly back and forth. I looked over at the black and white screen, watching the blurs move across, wondering which one was the baby. He clicked and clacked on the keys, taking measurements and looking at his notes. When he was done, he cleaned me up and sat back in his chair.

“Well, it all seems to line up perfectly,” he said. “You are around five weeks pregnant, but that reading can change as the baby grows, and we can actually take better measurements.”

I didn’t know what to think. My mind was on fire. Nathan had left me. He had just gotten up and ran off, saying I was trying to steal his money. I was all alone, with no job, no ability to start my clinic, and I wasn’t sure I was ready for any of it. My face turned white as I sat there staring up at the different charts on the wall.

“If you need some help,” the doctor said. “Or you need to talk to someone, I can refer you.”

“Thank you,” I said sweetly. “I just want to go home.”

“Alright,” he said. “The front desk will have some information for you, and they will set up your next appointment.”

“Thank you, doctor,” I said, smiling at him as he left the room.

I gathered my things and changed my clothes, my mind completely blank. It was like I had gone numb, and nothing seeped through, not even the heartache that had been plaguing me. When I checked out, they gave me a prescription for the morning sickness, and I set up my future appointments. I walked out to my car and climbed in, sitting there and gripping the steering wheel.

I had no idea what to do next or where to even go. I figured that my first step was to call Nathan and let him know. He deserved to know he was going to be a father. I pulled my cell phone out of the bag and scrolled through the numbers, my finger hovering over the call button. If he still felt the same way as before, he was going to just think this was a ploy to get him back. Either way, I had to tell him, or at least try to tell him. It was my responsibility to do so.

I pressed call button and pulled the phone to my ear, listening to the ringing. After the third ring, it went straight to voicemail. He had rejected the call, which didn’t surprise me at all. I thought about leaving a voicemail, but I had no idea what I should even say. I couldn’t tell him that I was pregnant on his voicemail, and everything else would just sound like a feeble attempt to get him to call me. I hung up the phone and tossed it on the seat next to me. What were the steps after that? Should I find him? Should I go to his office to tell him the news, or should I take the rejected call as a rejection of me and the baby? With the way, he acted the last time I saw him, I wouldn’t be surprised if he rejected both of us anyway.

Tears began to burn at the corners of my eyes, thinking about the life I had lost. None of this was fair, and now, I was facing this huge thing on my own. I leaned my head back against the seat and took in a deep breath, shaking my head.

Fuck it.

I could just raise this baby on my own, be a single mother to it, and when it was old enough, it could make the choice to find its father or not. It wasn’t the ideal situation by any stretch of the imagination, but I wouldn’t abort the baby. It just wasn’t in me to do that. I had made my bed, with someone’s diabolical push, and now, I had to sleep in it alone.

I started the car and pulled out of the parking lot, tears overflowing and streaming down my cheeks. I wasn’t sure what I was more upset about: Nathan’s blatant refusal to hear me out, the fact that I was going to be a single mom, or that my whole life was a complete and utter mess. I cried the entire way home. Then, I went inside and laid down on the couch, sobbing into the pillow. I needed to get my prescription, but I couldn’t go anywhere in that state of mind. I turned my head to the side and sniffled, listening to my phone vibrate on the table. I grabbed it, hoping it was Nathan, but it wasn’t. It was Lindsey, probably making sure I hadn’t thrown myself off the roof after the breakup.

“Hey,” I said, trying to muffle my shaky voice.

“Hey, sweetie,” Lindsey replied. “I was just calling to check on you and see how you were doing.”

I thought about telling her, getting the whole thing off of my chest. If she knew I was pregnant, she would surely tell Jordan, and maybe he would spread the news to Nathan. I swallowed hard, realizing that wasn’t the answer at all.

“I’m doing okay,” I said. “I went to the doctor today.”

“Good,” she said. “What did they say?”

I paused for a moment, trying to decide what to tell her. I felt so alone, but putting this drama on my best friend was not the answer to making me feel better. I thought up a quick lie and figured I would explain it later when the time was right.

“I have the flu,” I said. “Just like I thought. They gave me something for the nausea, and I am going to go get the prescription in a little bit.”

“I’m so glad that it can be fixed,” she said. “I was really starting to worry about you.”

“I just hope you don’t get sick since you were over here,” I said, making it sound believable. “You know how these things go, and I don’t want you laid up, missing work and preparations for the wedding.”

This was going to be my cover story for now, and I had to make sure that there were no holes in it. On top of that, if I sounded like an incubator for the plague, everyone would leave me alone for a little while. I just wanted to be alone, to have some peace and quiet to start thinking about everything. I needed a plan, and I needed one fast. My money would hold me and the baby for a little while, but after that, I had to go to work and provide for my child.

“I don’t want you to worry about that,” Lindsey said. “You probably were past contagious when I came, and if I was going to catch anything, I would already be feeling it. Besides, a little stomach flu might get these three pounds off my thighs that the photographer keeps bitching about.”

“I don’t think that’s a good way to do it.” I laughed.

“You’re probably right, but damn it, the squats are just not working,” she said. “And if I eat another bowl of dry lettuce, I am going to be growing floppy ears and a puffy little tail. Then the photographer will really have something to complain about.”

“You would be an adorable bunny.” I fake chuckled.

“I would,” she said. “Alright, I’ll let you go. Get that prescription filled, and get some sleep. I’ll check on you later, and if you need anything at all, just call me. I can run over to the house.”

“Thanks, girl,” I said. “Love you.”

“Love you, too,” she said before hanging up.

I put down the phone and laid my head on the pillow, staring blankly toward the window. My life had changed in the matter of five minutes, and I didn’t even know how to compute that through my little brain. I was shell-shocked and angry and every other emotion I could possibly have. Tears welled up again in my eyes and ran down onto the pillow. The only thing I could do was lay there and cry, letting the hormones escape through my tear ducts. Hopefully, by the time I was able to process things again, I would feel better about it all. Nathan had left me, and it was obvious I couldn’t change that, but now, I had to move forward, with or without him.

Chapter 16

Nathan

It was Saturday night, and I was out at the bar with John. He had been trying to keep me busy, get me out of my house, and move me forward, but I wasn’t really having it. I went out for the booze and to keep him off my back for a little while. I used to love going to that pub, with the music, the women, and the vibe it gave out, but as I sat there with my shot of whiskey, I looked around me in disgust.

All of those people were there for a purpose, to find love, whether it was forever or for just one night. They should wake up and realize that love was something we created to feel better about our lives. Love was just another way that we could inflict suffering and hurt onto ourselves, having the guise of emotion to blame our heartbreaks on when it all fell apart. And it always fell apart in the end.

The bartender walked up, and I took the shot, nodding at him to fill me up again. He paused for a moment, and I nodded to the car parked out front, letting him know I wasn’t driving. He wiped his hands and poured me another, looking at me with pity as he walked away. I wasn’t even trying to hide how miserable I was—or how drunk I was, for that matter—and I was pretty wasted. I had told John that I got to the pub just before him, but the truth was, I had been there and two other places that day. I started it all with a couple of glasses of wine at my house and moved over to the hard stuff by the time I reached the first bar. It seemed like the only thing I could do to stop feeling all of the things that were running through my head. I wanted to drink Amanda out of my system, but no matter how many shots I took, she was still there, smiling down at me.

“Hey,” a soft voice said next to me. “You mind if I sit down?”

“It’s a free country,” I said, not looking up.

“I’m Misty,” she said as I turned and looked up her long, sexy legs. “I saw you over here, and I thought I would come say hi.”

My eyes trailed up her waist and settled on her big, fake, bouncy tits. She was the kind of girl I would normally jump all over as a one-night stand. I knew she was looking for a husband, but I wasn’t looking for anything but the bottom of a bottle of whiskey. I took my shot and threw her a fake smile before turning back and watching the bartender fill my glass again.

“Misty, you are very fucking hot,” I said, slurring a bit. “But go away. I’m not interested.”

“Jesus,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “Fucking drunk.”

I scoffed and toasted to the air before sipping my drink. I sat there thinking about how much I wanted to talk to Amanda. My mind was distracted slightly as John walked over and slapped his hand on my shoulder. I loved John for saving me, but I hated him for saving me at the same time. Maybe I would be better off just living in a dream, married to some girl that wanted my money but pretended that she wanted me. It seemed that was the only way I wasn’t going to be alone.

“Hey, buddy,” he said. “How’s it going?”

“Perfect,” I replied, holding up my shot.

“Why did you chase that pretty little thing away?”

“I’m not in the mood,” I said. “I don’t want some fake-tittied bitch trying to take me home.”

“Why not? It doesn’t seem like too bad of a deal to me.” He laughed.

“It’s pointless,” I grumbled. “You wouldn’t understand anyway.”

“It’s the married chick, isn’t it?” John asked, sitting down in the chair next to me. “You are still hung up on that girl. Dude, this is starting to get really unhealthy. It didn’t work. She played you. You have to pick your shit up and keep going. You are letting her get you down so far, you can’t even see out of your empty shot glass.”

“Well then, I better fill it back up,” I said. “If I’m going to be blind, I better do it with a whole lot of alcohol in my system.”

“I don’t understand,” John said, shaking his head. “You weren’t like this with your ex.”

“She wasn’t Amanda,” I said.

“She might as well have been,” he scoffed. “She roped you in just like this girl did, and the whole time was planning to use you for everything you had. You deserve better than that, man. I just can’t wrap my head around why you are so hung up on this girl.”

“Well, I am,” I said. “And I don’t know what to say to you to make you understand it any better. I’m sorry that you have never met a woman that did to you what she did to me, before the revelation. I wish that I could take what was in my head and give it to you. Trust me. I don’t want to feel like this, but I can’t help it. It hits me when I first wake up in the morning, all through the day, and stays with me until I fall asleep at night.”

“You mean pass out drunk at night.” John chuckled. “You are going to drink your liver away, man. You are rolling through this pile of shit that life has handed to you. You need to get up, shower off, and grab yourself by the balls. This is not like you at all, and if you want to keep going in life, you have to do something to fix yourself.”

“I loved her,” I said, turning to him. “Like really loved her. I loved her the first moment I saw her. I loved her hair, her smell, her laugh, the way she moved her hips, and everything else about her. I loved her flaws and thought they made her that more human. It was the one time I have ever felt completely comfortable being myself, finding someone that accepted everything about me without ever batting an eyelash.”

“Of course, she did,” he said. “She wanted your billions.”

“What’s so bad about using my money to open a clinic?”

“Are you kidding me?” he asked. “It’s bad because she was exchanging her pussy for money. She was no better than some Hollywood Boulevard hooker, only they are way cheaper, and they don’t lie to your motherfucking face.”

“She’s a lying, fucking gold digger like every other woman on this planet,” I mumbled. “I didn’t even see it coming, either. I am such a moron.”

“You are not the first man to have this happen to him,” John said, sipping his beer. “And you won’t be the last. The most important thing is that you get your mind straight and not let it happen to you ever again. Let some other poor schmuck get played. You focus on the prize, and get out there, play the game, and eventually, you will meet a woman that loves you for you and not because you have billions in the bank account.”

“Yeah, right,” I scoffed. “That will always be a selling point for women. The stability life brings when you marry someone for money. It’s like it’s fucking bred into these broads to find a man and check his account balance first. I just don’t fucking get it. What happened to the romance of it all? I’m done with women, the whole lot of them. They can go find some other asshole to schmooze. I’ll never trust another woman as long as I live.”

“You said that before, and look where you are now.” He chuckled. “What you need is a nice, sweet, little chick to suck your cock. You need to fuck some girl until you collapse, and then wake up the next day, hit the gym, and get back to normal. That first fuck after a break up is always the cure. You know that. There are a ton of women in this bar tonight that would take you home and ride you until the sun came up. This is why I brought you here, man. Take advantage of the plethora of ass that is constantly throwing itself at you. Don’t be a fucking pussy.”

“No, man,” I said, shaking my head and swaying in my chair. “I’m telling you, I don’t want anything to do with any of them ever again. They are nothing but trouble, and they are distractions that I don’t need in my life. Fucking look at me. I’m sitting here drunk as fuck, wallowing in self-pity, and all because of a fucking girl.”

“She really did have you hooked,” he said, shaking his head. “I’ve wondered what kind of magic pussy she had this entire time.”

“A fucking super magical pussy,” I slurred. “It was so tight and so perfect. But fuck her. She ruined me for all the other women. I am throwing in the towel. I don’t want to live like this ever again, and the only way to ensure that is to stay the hell away from all of them.”

“You are being stupid.” John laughed. “You’re fucking thirty-one years old. You’re handsome, rich, and have a great personality. Well, at least when you aren’t balls deep in whiskey. You could get all the women you want with just a flash of the debonair smile of yours. You aren’t done with women forever. Just for now. Besides, what would you do to pass the time without hunting down a girl or two with me?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” I said. “Maybe read a book, take a trip, or do anything else than being posted up at this shithole, staring out over this sea of idiots.”

“Man, calm down,” John said, ducking his head slightly.

“No, fuck you,” I slurred, standing up from my chair and almost knocking it over. “You ruined everything with your fucking Sherlock Holmes complex. I don’t want any of these stupid bitches. I want Amanda. She broke my fucking heart, dude.”

“Alright,” John said, putting his hand on my chest. “Calm down, bro. Everyone is staring at you.”

“I don’t give a shit about them,” I said, looking up at the faces staring over at me. “Fuck you guys. I’m out of here.”

I threw a couple of hundreds down on the bar to make sure the bartender was taken care of and stuck my wallet back in my pocket. I shook my head at John as I slammed my last shot and wobbled toward the door, putting my hand up and catching myself on the doorframe. The bouncer caught me under the arm and helped me outside.

“You need a cab, Mr. Robertson?” he asked.

“No,” I said, patting the large man on the chest. “That’s my car right there.”

