Chapter 29

“Another delivery.” Quinn walks into the kitchen and sets a box of my favorite chocolates on the counter.

“I’m really curious how much money he’s paying you to keep me supplied with gifts.”

“None of your business.”

“You’re doing an excellent job.” I surprise her with a loud smacking kiss on the cheek.

Bryce’s ship went underway the second week of January. I was nervous, but he was a wreck. Each day after I left Norfolk, and leading up to their departure, he was overly protective and possessive. Even though we were one-hundred percent solid when I came back to Charlottesville, he still worried about my confidence in us.

Finally, with the help of a very drunk Quinn, I found a way to reassure him. She and I worked hard, but when I sent him the final version of our ‘Save The Date’ announcement, he calmed down. I used a picture from last year in Aspen when I was in Bryce’s arms. It’s one of my favorites; neither of us is looking at the camera but at each other. To him and me, this is the day that we became an ‘us’.

Somehow, after that, he contacted Quinn with a mission. She is assigned to surprise me with a gift every day that makes me smile and know he’s thinking of me. So far, I’ve gotten flowers, chocolates, gift cards, my favorite bottle of wine, and handwritten letters he sent to Quinn before leaving.

“Wait until tomorrow… We’re really going to spend some of his guilt money.”

“Quinn!”

“Fine, kidding. It’s not guilt money. It’s ‘forgive me for being a blind dumbass’ money.”

“You’re going to give him a lot of shit when you see him, aren’t you?”

“Maybe, depends on if I find the perfect dress tomorrow.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Tomorrow, Bryce has set us up with a day of dress shopping. He wants us to get something for the opening of the exhibit on Saturday.”

“Really?”

“Oh yeah, and I was instructed to pick out a tie to match your dress.”

“Really?” I repeat and bounce in my seat. “He’s coming?”

“He’s going to try his best. If they get in on time Thursday, he’ll be here Friday afternoon.”

I wave my hands in the air and then throw them around her neck, blowing a raspberry.

“Fucking gross! Keep your damn spit to yourself.” She pushes me back and swats at me.

“I’m guessing this was supposed to be a surprise.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not hip on ya’ll’s surprises lately, so it’s better if I keep everyone in the know.” She huffs, trying to seem irritated.

When I got home and told Quinn what happened in Norfolk, she went out of her mind. For about five minutes, she cussed Bryce’s name with the threat to beat the shit out of him. Then she transferred that anger to Liza. Her desire to destroy Liza almost outweighed mine. I was glad we were at home in Charlottesville because, if we were in Norfolk, I may have been bailing Quinn out of jail.

Even calming her down didn’t exempt me from the wrath of Quinn Jackson. Besides calling me an idiot for falling for Liza’s scheme, she was furious with me for not telling her what was going on. She would have been on the next flight. I had no choice but to tell her about Jamie. She seemed to like I had someone with me to talk to, but it was evident she was hurt. Finally, she understood that Bryce and I needed the few days to try to heal from the deception and lies.

That same night, I called my dad. After our dinner together, I felt the need to tell him. Of course, I left out the part about Liza insinuating she gave Bryce a blow job, but I explained that Bryce put himself in a position to lead her on and she took it too far. Dad listened with little input until he asked if I’d really forgiven Bryce for his poor judgment. I told him yes, and he told me to let it go because there was no room for a future if this was going to plague me.

His words hit deep, but I was calm, knowing I truly did forgive Bryce. He seemed satisfied and changed the subject pretty quick. Apparently, it was too much girl talk for him.

Quinn jumps over the table, reaching for my phone as it rings. “It’s her again!”

‘Her’ being Nicole Betts. I’ve been avoiding her calls for the last few weeks.

“Hit end.”

“No, I think it’s time we answer her. And I do mean ‘we’.”

I shrug, not really caring. I hit answer and speaker. “Hello.”

“Devon, don’t hang up. It’s Nicole.”

“I know who it is. What can I do for you?”

“Hear me out. I know you must think the worst of me. I even think the worst of me. You have to know the position I was in.”

“I’ll humor you. Tell me exactly what kind of position you were in.”

“Liza’s been a friend of the guys forever. She was very believable and convincing with her lies. I was played as much as you were.”

My anger spikes and blood boils. “You get one phone call, Nicole, one, and this is the direction you want to take. You want to play a victim here?” Hostility drips from my words. “You’ve been blowing up my fucking phone for weeks. The only reason I answered is because I’m sick of my voicemail being clogged up with your messages.”

“If you’ve gotten my messages, you know how messed up this is.” There’s a tint of aggravation in her voice.

“I didn’t say I listened to them, just that they clogged up my voicemail.”

“Really, Devon, that’s extremely immature. We need to talk this out, woman to woman. Friendships are at stake. You have no idea the way Tommy respects Bryce. It’s up to us to work through this.” Her sweet and pitiful demeanor changes quick. Now, her voice is filled with irritation.

What the fuck?

Apparently, Quinn feels the same way by her growl.

“Does Tommy beat you, Nicole?”

“No, of course not.”

“Does he threaten you, or do you fear for your or TJ’s safety?”

“Never.”

“Does he control you? Your actions, your responses, your ability to tell right from wrong?”

