Page 87 of Sins and Secrets

A sadness fills the space as the car roars to life and we drive away from the church. Now I scoot my precious cargo off my lap and make sure she straps herself in. She waits for me to do the same.

“And Adam?” Kyle asks. “Why him? Are you not aware there are other gene pools?”

Yeah, this question has been bothering me for a while too.

“Um, he found me at a vulnerable moment. Nana was just diagnosed with terminal cancer. He was familiar and, at the time, I thought he was safe.”

My stomach knots again. All the different ways I didn’t protect her. All the years we missed. We lost.

As usual, Kyle is the one to lighten the mood. “Well, this is the best wedding present I ever got.”

Waverly brightens. “Oh, then I can return what I got you.”

Kyle squishes his face and waves his hand away. “Nah, I’ll take it.”

And for once, I’m free enough to laugh.

ChapterThirty-Four

Waverly

We pull into the hotel,and my staff has set everything up to perfection. I give Reggie, one of our bellhops, the lowdown about where the bags should go. I planned for Lukas and I to spend the night in my cottage, but I’m still waiting on the safety inspection, so the executive suite it is. Angie’s parents got bumped to a smaller room, but since they haven’t made their third payment for the venue, I felt comfortable making that decision.

Angie’s parents are in deep trouble, but I’m wiping the debt clean and only paying for the staff and supplies. I’m already in the hole a few million, what’s another 80k.

Carol has her head in her phone, horrified, whispering “I don’t understand.” She shoves the phone in her husband's face. “Are you seeing this? People are posting that my dress is a knock off.”

He rolls his eyes. “Honestly, I don’t care. And don’t you have bigger fish to fry,” he hisses. “Adam was totally out of control. Publicly showing off his date like that. Poor girl looked like she wanted to die.” He catches my eye and mouths, ‘I’m so sorry.’

I shrug, “It’s fine.” Really it is. After all, I brought a date too. I’ve got no reason to feel bitter or upset when I’m winning this breakup.

“My designer said it was an original and now Sheila Mcleod is walking around with a better version and she’s having dinner with the Olympians? What? Ugh, my yoga instructor liked Sheila’s dress. Are you kidding me?” She glares at me with an arctic chill. “You did this.”

Not me, but my evil mastermind friend with limitless resources did.

Richard grabs her arm, his eyes blazing. “Enough with the dress already. There are more important things happening right now. If you don’t want to focus on your son’s behavior, how about focusing on our daughter’s wedding? A wedding we can’t afford because money is missing.”

Carol slides her phone into her purse, her best contrite face plastered on like a mask. “I’m sorry.”

She’s not. I know she’s dying on the inside about the Instagram posts. Team Waverly is winning this for sure.

In a private room, filled with flowers and excellent lighting, we get ready for pictures. The groom and the groomsmen take theirs first while we touch up our makeup and hair. Lukas is in a much better mood, so hopefully he won’t be all frowny for the pictures. Fingers crossed they can photoshop Lukas’s angry death glare from the ceremony shots. Most likely, the photographer will crop him out.

I hate the attention I’ve already gotten. Adam groping his poor date was one thing, but the pity glances from both sides of the family toward me are too much. When will this day be over? I want to get drunk, eat cake, and let Lukas fuck me.

Everytime someone asks about how I’m doing with the breakup between me and Adam, Angie tenses like she’s being forced to touch a hot stove. The rift I had been avoiding for years is finally becoming a chasm. I broke her trust, and ruining her day might be a bridge too far. But I lied to her for years, or at least I hid the truth from her. Why was I worried about her knowing what was going on between me and Lukas? Or about how unhappy I was with Adam? I told Izzy and Alana almost instantly. Kyle seems to be way more excited about Lukas and me than Angie is. That’s not really best friend behavior in my book.

The bridesmaids take a few pictures alone before the photographer merges the two groups. I take my spot next to Angie and make eye contact with Lukas as we all line up. He looks amazing in a tux. Absolutely incredible. His neck tattoo peeks out of his collar, a tiny hint of what’s mine. He’s always been like a work of art to me, but it’s hidden, my little secret.

Pictures are going great, people are laughing, smiling, and the nastiness of the ceremony is forgotten until Adam walks in with his date. This poor girl. Not only is she being paraded around like a missile during a third-rate dictatorship’s military parade, but she’s also stuck having sex with Adam. Quite frankly the punishment fits the crime.

Adam is sweaty, blotchy, and his lips have a weird bluish tint to them. Why didn’t I think I was worth true love until now?

As my ex moves closer, literally dragging his date with him, Lukas’s hackles are instantly up. He moves noticeably closer to me as he seethes at Adam, “What are you doing here?”

“I’m family. More than you are,” Adam snarls in reply.

Lukas flinches. Strike one. It’s not a blow Lukas hasn’t heard a million times before, but it still hurts every time he gets hit.

---