I got in the car, and the driver peered at me through the rearview mirror. I told him to take me home and pressed my forehead against the cool glass. The world was spinning around me, and all I could hear was Amanda’s voice giggling in the background. When we pulled up at the house, the driver helped me up on the curb, and I told him I could take it from there. I got to the front door and leaned over the railing, hurling the contents of my stomach into the bushes.

The house was quiet and empty, and I could barely put one foot in front of the other. I just needed to pass out and start over again the next day. I reached my bed and fell face first into the pillow, still wearing my clothes. I was done for.

Chapter 17

Amanda

I had managed to pull myself out of my funk long enough to shower, do my hair, and look somewhat presentable for the day. I was with Lindsey at her wedding gown fitting so she could make sure everything was perfect before she took it home. While she was in the dressing room, I sat there in the chairs staring off into space, thinking about the courthouse wedding I almost had with Nathan. It was going to be so perfect, and I was planning on wearing some cute, vintage suit like Carrie from Sex and the City. I had searched online and found a couple options I loved, but now, it was pointless. I was stuck in that wasteland of heartbreak, carrying a secret that was kicking my ass both physically and mentally.

My attention was drawn back to the room as I heard the shuffle of layers of tulle coming from the back. Lindsey walked out looking like that perfect bride you see in all the magazines. Her face was bright with excitement as she climbed up on the pedestal and stared at herself in the mirror. She had just gotten the dress back after the alterations, and it fit her like a glove. A very expensive, fifteen-thousand-dollar glove. She turned and looked at me, smiling big.

“What do you think?”

“You are beautiful,” I said with a smile. “The alterations are perfect, and you were definitely right about taking that bow off the back. It made your ass look big.”

“I know, right?” She laughed. “I’m so glad that everything is falling into place so perfectly. I was really worried that my dress wouldn’t come out right.”

I stared at the layers of tulle coming out of the bottom of the form-fitting gown. My head started to feel light, and I could feel all the blood draining from my face. My stomach started to churn as if someone pressed a button.

“Amanda? Are you okay?”

I looked up at Lindsey with confusion before jumping up out of my chair and racing across the room to the bathroom. I threw open the door and fell to my knees, reaching the toilet just in the nick of time. I hurled, not giving two shits that the door was open or that Lindsey could see me. When I was done, I sat back on my heels and wiped my mouth with toilet paper. I breathed heavily, feeling the tears from my watery eyes rolling down my cheeks. Apparently, the medicine wasn’t as foolproof as I had hoped.

“I’m sorry, could you give us a moment?” Lindsey walked to the door of the bathroom and bent down in her huge dress. “Are you still sick, sweetie? You could have just told me, and I would have come on my own. It’s really no big deal.”

“God,” I said, sighing. “I don’t have the flu. The truth is, I’m pregnant. I just didn’t want to tell you right now because you have so much going on.”

“Oh my God,” she said. “You should have told me right away! Have you called Nathan?”

“Yeah,” I said, feeling the emotions starting to roll in again. “But he refuses to answer my calls or texts. He has no idea that I’m pregnant. He probably would just tell me I was trying to corner him with a baby, anyway. He has all of these crazy notions about me, and I just don’t understand. He thinks I was looking up the information on the clinic so that I could steal his money to follow my dreams. Then he threw this obviously fake document at me, and for some reason, he thinks I’m fucking married.”

“That is ridiculous,” Lindsey said, shaking her head. “You have never been married. Where in the world would he get some kind of crazy idea like that? I mean, it should be easy to prove wrong, right?”

“You would think so, but no matter what I said, he just refused to accept any of it,” I said, standing up.

Lindsey couldn’t believe the details of everything. I had kept those back, knowing it would upset her when I told her we broke up. She thought it was just as insane as I did. She took my hand and walked me back out into the main area.

“I just don’t understand how he could believe that you are married,” Lindsey said, shaking her head and looking up as the door opened.

I groaned, staring at Sarah prancing in the door. She had heard the last part of the conversation, and a weird smirk moved across her face. She walked over and kissed Lindsey on the cheek, turning and looking at me.

“You’re married?” Sarah asked.

“No, I’m not married,” I scoffed. “Not that it’s any of your business.”

I turned and walked toward the window, trying to ignore her. I knew that I told myself that I would play nice for Lindsey’s sake, but at that moment, I didn’t have any restraint left in my body. I was exhausted from everything going on, and the last person I wanted to converse with about my issues was Sarah, who found too much pleasure in my pain as it was.

“That’s funny,” she said snidely.

“Knock it off, Sarah,” Lindsey said as she stepped out of her gown. “I don’t know what about that is funny.”

“Are you serious?” she asked, smiling. “Someone thinks Amanda is married? That is a little humorous, don’t you think? I mean, if you really take a moment and consider how easy that could be proved wrong. Men can be so pig-headed sometimes, but if you want to make them believe something, you jab them where it hurts the most.”

“What are you talking about?” Lindsey asked, glancing over at me. “I don’t know where you are getting any of this.”

“Oh, it’s simple,” Sarah said as I turned around to face her. “I stole one guy from you, and it wasn’t hard to do. He was dying to get away, and now, I’ve gotten the second one to break up with you.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, anger starting to take over my body. “You don’t even know Nathan.”

“I may not know Nathan, but his best friend John is a pushover for a blonde with big tits.” She giggled. “It all came together so perfectly when you started to date his best friend. It was like the universe sent this little package all tied up perfectly for me.”

“Sarah, what did you do?” Lindsey stepped down in her slip and walked toward her sister.

“I have this guy that with a little convincing—you know what I mean—I got to create me a fake marriage document.” she laughed. “Jake Johnson was playing in the background when I fucked him, so I made the groom’s name Jake Johnston. Cute, isn’t it? Then, I just simply hand-delivered it to John, putting on my most concerned face and explaining to him what I found. The idiot took the bait right away.”

My mouth flew open, and I froze, unable to speak or move. The anger coursing through me turned to rage, and tears began to fall down my cheeks. I stared over at Sarah, who was standing there, laughing to herself, still going on about how easy it was to completely sabotage my entire life. She was the reason Nathan wouldn’t talk to me. She was the reason I was facing a life as a single mother. She was the reason my child would never know its father. I couldn’t even believe that someone could be that evil in their intentions.

“What did I ever do to you?” I screamed at her. “I don’t deserve this.”

“You are a smug bitch who stole my sister away from me,” she said. “You don’t deserve a man like Nathan because you are nothing but a disgusting bitch.”

“Sarah,” Lindsey gasped, walking up to her and grabbing her by the shoulders. “How could you do something like this? You weren’t raised to be this way. I can’t believe you. Amanda is an amazing woman with a big heart, and you have gone out of your way to ruin her life.”

“This is the problem,” Sarah said. “You always take her side. You don’t deserve the life you have, either, but I won’t touch you. I do have some sort of morals. Just know you are disgusting as she is.”

I stood there staring at Lindsey, looking her sister in the face. Before I could even speak, she had balled her fist up, reached back, and punched Sarah right in the face. I covered my mouth and looked over as the ladies in the front gasped.

“You are no longer welcome at my wedding,” Lindsey said. “Now get out, you bitch.”

“Ladies,” the sales clerk yelled. “You are all going to have to leave.”

“Of course,” Lindsey said, straightening up. “My apologies. Let me get dressed, and I’ll pay you for the gown.”

Sarah watched Lindsey storm off to the back to get dressed as the other women scurried around, collecting her dress and staring at us. When Lindsey had disappeared around the corner, Sarah wiped the blood from the edge of her lip and looked over at me angrily. I crossed my arms over my chest and held my ground firmly.

“You are going to pay for this,” she said angrily before storming out.

Lindsey came back and took my hand, pulling me, stunned, over to the counter. She paid for her dress and alterations, adding twenty percent for the disturbance she had caused. She took the dress and pulled me out of the store. I couldn’t even say a word. I was just too stunned to speak.

We waited on the side of the street until her driver pulled up, taking the dress and helping us both into the car. As soon as the doors shut, I burst into tears, not knowing what else to do. Lindsey grabbed the box of tissues and passed them to me, letting out a deep breath and shaking her head.

“I’m so sorry for this, Amanda,” she said. “You don’t deserve any of this.”

“I’m so sorry for ruining your wedding,” I said, sobbing. “You had to kick your own sister out of it.”

“Don’t you apologize for that,” she said, scooting over next to me. “That is her fault. She is the one who got herself kicked out of the wedding.”

“You punched her in the face,” I cried.

“Yes, I did,” she said proudly. “And it felt damn good.”

“Really?” I sniffled and looked up at her. “It was pretty bad ass, and I’m jealous that I didn’t get to do it.”

I giggled slightly, taking in a deep breath and leaning my head back against the seat. Lindsey laughed too and sat there until the car fell silent again. Everything that Nathan had said to me now made so much sense. If he hadn’t gotten that fake marriage document, it wouldn’t have looked strange at all that I was researching my clinic. Nothing would have looked out of the ordinary if it weren’t for Sarah and her big mouth. Of all the people in the world for John to be screwing, he had to pick the craziest bitch in LA.

“I’m going to fix this,” Lindsey said. “We know the truth now. We know why he would think all of these things. I am going to talk to him and explain what happened.”

“I don’t know if he will listen at this point,” I said.

“He will have to listen to me,” she said proudly. “I will not let my best friend’s life, and the life of her child, be completely ruined because of some evil bitch. Trust me. It will all get taken care of.”

I really hoped that she was right.

Chapter 18

Nathan

Fridays no longer held the appeal to me that they used to. It was no longer a day that I felt relaxed and ready to start the weekend. It was no longer a day that gave me excitement because I was going to get to spend the weekend with the woman that I loved. It was just another day, one that meant the liquor stores would be restocked, and I could pick up my favorite whiskey before going home and drowning myself in my living room.

After the whole thing at the pub, I figured it was better if I just stayed inside, alone, drinking in peace and quiet. I was tired of hearing John’s voice trying to pull me out of the funk that I was perfectly happy being in. He didn’t get it. I was done with women, and the marks that Amanda left would stay there forever. I leaned back in my chair for a moment and then shot forward, startled as the door flew open. My secretary was chasing Lindsey into the room.

“Mr. Robertson, I tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer,” my secretary said.

“It’s alright,” I replied. “Thank you.”

My secretary gave Lindsey a nasty look and pulled the door shut behind her as she walked out of the room. I looked up at Lindsey who was standing there, out of breath, straightening her clothes. She looked perfect as always, and I wondered what the hell she was doing in my office. I sure was glad that I wasn’t in the middle of a meeting or conference call with some important client. I motioned for the chair, but Lindsey shook her head. I sat down in my chair and grabbed the pen, twirling it through my fingers.

“Lindsey,” I said. “Are you lost? Jacob’s office is three doors down.”

“I’m not lost,” she said.

“Okay, then what can I do for you today?”

She took a deep breath and slowly let it out, obviously gathering her thoughts. I knew that this was going to be about Amanda, and though I really didn’t want to talk about her, I was slightly curious why Lindsey was barging through the office door. She walked around the chair and grasped her hands in front of her.

“You have really messed up,” she said. “You are completely wrong about Amanda, and you have no idea what kind of damage you have done.”

“Lindsey,” I said, sighing. “I appreciate your appeal on Amanda’s behalf, but what happened is between her and me. I’m sure you are trying to help, and that’s nice and everything, but we don’t need others meddling in this.”

“Like John?” she asked.

“John was only relaying important information to me,” I said with irritation. “It was the same thing you would’ve done if you were in his place.”

“Maybe,” she said. “But I would have first made sure that what I was telling her was the truth, not take some ridiculous story from someone I was sleeping with.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, rolling my eyes. “He got that information from someone he trusts.”

“He shouldn’t trust her,” Lindsey said.

“Would you mind talking to me straight?” I asked. “All of your riddles are starting to make my head hurt.”

“It was Sarah, my little sister,” she said. “She is sleeping with John. She is the reason all of this happened.”

“I really don’t see how one girl is the reason behind all of this,” I said nonchalantly. “She didn’t force Amanda to get married. She didn’t force Amanda to lie to me, or to go behind my back, or to do any of the things that she did. I’m sure Sarah is a really easy target, although I don’t understand your part in any of this, but it doesn’t excuse Amanda’s deception.”

I had to admit, I was a little surprised to hear Sarah’s name yet again. I didn’t know that John was sleeping with her, if he even was at all. Either way, nothing about what Sarah did to Amanda’s ex had anything to do with Amanda being married and trying to trick me into marrying her. I was starting to get irritated, and my patience was running thin. I was hearing Lindsey out because she was Jordan’s fiancée, but that was the only reason. Otherwise, I would have had her escorted out of the building as soon as she walked through my office door. Amanda was really going above and beyond this time, and I was tired of the games.

“My sister is the reason you broke up with Amanda,” Lindsey insisted.

“I know what Sarah did,” I said. “She slept with Amanda’s ex on purpose. Amanda told me the whole sob story when we were dating. I met Sarah once when we were in a restaurant. She made some snide comment to Amanda and got her all upset. Though now, I am thinking that those tears might have been all for show.”

The scene from the park started to play in my mind. She really did seem genuinely upset, and that had been the exact moment that I fell even further in love with her, thinking she was the woman that I was going to spend my life with. It had been a ruse, and I wouldn’t even be surprised if Sarah was all part of the giant scheme to get my money. Or maybe she had fooled them just as much as she had fooled me.

“No,” Lindsey said. “You don’t understand. She’s the reason that all of this current day situation is happening. She is the person behind it, and she cannot be trusted. My entire life, Sarah has been jealous of Amanda. She has always done things to try to keep her from being happy. This time, she really went above and beyond. You have to hear me out. This is not what you think it is. John is being played for a fool, too. Don’t you care that some woman is using him for her own sick scheme?”

“First of all, I still have no idea what you are talking about,” I said. “Secondly, it is not surprising if what you are saying is true about a woman using a man. It seems there isn’t a single decent woman left, no offense. I’m sure you truly love Jordan, but that would make you the exception.”

