Wrong Side Girl (The Girl Series Book 1) (26 page)

Cole didn’t say anything, just looked at me with his mouth in a straight line. I could tell it cost him a lot to not give in to his jealousy and do something stupid like forbid me to ever have lunch with Bobby again. My shoulders started shaking with mirth. His eyes narrowed. I burst out laughing.

“What exactly is it that you think is so funny?” he asked through clenched teeth.

“You! You’re hilarious,” I said through my laughter.

“Is that so?” More teeth clenching.

“Oh, yeah.” I took a deep breath to calm myself down then let him off the hook. “Bobby is short for Roberta.”

His eyes widened in shock and relief right before they narrowed on me once more. “You’re gonna pay for that,” he promised in a low and very sexy voice.

I leaned over the table and answered in a voice just as low, “I’m counting on it,” then leaned back at his answering growl with a big and satisfied smile on my face.

For the rest of dinner we only had eyes for each other. We didn’t talk much at first, just enjoyed the highly sexual tension between is. When we did after several long minutes, we talked about our dreams and wishes for our future. We had had conversations like this numerous times over the years, but this time it was different. This time, we talked about
our
future. Things we wished and hoped for as a couple. Where we wanted to travel, how many children we wanted, what our hopes were for our children. It was fun and perfect.

When we got home, Cole made true on his promise of retaliation, and I couldn’t have been happier as he showed me how much he loved and adored me, how much I was his and he was mine. Exactly what I needed before I had to face our mothers on the weekend.

Cole

We were on our way to my parents’ house, about fifteen minutes out. Lizzy had insisted that we deal with my mother first before we went to see hers the next morning.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to handle anything else after I’ve talked to my mother. It’s not gonna be pretty. I’d rather face your parents’ wrath when I still have my wits about me.”

I had agreed wholeheartedly. I knew she was nervous and anxious about coming face-to-face with her mother after such a long time and after what she’d learned from Max and Derrick. She hadn’t seen or talked to her in years, had never intended to do so again once she left for college. I could only imagine what she must be feeling.

I had booked us a room in a nice bed and breakfast, a place we could go to
—
after I knew what would certainly be drama with my parents
—
to recharge for the next day and more drama. I wanted Lizzy to be able to relax, to not worry. But I knew that was a little too much to hope for. She was tense as she was sitting beside me, staring out the window and wringing her hands in her lap.

I had called my mother yesterday to let her know we were coming. She had ignored the fact that I’d said ‘we’, that it wasn’t just me who was visiting. I hadn’t expected any less. I knew she would never accept Lizzy the way she deserved, no matter what I did, no matter whose daughter she was. Hell, she probably thought being the bastard child of a cheater made Lizzy an even lesser person. My hands gripped the steering wheel tighter at that thought.

My father wasn’t as vindictive as my mother. He just didn’t care enough about anything I did to comment. Their marriage was loveless, had been for as long as I could remember. He put up with her whenever he was home—which wasn’t very often—and as an extension, me. The very little consideration he had for me died when I hadn’t gotten a business degree and joined him at the company he had worked at for over twenty years. I had gone for architecture instead, following in my grandfather’s, his father’s, footsteps.

I took one of my hands off the steering wheel and placed it on top of her fidgeting ones, giving them a light squeeze. “It’ll be okay. Stop worrying.”

She let out a long breath. “We both know that’s not true, Cole. Your mother hates me. She will never accept me as part of your family, you know that just as well as I do.”

I sighed. “I know, baby. She isn’t too fond of me, either. But she doesn’t get to decide anything about us. She has no say in what we do. All I want to do tonight is put her in her place, tell her that it has always been and always will be you, whether she likes it or not. None of her antics will ever change that fact. And she needs to know that if she ever tries to break us up again, if she ever so much as says another word against you, that that’s it. I will no longer be part of a family that does nothing but spread malice and bitterness. I’m not like her, never was. And she has to understand that she has no power over me.”

“I know this is important to you, and I understand, but why do I have to come?”

I gave her hands another squeeze, firmer this time. “What happened to my feisty little firecracker?”

