The Last Time (12 page)

I waited for her answer.

“Because you should be with me.” Zahara took a deep breath. “I thought she would leave you and then you would confront me about everything. I thought that would prove how much I want to be with you again.”

Bingo. Flynn was telling the truth
.

“Taking away the girl I love is only going to make me hate you even more. She was my whole world, Zahara. When people love each other, they don’t betray each other like that. They don’t break up their relationships.”

Zahara sniffed. “So, you’re just going to back to sleeping with anything that moves?”

“What else would I do? I certainly don’t want to be with you.”

I wasn’t sure why Flynn was still keeping up the charade. I got all the information I needed.

Zahara finally broke down. Tears flooded her cheeks but Flynn didn’t seem to care. She turned around and left the bar, her friends chasing after her.

Flynn finally dropped his arm from around my shoulders. He released the air inside his lungs. “Is that enough for you?”

I nodded. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you from the beginning.”

“It’s okay. I understand. So, you’ll talk to Hazel for me?”

I smiled. “I’ll tell her everything.”

He suddenly hugged me. “Thank you so much.”

I stilled at his profound appreciation. “Of course.”

“No one else would have given me a chance, but you and Sean did. For that, I’ll be forever grateful.”

I pulled away then gave him a smile. “You want to order another drink or pay a visit to Hazel?”

He jumped out of his seat quicker than an African cat. “Let’s go.”

I laughed then followed him out the door.

Sean drove us to Ryan’s apartment then walked with us up the flight of steps. Flynn was in the lead, unable to calm down.
He was jittery and hyper, needing to be with Hazel as soon as possible.

When we reached the door, I put a hand on his chest. “I should talk to Hazel alone first.”

He sighed. “Okay. I’ll wait out here.” He moved to the hallway.

I knocked and waited. Sean was beside me, relieved that the
plan was over.

Ryan finally answered, wearing ripped jeans and a t-shirt with holes in the armpit.

“Can you not afford clothes?” I blurted.

“You want me to slam the door in your face?”

I shook my head. “Hazel here?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“I need to talk to her.” I walked in without him inviting me. He barged into my house whenever he wanted so I could do the same. Sean followed me.

Hazel was sitting on the couch, scrunched up under a blanket. Judging the sadness in her eyes, she was miserable.

“Hey,” I said, sitting beside her.

“Hey.” Her voice was lifeless. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to talk to you.”

“About what?”

“Flynn.”

She looked away at the sound of his name. “I don’t want to talk about him.”

“There’s something you need to know about him. Please hear me out.”

Hazel pulled her knees to her chest, trying to shut me out. “I don’t know how much more I can take…I already miss him like crazy.”

“Believe me, you need to hear this.”

She closed her eyes then nodded.

“Flynn came to me and Sean and told us he was telling the truth. I didn’t believe him because I had no reason to. The evidence you had against him was irrefutable. But seeing him work so hard to get you back made me question that. So he asked me to be his date for the evening at the bar to pull the truth from Zahara. When she saw Flynn and I together, she was upset and broke down.” I gave her a firm look. “Hazel, she admitted everything. She said she orchestrated all of that to get you two to break up. She thought she could have Flynn if you were out of the picture.”

She finally looked at me, tears in her eyes. “What…?”

“It’s the truth.” I couldn’t help but smile. “I swear. I heard it with my own ears. Flynn was set up. He didn’t lie to you.”

Janice clapped her hands together. “Yes! I knew it.”

Ryan’s face was stoic.

Hazel was still processing what I said. “He didn’t cheat on me
…?”

“No.”

Tears pooled in her eyes. “Oh my god…”

“He loves you, Hazel. Now go be with him.”

The tears fell down her cheeks. “I should have believed him.”

“We all make mistakes,” I said gently.

She stood up then stumbled slightly. “I have to talk to him. Hopefully, he’s home.”

“Actually, he’s right outside.”

“He is?”

“I’m here, Hazel.” Flynn stood in the
doorway, tears in his eyes.