“You are a very stubborn man,” Lindsey said, sitting down in the chair. “Listen, Sarah has been screwing John before you ever met Amanda. When you started dating her, Sarah saw an opportunity to further torture my best friend. She fucked some guy and had him create a fake marriage document. She then went to John, acting like she was so worried about you, his best friend. She gave him the document and showed him some woman’s marriage license online. The woman just so happened to have the same name as Amanda, but she’s like forty-six and lives in Iowa. From there, John had his ‘proof,’ and of course, everything after that looked suspicious. I have known Amanda my whole life, and I would know if she were married.”

“Wow,” I said, laughing and clapping my hands. “That is a very elaborate story. Did you get that from her, or are you in on this, too? What’s in it for you? She must really want my money.”

I shook my head and crossed my arms in front of me, still snickering to myself. If I wasn’t cocky about the whole situation, I wouldn’t be able to hide just how much this whole conversation was tearing me to pieces. Why couldn’t she just leave me alone? Why couldn’t she just understand that she got caught in a lie and move on to the next poor schmuck that she was planning on conning out of money? My heart was breaking in my chest, and all I could do to cover it up at that moment was laugh.

“I am not joking, and I am not part of any scheme,” Lindsey said angrily. “I have never been away from Amanda for more than a couple of weeks. She is not married, and she has never been married. In fact, the only time I ever even heard the word marriage out of her mouth was when she told me that the two of you were going to get hitched. She was the happiest that I had ever seen her in that moment. She really loves you, and it’s not a scheme or a joke. Sarah is the reason why your life and her life are being completely ruined. I don’t know what I have to do to prove that to you.”

“That’s the whole thing, isn’t it?”

“What?”

“I have mountains of hard evidence proving that what John is saying is actually fact,” I said. “You come barging into my office, full speed ahead, spouting off some ridiculous story about your little sister’s vengeful tirade, doing everything she can to ruin Amanda’s life for no good reason at all, and you don’t have a lick of hard evidence. I don’t know what you want me to say.”

“You need to wake the fuck up,” she shouted. “You are really going to lose her for good.”

“I’ve already lost her,” I said. “In fact, I never had her. She has never been mine because she belongs to someone else.”

“She doesn’t belong to anyone, nor will she ever, no matter who she marries,” Lindsey snapped.

“You know what I mean,” I said with a smirk. “You can’t lose something that you never obtained in the first place.”

“You are making a huge mistake,” she said, picking up her purse and turning to the door. “There has never been anyone else in this world for Amanda. Even before she met you, she loved you.”

She walked out of the office, and my face began to droop down. I could feel the pain surging through my chest, thinking about Amanda and the love that I thought we had. I stood up and walked over to the bar, pouring myself a big glass of whiskey and setting it on the desk. I made my way to the door and stuck my head out.

“I need you to cancel everything on my schedule today,” I instructed my secretary. “I don’t want to be disturbed under any circumstances, and there are no exceptions. The building could be burning down around me, and you leave that door closed and that intercom off. Hell, tell people that I went home for the day to get them off of you if that helps. Not John, Jordan, or anyone else. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir,” she said, looking at me with worry.

“Thank you,” I replied, closing and locking the office door.

I sat down and started drinking, thinking about what Lindsey had said and everything I had been through with Amanda. She had gone and done it, just like John, planting that tiny seed of doubt in my mind. I had never heard of John screwing Sarah, and if he had slept with her more than once, I was sure he would have told me about it. John was not the kind of guy to cover his territory twice, which made me believe that the entire story was a load of bullshit.

I sat back in my chair and downed the glass of whiskey, staring at the bottom of the glass. I was completely down, and I could feel myself growing closer and closer to a full meltdown. Everything I had worked so hard for and built meant nothing to me at that moment. All that I cared about was the full carafe of whiskey on the shelf. I got up and grabbed the bottle before settling down in the chair by the windows. I drank myself to the point of blacking out that day, passing out in the chair of my office, trying to forget. It was definitely not my finest hour.

Chapter 19

Amanda

There were only two weeks left until the wedding, and luckily, Lindsey had made sure that all of her modeling contracts ended by that point. We were running around all over the place, trying to tie up the last-minute errands that needed to be done. We met with the DJ to okay the playlist, the band, to talk about what they would be playing, and the violinist that would be playing the music when she walked down the aisle. I showed Lindsey the table setting that I had picked out for her, and we went over to the venue just to take one last walk around the room, envisioning what it would look like during her reception. I was exhausted, walking two steps behind her at all times. I could remember a time where I left her in the dust, but with my body going nuts over this pregnancy, I felt like I could take a nap every five seconds.

When we were done at the venue, we hopped in the back of the town car and sat back, both of us propping up our feet. We still had to go to Jordan’s parents’ house and talk about the rehearsal dinner over a late lunch, but for that moment, we were both sprawled out in the car. Lindsey looked stressed, and I hated that I couldn’t do more to help her. At least we both knew that in two weeks, this would all be done, and she would be enjoying being a new wife, jetting off to their honeymoon. Jordan had bought the honeymoon as a surprise, and it made me think about how Nathan loved to do things to surprise me. My heart still hurt every time I thought about him.

“You know I went to see Nathan,” Lindsey said, watching my face across the car.

“You did? What did he say?”

“He wouldn’t listen to me,” she said. “I got so angry and frustrated with him, I was pretty sure he almost threw me out. I left before it got to that point, though. I figured it wouldn’t look good on Jordan if his future wife assaulted his boss.”

“Oh, God,” I said. “He must have been pissed.”

“He is the most stubborn man I have ever met,” she said. “It was obvious that he was miserable without you. It looked like he hadn’t slept in years. He was shut in his office, his beard half grown out, and his tie halfway undone.”

“I would have thought he’d be partying by now,” I said with a pout. “You know how guys are when they go through a break up. They find the first girl they can screw and use it to get over the girl that broke their heart. I can’t believe that he won’t even listen to reason. He knows about Sarah. I told him what she did in the past.”

“Yeah, well, this thing has him so screwed up in his head that he can’t think straight,” she said. “He accused me of being in on some sort of scheme to steal his money. I was kind of offended since I have my own nice bank account, but I let it go, knowing he was just hurt. On top of that, the place smelled like booze, and I’m pretty sure that he was drunk.”

“Drunk? In the middle of the day at his office?”

“There was a big bottle of whiskey behind him on the bar, and he smelled like alcohol,” she said, shrugging. “Of course, it could have been a binger from the night before. Jordan told me that he has been drinking a lot. Apparently, he got into it with John in a pub one night, screaming at the whole bar before stumbling out to his car. He said that John hasn’t seen him out ever since then, but he still comes into work looking like hell and smelling like a frat boy every day, so they are assuming that he is drinking at home.”

“John should be there for him,” I said angrily. “If they think he is doing this to himself, then why doesn’t John stop him? He cared enough to ruin his relationship with me but not enough to stop him from ruining himself.”

I was really worried about Nathan. I knew that if he was drinking every day and looking like that in the office, then he was really struggling. He didn’t really have anyone he could talk to, and from the sound of it, he didn’t want to talk to his best friend, John. I tried not to be upset with John. He was coerced by that bitch, and he was only trying to protect his best friend. Still, he should be playing clean-up crew and getting Nathan back on his feet.

“Have you talked to Sarah?”

“Hell no,” Lindsey said. “That bitch can kiss my ass. We may be sisters, but that is not an obligation to play nice. I will treat her like any other crazy bitch that tries to pull some shit like what she did.”

“Do you think she will try to show up to the wedding, even though you told her not to?”

“She might try, but none of us will ever know about it,” she said. “I told my parents everything that she did, right after I punched her. I wanted them to know what happened before she got in there and told her little lies. We all know she was sick as a child, and that made my parents coddle the hell out of her, but it’s time she started facing the backlash for the things she does. My parents don’t want to talk to her either, so they hired security to stand out front and intercept her if she tries to come in.”

“Wow, that is intense,” I said with a smirk. “I’m sorry that she is doing all of these things. I know it must be hard on you and your parents. I know that I didn’t do anything to make her feel this way toward me, but I can’t help but feel slightly responsible for everything that is happening. I should have just left you out of the loop until after the wedding. Then, when you were back and relaxed, I could have told you.”

“Are you nuts?” she asked. “Then I would have been completely oblivious to the deviance of my sister. What if she tried to sleep with Jordan or something? I would end up killing her, and you know that I would never survive in prison. I would end up being someone’s pet and doing everyone’s makeup. Just thinking about eating instant mashed potatoes every day keeps me on the straight and narrow.”

“You are so dumb.” I laughed, feeling how good it felt to really laugh again. “Do you think that Nathan will come to the wedding?”

“I don’t know,” Lindsey said, shrugging her shoulders. “I did take the liberty of moving his seat away from yours, just in case. That way, you wouldn’t feel uncomfortable, and he wouldn’t get drunk and say something mean to you.”

“Thanks.” I sighed. “I really wish it could be different. Even if he still hated me, I wish he wasn’t so angry at me. I didn’t do it, but in his mind, I am a lying, cheating gold digger. It breaks my heart into pieces to think that he thinks so poorly of me.”

“I know, sweetie,” Lindsey said, leaning forward. “But you have got to put that behind you. You have to take a step back and remember that you have something big going on in your life. All of this stress and anxiety is not good for you, or for that baby. I know it’s easier said than done, but maybe it’s time that you thought about moving on. We could make a new plan for you for the future and get you excited about being a mom—because I know I’m excited to be an aunt—and start refreshing your life a little.”

“Maybe when you get back from your honeymoon, we can sit down and do all of that,” I said with a smile.

“Good,” she replied, looking out as we pulled up to Jordan’s parents’ house. “You ready?”

“Sure,” I said with a smile.

After lunch, we finished up all the other little things we had to do and met Jordan for dinner. I sat there quietly, watching the two of them laugh and talk about their days. I had almost forgotten what it was like to be that happy and that in love. When dinner was over, they dropped me at my place, both of them giving me big hugs before I went inside. I dropped my bag inside the front door and dragged my tired body up the stairs. Quietly, I undressed, laying out my clothes for the next day’s events and crawling into bed. I pulled the covers up over me and laid my head on the pillow, allowing my body to fully relax. With that relaxation came the breaking of the dam, spilling tears out of my eyes and down my cheeks. I pulled my hands up to my face and sobbed, really letting out all of the pent-up heartbreak that I had kept inside through the whole day.

I was so upset, and I couldn’t even take a deep breath in to calm myself. The vision of Nathan torturing himself, drinking himself to the point of passing out, waking up and doing it all over again, haunted me. He was doing that because he thought I had done something terrible. I knew it wasn’t my fault, I knew that I was innocent, but it didn’t make it any easier on me. I felt guilty for making him feel that way, for not fighting harder to make him see the truth. Sarah had ruined everything in my life, and I felt like I was replaying events from the past all over again. I had something that was so wonderful and so exciting, and she ripped it right out of my hands. What she didn’t realize was that while she was getting the satisfaction of hurting me, she was hurting two other people in the background.

Nathan was distraught, unable to move past what had happened. She had completely ruined him and put all the blame on my shoulders. He would never get over this betrayal, and he would never have the joy of knowing his child. He would push the rest of us away for as long as we lived. I was sure of it. My child, growing strong in my belly, would come into a world full of love, but missing its father, something I could never replace. She had destroyed three people’s lives, and she had no remorse for it.

My tears came faster and faster, and I sat up in bed trying to catch my breath. The hormones from my pregnancy were not making any of this any easier on me. I knew they were driving the stake even farther into my heart. Lindsey was right, though. I needed to find peace in my own life. I needed to stay calm and to move past all of this because I was now responsible for another human being’s life. It was not good for me to get that upset about anything, and I knew that it was causing the baby all kinds of stress.

I reached over and grabbed the water off the night stand and took a sip, my breath shuddering in my throat. I swallowed hard and leaned back against the headboard, closing my eyes. There was nothing I could do about what was happening, and I needed to get it together if I ever wanted to feel normal again.

Chapter 20

Nathan

My feet lifted up off the floor, and I propped them on the chair in front of me. I sat back and took a long sip of my beer, fiddling with the shot glass I had just emptied. I was at the Regency Hyatt with John, Jordan, and a few other guys from work, having a work bachelor party for Jordan. The guys were having a hell of a time, and no one was bothering me, which was a good thing. Sure, I was trying to do something nice for Jordan and show him there were no hard feelings about his soon-to-be wife barging into my office, but I also had a hidden agenda. It was an excuse for me to drink, not that I needed an excuse these days, but at least I didn’t feel guilty doing it in a room full of drunk guys having a whole lot of fun. I never understood bachelor parties. They were an excuse to do stuff that you could do anytime, but you just felt self-conscious about it.

This party, though, was getting pretty wild. I had made sure to book the penthouse so that none of the other guests were bothered. I also wanted to make sure none of the guys got loose, completely wasted, into the general public. From the thumping of the music and the fact that two of the guys had their ties around their heads with no shirts on, I had made a really good choice. I had the thing catered and bought more alcohol than we could drink during five of those parties. The guys had been so excited, they barely got any work done at the office during the day.

“Hey there, cutie,” one of the strippers said, walking over to me. “Why don’t you join the party?”

“I’m not interested, sweetheart, but those guys are the ones I am paying you to entertain,” I said, sipping my beer.

I had hired a half-dozen strippers to run around without clothes on and play with the guys. Jordan was being good, which made me think there was still a decent guy left on the planet. I had zero interest in girls I could find any given night at the local bar. I was just happy to sit back and drink, feeling no better than before, but at least I wasn’t alone. I had splurged on a vintage bottle of my favorite whiskey, and I discovered that a comfy place to sit, a bucket of ice, and my bottle of whisky was all that I needed in the world. John knew it was hard for me, sitting there celebrating someone else’s happiness, but he also knew not to push me. He was just glad that I was out with them, showing my pale skin some different kind of lighting other than from my living room.

I nodded as John looked over at me, putting down the can of whipped cream he was taunting the strippers with and heading over to me. I poured him a shot of my whiskey and handed it to him. He took a sip and closed his eyes, savoring the taste.

