Pivotal Moments (In Time #1) (28 page)

“Uh…” He paused and cleared his throat. “Why?”

Teagan put a hand on my shoulder. “Baby, let’s go back to your room,” he murmured.

I shrugged him off and stepped toward my brother. “Because that bitch almost made us break up!” I cried. “He wasn’t there! How’d she get in his room?”

Connor was silent, looking down at the table.

Penny’s forehead wrinkled. She glanced at me and then turned her attention to the man beside her. “What’s going on, Connor?”

He buried his face in his hands with a groan. “Shit.” A long silence, then, “I brought her home from a club that night. We came back, we fucked, and I passed out. She must have done it then.” His hands clenched into fists, and he glowered at me. “Happy now?”

“You passed out, huh?”

Connor nodded.

“Bullshit.” Connor frowned, and I added, “That wasn’t a selfie she sent me. So, how did she take it? Did you do it?”

“What? No!”

“Then how did she get it?” I insisted.

“I don’t know. Kat must have taken it,” he snarled.

Penny gasped. I took a step back. Even I knew what that meant. Connor hadn’t just brought Renee home. He’d brought them both home.

“What the hell, Connor?” I whispered.

He hung his head. “I was drunk. I’m sorry about what happened—if you told me what was going on, I could have cleared it up.” He slammed his fist onto the table. “Fuck!”

Penny studied him in silence. He met her gaze, his face reflecting guilt. He reached out to her, but she stood and backed away. Her eyes glistened with hurt and anger. “Two girls? Really?”

“Penny, it wasn’t like that,” he said.

She shook her head. “It was exactly like that.” She gave him a sad smile. “I guess not everyone changes with time. You’re as big an asshole now as you were in high school.”

He swallowed hard. “Penny, sweetheart—”

“No, it’s okay,” she said, holding up a hand. “We’re just friends, right? So, go do your thing…but I don’t want to be your friend anymore.” She walked over to me, tears bright in her eyes. “I’m going home,” she whispered.

“Okay.” I pulled her into a hug. “I’m so sorry,” I murmured in her ear.

“It’s okay,” she replied. “Better to find out now, right?” Before I could respond, she was out the door.

The silence stretched taut over the kitchen. Connor buried his face in his hands, resting his elbows on the table and gripping his hair.

I stepped toward him. “Connor?”

“Don’t,” he hissed. “Do not come over here right now.”

I blinked. “I’m sorry.”

He lifted his head and met my gaze, a glint in his eye. “Are you really?” He shook his head with a humorless laugh. “I don’t think so. You aren’t, not really.”

“That’s not true!” I cried. “I wasn’t expecting any of this to happen!”

“You never know when to fucking leave shit alone!” he snarled. He stood up so fast his chair tipped over. “You always have to push. Look what happens!” He gestured wildly with his hands. He gasped for breath, then took a deep breath and met my gaze with an icy glare. “None of this would have happened if you had just left it alone.”

Teagan stepped in front of me. “Dude.” His voice was cold. “None of this would have happened if you’d used some common sense and not brought them home to begin with.”

They glared at each other, fists ready and shoulders tense. Finally, Connor dropped his gaze. “What the fuck ever. I’m going to bed.” And he strode angrily from the room.

A long moment of silence passed. Teagan came over and placed a finger under my chin, tilting my head up. His eyes roamed over my face, then he leaned down to rest his forehead on mine.

We had almost lost everything. My eyes filled with tears, and I started shaking.

He wrapped his arms around me, holding me close. I clutched his shirt, inhaling his scent. It was so comforting…I broke down and sobbed into his chest.

“God, I’m so sorry,” I managed to choke through the tears. “I had no idea…”

He pressed a kiss to the top of my head and sighed. “I know you didn’t.” Then he added, “In the future, will you listen to me when I tell you to leave something alone?”

I sniffed and nodded against his chest, drying my face in the process. He stilled, then said, “Babe?”

“Yeah?”

“Did you seriously just wipe your nose on my shirt?”

“Uh…no?”

His chest vibrated with a chuckle. “It’s okay, as long as it’s your snot.”

I grinned up at him. “Is that right?”

“Mmhmm.” He met my gaze. “You know what else?”

