Page 49 of The Forever Rule

“Yes, and I should probably ask him…you know, if he knows exactly who his parents are.”

“Great, we’re going to need a questionnaire from now on for anyone we sleep with,” Flynn muttered, and while Sophia laughed, Isabella just shook her head.

“Hopefully it’s just the twelve of us.” Sophia paused, shuddering again. “Twelve.”

I held up my drink, knowing that this was probably asgood as it was going to get, at least for the first dinner. “To the twelve of us. And spiting that man.”

Everybody held up their glasses, and toasted, and I figured that was at least one way to get the ball rolling.

By the timeeverybody left and we had a plan in place for the next month, I was tired, grumpy, and felt off.

I just wanted to go to bed and pretend this hadn’t happened. But we couldn’t.

I had rules, and a life put before me. At this point in my life I honestly thought I’d already be married, maybe a father, starting the next generation of Cages. Instead, I was single, looking at a vast family tree that exploded in front of me, and thinking about a woman that I couldn’t have.

The doorbell rang and I frowned, a small part of me hoping it was Blakely.

Which would be idiotic because she didn’t know where I lived. Of course, Isabella could have told her. Yes, Isabella could have told Blakely where I lived, and Blakely was here to make everything far more complicated.

No, that would break the rules. Not that I knew what this rule would be.

I opened the door, and cursed at myself for not checking who it was at first.

A blonde woman stood there, in a white suit, and red lips. The suit was form-fitting, a soft blouse that billowedin the wind. I knew she had a six-thousand-dollar purse on her arm, because I had bought it for her, and bright green eyes that shined under the moonlight.

“Meredith.”

She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my cheek, and I did my best not to push her away. That scent of Chanel Chance slid over me, and I knew the only reason I had an inkling of what it was called was because yet again, I had bought it for her.

I took a step back and realized that was a mistake because it looked as if I was letting her inside. She took one step forward, and I blocked her entry.

She raised a perfectly manicured brow and pouted those bright red lips. “Aston. It’s so lovely to see you.”

“What are you doing here, Meredith?”

“I just wanted to say once again I’m so sorry for your loss. I know you were close to your father.”

I thought I had been. But clearly, I hadn’t.

“So you said at the funeral,” I said through gritted teeth.

“And I wish I could have said more that day, to reach out to you like we once had been. You did so much for me when we were together, you were so caring, and I regret to this day that I broke off our engagement.”

I held back a snort at that, because she might have been telling the truth. We had been engaged for nearly a year when she had broken it off, suddenly for no reason. I didn’t know if it was for another man, or that she just didn’t love me. It had been a blow like no other, and Ihadn’t wanted to see anyone else until that dance with Blakely.

“Thank you for your condolences, but it’s getting late.”

She stared into my face, those bright green eyes filled with something I couldn’t understand. “Just know if you need a shoulder to lean on, I’m here. I was on my way home from another event, and I couldn’t help but drive down your lane like I used to. Muscle memory I suppose. But I miss you, Aston. I hope we can still be friends. And I hope you know I can be that shoulder. Especially with so many changes in your life. What with secret siblings? I couldn’t even believe it when I heard.”

Oh yes, her gossip circles had run wild with it, but I just shook my head. “Thanks for your condolences,” I repeated. “But it’s late,” I repeated again. “Goodbye, Meredith.”

“Well goodbye. And I’ll talk to you soon.”

I didn’t say anything in answer, instead closing the door in her face.

I didn’t love Meredith anymore. I didn’t want her. I wanted the one woman I couldn’t have.

And yet, nothing it seemed went my way.

---