“You went all out.” He chuckled. “This is some really good stuff.”

“I know, right?”

“So, uh, where have you been lately?” he asked. “We’ve all been worried about you. What’s been up with you lately?”

I watched the girls dance around Jordan, laughing at his face. I took a sip of my whiskey and contemplated how to answer that question. I didn’t need another lecture from him, but I felt like I couldn’t get away from it. I turned and looked at him, realizing he was staring at me and waiting for an answer.

“I think you know the answer to that, John,” I said with a fake smile.

“Are you serious? You’re still tore up over that girl? We really thought something had happened to your folks or something.”

“Nah, they are fine,” I said. “I really felt a connection with Amanda. It’s not something that can be just turned off. It doesn’t matter how many bottles of whiskey I drink or how many women I fuck, not that I have fucked any, but still, it doesn’t matter. She is still right there on my mind. I wish you had experienced something like that at some point so that you could understand where I was coming from.”

We both looked up as the girls cheered and giggled. Jordan had finally given in, standing up on the chair and letting the girls dance all over him. I laughed and lifted my glass to him, watching him shake his head and roll his eyes.

“He’s a good guy,” I said. “And he has a really good girl, too.”

“Lindsey?”

“Yeah,” I said, looking over at him.

“She is a good girl,” he said. “I actually have hooked up with her sister Sarah a few times. She is a wild one. She’s the whole reason I ever found out about Amanda in the first place. She had some really nasty things to say about her. That’s when I knew you would be better off without her.”

“Wait, you slept with Sarah?”

“Yeah, she’s a sweetie, really wanted to look out for you because you’re my best friend,” he said. “I’ll have to introduce you sometime.”

“Don’t bother, I’ve unfortunately had the pleasure of meeting her,” I said, standing up and grabbing my coat.

“What does that mean?”

“You don’t know that girl at all,” I said, pointing at him. “Trust me. She is not what she seems. Man, I knew I should have questioned you on where you got that information from. I am such a damn idiot.”

“Trouble or not, she did give me that marriage document,” he said, shrugging.

I turned away from him, finishing my drink, a sick feeling settling in my stomach. This whole big story about the lies of Amanda was all circling around back to Sarah. I couldn’t believe what he just told me. I could have sworn that Lindsey didn’t know what she was talking about. I had kicked Amanda, the woman of my dreams, out of my life, and it could possibly have all been for nothing. She could have been the victim of this girl’s twisted plans, and I made it worse by not believing her.

“Hey, where are you going?” John asked.

“I’ve had enough of this party,” I said. “The keys are on the counter. The room is booked through tomorrow in case you guys stay. Make sure nothing gets broken.”

I turned and walked towards the door, sneaking past the guys and closing it behind me. The silence of the hall was relaxing, and I stood there for a second, searching for my phone. I wanted to call Amanda, to find out if everything that Lindsey said was the truth, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I shoved my phone back in my pocket and climbed in the elevator. Everything was pointing to Sarah, no matter which way I turned, but I was still unsure who to believe. I did have that document, but Lindsey was right. It totally looked forged when I scrutinized it. My brain tried to play those coincidences off, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling that I had been played somehow.

I got out of the elevator and headed to one of the cars waiting outside. I thought about it all the way home, realizing that I was drunker than I thought. Maybe it was a good thing I didn’t call her. I wouldn’t sound very convincing slurring my words. When I got home, I dropped my stuff inside the door and went to the bedroom. I undressed and turned on the shower, needing to wash the stench of cigars and hookers off my clothes.

My thoughts drifted from the naked strippers quickly over to Amanda and how hot her body was. She was real, down to the tiny, star-shaped birthmark on her lower back. The sex we had was out of this world. I let the hot water roll over my tense muscles as I leaned forward and closed my eyes.

In my mind, I was in the bed with Amanda, running my fingers down her back, feeling her soft skin on my fingertips. I rolled my hand down to my cock and grabbed on tightly to my erection, already hard from picturing Amanda there with me. I went back to the bedroom in my mind, bringing Amanda’s body back into view.

She looked up from the bed at me, swiping her hand down my stomach and grabbing onto my cock. I smiled down at her and sat back on my heels, letting her jerk my cock for a moment. Her tiny, little hand pulsated against my shaft as she pulled it up and down, biting her bottom lip. She leaned forward and ran her lips over the tip, smiling up at me before opening her mouth and sinking her warm lips down the shaft, all the way to the base. I groaned loudly, feeling her suck hard as she started to bob her head up and down. I pulled my hand up and pushed lightly on her head, holding her down for a moment before watching her slide back up again. She looked up at me with watery eyes, and I snapped, needing to feel her pussy wrapped around my cock.

I grabbed her face and lifted her head up before pushing her down on the bed. She giggled as she bounced up and down on the mattress, her perfect tits jiggling all over the place. I imagined myself crawling toward her as she spread her legs apart, revealing her beautiful, pink pussy. I ran my fingers down her stomach and pushed two of them inside of her, watching her suck on her bottom lip and groan in pleasure. I fingered her hard and fast right there, wanting to get her in the mood, wanting her pussy to be nice and wet when I fucked the hell out of her. When I had gotten her to the point where she was begging me for my cock, I pulled my fingers out and stuck them in her mouth, feeling her lick her juices from my hand.

I grabbed my dick and moved forward, sliding it through her folds and then thrusting deep and hard, feeling my cock fill her up. She arched her back and screamed out, her body tight with anticipation. I grabbed her hips and started to push, fucking her deep, slow, and steady. As her moans began to rise, so did my pace, and before long, I was pounding into her so hard the bed was slamming against the wall. She thrashed her head back and forth, moaning and laughing in pleasure. I leaned forward and continued to hump her, pushing in and pulling out with force. My hands slid up into hers, and she looked deeply into my eyes, her mouth open as she breathed heavily. My hand gripped tighter to her waist as I slammed upward, pushing all the way in and then doing it over again.

“I’m gonna come,” she moaned out, exploding the fire inside of me.

I pushed my hips faster, our bodies slapping against each other. She reached up and gripped my shoulders, arching her chest and throwing her head back as her whole body began to shake. I could feel her pussy pulsing and tightening around my cock, and when her juices exploded around my shaft, I groaned, coming hard inside of her.

I opened my eyes as my warm seed squirted out of my red, pulsing member, shooting down into the bathtub and washing away with the water. I was back in my own house, and Amanda was nowhere to be found.

Chapter 21

Amanda

Lindsey skipped down the street dressed in a long, pink sundress, a tiara, and a sash that read “Bride” on the front of it. She was already toasted from the champagne in the limo. I smiled and chuckled watching her put her arms around her cousins and talk excitedly about marrying Jordan. I was jealous. I couldn’t help it. Every time I thought of the wedding, I thought of Nathan and the opportunity that I had missed out on. I was alone, pregnant, and brokenhearted, which I decided was one of the worst combinations that anyone could have ever come up with. The entire time I thought the universe was giving me signs, it was actually toying with me. But I had to stop thinking about it, I was at Lindsey’s bachelorette party.

It was only a week from the wedding, and since Jordan was going to his work bachelor party, or so he called it, we were out celebrating with Lindsey. Everyone around me was getting drunk, especially the bride, but I was sitting back not getting drunk. Nights like these were supposed to be a riot, drinking heavily and getting wild. Unfortunately, with the baby in my belly, I couldn’t indulge, which only made me realize how much my wild times were coming to an end. I hated to be selfish, but it was incredibly depressing knowing I was becoming a boring mother while everyone else lived their lives happily.

Once we were at the bar, Lindsey lifted her glass high and toasted to her upcoming wedding. Everyone in the place cheered, and I sat back in my chair, shaking my head and laughing. She deserved to let loose, especially after working since she was sixteen and going through the stressors of planning a monster wedding. I, on the other hand, was exhausted as always, and I could feel my pants getting tighter around my waist. I really hoped that my bridesmaid gown fit me comfortably. Otherwise, I was going to have to buy a shawl to cover up my baby bump, which would be just as telling as if I just sported the round belly I would eventually get. I was hoping, though, that it came sooner rather than later.

I looked down to find myself stirring my glass full of orange juice and soda. It was a habit I hadn’t broken, but it was okay. I was drinking that to keep the girls off my back anyway. I didn’t want people to know I wasn’t drinking. It would raise way too much suspicion, especially since I had known most of these girls my whole life, and they knew that out of all of us I was the biggest drinker.

“This is so much fun,” one of her cousins said, stumbling over. “Cheers!”

I held my glass in the air and tapped hers, smiling as I took a sip. It wasn’t very often that I was sober while everyone else was drunk, and I wondered if I acted that way when I was intoxicated. Maybe it was a good thing I was being forced to stop drinking. It would keep my embarrassment to a minimum. Lindsey climbed down off the chair and dragged herself over to me, making an exhausted face. She plopped down in the chair next to me and squeezed my leg.

“This is so much fun,” she said. “Thank you for putting it together.”

“Of course,” I said. “Sorry I can’t get wild with you.”

“Yeah, what are you drinking?”

“Orange juice and sprite,” I whispered.

“Nice touch,” she said, tapping her glass to mine.

“So, how are you feeling?” she asked. “I haven’t checked in with you at all tonight. I mean, are you starting to feel any better with your stomach and stuff? I’m not looking forward to this when Jordan wants to start a family.”

“Honestly, I still feel awful,” I said.

“Oh, no,” she pouted. “When is it all supposed to get better?”

“In eighteen years,” I said, laughing.

“That was a terrible, old person joke,” she said, bursting into giggles. “Don’t tell me you are becoming an old person already.”

“No,” I sighed. “Just a person lost in life, trying to make sense of it all. The doctor said I should start feeling better in my second trimester.”

“That’s not too far away,” she said. “Then we can start going for walks and getting you up and moving around. Hopefully by then, you will be feeling better. Otherwise, I am going to have a talk with that baby. It needs to give you a little reprieve.”

“It’s payback for all the stress I’ve put on it in recent weeks,” I said.

“Are you still throwing up?”

“God, yes,” I said. “The morning sickness, which is falsely named by the way, seems to be getting worse by the day. The medicine only works sometimes, and now, I am getting randomly sick all throughout the day. I am afraid to go to the grocery store because I’m too far away from the bathroom.”

“You could have stayed home tonight,” she said. “I would have understood.”

“It’s alright. My doctor told me to double up on my medicine tonight so I could make it through the night.” I laughed.

“Maybe getting up and doing some yoga or going for a walk will help,” she said. “Exercise is like the cure-all for me. When I am sick, I go running, even if I have to drag myself out of bed to do it. By the time I’m back and showered, I’ve sweated the sickness right out of me.”

“I don’t think that I can just sweat the baby right out of me,” I said, laughing. “Maybe when I am reaching my due date, but definitely not right now. The doctor has me on light duty until I reach my second trimester. He doesn’t want me doing anything strenuous.”

“We could get you one of those motorized buggies to ride around in.” She laughed.

“Don’t laugh,” I said. “I am pretty much exhausted from sun up to sun down. I might just take you up on the buggy. You can ride on the back and navigate.”

“That would be amazing.” She giggled. “We would terrorize this city, one mile per hour at a time.”

“My focus is completely shot,” I said. “I tried to read the other day and ended up having a day dream that turned into a real dream when I fell asleep at the kitchen table. I also put my keys in the freezer and my purse on the shelf in the pantry the other day. It took me forever to find my keys. I felt like such an idiot finding them nestled in with the peas.”

“My grandma used to do that, but she had dementia,” Lindsay said, giggling.

“I feel like it,” I said. “And don’t even talk about emotions. I am like the queen of emotions right now. I cry over everything, and when it’s worth crying over, I sob. Sometimes, I can’t even catch my breath, I get so upset. I sat in the kitchen earlier tonight, worried that people were going to find out I was pregnant by the guy that just dumped me, and I cried my eyes out. I feel like I am going insane sometimes.”

“That’s okay,” she said. “Crying is good for you. You never cried when we were growing up. You are getting all the backlogged tears out of your system.”

“I don’t think it works that way.” I laughed.

“You remember the time you fell out of the tree and broke your arm?” Lindsey asked. “You didn’t shed one tear. The EMS guy thought you were in shock.”

“He wrapped me in that heat blanket, and I was sweating like a pig.” I chuckled.

“You said, ‘Excuse me, sir, but I am frying like bacon over here,’” she said, laughing hysterically.

“God,” I said, laughing. “I miss being a kid. Life was so much simpler. Even my life. I didn’t have to worry about stupid boys or broken hearts. I just worried about getting you up and going for the day because you slept like a damn log.”

“I still do.” She giggled. “Snoring and all. If only my fans knew how hideous I was to sleep next to, none of them would want to have sex with me.”

“They still would.” I laughed.

“I’m sorry,” Lindsey said, laying her head on my shoulder. “I haven’t been there for you like I should be. You need me right now, and I am off in La La land, drinking, partying, and working.”

“And being a fiancée and planning a wedding,” I said. “I am the one that should be apologizing. I feel like I burnt out right before the finish line, leaving you to sweep up the pieces.”

“See, this is why I don’t deserve you as a friend,” she said.

“What are you talking about?”

“You are so selfless,” she replied. “You are going through hell right now, and all you can think about is being there for me because I’m getting married. All I can think about is how much I want to eat my wedding cake.”

“In your defense, that thing was amazing,” I said. “I totally have been dreaming about eating that thing, even when I feel like hell. At the wedding, I am going to steal an entire layer and take it in the back.”

“I’m such a terrible friend,” she said, starting to cry.

“No, you’re not,” I said. “You are the greatest friend. You protect me, barge into billionaire’s offices, and give them a piece of your mind, and you always give me the best advice ever.”

“But you’re pregnant and all alone,” she wailed. “You need me more than I need you.”

“I love you,” I said, feeling the hormones start to kick in. “We take turns needing each other.”