“You know he doesn’t. Why even ask?”

“So when he told you it was none of your business where Bryce slipped his dick, what was your first thought?”

“That it was none of my business.”

“Wrong answer. First and foremost, throwing down an air mattress to a drunk man who is being stalked by a co-worker is the WRONG thing to do.”

“You wait a minute. I’m not at fault here. If you listened to us that night, you heard that I felt sorry for you. I was sick about it—

“No!” I cut her off. “You fucked up in many ways, alcohol induced or not. Here’s the situation. I’m a forgiving person, but not this time. We may not have years of friendship like you do with the others, but you knew how I felt about Liza. You saw the signs yourself. I believed you were looking out for me and understood my insecurities. Yet you found yourself in the middle and then on the wrong side. How can I ever trust you? ”

“Are you blaming me for this? I’m not the one lying half naked with another woman in bed. You have misdirected resentment.”

Her words sting as the image pops into my head, but I don’t give her the satisfaction of knowing she’s hit a nerve

“Can you believe this?” Quinn scoffs, pointing to the phone. “Nicole, what exactly did you think you’d accomplish here?”

“I thought I’d be able to have a civil conversation with a friend to tie up a misunderstanding. Funny, I didn’t think I’d be back in high school on speaker phone.”

“Remember when I told you Bryce was protective of Devon? Think the words I used were ‘he’d go ballistic if anyone insulted her’. Well, you’re insulting her now.”

“Hardly, I’m trying to move past this.”

“Nicole,” I sigh, “if it’ll make you feel better to apologize then do it. Otherwise, we don’t have anything else to say.”

“What the hell do I have to apologize for?” she spouts back. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

I’m done with this conversation, but Bryce’s face pops into my mind, and I think about what he’d do in the situation. He’d make a point to take the high road and leave no room for misinterpretation. As much as I’d like to cut her off, I take a deep breath and choose my words carefully.

“You’re right, Nicole. You’re way too defensive to understand why I’ve lost trust in you and your judgment.”

Quinn opens her mouth, but I give her a sideways glance and then a small shake of my head.

“But I’d like to explain something to you. If the situation was ever reversed, Bryce and I would not condone cheating in our home. In my mind, you may not have been at fault except you knew it was going on. You thought you walked in on it then you acted like things were normal. Regardless how sorry you felt for me, I can’t see myself moving on.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it. No more wasting each other’s time. We have nothing more to say.”

“What the hell, Devon? I called to work this out. It’s stupid and silly. This type of shit happens all the time, and it’s up to the women to mend the fences.”

“I disagree. I think it’s up to women to stick together and know to look out for whores who weasel their way into the mix. In my mind, you were one of those women.”

“What the hell am I going to tell Tommy?”

There it is; this is about Tommy. “Tell him you’re pathetic at apologies.” I hang up and fight the impulse to throw my phone.

“Gotta say, I was seriously wrong about her.” Quinn sits back and crosses her arms, pouting. “I hate when that happens. Usually, we can pick out the bitches within a second.”

“I think we get a pass on this one. Nicole isn’t a bitch, but she wants to be liked and keep the peace. If Liza wasn’t lying, and she and Bryce ended up together, Nicole wanted to make sure they still had a relationship. Sounds like Tommy’s the one she’s keeping happy, regardless of morals.”

“Well, that’s done. Let’s see if Bryce sent any updates.”

She slides my computer across the table. Bryce tries his best to send daily emails, specifically to see if Quinn’s made me smile. He never really says it, but I know he’s letting me know about any run-ins with Liza.

My pulse races when I see a series of messages from him. I laugh out loud at the subject line of the first one.

Subject: Safe for Quinn Jackson’s Eyes

Quick note to see if you’re smiling today. Did you get the chocolates? Good news is that our run has been successful, and we’ll be heading in on time, maybe even early. At this point, I’m sure Quinn told you I’ll be there for your big event on Saturday night. But I have another surprise. Nate’s coming and bringing Jamie. They’re staying at a hotel.

Quinn- check your email- privately. I’ve transferred some money and instructions to you. I know you want to kick me in the balls, but hopefully this will help soften the punishment when you see me.

I’ll call when I can. Dev- next email is for your eyes only.

“Okay, that’s my cue to leave. I’m gonna call Dean. See you in the morning.” Quinn leaves me in the kitchen, and I wait until her door shuts to open the next message.

Devon,

Being on this ship has opened my eyes to the world without being able to contact you. I lie down and my mind floods with images of your face. This time away has physically hurt, not being able to hear your voice after all that happened. I wake up in a cold sweat, wondering if you’re going to leave me. You said you forgive me, but I haven’t forgiven myself.

I promise to never let anyone come between us again.

This weekend, we will have a lot of reasons to celebrate. In case you don’t already know, you’re an incredible and amazing woman. Lucky for me, I get to spend the rest of my life telling you these things every day.

I love you, baby, and I have one last question.

When are you going to marry me? June seems too far away.

My heart belongs to you. See you soon.

I re-read the email three times with tears filling my eyes. It’s not healthy for him to continue to carry this blame solely on his shoulders. I became an easy target once I let my insecurities grow. This weekend, we’re going to talk, and he’s going to finally let it go.