“Exactly what you fucking think it means! I have cheated on you more times than I can count. That’s what guys do; we aren’t made to just have sex with one woman. It goes against nature.”
“You’re just saying that because you are hurt. I don’t believe you.”
I watched as darkness washed over Cain’s face. “Do you remember Staci from study group?”
I had hated Staci Crane, she was a huge slut. She wasn’t very smart but got by into law school by flirting and sleeping with guys to help her with her classes. She had claimed to have slept with Cain a few months after we started dating. I had confronted Cain but he assured me she was just trying to get under my skin and that he would never be interested in a girl like her. Clearly he lied.
“I banged the shit out of her. And it wasn’t just once; it was all of law school.” His voice is so cold it sent a shiver down my spine. Mother-fucker!
“You are a cold calculating piece of shit, Cain Stratford. You’re a sick bastard—”
“I may be a bastard, but at least I won’t be marrying a cheap slut like you,” Cain said stalking forward into my space.
His words stung me back to life. I ripped at the ring on my finger and tossed it at him before I ran out the door and slammed it behind me.
I drove the short distance to my apartment. When I put the car in park, I finally let myself feel the full weight of the twisted scene settle in. I slammed my head down on the steering wheel and tried to grasp how I could have been so wrong about Cain Stratford.
I sat like that a long time, crying and punching the steering wheel. When I finally took a deep breath and looked up at the porch light outside my apartment I saw him. He was standing there leaning against the wall fiddling with his expensive Rolex. Jamieson Wellington, my husband, had decided to pay me a visit. Fuck my life.
CHAPTER SIX
November 26, 2009…
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked Jamieson one last time before we got in his large pearly white Ford F250 King Ranch Edition. It still struck me as odd that even though Jamieson was extremely wealthy he drove a pickup truck. Granted, his truck was completely customized right down to the tan leather stitched seats. He also has other vehicles which included a black Aston Martin Vanquish and a 1956 Jaguar XK-140 Roadster. I personally enjoy the truck the most though; it suited him in some weird way.
“Jenna I have already told you, I can’t wait to meet your family,” he said threading his fingers through mine and placing them on the center console between us.
“I’m just warning you, my family is bat-shit crazy and holidays are notoriously insane at my house.”
“Can’t wait, baby.” He flashed me a sexy grin as he steered the truck onto the main highway.
In only took us about thirty minutes to get across town to my parents’ home in Clifts Cove. Their house was a large, classically beautiful southern home. They both earned a good living. My father was a respected doctor and my mother helped run his office. They had met when they were in college and had been together ever since. They were more than a couple, they made an incredible team. I envied them.
I could tell by the shiny tan Lexus sitting outside my parents’ house that my sister and brother-in-law were also here. My sister is three years older than me and looks like a human Barbie doll. Jacqueline had always been beautiful from the day she was born. She was tall, thin, and blonde with huge boobs. She was every guys “type.” As you can imagine having an older sister who was a total bombshell made you very susceptible to having lots of guy friends who constantly wanted to be invited over to catch a glimpse of the beauty you lived with. My sister however, could hardly notice guys drooling over her. She had always been less than impressed with most of the would-be suitors. I was shocked when several years ago she fell for a confident German man who took European suaveness to a whole new level. Don’t get me wrong, I love Lukas now, but he did take some getting used to. Bluntness is the norm with Lukas but you just have to remember he doesn’t mean to be rude he just speaks the truth of the situation as he sees it. English is his second language so sometimes things do get lost in translation, which provides us all with a good laugh. I was excited to introduce them to Jamieson but I was also scared because I had no idea what they would do or say. That was the beauty of my family, anything was possible.
When we reached the front door I opened it walking hand-in-hand with Jamieson. He followed me down the hall toward the laughter coming from the living rom. They were in hysterics and I could only imagine what was happening.
“I told you this was the greatest show ever!” Lukas exclaimed as we entered the outer edges of the room.
“I don’t get it. They just take a bunch of B-level celebrities and lock them in a house for a couple of weeks?” my Mom asked, confused.
“Yes it is brilliant,” Lukas argued.
“More like ridiculous.” My Dad offered.
I could now see what they were watching and I wish I could say I was shocked, but like I said earlier, anything could happen at my house.
On the large mounted flat screen my entire family was watching an episode of the Surreal Life; trash T.V. at its finest. And it was of course that epic episode when a drunken Vern Troyer is so wasted he is peeing of the side of his motorized wheel chair. Yup, this was exactly what I feared.
“Hey guys.” I piped up, attempting to distract them from their reality T.V. watching.
“Oh honey, we didn’t hear you come in!” My mother jumped up from the large leather recliner she was sitting in.
“Mom, this is Jamieson Wellington. This is my mother, Georgiana.” I said as Jamieson reached out to take my mother’s hand to greet her.
My father also rose to greet us. “Hello Jamieson,” he said extending his hand.
“This is my Dad, Dr. Harrison Middleton.”
“Nice to meet you, sir,” Jamieson said in return shaking his hand as well.
“That insane German man over there enthralled with crap T.V. is my brother-in-law, Lukas.” I pointed toward the crazy German.
“Nice to meet you, bro.” Lukas nodded his head in our direction.
My very pregnant sister slowly lifted herself from the couch to greet us.
“Hello Jamieson.” She smiled warmly at him.
“Hello Jacqueline,” he replied returning her warm smile.
I instantly went still; I could tell they knew each other. There was something that passed between them, I saw it. I watched as my sister locked eyes with me trying to communicate something. I however, wasn’t getting whatever it was she was trying to tell me. My mind began to race with questions and it finally settled on one in particular, had my sister and Jamieson dated? They were closer in age and Jacks had always lived in Huntsville—she never left like I did, their paths could have easily crossed. Surely I would have known about it though, right? Jamieson would have said something, wouldn’t he?
“Honey let me take your coats,” my mother interrupted my mini melt-down and took my jacket along with Jamieson’s.
“I need to finish my cheesecake.” Jacqueline announced as she strolled into the kitchen with my mother hot on her heals; clearly she noticed something was off too and was determined to find out what the cause of it was.
“I’m going to go help her. Are you okay in here with the guys?” I turned to ask Jamieson.
“Of course, go help your sister and mother,” he kissed me on the cheek.
“Jamieson can I get you a drink?” I heard my father ask as I left the room in search of my sister.
In the kitchen, my mom and sister were working away and talking in a hushed tone. I didn’t waste any time, I needed to know how my sister knew Jamieson and now.