Hazel jumped over the couch then flew into his arms, making him stagger back. She cried in his neck, gripping him tightly.

Flynn held her, closing his eyes.

“Awe,” Janice whispered. “They’re so in love.”

“They are,” I said with a smile.

“I would never do that to you, Hazel,” Flynn whispered to her.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t believe you,” Hazel said.

“It’s okay,” Flynn said. “We’re together now.”

“God, I’m so glad I was wrong.” She sniffed through her tears. “My life has been nothing but miserable without you.”

“I know. Me too.” Flynn closed his eyes.

“I love you.”

A tear escaped from his eye. “I love you too.” He lowered her to the ground and took her hand. “We’ll get her stuff later. She and I need to be alone right now.”

Janice whistled. “Make up sex!”

“Hazel has a lot to make up for!” I said.

I wasn’t sure if they heard us because they were gone so quickly.

Janice sighed. “I’m so glad they worked it out. I love Flynn.”

Ryan stared at the floor. “Now I feel like an ass for punching him so many times.”

“You should,” Janice spat.

“I don’t think he cares,” I said honestly.

“I’ll apologize next time I see him,” Ryan said.

I smiled. “I have a feeling that won’t be for awhile.”

14

Scarlet

Now that I successfully put Flynn and Hazel back together, I was proud of myself. I admit it. They were both wonderful people and deserved to be happy. And they were an adorable couple.

“So…did he pull anything?” Sean asked.

I rolled my eyes. “You’re ridiculous, you know that?”

“Hey, you’re my wife. I have the right to ask.”

“Yes, he took me on the table right in the middle of the bar,” I said sarcastically.

His eyes bo
re into mine. “That’s not funny.”

“I wasn’t trying to be.”

He drank his beer and brooded for a few minutes. “I’m just glad it’s over.” He rested the glass on our kitchen table.

“It was worth the sacrifice.”

He eyed me. “How about you put that dress back on and I’ll take you right on this table?” He patted the surface.

“Was that supposed to be romantic?”

He smirked. “Baby, just go put it on.”

“Maybe later.”

He growled.

I smiled. “When Flynn held my hand, all I could
think about was how weird it felt that it wasn’t you. Just feeling the men stare at me made me feel insecure. It’s never bothered me before, but I realized how ridiculously dependent I am on you. I used to be so independent and never needed a guy for anything but now…I want you to hold my hand all the time.”

His eyes softened. He grabbed my hand from across the table. “Then I’ll always hold you
r hand.” He lifted it to his lips and kissed the surface.

“Now I’ll go put that dress on.”

He smirked. “Excellent.”

As soon as I stood up, the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it,” Sean said immediately. He never let me open the door.

Curious to see who it was, I followed him.

When he opened the door, Monnique was on the other side.

I didn’t even know she was back. “Hey!”

“Hi,” she said with a faint smile.

I pulled her into a hug. “I’m so sorry, Monnique.”

She held me for a second before she pulled away. “It’s okay. I’ll get through it.”

Sean gave her a hug. “We’re here for you if you need anything.”

She nodded. “Thank you for sending those flowers to my dad’s house. They were lovely.”

“Of course.” I wanted her to know we were thinking about her even if we weren’t there. “What’s that in your hand?”

“Oh.” She handed us the basket. “I found it on your doorstep. It’s not from me.”

I examined the basket and found apple cider, chocolate, and…lingerie.

“Who the hell is this from?” Sean snapped.

“Obviously not you,” Monnique said timidly. He grabbed the card and ripped it open.

Sean read it. “It’s from Flynn.”

“Read it out loud,” I said.

“Thank you for letting your wife do me the greatest favor in the world. I already respected you for being a generous and kind man, but now you forever have my gratitude. I hope this will give you something to do tonight. P.S. Scarlet isn’t my type—I prefer blondes.” He lowered the card with a smile on his lips. “That guy isn’t so bad.”

I laughed. “That was very sweet of him.”

Monnique raised an eyebrow. “Did I miss something…?”

