Chapter 12
Carter
I woke up to the smell of coffee and bacon. It had to be one of my favorite ways to wake up. I blinked at the unfamiliar ceiling, then sat up. The sheets fell to my naked waist. Memories of last night, of the first and second rounds of fucking unbelievable sex, slammed home and I grinned.
I was in Veronica’s apartment. We’d spent the night in each other’s arms, my nose buried in her hair. It was better than anything I’d had before. No woman could compare – the feeling that swept over me when I was with her dwarfed all other emotion I’d experienced.
Muted light filtered through the curtains, and I grabbed for the alarm clock on Veronica’s bedside table. Shit. It was already past eight. I’d had a meeting this morning. Sure, I was the boss and I could reorganize things as I pleased, but it still made me feel like an asshole.
I wasn’t the type who missed out on meetings or delayed appointments.
“Knock, knock.” Veronica leaned against the doorjamb, spatula in one hand, and an apron fastened around her waist. A pink cupcake with googly eyes peered at me from the front pocket. “I figured I owed you breakfast after the last time.”
“Last time?” Again, my thoughts went to our second romp and I swallowed.
“You made me breakfast, remember?” She bit her lip. “And I couldn’t bring myself to torture you with my home-brewed coffee so I ran downstairs and bought us some of the hippie stuff.”
“Awesome,” I said and stood up. The sheets dropped and exposed me.
Veronica’s eyelid fluttered. “Y-yeah.”
“Not that I’m saying you’re coffee wouldn’t be great, or anything.”
“Oh, no, trust me, it’s horrific.” She lingered. “I’ll – yeah, just come on through when you’re all dressed.” She left me to it.
I tugged on my jeans, buttoned up my shirt, did the whole shebang, and I made her bed for good measure. My mother had always told me that a made bed meant the day would go well. Organization was key to a happy life, as was routine.
I walked out of the bedroom, through the living room, and into Veronica’s cramped kitchen. The sights and smells overwhelmed me.
Bacon sizzled and popped in a pan. Veronica pulled her spatula through eggs in another one beside it. Two takeaway coffee cups waited on the counter, and beside them, two glasses and some OJ in a jug.
“I’m making tomatoes, too. Oven roasted with olive oil and some basil,” she said and grinned at me.
“Okay, now I feel like an idiot.”
“What, why?”
“You’re clearly a pro at this whole cooking thing, and I fed you mediocre eggs at best the other day.”
Veronica chuckled. “Yeah, but you can make coffee at least.”
“You know I have one of those automatic pod things,” I said and waved my hand. “No way. From now on, you’re the one doing all the cooking, and I’m the one who takes us out to eat. Deal?”
“I won’t argue with that,” Veronica said and opened the oven door. Heat billowed out of the oven, along with the ripe tang of cooking tomatoes. “Deal.”
“Good God, I’m drooling, woman.”
“Almost done!”
The doorbell buzzed, and I blinked. God, hopefully it wasn’t that Georgia friend of hers. She seemed nice enough but she was high drama and the last thing I wanted was the strange looks she’d probably give me and the prompting questions.
“Want me to get that for you?” I asked.
“Would you? I just need to get these tomatoes out of the oven before they burn,” she said, grabbing a cupcake-festooned oven mitt from the counter.
I hurried through the living room and to the front door. The buzzer rang again and two sharp knocks rapped against the wood. I crossed my fingers – No Georgia, please – then drew back the latches one at a time.
Finally, I unlocked the door and opened up. Shock and anger slammed into my stomach. I lost my breath. Fuck. Numbness spread from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.
“What are you doing here?” I managed to keep an even tone, though it took all my strength.
“I could ask you the same thing.” Jayne folded her arms across her small breasts and clicked her heel. “Come to drop off more of my things?” She sniffed and wrinkled her nose. “Ew, bacon.”
What type of person hated bacon? Not my type. How had I ever loved this woman? She was still as beautiful as the day we’d met but the toxicity skimmed beneath the surface. I hadn’t seen it back then but now it was so obvious I couldn’t believe I’d missed it.
“Where’s my sister?” Jayne asked and clacked that heel on the top step again.
“She’s inside.” I didn’t move out of her path. My wife. Here. My wife who wasn’t really a wife; she was a person who was attached to me like a bunion or an extra limb I didn’t want. The person who’d broken my heart, cheated on me, and spent money that was mine and not hers.
Nowhere in our marriage agreement had it said anything about shared accounts. Though, the agreement hadn’t been in any language I understood. How the fuck would I know? I gripped the doorknob so hard it rattled.
“Carter?” Veronica called.
Shit. Shit, this was fucking nightmarish. I didn’t care what Jayne thought about me with her sister. I cared about how Veronica would react to this. Unlike my wife, she had a conscience and seeing her sister after what we’d experienced together would eat her up inside.
I stood there, stubborn as the day is long, and blocked Jayne out. “Why aren’t you in Italy?”
“You been stalking me, honey?” Jayne asked. “I’m flattered. I decided to come home and see sister dearest. And you, darling. Of course, you. Did you miss me?” She winked.
Revulsion pulsed through my core. Fucking hell. How could the woman be this oblivious? She had to realize that I detested her and that she’d broken my trust and our relationship.
Veronica gasped behind me. She’d come around the corner, then.
