The Complete Memories Series (31 page)

There are so many things wrong with it. Carl, for one, but goddamn that girl is attracted to me. That isn’t my usual arrogance, that’s the flipping truth.

I pull into the driveway at home, climb out, and go back into the house. Alec and Lexy are still talking at the kitchen table, and I pass right by to go upstairs.

Tomorrow night is Dad’s party. Tomorrow night Jen will be on my arm, all night, for everyone to see. Tomorrow night, I’m gonna have some fun.

ALEXIS
             

“You’re not gonna like this,” Alec says, worry all over his face.

“What? What is it?” I look at him.

“Adrian got hold of my number somehow.”

“And…”

“And he has bigger balls over text than he probably does face to face.”

“What did he say?”

Alec sighs, putting his hand over his pocket. “Don’t worry. I shouldn’t have told you.”

“Damn right you should have told me!” I raise my voice. “What’s he said?”

“Princess-”

“Nuh-uh.” I shake my head, pointing at him. “Alec Johnson, you tell me what he’s said right now so I can go and… Do something incredibly painful to him.”

Alec shakes his head. I storm across the kitchen, smack his hand away, and take his phone from his pocket. He stands there in defeat, knowing he had no way to stop me. I scroll to his messages, clicking on a random number.

I scroll back, reading through them, and they’re all full of subtle threats. My throat closes up, and I wonder yet again if Alec coming to London was the best idea. I close my eyes, putting his phone on the table. I turn away, trying not to let the tears break free at the words I’m about to say.

“Maybe you should go back to Devon,” I whisper in a raw voice.

“What?” Alec's voice cracks.

“I said-”

“I know what you said!” he shouts. “Why would you say that? Why, Lexy?”

Tears brim in my eyes and I shake my head. “I just... After those texts, Alec… Maybe it's for the best. We could make it work, right? You said it yourself before.”

“Is that what you want? For me to go back?”

“It's your home, Alec.”

His stormy, grey-blue eyes meet mine for a second, and he crosses the room to look out of the window. “My home is wherever you are, Lexy. You are my damn home!”

I look down. “What if it’s for the best? What if being here in London is tearing us apart? All this bullshit with Adrian… Maybe it's making this harder than it has to be.” My voice is barely a whisper.

“No,” he says firmly. “No. No way.” He turns, swallowing the room with his determined steps. He grabs my face, his lips pressing against mine hard. I hold his arms and kiss him back, feeling what he's feeling. Desperation. Need. Hope. Love.

Tears stream down my face as he pulls away.

“I fought for you in Devon, Princess. I fought for you for weeks, and even when it all seemed hopeless, I kept fighting. I didn't let you go then. I followed you here from Devon. You know why? I followed you because there's nowhere else in this world I'd rather be than right by your side. I'm here, in London, with you. Because of you. I don't give a fuck if Adrian wants to punch me in the face or run me over with a bus, I'm not leaving this city alone. Not ever, Lexy.”

“Alec...”

“The only way you'll get me moving out of London is if you're by my side as my wife, Lexy!” he yells.

Tears fall harder, faster.

“It's you. It's always been you, and it'll only ever be you! I'm not leaving without you. I mean it. When it's me and you, its forever, and no jumped up city boy is gonna get in the way of that.”

“It shouldn't be this hard,” I sob and fall into him. His arms wrap me tightly, and there's a desperation to the way he's holding me.

“Love isn't easy, Princess,” he says. “But it's what makes it worth it. Every day I fight for you because
you
are worth it. I won't stop, Lexy. I won't stop fighting for us. Tell me to leave, push me away, tell me you don't want this. You don't mean it. I know you. I know what you want, and it's what I want. Don't tell me I still have to prove it to you, even now?”

I shake my head. “You don't.”