“She’s feeling more and more worthless the closer we get to Ashford.” Her small and defeated voice ripped my heart in two. I wish I could just turn around and drive back home, but this was just as important for her as it was for me. Lizzy needed this, even if she didn’t know it. She needed to stand up for herself, needed to face the hatred that had been thrown in her face and rise above it. My Lizzy didn’t realize how strong she was, and until she did, I would be that strength for her, even if it meant pushing her to do something she was scared of doing. I would love for her to face Courtney’s mother at some point, would love for her to see that she was stronger than her, better than her, so she could be confident in herself, could believe in her own goodness. It would happen eventually, but first they had to deal with their mothers.

“It won’t be as bad as you make it out to be. I won’t let her treat you like the outcast daughter of the town whore’s mother.” Her whole body flinched at my words, breaking my heart yet again. “Because that is not who you are. It never has been, Lizzy. Keep that in mind when she throws shit at you. You are not who she says you are. You are my Lizzy, the love of my life, my fiancée. The sweet girl whom I fell in love with the second I laid eyes on her when I was twelve years old, the only girl I have ever loved, the one person I would do anything for. Think about that when it gets too much.” Those words awarded me a return squeeze.

“I’m not sweet,” she said still in that quiet voice, but I could hear a hint of steel in it now, too.

Thank God.

“You can be when you want to. It usually happens when we’re both naked,” I teased.

“Cole,” she snapped, “don’t you dare make me horny right before I’m about to face your witch of a mother.”

“There she is, my feisty little firecracker. Don’t let go of her again. And baby, you know I love making you horny. I will enjoy doing it for the rest of our lives, I don’t care where we are or whom we are about to meet.” That earned me a slap onto my thigh. I chuckled and grabbed that hand and held it where it was until I pulled into my parents’ driveway.

Lizzy

I knew what Cole was doing. He was right, of course. That didn’t change the fact that my stomach plummeted with dread when we pulled into the driveway and I looked up at one of the most impressive houses in my hometown of Ashford. It screamed sophistication and money.

It also scared the ever-living hell out of me.

I felt like I was fifteen years old again, worthless, trash, unwanted, like I had been told so many times. How stupid of me to think I had overcome all of this when I moved away and made a life for myself in Boston, a life I was damn well proud of. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to gather my wits and steel myself for what was about to happen.

“What the fuck?” I heard Cole’s voice beside me. I looked over to him and saw that his eyes were pointed toward the two cars parked beside us.

“What is it?” I asked, confused.

“That’s Courtney’s car. And my guess, the other one is her parents’.”

“You’re kidding.” My whole body froze. Not in fear, though, in anger. I had a debt to settle with that bitch. Before Cole could say anything else, I opened my door, got out of my car, and stalked to the front door. Cole caught up with me right before I was about to reach it, and turned me to face him, then wrapped his arms around my tightly strung body.

“Easy there, baby. I know you’re hell bent on settling your score, and believe me, I would love nothing more right now than to watch you do it, but we gotta go into this with a clear head. There’s a reason why she is here with her parents and we gotta be prepared. My guess, she told her parents that she’s pregnant with my child, and they’re all here to try and set me straight.”

“That fucking bitch,” I growled. I would relish scratching her eyes out, couldn’t wait actually.

“Baby, look at me.” Cole lightly shook my body and my eyes went away from the front door to his. Besides amusement and pride, I saw worry and dread in them, and a whole lot of anger. He was seething, but was trying to keep himself in check for me. Because he was worried about me having to face not only his parents, but Courtney’s parents as well. “You’ll get your chance to go head-to-head with her, I promise. But promise me you’ll try and keep a clear head. We don’t know what that bitch is capable of or what twisted story she has told everyone. She might say things about me, about us, to try and hurt you, to try and make you run.” The apprehension was obvious in his eyes as well as his voice. He wasn’t just worried about me. He was worried I would leave him if I heard something I didn’t like.

“Is there something you haven’t told me about you and Courtney?”

He shook his head. “No.”

“Is there a sex tape I don’t know about?”

Another “No.”

“Have you had threesomes with her?” His lips twitched slightly as he shook his head.

“Have you ever told her that you loved her? Promised her anything besides a good time in bed?”