“What?”

“It’s been way too long since we kissed.”

His mouth on mine was a welcome distraction. His lips had me moaning softly, and he deepened the kiss, his tongue coaxing me to open. I did, and he slipped his tongue in to tangle with mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck, trying to get even closer.

With a groan, he ended the kiss. We were both breathing heavily, and his heart pounded in his chest against mine. He ran a hand through my hair and swallowed. “I’ve missed you, beautiful. Let’s not do that again, all right?”

I nodded.

“There’s one more thing we need out in the open,” he said. His hands moved to cup my face, and he gazed into my eyes. “It really hurts that you didn’t trust me—even with that text. You should know I would never do that to you,” he said.

I couldn’t meet his gaze. I had to be the worst girlfriend in history. I wished the floor would just open up and swallow me whole. Of course, it wouldn’t. That was just how my luck ran.

“Hey,” he murmured. “Look at me.”

I took a deep breath and obeyed. The warmth and affection in his eyes made me catch my breath. I lifted my hand, letting my fingers run along his jaw, drifting over his chin and finally tracing his lips. He nipped my fingertips, then gently kissed them.

“I love you, angel,” he whispered. Then he kissed me again.

Chapter 25

Little girls dream of a knight in shining armor sweeping them away to live happily ever after. Teenage girls fantasize about a bad boy showing up on his sexy motorcycle to ride off into the sunset with them. Both girls release a single crystalline tear as he professes his love, and whispers that she loves him too.

I get a gorgeous man declaring his love for me? I start bawling. The blubbering mess with snot running down my face. I can’t breathe, let alone say a word.

There went my fairy tale of beauty and happiness, dammit.

Blushing, I face-planted into his chest and hung on for dear life. Teagan laughed, wrapping his arms tight around me and holding me close.

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled into his chest.

He kissed the top of my head. “It’s all right, baby. You’ve had a rough couple of weeks.”

I sighed and quickly wiped my face, fighting off the embarrassment trying to sweep over me. I took a steadying breath and peeked up at Teagan. He was watching me with a slight grin. My face heated and I knew my cheeks were red. I just couldn’t catch a break sometimes.

“Well, you didn’t wipe your nose on me this time.” He chuckled and used a finger to move a few strands of hair that had gotten stuck to my face while crying.

I groaned and buried my face back into his chest. After a moment, I murmured, “I love you too.”

He pushed me back to look me in the eye. His lips curled into a sweet smile that took my breath away, and he traced his fingers over my face. “This? What’s going on between you and me? It’s not going anywhere, Aislinn.” He looked me in the eye. “Don’t ever doubt it again.”

I nodded and started to reply when a yawn cut me off. I yawned so hard it forced tears from my eyes. I had to blink several times to clear my vision.

Teagan laughed and wiped the moisture away. “You tired, beautiful?”

I nodded again. My eyes fought to stay open, but it was a losing battle. When Teagan took my hand and led me to the sofa, I didn’t even consider protesting. He lay down, then pulled me in beside him so my back was to the rear of the couch, my head was resting on his chest, and I had a leg thrown over his. He entwined our fingers together, and with a smile, I snuggled closer.

“Get some sleep,” he murmured, then kissed my forehead. “I love you, Aislinn,” he whispered into my hair.

***

Teagan stayed for the rest of the weekend. Mom didn’t ask any questions when she saw that he was there, and that was telling in and of itself. I didn’t see Connor again, and when I asked, Teagan told me Scott had come and taken him back to school. I felt horrible about the whole thing. In my desire to know the whole story, I’d hurt two people I cared about.

When I asked Teagan what he thought I should do to fix it, he gave me a sad look and shook his head. “Don’t,” he said. “There’s nothing you can do about this one.”

I shook my head. “But—”

“You need to stay out of it,” he said firmly. “This is between Connor and Penny.”

My shoulders slumped. “It’s just—”

“Baby, you promised you’d listen from now on,” he broke in. “Trust me on this. Don’t get involved.”

I crossed my arms. “Fine. But I don’t have to like it.” A heavy weight on my leg drew my attention away. Zver was sitting beside the couch, his head resting on my thigh. “I guess you have something to say about it too?” I grumbled. Turning back to Teagan, I said, “I know what I agreed to. I just really want to help.”