He nudges my head up. His lips take mine, moving softly across them. “Then believe me when I say,” he whispers against my mouth. “...That I'll never leave this city unless you're beside me. Never. I won't let you go, Lexy, and I don't care who tries to make me. This is it. You are it. You are forever. Don't let him destroy this. We'll do it together, I promise. Just believe in it. Don't... Please don't let us go.”

I wrap my arms around his neck, and press my body against him, holding him to me. “I won't. I won't.”

He strokes my hair once before his arms circle my waist again. He buries his face in my neck, his lips brushing my skin. “We can’t give him what he wants. He wants me to leave, but I won’t. Tomorrow night, we’ll show him that. Just keep holding on, Princess. That's all we have to do.”

~

BING

Lexy steps out of her room in a long pink dress. She fiddles with the bracelet at her wrist, and I smile. For all our bitching, I love my sister.

“Well, she scrubs up all right, huh, Dad?” I wink at him. Dad smiles widely, proudly.

“She ain’t bad, son. I still think me and you got the looks, though.”

Lexy looks up, smirking. “Yeah, okay, Dad. And Bing? Your tie isn’t straight.”

I look down, seeing that it is. “Bitch,” I mutter, as she stops in front of me. “When are Alec and Jen getting here?”

“Two minutes,” Mum says, leaving her room. All our eyes turn to her, and it’s clear to see who the most beautiful woman in the room will be tonight. With her dark hair curling around her shoulders setting off her floor length cream gown, there’ll be no competition.

We watch as the same look we’ve seen a thousand times comes over Dad’s face. His smile widens, and his eyes light up. He steps towards Mum.

“You’re beautiful, Emmy,” he says, kissing her.

Lexy smiles, and I wrinkle up my face.

“Let’s leave the lovebirds to it, Lex,” I take her arm, and help her down the stairs.

She raises her eyebrows. “Who are you and what have you done with my asshole brother?”

I laugh. “I got the lecture earlier. Use my manners, be on my best behaviour, no chatting up the waitresses, no punching any guy that looks at you, and no swearing.”

She smirks again. “Third degree already, huh?”

“You know Mum. Etiquette is important.” I roll my eyes.

“Any chance of your trousers staying over your ass tonight, then?” Jen’s voice calls from the bottom of the stairs. I turn from Lexy, and look at her, almost stopping.

Her blonde hair is curled and clipped to the side, flowing over her shoulder. The teal dress she’s wearing hugs every bit of her body, and I can’t stop my eyes from crawling over her. She shifts uncomfortably, and I hand Lexy to Alec without looking away from Jen.

“What?” she asks. “Is something on my face?” She pats her cheek.

I shake my head. “No. I’m just wondering if there’s actually Jen in that fancy dress, or if she’s been swapped for a nicer model.”

Her lips curl to the side. “She’s been swapped for a nicer model, with manners.”

“Ah, so that means if I wind her up she’ll be nice?”

She snorts. “Don’t get too overexcited, Samuel. If you’re mean to me, I’ll still chew your ass.”

I smirk suggestively. “In that case, I’ll be mean to you all night. I might like it if you chew my ass.” Lexy elbows me from behind and I laugh. “I’m just sayin’, it’s true.”

Jen’s blue eyes glare at me, and I grin at her.

“I’m warning you right now, Samuel Edwards.” She steps closer to me, craning her neck upwards to look at me. “I’m wearing four inch heels which will be snapping my feet by midnight, so if you piss me off, you should know that I can, and
will
, stick said heel so far up your manhood you’ll need your crown jewels sliced open to get it back out. Are we understood?”

I raise my eyebrows. “Perfectly.”

“Excellent.” She smiles. “Let’s go, shall we?”

I offer her my arm, letting Alec and Lexy pass by. Jen slips her arm into mine, still fidgeting with her dress.

“Stop messing with it,” I mutter.

“It’s annoying,” she grumbles. I open the front door for her, stopping her just before she goes through. “What?” she asks, her eyebrows going up.

“Just leave it alone,” I say softly, meeting her eyes. “You look beautiful.”

