One Wicked Night (19 page)

Tyler looked at his mom, who sat there with her hand pressed to her heart, and strangely, a faint smile on her lips.

“Since we’re confessing…” They all swiveled to look at Avery in the now open French doors to the living room. Her flushed cheeks indicated she’d been listening to them. She took another step into the room, and Scott followed her and closed the door behind him, a worried expression creasing his high forehead. “You might as well also know that it wasn’t Tyler who wrote off the car that first summer I was home from college. It was me.”

“Avery!”

So many people in the room gasped her name it was like a chorus. Tyler covered his eyes with one hand.
What the fuck now?

“I’d been drinking,” she continued. “He took the rap for me because he was sober. And because he’s my brother…” Her voice cracked. “And he loved me. And it always killed me that he never bothered to tell you the truth about so many things, just let you assume the worst. And then you kicked him out and…” A sob escaped her. Scott wrapped his arms around her and hugged her.

Tyler leaned his head back and looked at the ceiling.

“I tried so hard,” Avery sobbed. “I tried so hard to be perfect so everyone would be happy, and it never worked. It only made things worse.”

Silence filled the room, other than a few small sniffles from Avery against Scott’s chest. Tyler’s lungs burned as he filled them with air, straightened his shoulders and looked at everyone.

“You are all fucking nuts,” he snarled. “Avery, why the hell did you do that?”

“It doesn’t matter anymore!” she cried. “The truth matters! I can’t stand it anymore. I wanted you home for my wedding. I wanted us to be a family and there was all this tension and I hate it!”

“Oh, Avery,” Mom whispered, her hands to her mouth.

He groaned. Then looked at Kaelin. She watched him, eyes still full of concern and a kind of wariness. “Kaelin.”

She lowered her chin and looked at him through her long eyelashes, her pretty mouth tight.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” he said to her through clenched teeth. “Are you crazy?”

“I did it for you,” she whispered. “Tyler…”

Oh hell. There they went again. Like that summer, that hot, aching, wonderful summer, she’d started to get all gooey over him when he didn’t deserve it. Not from her. “Don’t! You shouldn’t have done it for me!” he shouted, aware that everyone in the room was staring. “I’m not worth it! And you were wrong about one thing. One little detail.”

She blinked at him, eyes glossy, fingers trembling.

“That night you walked in on us…I
did
know you were coming. I heard you talking to Avery about coming to get some books from her room. I knew you were coming and I planned that little scene and timed it perfectly so you’d walk in on it.”

Her gasp felt like a blade in his chest. Pain ripped through him but he kept going. “I wanted you to see it. I wanted you to know what an asshole I was. How sick and depraved Nick and I both were. You needed to know the truth, and I did that on fucking purpose.”

Kaelin put out a hand as if trying to find something to hold on to, but there was nothing near her and she stumbled and almost fell. Nick took two steps and grabbed her, held her up, his arms wrapped around her. Tyler wanted to put his fist through the wall, kick down the goddamn perfect French doors. His jaw was so tight his teeth hurt, his belly muscles rigid, his short fingernails biting into his palms.

“Jesus, Tyler,” Nick said to him. As usual the one who had to step in and try to make his fuck-up right. “Jesus.”

“Let’s go,” Tyler snarled. He strode toward the door, right past Kaelin and Nick, didn’t look at Avery and Scott or his parents. “I gotta get out of here.”

He stood in the kitchen for a moment, fighting for breath, hands clenched, waiting for Nick. Who came moments later.

Nick shook his head and looked at him. “Christ, Tyler. You make it so
fucking
hard to love you.”

Tyler stopped short, turned to Nick and stared him down, then shot a glance back into the other room. “Then don’t,” he growled at him. “Just fucking don’t love me. I’m an asshole.”

Chapter Fourteen

Kaelin watched Tyler leave, the room shifting around her. Her ears buzzed, her heart hurt. She put a hand to her chest and closed her eyes. She didn’t know who she hurt for more—him or herself.

He’d done that deliberately, that night, just so she would see them? Just so she would be hurt and leave him alone?

The thought ripped a hole in her gut, just tore her apart. She’d known he didn’t have the same feelings for her as she was developing for him, and she’d thought she hadn’t really shown those feelings. But apparently she had and he’d been…whatever. All she knew was, he wanted to get rid of her.