“And it’s your turn, and I’ve dropped the ball,” she said, wiping her tears. “I’ve dropped it right into a whirlwind of wedding plans, rubbing my happiness in your face while my sister demolishes your happy ending. I wish she was here right now. I’d kick her ass up and down the damn street.”

I laughed through my tears and sat back, putting my arm around Lindsey. She rested her head on my chest and cried, sipping her drink through sobs. We looked absolutely insane sitting in the middle of the bar, having complete emotional breakdowns. This girl meant the world to me, and I could never be mad or upset at her. I might find myself green from envy at times since she had the perfect life, at least from where I was sitting, but I could never dislike her.

Several people walked by, looking over at us like we were crazy. I grabbed a napkin off the table and handed it to Lindsey. She sat up and blotted her eyes, sniffling as she looked over at me.

“We need to pull it together,” I said. “People are staring at us.”

“Oh, fuck them.” She laughed. “They are just jealous because they don’t have you as their best friend.”

“You’re crying because you’re drunk.” I laughed. “And I’m crying because my hormones are attacking me like an army. We are a complete and total disaster.”

“Yeah, but I wouldn’t want to be a disaster with anyone but you,” she said.

“And Jordan,” I pointed out.

“No, I would give him up for my bestie any day,” she said, hugging me.

“For some reason, I think that’s a lie, but I am going to pretend that it’s the truth,” I said, giggling. “We will get our shit together one day.”

“Soon,” she said, pointing at me and clearing up her crying. “Right now, though, I have shots to take, and you have good thoughts to think.”

I nodded and watched her bounce off to the bar. She was such a mess, but I didn’t know how I would have survived all of this without her.

Chapter 22

Nathan

I had been hearing about the bachelor party since the day after. I got a call from the guys letting me know they moved the passed-out stripper to the regular elevator and cleaned up from the party. I appreciated their attempt to save face, but I was pretty sure the hotel would know exactly where the passed-out stripper had come from. I was glad to be done with it, though, and I couldn’t wait until the whole wedding thing was over. Just as I thought that, Jordan appeared in my doorway, smiling.

“Hey, man,” I said.

“Hey,” he replied.

I hadn’t had a chance to talk to Jordan at all since the bachelor party. I heard stories about a dance-off he did and the fact that he refused to let the strippers do anything other than dance on him, but I had been trying to avoid talking to him in person. The guys were great, but he was in love, and love made me sick to my stomach at this point. I just wanted to feel better, but I knew that would take a lot more booze.

“I haven’t had a chance to talk to you since Friday,” he said. “I wanted to stop by and thank you for throwing the party. My best man was bummed he couldn’t be here to do it. I really do appreciate it.”

“Where is your best man?”

“Oh, he plays ball for the Dodgers,” he said. “He couldn’t get out of the games to come up for the party. He was going to throw one when he got here, but Lindsey was adamant about not being hungover at the wedding.”

“Understandable.” I laughed.

“It was a blast, though,” he said. “I haven’t had that much fun ever in my life.”

“I’m so glad you had fun,” I said, laughing. “It really wasn’t that big of a deal. I wanted to make sure that you had one last outing. The strippers were thrown in at the last minute when John instructed me to do so. I was going to make it a boys’ night out kind of thing.”

“I have never been around strippers.” He laughed. “They were definitely interesting. It was a good thing that you had so much liquor there for us. I definitely needed to loosen up to get used to it.”

“Strippers always make people feel that way.” I laughed. “They were a bit over the top for my taste, but that strap-on, forehead dildo was definitely interesting. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to burn that image out of my brain.”

“Yeah,” he said, wincing. “That was probably the most terrifying part before you left. After you were gone, it got a little too weird for me. I was glad when they passed out.”

“Is that when the dance competition started?” I asked.

“Shit,” he said, rubbing his face. “Yes.”

“We can always throw another party if you had that much fun.” I laughed.

“No, no,” Jordan said, laughing. “I think I am good for the rest of my life. If John gets married ever, I’m sitting his bachelor party out.”

“Probably a good choice.” I laughed.

“Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Sure, man, what’s up?”

“I know there has been a lot going on in your life recently,” he said, lowering his voice. “I just wanted to make sure that you were okay. Lindsey told me about what happened, and I’m not injecting my personal opinion on this one, but I want you to know I’m here if you ever want to talk or just sit and drink.”

“Thanks, man,” I said, stretching. “It definitely has been a tough time. I appreciate the fact that you noticed. I will definitely take you up on the drinking thing, although I’m not really much of a talker.”

“But you’re sure that you’re okay?” he asked.

I wasn’t sure why he was pushing me so hard. I knew that I looked like shit, but I had started to become a functioning depressive, tricking people into thinking I was on the up and up. Maybe I wasn’t as slick as I thought I was.

“Yeah,” I said. “I’m really okay. I promise.”

He stood there for a minute, looking like he was fighting with himself about something. I sat patiently, knowing he had the best intentions. I was really hoping he wasn’t about to talk to me about Amanda. The last thing I needed was to start that conversation all over again. When I thought that he was about to leave, he stopped and pointed over on my desk to a half-empty, open bottle of whiskey. I sighed and stared at it for a second, realizing that the thing had become a staple in my existence recently. I cleared my throat and stood up, capping the bottle and carrying it over to the bar. I stood there for a second, unsure of what to say. If I was honest and told him I was drinking my days away, he would push me further to have that talk with him. I didn’t want to talk. I just wanted everyone to leave me alone.

“I brought the rest of that bottle of whiskey I bought for the party in and filled up the container,” I said, trying to brush it off. “I didn’t want it to go to waste, and sometimes, the shareholders like to have a sip after our meetings.”

“Right,” he said, looking like he half-believed me. “I’m sure they will be happy to have it. It’s some good stuff.”

“You want a drink?” I asked.

“No,” he said. “Thanks. I’ll probably be asleep on my desk if I do that.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty tired myself today,” I said, walking back to the chair.

“Oh, and Lindsey wanted me to make sure that you were still coming to the wedding,” he said. “We changed the seating arrangements around to avoid anything awkward. It really wouldn’t be the same without you there. We’ve known each other our entire adult life.”

“We have, haven’t we?”

“Ever since that event during college,” he said. “I knew you would be a success the first time I met you.”

“And I knew you would help get us there,” I said with a smile. “Though I am glad that you decided to get over that plaid phase that you went through. I am pretty sure Lindsey would have passed on a date had you been wearing that terrible tie you just wouldn’t let go of.”

“Plaid was in,” he said.

“No, plaid was never in.” I laughed. “But as far as your wedding, of course, I will be there. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Awesome,” he said. “Alright, I’ll let you get back to work.”

I nodded and smiled as he walked away, already thinking about excuses I could make to get out of the wedding. Unfortunately, I was so close to the groom that it would take pneumonia or a hospital stay for me to be forgiven for missing it. I could possibly stage a fall and have to be seen right away, but I knew that John would call me out on it in a heartbeat. He was such an asshole sometimes. The reality of it was, I didn’t want to see Amanda. That was a lie. I really wanted to see Amanda, which was exactly why I shouldn’t be there with her. I missed her more than I could even express, and although I still felt like I had made a mistake, that pesky little voice in the back of my head kept putting another seed of doubt into my mind. There was still a chance that everything that John had told me was right on target, and she really had been after me for my money.

I could remember the butterflies I used to get, waiting at her front door. I would get so excited and nervous to see her, but as soon as she was there in front of me, that all faded away and I felt more comfortable than I ever had before. This time, I was nervous, but it wasn’t about seeing her. It was about not wanting to let her go. I was nervous that I would either fall back in love with her, or I would get wasted and say things that I didn’t really mean. I didn’t know if control was something I was going to be able to exercise, and I didn’t want to make a scene at Jordan’s wedding.

The one thing I knew for certain was that the reception was going to have an open bar. I would prop myself up on the barstool and just drink until the event was over. That might keep my attention off of Amanda for a while, but I knew it wasn’t a foolproof plan. I knew that I was going to have to face her at the wedding, and Sarah, too, probably. I wondered how uncomfortable that would be. Maybe I would get the courage up to ask Sarah about what she told John, though I doubted she would tell me the truth if she was that manipulative of a person. What I really needed to do was stop being a coward and call Amanda. I needed to talk to her about things and find out if what Lindsey told me was the God’s honest truth. I didn’t even know at that point if she would take a phone call from me. I had made it more than clear that I wanted her out of my life. She probably would just hang up on me, and that was the last thing I needed in my day.

Everything was always so damn complicated. I didn’t understand why people couldn’t just be honest with each other. As I sat there contemplating Sarah’s part in everything, John poked his head in the door.

“Hey, dude,” he said.

“Hey,” I replied, waving him in. “I have a question.”

“What’s up?”

“Is Sarah coming to the wedding?”

“I called her yesterday actually to find out that exact thing,” he said. “I thought she’d be a good date for the event. She said she got into some sort of huge fight with Amanda and her sister. She said her sister punched her in the mouth and has now alienated her from the family.”

“Wow, over what?”

“She said they were mad at her for telling me the truth about Amanda,” he said.

“Why would Lindsey punch her in the face for telling the truth? It’s her own little sister.”

“I don’t know, man,” he said, scrunching his eyebrows together. “Why do you want to know, anyway?”

“I thought about talking to her about what she told you,” I said.

“Dude, seriously, you need to get past this shit,” he said, standing up. “Enough is enough. You need to get your shit together, and stop drinking so Goddamn much, or you are going to ruin the company and everything all of us have worked so hard to achieve. I don’t mean to be harsh, but I think it has reached the point where someone needs to tell you how it is.”

“You know, maybe you’re right,” I said, standing up and grabbing my jacket. “No, actually, you need to mind your own damn business and fuck off.”

“Whatever,” he said, turning and walking from the room.

I shook my head and sighed, kicking the empty trash can next to my desk. I left the office, telling my secretary I was leaving early for the day. I went straight home and poured myself a drink. If I was going to be fought every step of the way, I might as well just be by myself. Just me and my bottle of whiskey.

Chapter 23

Amanda

I was really happy to have Lindsey staying the night at my house. It had been ages since we had a sleepover, unless you counted the numerous times I passed out drunk on her couch after a night at the club. I had ordered take out for us to eat and got some sparkling cider to drink while she enjoyed champagne that her parents had brought over. She looked so peaceful and calm, and I wondered if the whole idea of cold feet was just something that someone made up to calm people’s nerves when they knew they were making a mistake. Either way, she didn’t have cold anything at that point.

The next day was the wedding, and we were excited that the day had finally come. Lindsey wanted to follow every wedding tradition down to the tee, including not seeing each other before the wedding. That was ultimately why she was staying at my house. Jordan had offered to rent her the penthouse at one of the hotels, but she said she wanted to feel at home and just be alone with her best friend. It made me feel good that I was still important to someone. Nathan had made me feel like I wasn’t worth anything, and that was a really hard feeling to shake away.

“You remember when we were kids, and we planned out our wedding days?” she asked.

“Yeah.” I laughed. “You were going to marry John Stamos.”

“He is still hot. I don’t care what anyone says.” She laughed. “You had decided you wanted to get married in the woods on a fall day with just me and your groom. You refused to name him because you thought it was bad luck.”

“Oh, yeah,” I said, laughing. “That still would be a great wedding and not stressful to plan at all.”

We sat laughing and talking, but I still wasn’t feeling like myself. My body felt tight and stressed, and the nausea came in waves that I couldn’t tell were coming until they were right on top of me. I tried to put that all in the back of my mind, though, and enjoy the night with my best friend. It would probably be the last time we did something like this.

“Nathan told Jordan on Wednesday that he would definitely be at the wedding,” Lindsey said, peering over at me from the top of her champagne glass. “I didn’t want to tell you then, so I waited until you couldn’t back out of being my Maid of Honor.”

“Don’t count your chickens,” I said, feeling my stomach drop. “There is still plenty of time for me to back out of this thing.”

“Oh, no you don’t,” she said. “Why do you think I am spending the night? I want to make sure you don’t run.”

“Isn’t that my job for you?”

“No, you are supposed to help me run if I choose to do it.” She laughed.

“I always get confused on that.” I smiled. “As far as Nathan is concerned, I don’t know what to say about it. I guess I should have known there was a chance he would be there. I mean, I’m not sure what I am supposed to do.”

I sat there moving the popcorn in my bowl around, thinking about the idea of actually seeing Nathan the next day. Lindsey was right. I wanted to run away, but I knew that I had to face this. If nothing else, I could find solace in knowing it was probably the last event I would have to face him at.

“You never know what will happen,” she said. “Maybe by now, he has calmed down and thought about what I told him. Maybe the two of you can sit down and talk about everything. It’s a safe space. If one of you gets mad, you can just walk away, and the mood will be positive going into it. Plus, my sister won’t be there to mess anything up.”

“I almost feel like it would be better if she were there because I could call her out in front of him,” I said. “But I think you are crazy to think that he will talk to me at all. You weren’t here when he broke up with me. He was so mad, and he wouldn’t listen to any reason at all.”

“No, I wasn’t here, but I was in his office watching him wither away with a bottle of whiskey, trying to drink you away,” she said. “And from what Jordan says, he hasn’t achieved his goal yet. Maybe because he’s worn down from missing you, he will be able to open up and listen to what you have to say. And if not, you just dance your night away and eat a layer of my cake, and you will forget all about it.”

“I really want some of that wedding cake,” I said. “Thanks for putting that in my head. I’m going to orgasm in front of your grandma tomorrow when I take a bite of it.”

“Well, considering she died several years ago, that might be weird.” She giggled.

“Meh, I’ve seen crazier things,” I said, laughing.

“I like that even through all of this, sitting on the floor, pregnant, brokenhearted, and sipping sparkling grape juice, you still have a sense of humor,” she said, smiling. “I would be eating my weight in carbs and then crying myself into a food coma every night. It would be really ugly.”

“That would be terrible,” I said, wrinkling my nose. “I really don’t like bread right now.”

“Does Nathan know about the baby yet?”

“No,” I said. “No one but you and my doctor know that I am pregnant. I haven’t even told my father yet because I don’t want to tell him the father of the baby split. He will be so disappointed in me.”