“It’s a long story,” I said. “You don’t want to know. Are you joining us for dinner?”

“No.” She got uncomfortable. “I just came to drop something off.”

“Oh. Well, come in,” Sean said.

“No,” she said immediately. “It will only take a second.”

She took a black envelope out of her purse. “Sean, can I speak to Scarlet alone, please?”

This wasn’t good.

“Certainly.” He walked inside and shut the door.

She took a deep breath and held the envelope with both fingers. “I need to ask you a favor.”

“Okay…”

“I decided to move back to Seattle. I’m leaving tomorrow morning.”

“What? Why?”

“Several reasons,” she said sadly. “My family and friends are there. My brother is all alone and I should be with him, especially after my father passed away.” She continued to grip the letter. “Secondly, after spending the last few days with Cortland, I know there’s no hope for us. We’re never getting back together and I accept that. Frankly, he deserves someone better. While I love all of you guys and will miss you like crazy, I can’t be a part of the group anymore. I can’t stand by and watch Cortland move on and pretend I’m okay with it. I just can’t.” She breathed deeply, trying not to cry. “I need you to give this to Cortland sometime after I leave, not before. Please do this for me.”

I stared at the letter in her
hands, unable to believe this was really happening. “I….um…”

She shoved the letter into my reluctant hands. “Promise me you won’t tell him I’m leaving. Scarlet, I mean it. I know what will happen. He’ll try to convince me to stay, and not because he wants to get back together. I need to leave without dealing with him. He’ll make it too hard.”

God, what the hell do I do? “You’re leaving—for good?”

She nodded. “This is what I want.”

“I have to tell him, Monnique. He deserves to know.”

She gave me a desperate look. “Please, Scarlet. Promise me.”

I took a deep breath. “I know he loves you.”

“But not in the way he used to.” Calm acceptance was on her face. “This letter will give him the closure he needs to move on. Honestly, having me around is just
as painful for him as it is for me. This is the best thing for both of us.”

I felt the thick envelope in my hands, my palms starting to sweat.

“Promise me,” she pressed.

“What if he tells me he’s in love with you and wants you back?”

“He won’t,” she said sadly.

“But what if he does?”

She sighed. “Then yes, you can tell him. But that’s not going to happen. He and I have been going back and forth for months. It’s over, Scarlet. We’re done. I accept that. I made a lot of mistakes and I’ve learned from them. Unfortunately, I didn’t learn from them quick enough.”

I felt the pain in my chest. My eyes started to pool. “I don’t want you to leave…”

Her eyes mirrored my own. “I know. I’ll be back for the wedding and the birth of everyone’s kids and all that good stuff…but I can’t see you guys every day. It’s too hard.”

I tried not to cry. I was just making this harder on her. “I’m going to miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too.” Her lips quivered. “I’m so sorry for the way I treated you when I found out about you and Cortland. I—”

“You already apologized.”

“But I mean it, Scarlet. You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever known. The real reason why I was upset was because I know I’ll never even be a sliver as amazing as you are. You dwarf all of us.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. “That’s not true, Monnique.”

“Yes, it is. I let my own insecurities get in the way. I thought modeling would help my self-esteem but it just ripped me apart. My mom always wanted me to pursue modeling, and when I finally had the chance, I ruined it. I didn’t make her proud. I disgraced myself. If she were here, none of that would have happened…”

Now I understood why she went on with the modeling thing for so long, a final wish to her dead mother. I wondered if Cortland knew that.

She wiped her tears away. “Anyway, I should go. Tell everyone I love them. I would have said goodbye myself but…just saying it to you is hard enough. And that letter…broke my heart.” She sniffed again.

“I will.” Now I was crying.

She hugged me tightly. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

She held me for a moment before she turned around and walked off, not looking back. A cab was in the street, and she got inside and took off. I stood still, feeling the heavy envelope in my hands. I know I promised Monnique I wouldn’t tell him the truth, but could I really just do nothing?

I walked back into the house. “Sean, I need you to drive me somewhere.”