He sighed. “Aislinn, we’ve discussed this up and down. Please, just listen to me.”

Half-grinning, I said, “Is this the part where you go all caveman and start trying to control me?” I was also half serious. Teagan was an alpha kind of person—how much, I needed to know.

He ducked his head and laughed. “No, I’m not trying to control you. I encouraged you to reach out, for God’s sake.” He sobered, taking my hand in his. “If you ever feel I’m trying to control you, you need to let me know. I want to be there for you, help you, not own or possess you. Okay?”

I began to smile. The man really did love me.

“What are you grinning about?” He ran the back of a finger across my cheek, and I shivered. He leaned over and nuzzled my ear, whispering, “You cold?” I tried to glare at him but failed. He ran his nose down across my cheek, then turned and pressed into me, taking a deep breath. When he pressed a soft kiss to my collarbone, I had to close my eyes. I gasped when his tongue swept across my skin.

Teagan moved closer and gently gripped my neck, holding me in place. His kisses traveled up the side of my neck to my jaw, then moved to my mouth. By the time his lips met mine, I was a hormonal mess. My fingers latched onto the short hairs at the back of Teagan’s neck. When he slowly traced my bottom lip with his tongue, I opened my mouth. He immediately plunged in and took control, growling against my lips when I responded to the invasion.

The need for air eventually brought us back to the moment. We pulled apart, both sucking in deep lungfuls of air, and smiled at each other. Gently, he ran a thumb over my bottom lip, his eyes following the progression.

“I love you,” he murmured, looking up to meet my gaze. He tilted my head down and placed a kiss on my forehead. Then with a sigh, he sat back and pulled me onto his lap, holding me close. I settled in, hoping we could spend the rest of the day just like that.

***

I stood in my bedroom and stared at the dress I had hanging on the closet door. Just a few days ago, I had been convinced there was no real reason to wear it. Now, I would have it on tomorrow night with a gorgeous man taking me out. I felt a thrill at knowing Teagan was truly mine, that he was as invested as I was in our relationship. That knowledge brought forth a level of confidence I never knew I could possess.

The sound of my phone ringing pulled me out of my thoughts with a jerk. I looked at the screen and saw it was Teagan calling me and I smiled. I hated that he couldn’t come tonight, but he’d missed so much work that he had to take the hours at the bar. It didn’t change the fact I missed him terribly, though. I answered the phone with a sad frown.

“Hey, beautiful,” he drawled before I could even speak.

I smiled at the sound of his rough voice. When he whispered in my ear, it had the ability to break me out in goose bumps and dissolve me into a giant puddle of senseless ooze. What was worse was the suspicion I had that he knew exactly what it did to me too.

“You there?”

“Yeah, baby! I’m here,” I said with a grin. “How’s work been tonight?” I could hear the sounds of the bar over the phone even though he was back in the employee breakroom.

“Busy.” He yawned and then I heard him grunt and move from where he stretched. “We’ve already had two fights and a shouting match tonight.”

I looked at the clock and my eyebrows rose. “Wow, and it’s only ten! This is going to be a fun night, huh?” I tried to play it off, but I hated when they had nights like that. Sure, he was a grown man who could handle himself. That didn’t change the fact I worried about him.

“It’ll be okay,” he reassured me. “Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to this sexy package before tomorrow night.”

I rolled my eyes with a groan. “Yes, because that’s my main concern,” I retorted sarcastically.

“I know you only love me for my looks,” he teased. “Admit it. I’m a sexy beast.”

I pretended to gag. “Yeah, you’re on to me all right. There’s no getting anything past you.”

He laughed loudly for a moment before settling down. “My break is almost over. I’m going to leave here at around noon tomorrow, okay?”

I did the math in my head quickly. “So, you’ll be here around three or so?”

“Yeah, provided asshole doesn’t throw up in the back again,” he grumbled. He took a breath and continued. “As long as the trip is uneventful, I should be there on time. I figured we’d leave around six or so and get something to eat before we head to the party.”

“Sounds good,” I agreed. “Except there’s one problem.”

“What’s that?”