“Tell him you don’t know who the father is.” Lindsey laughed. “Then stand back and watch his eyes pop out of his head.”

“Oh, God.” I cringed. “He would go super crazy on me, like worse than the time he caught me and Billy hiding out in the tree house. He walked right up when Billy scooped up my boob. It was mortifying, and I thought my father was going to stroke out right there.”

“Yuck,” Lindsey said. “I remember Billy. I saw him about two months ago. Time has not been kind to him or his hairline.”

“Oh, gross,” I said.

“As far as the baby is concerned, I really think that maybe you should tell him, whether he wants to listen to you or not,” she said. “I know this is all really hard for you, and you don’t know exactly what to do, but I can promise you that you will feel better having everything finalized and settled. You will have closure, and I think that is what you will need in order to move forward in your life.”

“Thank you, Dr. Phil.” I laughed. “There is one serious problem with all of that.”

“What?”

“How am I supposed to tell him anything if I can’t get close enough to him to even talk to him? If he rejects my calls and ignores my texts, what makes you think that he will stand still long enough for me to tell him I’m having his baby?” I crossed my arms and sat back. “And who knows what he will do after I tell him? He might freak out and start yelling at me, calling me names and losing his mind in a whiskey-haze rage.”

“Then I would club him with a chair and toss his body in the coat room.” Lindsey chuckled. “There will be enough men there to lift his body. Then, I can let the hobo’s outside pick his pockets.”

“How did we go from telling him about the baby to assaulting him and handing him over to the homeless? I think you need to put down the champagne.” I laughed.

“I think that if he decided to drown himself in liquor and yell at a pregnant girl that he abandoned because he can’t think for himself, then he deserves the hobo treatment,” she said, nodding her head.

“You are so feisty tonight.” I laughed. “What has gotten into you?”

“I’m just tired of seeing you hurt,” she said. “I want to see you happy again, like you were a couple of months ago. That was the Amanda I remembered growing up. Not this sickly, depressed girl that needs pep talks. Not that I mind giving them.”

“I know,” I sighed. “You are totally right. I just don’t know how to pull myself out of this. I am miserable all the time, and I think about Nathan ninety percent of the day. I don’t know how I let a man get to me that badly.”

“Well, I think the first step is letting him know you are pregnant,” she said. “I know he has been a douche, but he still deserves to know you are bringing a child into this world with his DNA.”

I knew she was right. I knew that Nathan deserved to know about the baby. I wasn’t purposefully keeping it from him, but he wouldn’t take my calls or my texts. I was too afraid to go to his office and face him, so I sat back and stayed miserable. What he did to me hurt me so much, and I didn’t know if I could take letting him abandon me all over again, knowing he was abandoning his child, too. I didn’t know if I could handle being degraded over something that I never did and never had any intentions of doing. My hormones were so out of whack that there was even a possibility that I could blow up on him, or just burst into tears, losing my dignity in his office chair.

I still didn’t understand how a man that said he felt so strongly for me could believe the lies he was told so easily. He didn’t come to my house to talk to me about it, to try to see it from my point of view. He came there to break up with me. He didn’t listen to anything I said because he had already made up his mind. Sarah had poisoned John, and then John poisoned Nathan. It just kept going down the line until it landed on my damn doorstep.

I would have never reacted that way. I would have talked to him and given him a chance to explain everything. The damage had been done, and it wasn’t just a scrape or a bump. He had completely blown our relationship to smithereens. I had no idea how you could even fix things after he sat there and told me I was a gold digger. You can’t want to spend your life with someone one minute and then berate them and call them a liar the next. He was supposed to be my best friend, the person I walked through my life with, but he turned into my enemy at the drop of a hat. It was really unnerving and made me want to stay as far away from him at the wedding as possible.

After Lindsey had drank her last glass of champagne, we retired, wanting to get a good night’s sleep before the wedding. We had an early morning with hair, makeup, and a champagne breakfast before ever heading over to the event. Lindsey went to bed in my spare room, and I climbed into my bed, laying there staring out the window into the darkness. I must have laid there for hours before falling asleep, running through the different things I would say if I came face to face with Nathan. I tossed and turned all night long, getting barely any sleep at all. A beautiful event was now a place I didn’t want to be at all.

Chapter 24

Nathan

It never failed that every time there was something important going on in my life, I was more than fashionably late to it. Jordan’s wedding was probably already starting, and I was just pulling up and parking the car. I couldn’t seem to get my act together for even one day, and I knew it was all because I had to see Amanda that day. My nerves were through the roof, and my stomach was seasick from the alcohol I was trying to get out of my system.

I stood up out of the car and untucked my pant leg out of my sock, reaching in and grabbing my coffee. I downed it, trying to sober myself up as fast I possibly could. I tossed the empty cup in the back seat and looked at my reflection in the mirror. I was really glad that I had decided to shave, although my neck looked like I was attacked by a pack of wolves.

I didn’t drink that morning. Well, I didn’t drink much that morning, but mixed with what I drank the night before, I was having a hard time keeping myself upright and walking in a straight line. I knew it would be wrong to show up at the ceremony drunk, so I took two cold showers, ate a shit ton of fried food, and drank about six cups of coffee. I was definitely feeling soberer than earlier, and now, I was awake from the amount of caffeine pulsing through my veins.

I walked quickly across the parking lot, stopping and following the signs around to the entrance on the side. I didn’t want to make a grand entrance through the main doors, so I snuck in the side door and crept through the pews until I found a seat. Lindsey glanced over from the front and rolled her eyes at me, and I waved smiling. I scanned across the front, and there she was, standing next to Lindsey and Jordan. Amanda looked stunning, but she did everything she could to avoid direct eye contact with me.

The ceremony was a long, Catholic ceremony, and I sat there completely engrossed by the sight of Amanda. I stared at her the entire time, skimming my eyes over the curves she was showing in the tight, floor-length, rose-colored bridesmaid gown she was wearing. She kept her hands firmly in front of her body, clutching her bouquet of roses. I was as attracted to her now as I was when we were together. There was something about her that just absolutely glowed. Her skin looked rosy and shimmery, and her eyes glimmered in the lights over the front of the room. We weren’t in a church, but Lindsey had it decorated to look like one, including hanging a beautiful piece of stained glass from the ceiling.

Amanda smiled with every word that Lindsey and Jordan said to one another. She looked so happy that I wondered if she were happier without me in her life now. Maybe me being gone had brought something out in her that just made her radiant, or maybe that was how I always saw her and I just forgot in the haze of booze I had been in since I broke things off. I turned my attention to the happy couple as they recited their vows.

“Lindsey,” Jordan said. “I promise to love you, cherish you, and watch over you all of the days of your life. I promise to be strong for you and be there when love is simple and when it is a challenge. I promise to hold you in my arms every night and thank God for the gracious gift he has given me.”

“Under the Grace of God and the Catholic Church, I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the priest announced. “You may kiss the bride.”

Everyone stood and clapped, watching the happy couple embrace. When the ceremony was complete, we made our way down the hall and into the elaborately decorated ballroom. As I walked in, I could see Amanda standing alone to the side, next to the door to the backroom. I knew it was now or never, so I approached her, hoping that she would be willing to talk to me.

“Can we talk?” I asked.

“Sure,” she said, pulling me into the room at the back that opened up to the lobby. “You’re an asshole.”

I looked around, but we were alone. I nodded in agreement but didn’t say anything. I could tell she had a lot of things to get off of her chest.

“How could you believe those lies about me, and never give me the chance to explain?” she asked. “They were blatant, hurtful lies, Nathan. I gave my heart and my trust to you, and you squashed it in an instant.”

“I know,” I said. “And I am so very sorry. I had no idea that Sarah was behind everything. I had no idea that Sarah even knew John. It all started to come together after Lindsey showed up in my office, but by the time I pieced everything together, I was afraid it was too late to make it up to you. I panicked, and I should have been a better man.”

“Sarah has been behind every bad thing in my life since I was in my teens,” she said. “She has manipulated my life to the point where everything is a mess. She slept with my ex, and then this. I mean, this is just beyond anything I thought a person was capable of. She had a man make up a document and then had your best friend convince you that I was married and only after your money. Which, I want to add, is completely insane. I have never, not even once, borrowed money from any man, including my own father. In fact, I have never borrowed money from anyone, except a dollar in the third grade from Lindsey to buy a lollipop, and I paid her back with interest! It showed me how much you really didn’t know me. It showed me how you wanted to know me, but when it came down to the nitty gritty, the real hard stuff, you didn’t want to give me a chance to explain. You wanted to writhe around in your misery.”

“Maybe you’re right,” I said.

“I know I’m right,” she replied. “I have worked really hard for a long time to build my dream from the ground, up. I could take my grandparents’ money, but then I wouldn’t have done it myself. I want to make a name for myself in the medical community that is positive and bright. I don’t want to jump into something I’m not ready to give my all to. That was why I hadn’t opened my clinic yet, not because of the money.”

She was so angry, and I wanted to calm her down, but I knew that she needed to get out whatever she was thinking. I knew that she had bottled this up ever since I left the house, and it was only fair that she got to say whatever she wanted to. I owed her so much more than that.

“As far as the marriage thing goes,” she said. “If I were truly married, I would have never talked to you. I would never be the woman that betrayed the sanctity of marriage. Sure, there were several nights that I couldn’t see you. I thought that was normal. I didn’t know dating you meant I had to jump when you said jump. Either way, me not being available every night didn’t mean I was with a secret husband, for God’s sake. I was helping Lindsey plan this wedding. Everything here, I put together. I did almost everything for her. So yes, I was really busy when you wanted to see me. I am sorry that your expectations were something different than that.”

“Amanda,” I said. “I deserve so much worse than what you are giving me right now. I was an idiot, a scared little boy that ran off as soon as I thought there was a chance I could get hurt. I ignored every glaring sign that what I was being told was a lie. I’m so sorry for that.”

“Nathan,” she said. “There is something else.”

“What?” I asked. “Please, whatever you need to say, say it. Don’t hold back.”

“I’m pregnant,” she said, looking up at me.

Immediately, my heart stopped beating, and all the alcohol coursing through my veins just disintegrated. I was expecting her to tell me off, not tell me she was pregnant. I didn’t even know what to say to that. I was completely speechless. Everything in my world that I had been so upset about all these weeks just disappeared into the background when those words came from her lips. I stepped forward and grabbed her by the arms, looking deeply into her eyes.

“Are you serious? You’re pregnant with my child?”

She looked up at me, scrunching her shoulders, and tears formed in her eyes. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, and knowing that my child was growing in her belly made her all the more beautiful to me. It was so obvious that everything that had been told to me was a lie, and I would never understand how I could ever think anything differently about her. She was so precious and so perfect in that moment.

“Yes,” she said quietly, nodding. “I’m serious.”

“Will you come with me somewhere private so we can talk?”

“Yes,” she said.

I grabbed her by the wrist gently and pulled her through the lobby to the Presidential Suite elevator. I put my key in and climbed inside, feeling more than a little nervous about what was going on. She was pregnant, something that I didn’t think I would ever hear in my lifetime. I was really glad I rented the suite, although now I wouldn’t be using it to get completely wasted and pass out in later. When we got inside, I walked her over to the couch and took her hands in mine, looking deeply in her eyes.

“I’m so sorry for everything,” I said. “I love you more than the world, and I want to be there for you and this baby.”

“You do?” she asked.

“Of course, I do,” I said. “Can you forgive me?”

“Yes,” she said with tears flowing down her cheeks. “Of course, I can forgive you.”

“I can’t believe I am going to be a father,” I said, tears gathering in my eyes. “I should have called you back all of those times that you called. I was terrified that if I talked to you again that I would find out that John was right. I knew in the pit of my stomach that it was all lies, but I didn’t know what to do.”

“You were scared,” she said, wiping away one of my tears.

“I was scared because I have never loved someone as much as I love you,” I said, pulling her into my arms.

“I feel the same way,” she said, hugging me tightly. “I have been miserable without you.”

“I have been someone else without you,” I replied, pulling back and taking her face into my hands.

There was so much emotion flowing around us, but intertwined with those feelings was desire. I leaned forward and pressed my lips gently against hers, breathing in the sweet smell of her perfume. She wrapped her arms around my neck and leaned into me, her fingers curling through my hair. Immediately, I could feel the ecstasy creep over us, and our kiss turned from gentle to lustful and passionate. I loved her, and I couldn’t wait to show her how much.

Chapter 25

Amanda

The heat between the two of us was intense, so intense that I could imagine a fog floating around us. We had been apart for so long, wanting each other, needing each other, and now that we were together, we didn’t want to waste a moment of it. He had accepted the baby without even so much as a question, and he’d realized how badly he had messed up. I knew I could never stay away from him, and I dreamt that he would be back in my arms again. The intensity between us was even thicker than before our break up, and my heart felt like it was going to explode. All the exhaustion, the anxiety, and the sick feelings lifted immediately when his lips pressed against mine. Hearing him tell me that he loved me was reviving, and I felt like I was whole once again, not fearing or needing for anything.

It was amazing to me what this one person could do for my soul, but as I stood there, running my hands across his face, I knew that the universe hadn’t failed me after all. I needed to know myself, to completely let go and be vulnerable in order to truly appreciate what the two of us had. He was the love of my life, and with his child growing inside of me, we would be a family like I had wanted from the beginning.

He stood up off the couch and reached down, taking my hand and pulling me to my feet. He wrapped his hand around my waist and picked me up, holding me close as my feet dangled over the floor. Our eyes stayed locked tightly while he walked across the floor and to the bedroom. Once inside, he set me down on my feet and walked behind me, pulling my hair back and kissing the back of my neck. His fingers found the zipper to my dress, and he slowly pulled it down, holding my hand as I stepped out of it. He unclasped my strapless bra and tossed it on the floor, coming around to the front and rubbing his hands over my nipples.

