Page 104 of Whiskey and Regret
I dropped my head and stretched my hand out over the cool door. Evander tugged me backward and shook his head. “She needs time. She won’t stay in there forever.” His words did little to calm my aching heart.
“I feel like shit,” I told him.
“Yeah. Same here.” He walked over to the couch and sat on the arm, letting his elbows rest on his knees. When I stood in front of him, he reached out and pulled me into the V of his long legs.
“Don’t beat yourself up over this, Xari. I see it in your eyes.”
“I can’t help it. She shouldn’t have walked in on us fucking, Evander. I should have talked to her a little bit before we came to DC.”
“There’s nothing we could have talked to her about. We just discovered our feelings a couple of days ago. What were we going to say? Should we have told her were having sex? Is that an appropriate conversation?”
“No, but…I don’t know. I’m not good with kids,” I fussed.
“You’re good with Frankie and that’s why I chose you to be her nanny. Now, we have to tackle the fact that you’ve turned into something else. Something more.” He paused to fix a lock of sleek hair that slipped out of my bun. I’d straightened my hair for the wedding and wore it in a loose bun on top of my head. “You’re a part of our family, Xari and that’s not changing. Frankie is pissed now but she’ll start to open up again soon.”
“I don’t know, Evander she seemed more than pissed. She seemed hurt. She’s growing up now and she has different feelings and emotions running through her. Being pissed is way less offensive than being hurt. She might lash out if she’s hurt.”
“Let’s just give her space to breathe, okay? We’ll figure everything out tonight. You have to get ready for the wedding.”
Fuck. He was right. I nodded and left the comfort of his arms and went to the bathroom door.
“Hey, Frankie…I gotta go perform but when I’m done for the night, can we please talk? There’s so much you don’t understand and…”
“Leave me alone.” Her voice was muffled behind the door but loud and clear in my brain.
Leave her alone.
I pressed my lips into a line and nodded curtly before going back to my room. Evander stayed behind, trying to talk to her through the door but I had to get ready for my first paid performance. The performance that was supposed to boost my career and gain exposure.
Now, my mind was going to be preoccupied with Frankie and how hurt and confused she was. I could deal with her being pissed but I didn’t know how to ease the hurt and betrayal I knew she felt.
I barely focused throughout the wedding. I couldn’t stop staring at Evander and Frankie. She was all folded arms and cold stares. I wanted to run over and talk to her when I took a break but I knew I wouldn’t get anywhere with her.
I played all my notes flawlessly and didn’t miss a beat but my heart wasn’t in it. I was just a body. My heart and mind were scattered. I hoped the Phillips couldn’t tell I was playing on autopilot.
The reception came and went, and I barely noticed any of it. I was too busy watching Evander try to coax a conversation out of Frankie while she focused on her phone. The venue was gorgeous and I smiled when people wanted to take pictures of me, I even managed to hold a few small conversations before I left but I was a fucking zombie. When I said goodbye to Damon, he assured me I would go viral online again and have opportunities galore. I hoped he was right. I knew later on the gravity of what I’d just done would sink in. However, while wrapped in the constricting ties of guilt, everything else seemed trivial.
At the end of the night, Evander carried my gift bag to my suite and looked at me apologetically. “I know this is tough,” he said.
“She hates me.”
“She doesn’t hate you. You know that.”
“I don’t know that anymore. I fucked you when I told her I wouldn’t be one of those women who got all caught up in how fine you were. What did I do? Get caught up in how fine you were.” I tossed up my hand and shook my head. “The dick was a bonus. Actually, with dick like that, your face is the bonus.”
“I have no idea if I should be offended or flattered.” He grabbed my ass and pulled me to him.
“Both.” I found a laugh somewhere inside my aching chest. “I just want to talk to her, Evander.”
“I know. You gotta make it through the silent treatment first. I tried talking to her at the wedding and she ignored the fuck out of me. I’m not going to force her to talk but I won’t let this shit go on for more than a day or two. We all need to talk.”
“Yeah…we do.” I kissed his cheek and stood up. “You better go in there with the ice queen. If you stay in here, I can’t promise I won’t end up on your dick again.” Even when I was down, talking shit with Evander made me smile.
“I mean…” He shrugged and bit his bottom lip before standing to look at me. God, he held the heat of the sun in his stare. “I wouldn’t be mad at that.” His long arms slid around my waist and he leaned down to kiss my lips. It was so soft and hot. I had to ignore the way my clit thumped for him and send him next door.
Once he was gone, I changed into my pajamas and called Navy. I knew she wanted to hear from me to see how the night went.
Her excited voice was in stark contrast to my gloomy mood. “How’d it go?” She asked.