“Okay…”

“We’re taking the Ferrari. And I need you to haul ass.”

He didn’t question me. “Yes, wifey.”

When we stopped in front of Cortland’s building, I placed my hand on Sean’s arm. “I need you to stay here.”

“You’ll be okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’ll only be gone a few minutes.”

“Okay.”

I hadn’t told him what was going on and I knew he was desperate to find out.

“Call me if you need me.”

I left the car then headed to Cortland’s apartment. When I arrived at his door, I banged on it harder than I meant to.

He opened it, fear on his face. “Why are you trying to break down my door?”

“Can I come in?” I asked bluntly.

“Um, yeah.” He stepped aside and let me walk in. The letter was in my purse.

“I need to talk to you.”

“I figured,” he said sarcastically. “If you want to talk about my trip with Monnique, just drop it.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m emotionally drained from it.”

That was too bad. I sat down at the table. “Cortland, talk to me.”

He sat down. “About what?”

“You and Monnique have been going back and forth for months. You were this close to getting back together when a picture changed your mind, a picture taken months ago. Cortland, she’s different now. Just be with her and be happy.”

He listened to me and didn’t speak.

“You went all the way to that funeral with her—to Seattle. You claimed you were done with her, but as soon as disaster hit, you were back to being her boyfriend, her crutch. Cortland, you’ve wasted enough time. Instead of forcing yourself to be with other women and trying to get over her, just start over. Just go back to her.”

He took a deep breath. “What if she hurts me…?”

“You think I wasn’t scared of that the day I married Sean? I said the exact same thing to Ryan. Luckily, my brother did what he does best and pulled my head out of my ass.”

He smirked slightly. “You know how much I love Monnique. Shit, everybody knows. But when I think about everything she did, I just…lose it.”

“But it’s in the past, Cortland. She isn’t that person anymore. If this were some other girl, I’d say forget her. But Monnique is the love of your life. You can’t just find someone to replace her. If she’s what you want, work it out with her. I know she loves you. And I know she won’t hurt you again.”

“But you don’t know, Scar.”

“Take a chance,” I said firmly. “I took a chance and I got everything I ever dreamed of.”

“But not everyone is like you, Scar,” he snapped. “Not everyone has an epic love story. Not all of us are going to get our happily ever after.”

I didn’t back down. “Monnique is your happily ever after. I know she is.”

He held my gaze for a long time. “I don’t know…”

“Cortland, tell me you love her and want her back.”

“But that’s the thing, I’m unsure.”

I had to push him. “This is the moment of truth right now. You need to make a decision. It’s now or never. Either take her back and start over, or let her go and never think of her again. Decide now.”

“Why do I have to decide
right this second?” He raised his voice.

“If not now, when? You’ve dragged this out too long and you’ve hurt Monnique. No offense, Cortland, but I can promise you that you’ve hurt
her more pulling this crap than she’s hurt you.”

The offense was in his eyes.

“Now be the perfect man you’re reputed for. Love her, or let her go.”

He rested his face in his hands and remained silent.

“This is it, Cortland. You can’t take back whatever you decide.”

He sighed then stared at the table. “I’ll never love anyone the way I love her. I hate myself for it. But no one has ever hurt me the way she has. And I hate her for that.”

“It’s the people who mean the most to you that hurt you. Every time. Is she worth the pain?”

He didn’t answer me.

“Can you really see yourself moving on with other girls? Can you really imagine being married to someone else?”

He stared at the table then shook his head slightly. “No.” I could barely hear him.

I grabbed the magazine sitting on his counter then tossed it at him. “Rip it up and let it go.”

He stared at it, anger brewing in his eyes.

“Cortland, rip it up.”

He didn’t touch it. “This will never go away, Scar. It doesn’t matter how many pieces I rip it into.”

“No. But you can forgive her and move on.” I gave him a hard stare. “Now do it.”

He star
ed at the magazine before he finally grasped it with both hands. He stared at the image of her practically naked on the cover. But he didn’t rip it in half.