I untied his bow tie and unbuttoned his shirt, opening it wide and running my hands down his chest. He slid his shirt and jacket off, tossing them over the chair next to him. I pulled the buckle on his pants undone and pulled down the zipper, letting his pants fall to the floor. He slipped his shoes off and stepped out of his trousers, walking forward and kissing me passionately. I whimpered as he walked me backward. The butterflies that had plagued me before returned with a vengeance. I sat down on the end of the bed and stared at him intently as I pulled myself back and laid my head on the pillow behind me.

He crawled toward me, keeping his gaze strong, his movements fluid and purposeful. I spread my legs apart and watched as he pulled my panties down my body and tossed them to the side. He looked down at my pulsing wet mound and licked his fingers before sliding them through my folds. I leaned my head backward and moaned, feeling him push into me just slightly. He laid down on his belly and licked my clit, pushing down on it with his tongue and moving in circles. I could feel the intensity building in my stomach as he continued to eat me out, pushing his fingers in and out of me.

Every sensation of his tongue blew through me like a wild fire. I had missed his mouth on my body so badly. The hormones from the pregnancy had made everything on my body super sensitive, and I growled loudly as his tongue swirled up and around my clit. God, it felt so good. I reached down and touched the top of his head, lifting my hips upward and grinding against his mouth. He slid two fingers inside of me, and I grabbed onto the blankets, arching my chest into the air.

As the fire in me burst free, I screamed out, all the nerves in my body standing on end. My body shook and shivered as the orgasm I didn’t even know was waiting pounded through my body. He smiled and looked up at me as I relaxed back in the bed, shocked at how sensitive my body was. I sat up and pushed him backward, getting on all four and crawling toward him. I grabbed his shaft and smirked, pushing my mouth over the head and sucking his cock down my throat. He growled with shock as I bobbed my head up and down, wanting to taste him, needing to feel him deep. He wrestled with himself for a moment and then sat still, watching me suck him fast and hard.

I wanted to taste him, to feel his shaft pushing down my throat, bringing tears to my eyes. I twisted my head from side to side as I reached the bottom of his shaft, groaning with my mouth full of his cock. It was heated, but sensual in ways that I had never imagined before. I ran my hands up his stomach, feeling the muscles in his chest bulge as I sucked hard in the back of my throat. As my hands moved back down, I dragged my fingernails over his skin until I reached his thighs. From there, I moved my hand over, cradling his balls and bobbing my head faster and faster. His thighs quivered around me as his shaft pulsed inside of my mouth. I pulled up, releasing his cock from my grasp, not wanting him to come yet. There was so much I missed about being with him, and I definitely wasn’t leaving this room until I had him fully inside of me.

He sat up and kissed my mouth passionately before moving around behind me and lifting me up on all fours. I bit my lip and looked back at him as he stroked his cock, staring down at my ass. I jiggled it up and down and smiled coyly, watching him move in, pushing his big dick through my juices and deep inside of me. I groaned, turning my head forward and watching him in the mirror. He grabbed onto my hips, his muscles tightening and releasing as he began to thrust. I screamed out in pleasure, feeling him go deeper and deeper as his body slammed into my ass. He slid his hand down and grabbed my ass cheek, squeezing it hard as he effortlessly glided in and out of my juices.

His eyes looked up in the mirror and caught my gaze, a smirk moving over his lips. He reached forward and pulled me up on my knees, his dick still inside of me. One of his hands slid down to my clit, his fingers rubbing circles over it as his other reached across my chest and massaged my breast. I leaned my head back on his shoulder as he thrusted upward, pushing in and out of me. I moaned, closing my eyes and feeling every swirl of his fingertips. As my voice got louder, his motions got faster and quiet grunts escaped his throat with each push. I reached down and mirrored the movement of his fingers, screaming out in pleasure as I overflowed the cliff of ecstasy. My pussy contracted around his shaft over and over as my juices flowed down, dripping over his balls. My body shook, feeling the sensation of orgasm through my veins.

When I had calmed, he slowly pulled out, kissing my lips softly and pulling me around, laying me down on my back. He crawled forward over top of me and ran his hands up my arms, interlocking his fingers into mine. He reached down and pushed his cock inside of me, his mouth open and touching mine. I could feel the heat of his breath flowing over my face as he thrusted forward slowly, filling me back up. I pulled my legs up his sides, the passion between us swirling around the room. With every push forward, he breathed more heavily until his mouth pushed against mine.

We kissed wildly as our bodies writhed over top of one another. His movements had become sensual and slow, taking in every moment of our connection. I whimpered in his mouth, feeling his body press deeply against mine, his hips thrusting short and slow deep inside. He opened his eyes and stared into mine, his lips now barely touching me. He gripped tightly to my hand and whispered.

“I love you.”

I smiled and pressed my mouth back against his, lifting my hips as he pushed deep into me, holding it there for a moment before releasing. He pushed his legs out behind me and unhooked one hand from mine, reaching around and holding me by the waist. He rolled to the left, pulling me on top of him. I pulled my knees up and straddled him, pushing myself up to a sitting position and moaning loudly as he sank deeper inside of me. Immediately, I began to grind against him, keeping his dick buried deep inside. I set my palms down on his chest and pushed my hips down and back up again, my eyes locked with his. He looked at me with heavy eyes and slid his hand up the front of me, forcing me up straight. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, feeling his skin rub up to my nipples. He took two fingers and rolled my nipples around, sending electricity pulsing through my body.

He then slid his hands down to my waist and grabbed me tightly, pushing me farther down as I waved my hips like the ocean over his body. Every single sensation that sparked from the touching of our skin turned me on more and more. I groaned loudly, beginning to move faster on top of him. I slid my body up his shaft and then sat back down slowly, feeling the wrinkles of his cock rub against the satin inside my pussy. He growled and latched tightly to my ass cheeks, his jaw beginning to tighten. I smiled down at him, wanting to come all over his cock and wanting to feel him orgasm hard.

I slid my body up his shaft and slowly turned around, riding him reverse cowgirl. I leaned forward and grabbed his ankles, feeling his hands slide over my ass. I started to slap my ass up and down, fucking his dick hard and fast. He groaned, gripping onto my ass cheeks and helping the movement along. I could hear our skin connect, the sound of sweat and sex echoing against the penthouse walls. As I rode him hard, I could feel the fire begin to heighten in my belly. It only made me push faster and harder. My breathing began to increase, the sounds of my wails syncing with my hips.

“I’m gonna come,” I moaned.

“Yeah,” he groaned. “Don’t stop.”

I clenched down on his ankles and moved faster, now fucking him at a fevered pace. He groaned loudly as my body began to shiver. I picked up my head and screamed loudly, reaching my climax and bursting wide over his cock. He pushed down hard on my lower back, thrusting his hips upward and groaning deeply as he exploded inside of me. I could feel the bursts of come coming from his pulsing cock as my pussy tightened around his shaft. He groaned several times, pushing upward and then collapsing down into the bed. I rolled off of him and pulled myself up beside him, laying my head on his chest.

I had missed him so much, and now that I had him, I never wanted to leave his side. It was an amazing night, and I hadn’t even been to the reception yet.

Chapter 26

Nathan

The sound of my phone alarm stirred me from my sleep. I reached over with my free hand and hit the button, groaning as I remembered that I wasn’t at home. I turned quickly and saw Amanda laying there in my arms, smiling up at me. I had thought it was all a dream, but there she was, safe and sound, wrapped in the blankets, and clinging tightly to me. That was better than any bottle of whiskey ever could be.

She moaned softly and yawned, rolling to the side and stretching her arms high over her head. The sun was shining brightly outside as it did most days in LA, and I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else in that moment. She turned back to me and snuggled in, groaning, knowing we couldn’t stay like that forever. I could feel the love between us bursting from our skin. Not only were we back together, but we were going to become a family, with a child that was conceived in complete love and would be raised in a home with that much love as well.

I reached down and grabbed her waist, pulling her up so that her head was resting on the pillow next to me. We faced each other, our hands entwining between us and our eyes locked on one another. When I looked into her eyes, it was like I could see everything in my life from the past, to the present, and even into the future. I could feel her stomach pressed against my side, and I thought about the small life inside of her, growing every day. It was my child, the child that would be just as much part of me as it would be of her. I hoped that it got her heart because I didn’t know anyone else as loving and caring as she was.

“I want to tell you again how sorry I am,” I whispered. “You are the most precious thing in my life, and you are carrying our child. It is so beautiful, and I wish you could have told me sooner. I would have never turned you away, no matter how hurt or angry I thought I was. This child is the embodiment of our love. It is a symbol of everything that is beautiful in this world. Everything that is beautiful about you and about us.”

“I tried to tell you several times,” she said. “I actually called you as soon as I found out, sitting in the parking lot of the doctor’s office, but you always rejected my calls. I thought about coming to your office, but I was afraid to be rejected in public. I felt exposed and vulnerable, so I just came to terms with the idea of raising this baby by myself. I didn’t want to, I wanted you to be with us, but I never thought it would actually be possible. I thought I had lost you forever, and there was nothing I could do or say to make you change your mind. It was a very hopeless feeling.”

“I know,” I said, kissing her on the forehead. “I didn’t know what to do, what to believe, or what to say. I was completely drowned in a bottle of whiskey and my own self-pity. I hated John for being the one to tell me, I hated Jordan for being so happy, and I hated every single person that I saw living their life for love. Every time you called, I fought with myself, trying to decide whether to answer or not to answer. My fear won out every time. I promise I will never screen your calls again.”

“I’m not a girl with a lot of enemies; I’m really nice to everyone,” she said, making me smile. “But sometimes, you can’t help who likes you or doesn’t like you. What Sarah did, I have never seen another human being do, but now that I know what people are capable of, I know that I need to protect myself better. I need you to promise me that the next time you hear some weird rumor, no matter how hurtful or damning, you will come to me and talk to me about it. Give me a chance to clear my name before damning me to that sad existence we found ourselves in.”

“Seeing what Sarah did opened my eyes, too,” I said. “Seeing just how manipulative she was, putting my best friend in a position where he hurt me and you because he trusted someone he never should have, made me realize that things are not always as simple as they seem. My time without you was the worst time in my entire life. I wanted to crawl into a hole and die, and all I had to do from the start was actually open my eyes and ears and take in my surroundings. I promise that if I ever hear anything about you again, good or bad, I’ll come to you and talk to you about it. I will presume you innocent, instead of assuming your guilt.”

“Oh,” she said, excited. “Now that you are back in the picture, I can tell you about the doctor. I had my initial checkup where they told me that I was pregnant, and I scheduled my next visit, my first real visit, for a week from now. They will most likely be doing an ultrasound, and we will get to see the baby for the first time. They did one when I first went in, but the baby was too small to see. We should be able to hear its heart beat, too. It’s going to be really exciting.”

“That sounds amazing,” I said.

“Would you like to go with me and experience all this as a family?” she asked. “You can meet the doctor and learn all about what we are to expect in the coming months. For the first time since I found out I was pregnant, I actually am feeling excited about this. It’s also the first time since I found out that I haven’t woken up sick to my stomach.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I said, kissing her gently.

We laid there for a little while longer and then pried ourselves out of the bed. Both of us had luckily brought a bag with us in case we wanted to change at the wedding, so we didn’t have to go down to breakfast in our fancy clothes. When we were dressed, we headed down to the restaurant for the brunch with the bride and groom before they were expected to leave on their honeymoon. We had missed the entire reception, but I was pretty sure that since both of us were missing, they knew exactly what was going on.

“Yay,” Lindsey squealed, jumping from her seat and running over to Amanda. “I’m so happy to see you, and you look pretty happy.”

“I’ll tell you about it all when you get back,” she whispered with a smile.

“Duh, you better,” she said. “Does he know?”

“Yep,” she said, smiling brightly and turning to John, Jordan, and Lindsey’s cousins. “And I guess it’s time everyone found out. Nathan?”

“Yes, yes,” I said, smiling. “Amanda and I are expecting a baby.”

Everyone cheered and clapped their hands, truly happy that the two of us were back together and stronger than ever. We sat down and started to eat, realizing how famished we were after missing dinner. Lindsey smiled big at me across the table and turned to Nathan.

“So, Mr. Robertson,” Lindsey said, clearing her throat. “I would like to request something.”

“What’s that?”

“If you hear any weird things ever again about Amanda, I want you to believe me when I tell you that they are complete bullshit,” she stated. “I have known Amanda my whole life, and I know her better than anyone. If you need to know the truth about something, you can come to me, and I’ll give it to you straight. No more of these guessing games, especially not with people like my sister running around, causing all kinds of problems.”

I smiled at Amanda and rubbed her leg, feeling loved by everyone in the room. I always took Lindsey with a grain of salt and treated her with the utmost respect. It was something that Amanda loved about me. I knew how important this girl was to her, and I would never mess it up.

“Well, I will always trust Amanda when she tells me the truth about something,” I said kissing her cheek. “But I promise that if I need to come to you, that I will take your word as the truth.”

“Good,” she said, smiling. She glanced over at John and cleared her throat.

“And I have to be the bigger man here,” John said. “I want to tell you both how sorry I am that I brought that load of bullshit into your lives and tore you apart like that. If I had used my big brain and not my little brain, I would have realized right away what kind of woman I was dealing with. But I didn’t, and I hope that the two of you can forgive me. Nathan is like my brother, and I could see every day how much it tore him apart to be without Amanda. That makes me feel terrible.”

“Of course, brother,” I said, reaching over and shaking his hand.

“You were acting in the best interests of Nathan,” Amanda said. “And though your truths were misguided, it makes me feel good to know that a man of such strong character is standing beside him, watching out for him. I think that you will be able to teach our child some fantastic things about being a stand-up friend. I hope that one day, you have my back like you have his. He is a very lucky guy. So, of course, I accept your apology. We made it back together, and that is all that matters in the end.”

“Thank you,” he said with a smile.

