The Truth Be Told (The Truth in Lies Saga #3) (20 page)

“You and Dad fought?  Like physically fought?”  I tried to imagine my father using his fists, and I couldn’t.  The man was white collar to the cufflinks.  He was the type to hire someone to punch a person out for him.  Not do it himself.

“Jonathan’s got a mean left hook.”  Niles adjusted his jaw as if he’d just been hit.  “Boxing in college paid off.”

“Dad boxed, too?  How do I not know this stuff about him?”

He rubbed his chin, mulling over the past.  “My guess is that Jonathan wanted to block out anything that reminded him of me.”  He pressed the key fob, and the alarm on the car disabled.  Guests had started matriculating toward the front, where the limo sat in wait for Morgan and Gavin.  “I need to go.  You two have bridal party duties to finalize.”  Niles hugged me tight, patting me firmly on the back.  “I’m sorry for tonight.  I really only wanted to see my family again.”

I hugged him back, returning the manly pat.  “Niles, you’re still family in my eyes.  Not to worry.  I’ll explain everything to Gavin and Andie.”

He shifted to McKenzie.  Pulling her into a hug, he whispered, “You remind me of Kat, my dear.  Gracious and gentle, honorable and loyal.  Drew’s a lucky man to have you.  Wise men tend to be when it comes to the ladies.”

“Thank you, Professor.”  

He released her and walked around to the driver’s side of the car.  “It’s Niles to you, my dear, and be sure to call me if either of you ever need anything.”  Opening the door, Niles leaned against the shell of the vehicle.  “Take care.”  He slid into the car, and moments later, only dust remained in the lot where he’d been.  From behind us, we could hear the roar of the crowd where Morgan and Gavin were racing toward the limo.  Birdseed rained from the sky.  Morgan and Gavin disappeared into the limo, and we watched as the newlyweds drove off in the same direction we’d just observed Niles depart.

“What do you say we grab our stuff and get out of here?” McKenzie suggested.

I rested my hand against the small of her back.  “Gladly.”

McKenzie

Drew breathed a heavy sigh, his hand locked in mine.  We took each step up toward the house, slow, unencumbered.  The morning sun blazed down on us.  Beads of sweat dotted the back of my neck, causing my hair to stick to my skin, but still we took our time.  Neither of us was in any rush to face what was in that house.  The events of the last twenty-four hours had pretty much left us both feeling numb and confused.  The only thing that made sense anymore was what we felt for one another.

With a light squeeze of my hand, Drew swallowed hard as we reached the front door.  He pulled his free hand from the pocket of his cargo shorts and touched it to the doorknob.  “You know,” he paused, staring at the door like it was something that might eat him alive, “we could skip breakfast and head straight for the airport.  Jared can bring our stuff to us.”

I returned his solid grip, swinging our hands between us. “Baby, either way, we have to face this.  Liv is flying back with us.  There’s no getting ‘round her.”

Drew flopped his head from side to side.  “Yeah,” he whined.  “I guess you’re right.”

“And since you happen to work for your father, there’s really no dodgin’ him, either.”

“Now’s probably the time Gavin and I should talk about starting our own firm.”

I wasn’t sure if he was joking, but I also wasn’t going to challenge the idea.  A few deep, calming breaths, and Drew turned the knob.  The door opened, its hinges creaking as its mouth widened for us to enter.  We stepped inside to find there was no butler to greet us.  No one was waiting in the foyer as they’d done the day we first arrived.  All pomp and circumstance had been eliminated.  

Not that I’d have admitted it to Drew, but I felt like a child sneaking back into her parents’ house after a long night of secret partying.  Our departure from the wedding reception had been abrupt but warranted.  We said nothing to no one.  Our only communication was via a text sent between Drew and Andie, letting her know we’d left and to have Jared feed our cats for us.  Andie demanded to know what Niles had told Drew, but he’d brushed her off.  It was safe to say he needed time to process the information.  

I spent the majority of the evening and well into the morning simply talking with him, listening to him go over and over every detail of his conversation with Niles.  He questioned me as if I was on a witness stand, wanting my perception of each minor piece of information.  My heart broke each time he came to the realization that all the anger and resentment his father carried for him was nothing more than personal self-loathing and desperation for control.

“Here goes nothing,” he muttered, letting the door close behind us.  A cool breeze caused my skin to prickle.  From the distance, I could hear the clattering of plates and the rumblings of small talk.  Breakfast was served, and for us, humble pie was on the menu.