“No, Lizzy. You know this already.”

“Then what are you so worried about?”

His eyes roamed my face as his fingers brushed a strand of my hair aside before he cupped my cheek. “Nothing, I guess. Just ignore me.”

I leaned into him and touched my lips to his. “I love you, Cole. And I know that you love me. I trust you. Now, let’s go kick some bitch ass.”

“Sounds good to me.” He pressed his lips against mine and slipped his tongue into my mouth for a quick touch, making me moan and gasp at the same time. Before we could get into it, though, the door opened.

“Cole! How dare you bring your whore to this house!” his mother hissed. Cole’s body locked, and so did mine. He pulled his lips from mine and turned to his mother.

“Don’t you dare speak about my fiancée that way, mother.” His voice was low. And threatening, as was his body language. He towered over his mother, his body taut, his hand firmly grasping mine. His mother gulped, but recovered and narrowed his eyes on him. “I have taught you better than this, Cole. You have no idea how disappointed your father and I are with what you have done, how much of disgrace you have brought to this family.”

“Oh, believe me. I know only too well. What you never understood is that I don’t give a fuck what you or anyone else think. And I’m putting an end to this fucking charade right fucking now.”

He moved his mother out of the way with the hand that wasn’t holding mine and pulled me behind him into the foyer, through the hall, and into the dining room. Everyone was there, sitting at the table, all prim and proper, dressed up in their Sunday finest while they were waiting to be served. There was one open spot next to Courtney, which I assumed was where Cole was supposed to sit. That was so not going to happen. I tightened my hand around his and got a reassuring squeeze in return. My eyes never left Courtney.

I could smell her game from a mile away. She sat there, pretending to be almost demure, playing the confused and hurt pregnant girlfriend who had to put up with her boyfriend’s escapades. But her eyes betrayed her. That glint that told me she thought she would always get what she wanted no matter the collateral damage showed the person she truly was: a vindictive, manipulative, and spoiled little brat. My body heated with my rising anger. It took everything in me to not stride toward her and rip her fucking head off.

Out of the corner of my eyes I could see Cole taking them all in before his eyes settled on Courtney as well. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he growled at her, his anger unyielding, his voice uncompromising.

Courtney’s eyes flicked to her mother then settled back on Cole. “Cole, baby, I’ve been patient, but—”

“Do not call me ‘baby’. Only one woman has that right, the woman whose hand I’m holding right now. And cut the shit. Why don’t we tell everyone what’s really going on here. How you tried to trap me with a baby that’s not mine, how you stalked me, threw yourself at me, how my own mother helped you try to drive Lizzy away from me. Let’s talk about that.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Cole. That baby is yours. All I was trying to do was stake my claim on you, to make her see that you’re taken—”

“Oh, I am taken, all right. But not by you. I would never commit to a hateful and cruel bitch like you. All I ever did was use you to get off. And you were only too happy to offer.”

That’s when the unthinkable happened. Courtney started crying, shedding desperate and distressed tears, her body shaking with uncontrollable sobs. Oh, she was good. It was almost believable. I had the crazy urge to clap.

“Daddy,” she whispered for help, her eyes going to her father in desperation.

“Fucking unbelievable,” Cole muttered under his breath as he shook his head. I could see Courtney’s mother gear up to say something. Her face was full of hatred, her eyes swinging from me to Cole then back to me. But before she could say anything, a loud boom startled all of us.

“For fucks sake, enough with this farce already!”

My eyes went to the person who belonged to the unfamiliar voice. It was Courtney’s father. “We all know what is really going on here. I thought we were invited for dinner with friends, but now I see what the real reason is behind the invitation. And let me tell you, I will not be a part of it. I told you to get your life together, Courtney. You’re neck-deep in debt. On top of that you just lost your job. I will not bail you out any longer. I gave you an ultimatum and what do you do? You get pregnant and lose your job. We all know that baby you’re carrying isn’t Cole’s. Do you even know who the real father is? You’re twenty-seven years old and still behave like the spoiled little brat your mother created.” Another reason to jump up and down with applause. Looked like Courtney was finally getting the years-overdue whip-lashing from her father that she deserved.