“Every place is going to be packed. We won’t get a table for hours!”

He snorted. “Sweetheart, I made reservations weeks ago.”

My jaw dropped open. “What? You did?”

“I wanted the night to be perfect for you,” he told me with a smile in his voice. “But I have to go for now. I’ll call you when I’m on the road. Love you!”

Just like always, hearing those words from him sent a wave of warmth and happiness rushing through me. I knew I probably looked like the Joker, my grin was so big. “Love you too!” I called out before he disconnected.

I couldn’t wait for tomorrow!

***

I woke up the next morning to my mother shaking me awake. I looked at her, bleary eyed and confused. To be woken from a dead sleep to someone looming over you is more than a bit disconcerting. I sat up, pushed my bird’s nest hair out of my face and glanced at the clock. I did a double-take when I saw what time it was.

“Mom! Are you freaking kidding me right now?” I yelled. “It’s eight in the morning!”

She waved a hand at me, dismissing the complaint completely. “Yes, I know what time it is,” she informed. “Get up! I have plans for us.”

I just looked at her like she was crazy. The only explanation for anyone waking me up at this hour would be that they had lost their mind. “Mother, I am not getting out of this bed before noon.” I then flopped back down on the bed, pulled the covers up over my head, and prepared to go back to sleep.

That plan was shot all to hell when my covers were snatched away without warning.

“What the—? Hey! Give those back,” I whined as I sat up and started grabbing for the blanket. She moved back a step, effectively keeping them just out of reach. I narrowed my eyes at her and tried to grab them again but she tossed them away toward the closet.

“Up, Aislinn Margaret!” she ordered. “Let’s move it!”

At that point, I may or may not have thrown a small temper tantrum. I was still trying to wake up and my mother was being mean to me. It seemed like the thing to do at the time. The sound of my mother laughing at me did not help matters any, either. A little sympathy for the sleep deprived would have been appreciated.

Instead, all I got was, “That’s a very nice, age appropriate fit, honey. Now, get up! Time’s wasting!” And then out the door she went.

Not for the first time in my life did I find myself wishing for the ability to set things on fire. If I could, I would have lit that door up so fast. I slung my legs over the side of the bed and made myself stand up. I shoved my snarled hair out of my face and stumbled into the bathroom, barely able even to see where I was going. At that point, it was better to just accept defeat and get ready. Mom was relentless, and I wouldn’t be getting any more sleep that day.

***

I scurried around the house like an over-caffeinated ferret as I waited for Teagan to show up. I’d already had my mom threaten to tie me to a chair and force feed me sedatives if I didn’t calm down. I had to laugh at the threat since we’d been at the salon and she’d been sitting under an industrial hair dryer with highlight foil in her hair at the time. I found it hard to take her seriously at that particular moment.

I stood at the front door and peered out through the glass beside it to see if Teagan had shown up since the last time I’d looked thirty seconds ago. I went to stick my thumbnail in my mouth to start chewing on it when the fresh manicure caught my eye. I glared at the freshly polished nail before I sighed in defeat. Mom had spent a lot of money on our spa day together. She’d kill me if I wrecked the results before I even got dressed.

I smiled at the memory of my mother and her ‘heart to heart’ that she and I’d had earlier that day. The woman was amazing at most everything she did, really. But mother-daughter talks left her floundering around, and because it was amusing, I’d usually let it last for a little while. Yes, I enjoyed making her suffer on occasion. I considered it my daughterly duty.

“Ash, honey,” I heard my mom say. “Can you come here?”

I sighed and stepped away from the door. I walked over to the entry into her office and stopped, hovering where I could still keep an eye out for Teagan. “Yeah? What do you need, Mom?”

“I went online and made that appointment for you like we had talked about,” she told me as she reached for some papers on the printer.

“Mmhmm,” I mumbled as I leaned back into the hallway when something caught my eye in the street.

“I also printed out a bunch of articles going over your options and stuff,” she continued.

I nodded. “Okay.” I leaned a bit further out, holding onto the door jamb to keep my balance.

“There’s a lot more out there to choose from than when I was your age. Lots more!”

“Yup. Sure are.” I squinted. Had someone just turned into the driveway?