Her expression softens, her face relaxing. A slight flush rises in her cheeks, and she smiles a little. Her eyes sparkle, and her grip on my arm tightens for a split second.

“Thank you,” she says with a slight cough. “You don’t look too bad yourself. Just make sure your trousers stay up, and you’ll pass for civilised.”

I go through the door with her, letting it close behind me, and smile slightly.

God love her defensive sarcasm.

Chapter Eight

JEN

The large hall Emily rented for Si’s 50
th
birthday is perfect. A huge buffet table lines the far wall, and there’s loads of tables in the area surrounding it. The place is already buzzing with activity, and I understand the fancy dress code.

All the women are wearing long dresses, or at the very least, dresses that cost as much as my university tuition for the
year.
The men are in suits, and most of their ties or bows match their wives’ dresses. Like Bing’s tie matches mine.

And let a seagull shit on your hair, does he wear that suit and tie like a pro.

Hey, Daniel Craig, move on over. There’s a new Bond in town, and his annoyingly sexy ass is standing right next to mine. I have to admit, as much as I dislike Bing, if I had to be saved from a burning building by someone, I wouldn’t mind being saved by him.

It’s the arms. They’re nice arms. Don’t judge me.

Lexy slides up next to me, sipping a glass of wine.

“This is fancy,” I mutter.

She smirks. “Mum likes to go all out.”

“Is this what you escaped being in Devon for your birthday?”

She nods serenely, smiling at someone walking past. “Yep, except mine probably would have been bigger. In Mum’s social circle, eighteen is important. She asked me if I wanted to have a party when we got back to London, and I said not in a million years.”

“I don’t blame you. At all.” My eyes scan the hall, and I find Bing standing in the corner opposite a girl in a red dress and a boy in a suit. I squint a little, and recognise the girl as Jayna, which means the guy with her is Adrian. I sigh, nudging Lexy.

Her eyes dart to the corner, and I can see the tightening of her jaw. “They wouldn’t actually do anything, would they?”

My grip on my glass tightens. “Well, her parents are here, but I don’t know so I can’t say. Adrian… From that day in the art store, I wouldn’t put it past him.”

Bing nods his head once, and turns to us, leaving Jayna pouting after him. He crosses the room, turning heads as he walks. Is it wrong I feel a little smug I’m here with the guy all the single women – and some of the married ones – want? No? Okay then, I’ll put my smugness switch on full.

I silently chuckle at my own thoughts. I need a brain to… Brain filter, apparently. Huh.

“What were you doing talking to them?” Lexy bites out, smiling sweetly in Adrian’s direction.

“I was telling him to keep away from you tonight,” Bing replies. “Don’t worry, sister dear, I wasn’t planning on whisking the cheap version of Betty Boop out of here on horseback.”

I snort. Bing glances at me.

“Something funny, Jennifer?” He smirks a little.

I look at him, an amused smile on my face. “For once, yeah. I never knew you could be funny. Am I rubbing off on you?”

His smirk transforms into a grin. “You can rub off on me anytime, babe.”

“I’d have to be very, very drunk to do that.” I sip my wine, and he steps closer to me.

“Then don’t take any drinks from me tonight,” he mutters. “Or I might just take you up on that offer.”

“Offer?” I raise an eyebrow, backing into Alec. Where did he come from? “What offer was that, Samuel?”

“The one where you get very, very drunk, and rub yourself off on me.” He winks.

Alec coughs. “Hi, remember me? The best friend to your boyfriend, Jen?”

I spin, tilting my glass towards him. “Don’t blame me for this. He’s the one that turned an innocent comment into something indecent!”

Bing steps back innocently. “Don’t turn this around on me, Jen. You know how my mind works.”

“He has a point.” Lexy finally turns back to us. “Rub, or any variation of the word, is a dangerous thing to use around my brother. He could turn a rubber band into something sexual.”