“Oh thank God, you’re here!” Andie hissed.  She appeared from around the corner, sprinting toward us.  Her dark, honey colored hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun, lips bright red as a rose, and her outfit fashioned together as though she’d walked right off the cover of a magazine.  She made me feel plain and peasant-like in my summer yellow maxi dress.  It was easy to see why Jared was attracted to her, and a small part of me felt a twinge of jealousy that such beauty could replace me so easily in his eyes.  But Jared deserved happiness, and I’d put my self-esteem aside to see him get everything he deserved.

She hugged us both then wrapped her arm into the crook of Drew’s free limb.  “Everything all right?” Drew asked, his voice elevating with concern.

“You mean other than this house being filled with zombies?  Sure.  Everything’s peachy.”

“Zombies?” I squeaked.

“Yeah.  It’s like
The Night of the Living Dead
in there.”  She pointed toward the dining room.  “Dad and Mom have hardly said a word to one another.  Senorita Psychopath is acting strange.  She actually wished Jared and me a good morning and said ‘please and thank you’ to us both.  What the hell happened last night?”

Drew turned his eyes upward and sighed in resignation.  He then proceeded to give her a brief summary of what transpired between him and Niles.

“Let me get this straight.  Mom and Niles had an affair?”

“No.  Dad believes they did, but Niles claims it never happened.”

Andie’s face went slack.  “Wow!” she mouthed, but no sound came from her lips.  She reached up and rubbed her eyes, her brow furrowing as the weight of the situation took hold of her.  “This is big.”

“Tell me about it.”

Andie released Drew’s arm and turned to face him, her smile grim and somewhat hesitant.  “We need to get in there, but Nova, you’ve got to be careful.  I fear Dad is gunning for you, and without Gavin here…”

Drew placed his hand on his sister’s cheek.  “Don’t fret, little sis,” he teased with a wink. “I’m going to be just fine.  Dad can’t touch me anymore.  I’ve found peace in all of this.  What’s in the past is the past.  I’m only concerned about the here and now.”

Andie studied him for an impregnated moment, then cut a sly glance in my direction, winking at me.  “Either way, I’ve got your back.”

Drew chuckled and wrapped his arm around her neck, escorting us into the dining room.  Andie hadn’t been kidding about the tension in the room.  It was so thick that it nearly suffocated me.  All eyes turned to us upon our entry.  Olivia diverted her eyes almost instantly, refusing to meet my glance, and Jonathan shot daggers at me.  From what I could tell, Kat was well on her way to being drunk.  If the redness of her eyes hadn’t given it away, then the oversized screwdriver in her hand would’ve.

“Good morning,” Drew greeted.

Only Jared responded.

We took our seats at the table, flanked by Jared and Andie.  “I take it everyone slept well,” Drew continued as if there was nothing wrong.

“You’d know the answer to that question had you been here,” Jonathan fumed.

“I, for one, slept great.  Has anyone heard from Gavin and Morgan?  Did they make it to Fiji, yet?”

Kat snickered behind the mouth of her cut crystal glass.  “Feeeegeeee,” she chortled, gulping down a drink.

Drew laughed with her as if her behavior was perfectly normal, but he squeezed my knee, letting me in on the secret that this was killing him.  “It is a funny name, isn’t it, Mom?”

“Gavin gonna get red,” she blathered.  “Red as Morgan’s hair.”  She giggled, sucking down another drink.

“Mom, I told you already, he took sunscreen.  Morgan’s going to take good care of him.”

Kat looked up at her two children.  “He’s lucky, because she loves him.”  Her words came with such clarity it was almost eerie.  Everyone looked at her, unsure how to respond until she belched, covering her hand over her mouth.  “I think I’m going to be sick,” she announced, jumping up from her seat and dashing off from the room.

“Jesus Christ!” Jonathan threw his hands in the air in frustration.

I glanced over at Andie, who appeared lost as to whether she should follow her mother or stay and defend her brother.  Olivia remained in her seat, pale and unmoving.  “I’m gonna go check on her,” I whispered to Drew.  He nodded, reaching out to grab a muffin from the center of the table.

As I disappeared around the corner, I could hear Jonathan rumble, “Good grief.  Can’t that woman mind her own business?”

Even though I knew the remark wasn’t actually directed at me, it still hurt that no matter what I did, Drew’s father would never see me as anything more than a nuisance.  I rolled my shoulders and shoved the thought into the back of my mind, on a quest to find Kat.  

It didn’t take me long to discover her whereabouts.  She’d made it to the downstairs bathroom near the media room.  Behind the bathroom door, she heaved the contents of her stomach, not stopping for air.  I tapped on the door.  “Kat.  It’s McKenzie.  Are you all right?”

“Go away!”  Her voice echoed through porcelain and wood.

“I’m here to help.  Please, let me in.”

“I’m fine.  Just leave me alone” she whimpered.