Had she trailed after him and Nick all summer like a lovesick puppy? Surely to god not. Humiliation burned a hole inside her. That he’d gone to that length to hurt her…oh lord. She pressed a hand to her stomach, opened her eyes and met Avery’s anguished and questioning gaze.

“Kaelin. Come on.” Avery detached herself from her new husband’s embrace, grabbed Kaelin’s hand and dragged her out of the room, up the stairs and into the bedroom where they’d stood yesterday, Avery in her beautiful wedding dress looking so shiny and happy, now all tear-streaked and anguished.

“Sit.” Avery pushed her to the bed. Kaelin lowered herself on shaky legs and stared at the rug on the floor.

“You were with Tyler and Nick Friday night?”

She lifted heavy eyes to look at Avery. The time for lies and secrets was over, apparently. Even Avery had confessed. “Yes,” she said. She lifted her chin, ready for Avery’s censure, her disapproval. But Avery just looked puzzled. “I was. It just happened. We’d gotten Scott and Hardeep back to their rooms. They were walking out with me and we stopped to sit in the lobby for a few minutes. We were talking and then I just…it was me.” She gave a short nod of her head. “It was me who instigated it, so don’t think badly of Tyler.”

“I…okay.”

“They kept saying how nice I was. And I was just sick of being nice and good and…boring. So I kissed them both. Things got carried away.” She closed her eyes, remembering just how far. Some things were going to be left to Avery’s imagination. “I spent all night with them.”

“Oh my god,” Avery breathed, fingertips on her lips, staring at Kaelin. “You wild woman, you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize!”

“But he’s your brother. Your younger brother.” She took a deep breath, ready to tell the rest. “I never told you about that summer. That summer we were talking about when I caught Nick and Tyler with Tracy.”

Avery pressed her lips together. “No.”

“Did you know about that? What she accused them of?”

“Yes. I knew it couldn’t be true. I knew my parents kicked him out.” Her voice wobbled. “And I knew he begged me never to tell you about it, because he didn’t want you to know.”

“I don’t understand that. And god, I wish you’d told me! I could have set your parents straight about that ten years ago, and maybe avoided that whole big mess.”

Avery bit down on her bottom lip. “Oh geez.”

“And why didn’t he want you to tell me? I don’t get it.”

“Kaelin, don’t you see?”

Kaelin shook her head, moisture gathering in the corners of her eyes. Her throat tightened up.

“He cared about you. I think he still does.”

Kaelin choked. “Yeah right! Cared enough about me to set that whole thing up so I’d see it and he didn’t have to tell me to get lost.” She bent her head. “I never realized he knew how I felt.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about it? About you and him.”

Kaelin didn’t look up, just stared down at her fingers clasped on her lap. “That was the summer you were dating Thomas Alsworth. You were crazy about him. You spent all your time with him and his friends.”

She heard Avery’s softly indrawn breath.

“It was okay,” she said, reaching for Avery’s hand. “I was happy for you. I just felt a little at loose ends. Home from college. I was working and looking after my dad, but we had that caregiver coming in sometimes and I had evenings and weekends with no studying. For some reason I ended up hanging around with Tyler and Nick. I’m not sure how it happened, mostly by accident, but they started including me in their plans. We went to the beach.” She paused. “We went to bush parties and drank beer and danced in the grass and skinny-dipped. I was doing things I’d never done before. It felt wild. Exciting. I thought they wanted me with them. I thought they were having fun too. And I also didn’t tell you because I didn’t think you’d be very happy about me…er…being with your little brother. He was two years younger than us.”

Avery released her hand and edged closer, slid her arm around Kaelin’s shoulders.

“One night Tyler and I were alone for a while and…he kissed me.”

That kiss, although not her first, had been the hottest, most intensely erotic kiss of her life. Until this weekend. She’d been burning up, melting down, on fire for him.

“I was so silly. He was so cool and popular. So many girls were after him. And I thought that was maybe the start of…something. But then the next night I came here to get those books from your room and…well, you know now what I found.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“I know, but I’m sorry that happened to you.”

“I knew he could be a little mean, like, teasing mean. He made fun of me all the time, you know? But to deliberately hurt me like that.” She shook her head.