“And as far as Sarah goes, trust me, I know how manipulative the girl can be,” Amanda said. “She has taken some of the best people I know and turned them into monsters. I hate that she got ahold of you like that, and I’m sorry that she used you. I know that doesn’t feel good. I just hope that you have learned your lesson in all of this. Stay away from that girl, and try not to judge them by their looks. She may be pretty on the outside, but she is rotten on the inside.”

“Trust me, I won’t be seeing anymore of Sarah ever again.” He chuckled. “I definitely did learn my lesson. In fact, I am going to start being a little more selective of the women that I bring into my life.”

“Wow,” I said, shaking my head. “It seems this wedding has changed all kinds of things, even the people that we thought were written in stone to be douche bags for an eternity.”

“Hey, hey,” he said. “I deserved that, but everyone can change.”

“Well, here is hoping,” Lindsey said, raising her mimosa in the air.

“Here, here,” everyone repeated with laughter.

I sat back in my chair and watched as everyone talked and joked. The girls cuddled up and whispered, the food steamed hot, and the mimosas bubbled in their glasses. My eyes met Amanda’s, and she smiled, leaning over and kissing me on the cheek. I felt like I hadn’t been happy for a very long time, but there, sitting with the people I cared about the most, I could feel the depression just evaporate away. Amanda did something amazing in my life, and I would spend the rest of it showing her just how much I loved her and that baby in her belly.

Chapter 27

Amanda

I reached over and took Nathan’s hand in mine, squeezing it tightly and smiling at him. My legs dangled over the edge of the examination table. We were at the first doctor’s appointment, waiting for the ultrasound tech to come in. I was really nervous, but I was excited to see our baby for the first time. Nathan had been talking about it all morning, and I found it so adorable how well he adjusted to the idea of being a father. There was never any pause, and he had jumped right in with both feet, researching, looking online, and finding out everything he would need to know in the coming months. He was the first person awake that morning and had rushed me out of the house because he was excited to see the baby.

We looked up as the door opened and a small older woman walked into the room. She smiled kindly at the both of us and walked to the back, grabbing my file. I looked over at Nathan and squeezed his hand again, giving him an excited grin.

“Good morning,” she said. “My name is Eleanor, and I will be your ultrasound tech today. This is your first well visit, correct?”

“Yes ma’am,” I said, smiling.

“Exciting,” she said. “You will get to see that baby for the first time and, hopefully, hear a heartbeat.”

“Will this hurt her?” I asked.

“No.” She smiled. “I’ll be super gentle. Just go ahead and lie back on the table, and I’ll get you all set up.”

She turned on the machine and got the wand ready. I laughed to myself, watching Nathan’s eyes grow big as she rolled a condom down the stick and lubed it up. Once she was inside, she moved it around quite a bit, measuring different things and taking pictures of the inside of me. Finally, it was our turn. She turned the monitor toward us and pointed to what looked like a little bean wriggling on the screen.

“There’s the baby,” she said excitedly.

Instantly, my whole body went calm, and I looked up at Nathan with tears in my eyes. He had teared up, too, and bent down, grasping my hand and kissing it. We watched as the little life inside of me moved to the beat of its own drum. She clicked a button, and we could hear a muffled beating.

“And that is its heart beat,” she said, smiling. “So, strong.”

“Do you hear that?” I asked through tears.

“I do,” he whispered. “It’s perfect.”

She took a couple pictures of the baby and printed them out for us. We sat there staring down at the little baby on the paper. She finished up all of her measurements and then cleaned me up, letting me know I could get dressed and get ready for the next part. I pulled myself up on the examination table, and Nathan got up, bringing my clothes over and helping me get dressed. He was always so careful and caring toward me, and I could tell that he was going to make an amazing father.

After I had gotten all my clothes on and washed my hands, I sat down in the chair next to him and looked at the pictures in awe. Neither one of us could believe how much of a miracle it was to be pregnant. Everything seemed so real at that moment, but instead of being nervous or scared, I was really excited.

“Can you believe we are going to have a baby?” he asked, shaking his head. “It looks so funny, but I love it already. When do we find out whether it’s a boy or a girl?”

“Not for a few more months,” I said. “Everyone says the time flies by, though.”

“I’m sure that it does,” he said. “I just want to enjoy every moment of it with you.”

I smiled and leaned in, giving him a kiss. I looked up at the door as the nurse stuck her head in and smiled. Nathan put the pictures in his wallet and helped me up out of the chair. I was perfectly capable of functioning on my own at that point, but he was very attentive. It would definitely come in handy when I was too big to lift myself out of chairs.

“You ready to get your blood taken?” the nurse asked.

“Is anyone ever ready for needles?” I laughed nervously.

“It won’t hurt,” she said, leading me down the hall into another room.

The nurse was gentle and quick, and before I knew it, we were heading in to talk to the doctor. Nathan introduced himself and shook the doctor’s hand excitedly. The doctor looked pleased that my mentality had changed so much since the last time he saw me. We learned about what to expect at the appointments, the different tests that could be performed, and then Nathan asked him a barrage of questions. It was really adorable, and I appreciated how much he wanted to be involved. He wanted to know every detail of what he was supposed to be doing. I could see the amusement on the doctor’s face. He ended the conversation by promising Nathan he would talk to him about the delivery in detail when the time got closer.

When we were done, they gave us a bunch of reading material and set our next several appointments. We walked out of the doctor’s office on cloud nine, heading over to a café down the street to eat lunch. I was starving by the time we got there, and I was really glad that I had my appetite back. In fact, it had come back times three. We sat down and ordered our food, and Nathan pulled out the pictures again.

“I can’t even express to you how excited I am,” he said, beaming. “Seriously, this is the best thing ever, besides you, of course.”

“Aww thanks, honey.” I smiled. “And I am finally excited about it as well. It is definitely a different experience having you here with me.”

“Have you thought about baby names at all?”

“Not really,” I said. “I was still trying to get through the nausea when I finally got to tell you. I have always liked the names Nicole or Ava for a girl.”

“I like Ava,” he said. “That’s nice, and Nicole is great, too. I’ve always liked Brant, Preston, or Nicolas for boys’ names. They always seemed to be really nice guys with their heads on their shoulders.”

“I really like Nicolas,” I said. “That was my great grandfather’s name.”

“How about Elva?”

“Oh, God, no.” I laughed, thinking about that guy that Lindsey set me up with. “That is a disaster waiting to happen. You might as well name him Brock if it’s a boy. He will be a jock with a big head.”

He laughed and choked on his coffee. “My dad wanted to name me Brock, but my mom wouldn’t have it.”

“That is because she is apparently a very smart lady,” I said. “I don’t think I could have taken you seriously if Brock was your name.”

“That’s because I would probably drool on myself.” He laughed.

“I really think that Ava or Nicolas could be our winners,” I said, smiling. “I thought it would be really hard to pick out names, but it seems that we are on the same page as usual. Well, except for the whole Elva thing, but I’ll pretend that you never said that.”

“I appreciate it.” He laughed. “And I agree. Ava if it is a girl, and Nicolas if it is a boy.”

“Well, now that that’s settled,” I said, laughing. “God, I am starving. I want to eat everything on their menu.”

“You are the most adorable pregnant person,” he said, smiling.

“You can’t even tell I’m pregnant yet,” I said, pouting.

“They can’t, but I know, and I think it is so adorable,” he said. “I might have to just keep you pregnant.”

“Oh, God, please don’t,” I said, swallowing a gulp of water. “So, have you thought about whether you want a boy or a girl?”

“A boy, of course,” he scoffed. “I want to teach him all about life, show him how to make things, and do whatever normal little boys do. Of course, I want him to make his own choices, too. I don’t expect him to take over the company, but he can if he wants to.”

“What if it’s a girl? Can she take over the company?”

“Of course,” he said. “But it’ll be a boy. What about you? Do you want a boy or a girl?”

I sat there imagining my life in both scenarios, both as a mother to a little girl and the mother to a little boy. It was the first time I had really thought about it. I wasn’t sure what I was hoping for, and then, I imagined brushing my daughter’s hair, watching her snuggle up to her daddy, and making a life with her.

“I think I am hoping for a little girl,” I said. “You can have daddy/daughter tea parties, and I can braid her hair.”

“But I don’t know anything about girls,” he said, pouting. “I know a little about women, but what I know won’t be any help when raising one. On top of that, I know how guys think, and I’m likely to push her into being a nun.”

“That’s so silly.” I laughed. “If she is anything like me, she would never survive as a nun. She would be way too defiant and mouthy.”

“This is very true,” he said with wide eyes. “We should just have two. One of each.”

“With your luck, it would be two daughters.” I laughed, watching the waiter set our food down in front of us.

“You are more than right about that,” he said, shaking his head. “I would be surrounded by women all day long.”

“In reality, I don’t really care whether it’s a boy or girl, as long as it is healthy and happy,” I said, smiling before shoving a forkful of pancakes in my mouth.

“I agree, but I hope it inherits my eating manners.” He laughed, making fun of me.

“I’m very mannerly,” I said with a full mouth.

“I see this,” he said, laughing. “I just want us to be a happy family, and I would be super blessed if I had a little girl that was as amazing as her mom. My life will be complete either way.”

“And I feel the same about you,” I said. “This baby, if it is anything like you, will be one of the best men I know. I feel so lucky that you are part of my life and that I can count on you being an amazing father.”

“I’m going to do my best,” he said, smiling.

“We can learn together,” I replied.

I sat there eating and talking more about the baby, the nursery, and all the things that we were going to have to buy. I felt completely at peace, knowing that Nathan was going to be there for us no matter what. Life had really turned around, and I knew that it was going to be perfect between us from then on out. We had been through torture being separated by forces that we did not see coming, and I would never let that happen again. Just hearing him tell me how much he loved me, how excited he was, and how thankful he was that we worked things out let me know that he was never going to let us separate again, either.

Maybe true love was real, and I just had to wade through all the bullshit to finally realize it. I knew one thing for sure, I had finally gotten my own happy ending, and it was even better than I imagined. Love was even better than I could have imagined.

Epilogue

Three Months Later

Nathan

We had just left the doctor’s office and found out that we were going to be having a beautiful baby boy. I could see him growing and moving inside of her through the ultrasound, and I was so excited I could barely contain myself. I managed to convince her, even though she was tired, that we should go out to celebrate. I had to go into work for a meeting but I told her to be ready when I got off. She had moved into my place shortly after her first doctor’s office visit. We found that neither of us wanted to be apart, and it would be easier to plan if we were in one place. My house was bigger, with more room for the baby, so I packed her up, put her house on the market, and moved her in. It was really nice having us all together in one place.

When I was done with work, I swung over to the house to pick her up. I walked through the door and called out her name, stopping as I walked into the living room. She was standing there, pulling at her dress as it flowed down over her little belly and hit the floor. I couldn’t believe just how absolutely gorgeous she was. She glowed from the inside out. I kissed her on the forehead and led her out to the car. We climbed into the town car since I didn’t feel like fighting LA traffic and headed over to the restaurant. On the way, I smiled, listening to her talk about the baby clothes that her dad had sent over. He was excited to be a grandfather.

When the car pulled up to the curb, I opened the door and climbed out, reaching down and helping her out of the car. She wobbled a little, trying to catch her center of gravity. As she straightened her dress and looked up at the sign, she giggled, realizing it was the restaurant where we first met. I hadn’t been back there since I met her, and I knew it would be the perfect place to come.

“Ah,” she said, smiling. “The place that started it all.”

“Indeed, it is,” I said, leading her to the door.

“I hope you brought your good pick-up lines because I won’t be so easy this time to take home,” she said, teasing.

“I know. I can’t liquor you up to get you to take me back to your place.” I laughed.

“Or vice versa,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows.

I opened the door and held it for her, watching as she smiled at me passing through the entrance. I stood there as she talked to the hostess, asking for a table for two. The place wasn’t nearly as crowded as the last time, but still, my nerves were going wild in my chest. I had to take a deep breath as we walked toward our seats. This was a really special day for us.

I stepped ahead of Amanda and pulled out her chair, pushing it in as she sat. We ordered our food and chatted excitedly about finding out the sex of the baby. I no longer had to call him “it,” and the name Nicolas seemed more and more perfect as time went on. When dinner was done, the waiter brought out a dessert that she hadn’t ordered. I smiled at the confusion on her face.

She sat there for a moment, watching as the staff cleared the table, not yet really looking at her dessert. Finally, she put her hands in her lap and looked down, her eyes widening at the shiny diamond sitting on top of the piece of cake. It was an engagement ring, and I had worked it out perfectly so that she would be more than surprised. It definitely seemed to be working. She lifted her hands from her lap and put them over her mouth. She turned to me and gasped, watching me drop down on one knee.

“Amanda, you are the most amazing thing to ever happen to me,” I said. “I have felt since day one that the universe brought us together. Spending the rest of my life with you feels like the only option I have. It is the only option that I will ever want. You are the love of my life. Will you make me the happiest man in the world and become my wife?”

She nodded, tears flowing down her cheeks. She reached out and took my hand, pulling me up to my feet. I wrapped my arms around her and leaned down to kiss her gently on the lips. Then I pulled back and slid the ring onto her finger.

“I love you so much,” I said, smiling. She had no clue how much I’d fallen for her, but she would eventually get it. I’d make sure of it.

“I love you, too,” she sobbed. “Damn these hormones.”

We both laughed and hugged again, feeling the excitement surging through us. I had found the love of my life, and I was never going to let her go. I pulled back and turned to the restaurant, clearing my throat. Everyone was already looking over at us in awe.

“May I have everyone’s attention?” I asked loudly. “She said yes! And because of that, everyone’s dinner is on me!”

I smiled as the restaurant cheered and clapped, waving at Amanda with excitement. I turned back to her and pulled her into my arms again, feeling my shoulders relax. She felt like home, and that was the best feeling in the entire world.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to make you my fiancée,” I said, smiling.

“As long as we don’t have to have a big wedding, I’m good.” She laughed.

“I don’t care if we get married in the supermarket, as long as we are together,” I said with a chuckle.

Everything had turned out just as the universe wanted. I got my happily ever after and the most amazing woman in the world. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.