“Your friends don’t know what you did, now get the fuck out of here and stay away from her before I make you regret stepping foot in town.”
I hadn’t seen Eden move, and it wasn’t until she grabbed my hand that I knew she was beside me.
“What’s going on?” she asked softly. “Ashlyn? Talk to me, babe.”
“He . . .” I stammered, but halted as soon as Lachlan began to speak.
“They have no clue, do they? It seems like you’re having second thoughts, sweetheart. If you couldn’t tell your best friends . . .”
“She told me, asshole,” Josh stated harshly.
Thankfully, we were away from the majority of the guests, and Sue and Mike seemed to realize that this wasn’t the kind of conversation people needed to see. I didn’t want my dirty laundry put on display in front of Josh’s family.
“Lachlan, can you just go? I will call you tomorrow and we will talk. This isn’t the time or place for this little chat.” I found my ability to speak and sucked back every display of emotion that wanted to show itself. I managed to appear somewhat calm.
He scoffed and shook his head, dismissing everything I said. “I’m going home with you tonight, Ashlyn. The minute Ky called and organized this little surprise, I knew we weren’t over, and I knew you’d still want me. Third time seems to be a charm. I’m going home with my girlfriend after we enjoy the engagement party of our friends.”
He could not be serious. Had he completely forgotten the events of Sydney, and the fact that he said he wasn’t my boyfriend? I had to be dreaming, because this was some kind of messed up reality.
“You lost the right to call her that when you shoved your dick into other chick’s pussy,” Josh spat.
“Get off your fucking high horse, Josh. Everyone knows you fuck anything that breathes, so don’t stand there and try and preach to me what is right or wrong.”
“Lachlan, why exactly are you here? Did you not hear anything I said in Sydney? Have you forgotten that I didn’t answer one of your calls or reply to one of your texts?”
“I’m here to get what is mine. You always come back to me and, now that I’ve had my fun, I thought I’d come to collect. I left you once, and you came back. I fucked around behind your back both times, and you still came back to me. I’ll always own that little pussy of yours, so I’m here to claim what’s mine.”
Bile rose from the pits of my stomach. His spiteful words reopened wounds I had tried to cover with what was clearly the flimsiest of Band-Aids, because now they were gushing with fresh blood. The fact that he was so open about cheating, about having absolutely no regard for my feelings, sent tremors of unworthiness crashing through me. I hated him. I despised him. How could I have been stupid enough to allow myself to be caught up in his web of deceit?
“Would someone please tell me what the fuck is going on?” Ky demanded, and everyone turned to him. Blake and Colby had joined us, and were barricading Eden from the scene unfolding. Ky was staring at me, impatiently awaiting answers.
I crossed the distance between us and took hold of his hands, and his aggravated stare softened slightly. “I’m so sorry. I should have told you, but for entirely selfish reasons, I didn’t want to admit that I was wrong,” I whispered as embarrassment and shame hit me.
“What are you talking about, Ash?” Ky asked, placing his thumb under my chin and forcing my eyes to meet his.
“He hurt me again, Ky. I walked in on him with another girl when I first arrived in Sydney. I fled and came back here and hid for a week. I want nothing to do with him.”
Ky’s grasp on my hand tightened, his jaw ticked, and his eyes moved from me to Lachlan. He was headed for a complete meltdown.
“This is your engagement party. Don’t allow him to wreck it. Take your gorgeous fiancé and go dance. Josh and I will sort this out.”
He still wasn’t looking at me, and his glare frightened me.
“Ky, please. Listen to me.”
Finally, his eyes met mine and the look he gave me destroyed me.
“You should have told me. You tell me everything.”
Eden came toward us, wrapped her arm around Ky’s waist, and started to pull him away. They didn’t get far, though. The sound of flesh meeting flesh stabbed the air, and the deep grunt of someone suffering in pain took hold of my attention. I swung around just as Josh’s fist connected sharply with Lachlan’s jaw. Lachlan stumbled back, and a smirk that made me shiver in the worst possible way covered his face. Rubbing his jaw, his eyes flashed to mine and I froze on the spot, unable to say or do a thing. He took two steps toward me, but was halted by Josh’s firm grip pulling him back by his shirt.
“I said fuck off and leave her alone. Do I really need to show you how fucking serious I am?” Josh warned in a voice I’d never heard before.
“I’ll take my fucking chances,” Lachlan snarled and looked directly at me. “This isn’t over, Ashlyn.”
Josh pulled him away, then whipped him around and delivered another loud snap to his jaw. I slammed my eyes shut and dropped my gaze to the ground. I could hear the commotion around us, and the voices of Josh’s dad and the man he classed as an uncle filled the night air.
All I could think of was that I had officially wrecked my best friend’s special night.
Way to go, Ashlyn.
I HAD TO BE in a fucking nightmare. That’s the only way to explain why I just witnessed Lachlan walking in like he owned the place. As soon as his gaze lingered on Ashlyn, my instinct to protect her kicked into full-force. Having her in my arms while we danced and feeling her body pressed against mine, and knowing that it wasn’t just me that was getting lost in the unknown, had felt fucking incredible. Seeing that piece of shit walk in like he didn’t have a care in the world tarnished every-fucking-thing.
The way he spat his venom at Ashlyn infuriated me. What right did this slithering snake have to make her feel like a piece of shit? I couldn’t handle the look that spoiled her stunning face. I couldn’t get a grip of my rising rage toward this asshole, so I snapped, and I knew I’d do it again in a heartbeat. With my fist, I showed him just how serious I was. Nobody would ever get away with saying that kind of shit about Ashlyn; I didn’t give a fuck who they were. He didn’t deserve a minute of her time, or to share the air she breathed. Thankfully, Dad and Douglas dragged him away and threw him out of the house. During that commotion, I disappeared out of the side gate without anyone noticing.
My head screamed obscenities, and my fist ached. Placing my fist delicately in my uninjured hand, I knew by the insistent throb that I had put all of my strength and weight behind every blow. I just didn’t give a fuck.
When I needed peace, I came here, the boardwalk behind my parents’ house. It was the one place I’d go to think and sort out whatever was bothering me, and now I had a shitload of things bothering me. After I sat down, I swung my legs over the edge and dropped my head to my hands.
“Josh, are you out here?” Ashlyn’s voice rang through the still air, and I slammed my eyes closed.
I didn’t know if I was ready to see her. The fear that I would say or do something I would later regret was bubbling just below the surface. The sound of her heels on the wooden boardwalk got louder with every step she took, and I knew she was getting closer to where I was sitting.
“Over here,” I revealed softly.
Her steps halted, and in the moonlight I saw her turn and look in my direction. Without saying a word, she headed toward me. My eyes followed her every step as her hips swayed. When she reached me, she stood close so her thigh was next to my shoulders. Her hand shot out, threaded around the back of my neck, and brought my head toward her thigh until it was resting against the satin of her dress. My arms instinctively circled her legs and I pulled her close. As her fingers threaded through my hair, my eyes fell shut and a wave of calm swam with wild abandon through me. Time stood still, and I wouldn’t know how long we remained in that position, but it was the peace I needed. When she pulled away, she took a seat beside me and mimicked my body language. We sat in silence, both of us looking out over the water, swinging our legs, and getting lost in our own thoughts.