“You heard why he did it.”

“Yeah. To get rid of me.”

Avery shifted on the bed, and turned Kaelin by her shoulders to face to her. “That’s not exactly what he said. He said it was because he didn’t think he was good enough for you.”

“He never said that.” Had he? It was all kind of fuzzy and mixed up.

“He said he’s not worth it. You know what he’s like.”

Kaelin gazed at her friend in puzzlement, thinking back. “He said that’s why I shouldn’t have told his parents about it. Oh, I don’t understand him! He’s so damn complicated!”

She pressed her hands to her burning eyes.

“Yes, he is,” Avery agreed. “But I love him. I would so like him to be happy.”

“He and Nick…” She shot a sideways glance at Avery.

“Are they together?” Avery asked in a low voice.

“Sort of. I think you need to hear about that from him.”

“‘Sort of.’ Another complication. It figures.” She shook her head. “But I really think he has feelings for you, Kaelin.”

Kaelin’s head throbbed. “I need to go home. I need to think about this. I’m not sure what I’ve done. I may have just done myself out of a job. If word about all this gets out…”

“My parents aren’t ones to spread gossip,” Avery said quietly. “You know what they’re like. They’re not going to want anyone to know about this, any more than you do.”

“Well, they may not, but I don’t think the guy working the front desk at the hotel has any compunction about gossiping apparently. And if Brent hears about that…”

“Brent?” Avery frowned. “I thought you weren’t seeing him anymore.”

“I’m not.” She told Avery about him pulling her over the morning before, and how he’d seen her and jumped to the conclusion—accurately—that she hadn’t been home that night.

“Oh. Well.” Avery nibbled a fingernail.

“You know what? Truthfully? I don’t care. I don’t care anymore. It doesn’t matter.”

“Remember you could still come to Los Angeles.”

“Yeah.” Kaelin nodded. Leaving Mapleglen was becoming more appealing.

“Or you could go to Chicago.”

Her eyes flew open and her gaze clashed with Avery’s. “Chicago?”

Avery nodded, watching her.

“Why would I go there? Tyler and Nick don’t want me. Didn’t you hear him? He was so pissed off at me, now, and ten years ago when I cramped his style…”

“Was he pissed off at you Friday night?”

Kaelin shifted back. “Um…no.”

“Was he pissed off at you Saturday? After?”

Kaelin shook her head. “Not until I followed him up to the hotel room after your mom asked him to leave the wedding.”

“Why was he angry then?”

“I don’t know! Maybe he was just taking his anger at your mom out on me! But it seemed like he was pissed off because I’d come up to their room with them, again.”

“I see.” Avery tapped her bottom lip with one finger. “He was probably worried about you and your reputation again.”

Kaelin tipped her head to one side. “I suppose.”

“Think about it,” Avery said. “Think about him and think about going to Chicago.” She rose to her feet and moved to the dresser. She poked around in some things she’d left there yesterday then held up a small card in two fingers. “You don’t have to move there. I know that’s a big step. But you’re on vacation for the next two weeks. Why not go visit and see him and talk about stuff and see what happens? I really think he does care, Kaelin. Yeah, he was angry, but I think you can figure out why.” She walked over and handed Kaelin the card. It was Tyler’s business card, with his home address written on the back.

Kaelin’s eyes teared up again and she swiped at them. “I don’t know if I can figure him out. I don’t know if I
want
to figure him out. Oh god, I don’t know what I want.” She stood too. “I’m sorry, Ave. This is your wedding weekend and everything got so messed up.”

“Not because of you. My family had all this shit we needed to get out in the open. Who knows, maybe things will be better after this.”

“Things won’t be better if they don’t look at Tyler and see who he really is.”

“Who is he, really?” Avery’s voice was gentle.

“He’s strong and smart and charming and energetic. He’d do anything for people he loves. He’s determined.” Avery’s eyes grew warm as she watched Kaelin and listened to her. “He put himself through college after your parents threw him out.”

“You know, he never came right out and told me that, but I knew things were tough for him financially. Shit.”

“And look where he is now.”

Avery nodded, and smiled knowingly. “Yeah.”

“Anyway. If your parents value their reputation and image more than they value him, well, it’s their loss. But I don’t think you can expect him to start coming to a lot of family reunions.”