I still didn’t shift away from the entrance.
“Jayne? What on earth are you doing here?” Veronica asked, and her voice trembled. She struggled with the words. Oh, yeah, the guilt had already slammed home.
“What are you talking about, sissy?” Jayne asked. “I live here, remember?”
“Not for years.” Veronica’s voice hardened up. “Carter, let her through, please.”
I hesitated and glared at Jayne, eye to eye. She was taller than her sister. She was also an asshole.
“Yes, Carter, darling. Let me through like a good little watch dog.” She tittered a laugh and patted me on the cheek with her left hand. The wedding ring I’d placed there was cool against my skin.
I gritted my teeth and stepped back. Just one step. Just enough to let her past.
Jayne swept inside as if she owned the place. Owned the room and the entire fucking apartment. “Sissy,” she purred and clasped Veronica by the shoulders. She air kissed beside her cheeks, pretentious as ever.
Jayne pulled back and looked her sister up and down. She plucked the string of the pink apron and grimaced. “What in God’s name is this thing? It’s lurid.”
“What – Jayne, the last time we spoke you had no interest in talking to me. What are you doing here?”
Jayne sighed and let go of her sister. “Well, your phone call the other day convinced me I needed to come home.” She sniffed. “Ugh, is something burning?”
“Shit!” Veronica darted to the kitchen and disappeared through the entrance. Clanging of pots and pans commenced.
Jayne laughed again. “She was always a terrible cook.”
“You’re one to talk.” Jayne hadn’t been in a kitchen during our entire relationship, unless it was to mix herself a cocktail or pour herself a glass of water. “So, you cut your holiday short to come visit your sister. Though, you can’t really call it a holiday when it’s all you do.”
“All I do?” Jayne asked and fluffed her hair, silver bracelets rattling.
“Lounge on beaches and fuck strangers,” I said.
“Oh, God, don’t be so vulgar, Carter. How can you even think that? I’d never cheat on you.”
I snorted in disbelief. I’d caught her red-handed before, and she insisted on pretending it’d never happened. That I hadn’t found her bopping up and down on someone else’s dick. Not that I could talk, now.
No, that wasn’t fair – I’d already committed to divorcing Jayne. We were over. I’d already forwarded the divorce agreement to my lawyer and asked him to get in contact with someone in Italy to make sure it was binding over there.
Veronica exited the kitchen and fanned herself with the cupcake-decorated oven mitt. “So much for breakfast,” she muttered.
“I’d love breakfast,” Jayne said. “But not here, I’m afraid. I just came over to see how you were doing, sissy. You mentioned you were struggling with the rent and other things.” She cast a lazy glance at me. What was she implying? That I was part of that group? That Veronica struggled with me?
“I’m fine.” Veronica said through her teeth. Clearly, not fine. Nothing was fine.
“I assume my husband came over here to check on you, too,” Jayne said. “Carter’s sweet, isn’t he?”
No one spoke.
“He’s so sweet,” Jayne crooned. “I have to thank you, sissy. I wasn’t going to come back here. I guess I got so caught up in the Italian lifestyle that I forgot what was important.”
“And what’s that?” I snapped. I couldn’t hold back on my anger any longer.
“Why, you, of course. Our marriage. I’ve missed you so much, baby.” Jayne slunk across the room and leaned in for a kiss.
I stumbled back and tripped over the coffee table. I managed to keep my balance by pin wheeling my arms.
“Clumsy man. I see you’re falling for me all over again. I’ve neglected us for too long. Now, I know you’re busy with work,” Jayne said and narrowed her eyes at Veronica. “But it’s high time we take our relationship seriously. We can’t just live past each other anymore.”
Just what in hell had Veronica said on the phone to her sister? What could’ve encouraged this behavior? Whatever it was, I wish it’d never happened because Jayne made my skin crawl. I walked around the coffee table and backed away from Jayne like a cornered animal.
Veronica stood. She stared. She didn’t do anything else. Tears welled in her eyes.
Her pain was my agony. Christ, how had this happened? How had things gotten so complicated? Stupid question for which I already had the answer. I’d let them get this far. I’d fucked all of this up instead of manning the hell up and just divorcing Jayne.
Tracking her down and burying my fears of failed relationships. God dammit!
“Jayne,” I said. “We’re not an item anymore. I don’t want to be with you.”
“Hush, darling. I know emotions have run high between us in the past but that’s part of who we are. We’re passionate, sexual beings. You and I are meant to be together. We’re meant to make beautiful music with our bodies.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” I asked.
Veronica clapped her hands, and I jumped. Jayne’s back was to her sister but she leveled a grin at me that could only be described as sadistic.
“That’s it,” Veronica said. “Both of you need to leave. I’m done.”
“Veronica.” I looked past my wife. Jesus Christ, what a mess. “Wait a second, I just –”
“Out!” she thundered.
“Well, is that any way to treat your long lost sister?” Jayne asked and spun back to face her.
I took the opportunity to tuck my tail between my legs and skedaddle the fuck outta there. I’d have to deal with the fall out of this later, because any other option would only cause more damage. Veronica didn’t want me there and if I tried to stay, it would only make this worse.
I took the stairs, burning inside.
A perfect night had turned into a disastrous morning. And I didn’t care about myself or Jayne’s manipulations. Only about Veronica – she deserved better than this.