I sagged against the door, continuing to listen for reassurance that she was in fact
fine
.  From the outside, this family appeared to have it all together—the major law firm, the money, the property—but underneath the surface, they were a complete mess.  It made me thankful to have my simple family and common life.  

When Kat silenced enough that I could hear nothing more than her haggard breathing, I shoved away from the door and started back toward the dining room.  My stomach rumbled, hunger setting in.  The pistachio muffin Drew’d been gunning for when I left sounded fantastic right about now.

As I turned the corner, I ran right smack into Olivia.  I grabbed her by the shoulders, keeping her from toppling over.  She pulled away from my grasp and rubbed her hands over her black hair, which was slicked back in a tight bun.  Her face was pale, almost green in tint.  Small beads of sweat speckled her brow.  She wore a black business suit, tailored to fit her growing stomach.  It was apparent that even though the wedding was over, her professional appearance was important to her as long as she remained in this house.

“Oh, goodness!” I exclaimed.  “I’m so sorry.”

She shook her head, her eyelashes fluttering with the roll of her eyes.  “It happens.”  She waved me off, then asked, “Is Kat okay?”

“Yeah.  Just a little too much to drink, I think.”

“Probably.”

There was a long, uncomfortable silence between us.  I found myself counting the seconds, my mind blank with what to say next.  

“Look,” she said, “I know what I’m about to say won’t mean anything to you.”

I cast her a sideways glance.  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means I know my feelings don’t matter, because if they did, you wouldn’t have done what you did to me.”

I shifted back, a little angry by her allegations.  “That’s not fair.”

“You’re right,” she countered.  “None of this is fair.  It’s not fair that my boyfriend cheated on me with my best friend.” I opened my mouth to refute her, but she continued before I could. “It’s not fair that I’m carrying his child but am forced to watch him be happy with another woman.  It’s not fair that I see nothing but disgust for me in his eyes.  It’s not fair that I know this child will always feel the animosity its father has for me.  But most of all, it’s not fair that my child will be raised in a broken home because of
you
.”  She placed her hands on her stomach, cradling her unborn child.

All of a sudden, I felt detached.  My stomach dropped.  Inside my chest, my heart squeezed.  I’d known from the start that my love for Drew would upset Olivia, but this was beyond upset or hurt.  Each word she spoke dripped with venom.

“I trusted you,” she added.  “When I introduced you to Drew, it was because I wanted my best friend to meet the guy I really liked.  The quick connection between you made me happy.  My best friend and my boyfriend were friends.  I’d never have to endure the discomfort you felt when Nate and I didn’t get along.”

Tears burned the corners of my eyes as she laid into me.  “It wasn’t like that,” I cried.  “We never cheated on you.  I swear.”

She reached out and curled her finger through the chain around my neck.  The sparkling diamond dangled from her finger, out for us both to see.  “Maybe not physically, but there’s more than one kind of cheating, isn’t there?”  She dropped the stone.  “The closer you two got, the further he drifted from me.  He snuck around to see you.  You can’t tell me he didn’t, because that rock proves otherwise.  You remember your little birthday bash with Drew and dear ol’ Mommy and Daddy at the beach?”

I placed my hand over my necklace, feeling it cold against my skin.  Everything she said was the truth.  We did see each other without her present.  

“Liv, I’m sorry.  We never intended to hurt you.”

Olivia sniffed, her teeth clasped together creating a hard line on her face.  “The road to hell is paved with good intentions, Kenz.  You’re the one who told me that.  Had you just been honest with me, told me what was going on, maybe this wouldn’t have hurt so bad.”

“What would you have me do?” I pleaded.  “I can’t change the past.  Is there no way we can work this out?  Please, I’m sorry.”

She closed her eyes, her head twitching from side to side.  “No!  There’s no way to work this out unless you leave him, and after last night, I don’t see that as an option.”

“We love each other,” I whispered.

“Do you even know what love is, Kenz?  You loved Nate, and we see how that turned out.”

“Nate and I were wrong for each other.  Even you said that.  Drew and I…we fit.”

“You fit,” she spat.  “Right.  You’re just like ‘peas and carrots,’” she drawled, mimicking my accent.  “Honestly, it doesn’t matter.  There’s nothing you could do to fix this.”  She stepped around me.  Her arm brushed against mine, feeling like the touch of death against my skin.  “What you did, Kenz, was unforgivable. Especially after everything I’ve done for you.  I was there for you when no one else was, and this is how you repay me─with betrayal and lies.  Our friendship never meant anything to you, apparently.  I hope you’re happy with him.”  She glanced at me over her shoulder, her pale skin glistening in the dim light. “Oh, and one more thing.  I don’t care how in love you are.  I’m telling you right now, you’ll
never
play mother to my child.”