Page 57 of Falling for Nicole
“What do you want to do, angel?”
I really want to go home, but I know that’s not going to help me. I’m better off losing myself with this incredible group of women and trying to blank out Declan and his wandering penis.
Squaring my shoulders, I look at the three of them. “Pass me another drink.” One miraculously appears in front of me and I drain it. The alcohol warms me from the inside out, and the haze it brings soon starts to make me forget.
* * *
The second I wake up, I’m running towards the bathroom to throw up. I got wasted last night thanks to everyone plying me with a range of very strong drinks. I know there was singing and dancing, but I’ve no idea if that involved a table like last time, and I’ve no desire to know—although I’m sure someone will delight in telling me all about it if I embarrassed myself.
Liv’s sat on the corner of my bed when I eventually make it out of the bathroom. “Whoa,” she says when she sees the state of me.
“Yup.” I fall face first on to my bed as my head pounds and my stomach continues to turn over.
“We’re all going to breakfast in twenty minutes. You coming?”
The thought of food makes me want to run back to the bathroom, but I agree and she leaves me to get ready.
Knowing we’re spending all day in the spa, I pull on a bikini and finish it off with a matching cover-up. I’m now very grateful I found some time to go shopping, because I don’t think anyone would be able to convince me to wear my bikini withhisname written on it this morning. Thoughts of Dec send another wave of sadness through me. Why didn’t I stop myself getting so involved? I was worried from day one that this was all a joke; why did I allow this to happen?
I go over all the questions I’ve asked myself a million times since finding Georgia yesterday, but just like every time I ask them, I have no answers. Not a single one.
The look on his face as I told him to leave last night flashes through my mind. He looked devastated.
Once again getting frustrated with myself, I grab my bag and go to meet the others, hoping for a distraction. I’m pleasantly surprised when I’m met with a few green looking faces. Looks like it wasn’t just me who over indulged last night. Molly looks especially rough and when she sees me looking similar, she comes over and gives me a hug.
“Do not let me drink today,” she says in my ear.
“Only if you do the same for me.”
“Everything will be okay, you know.”
“I’m not talking about it or him. This is your weekend, and I’ve already caused too much drama.”
“Don’t be silly. We all needed something to talk about.”
“Great,” I groan.
* * *
The rest of the weekend is amazing, and thankfully drama free. Whatever Susan said to Declan when she ushered him out of the room on Friday night obviously did the trick, because he never returned. Having said that, I’ve yet to turn my phone on; I can only imagine what might be on there.
Lilly and I wave the others off in their limo looking a little worse for wear compared to how they arrived on Friday after a weekend of too much food and alcohol. I think the only one who escaped having a hangover was Karen; she wasn’t really one to get into the party spirit with her weak spritzers.
Feeling bad about the state we’ve all left the rooms in, we try to make them a little more manageable for the cleaners before packing up and heading back to Lilly’s. She’s desperate to see her babies after her first weekend away from them. I’m just looking forward to seeing how Lucas coped all alone.
The house is in silence when we enter. Lilly looks back at me with a quizzical expression and we make our way further into the house to see what damage has been done. We’re only in the hallway and it looks like it’s been hit by a tornado.
Lilly comes to a stop in the doorway to the living room. I come to a halt behind her and look over her shoulder.
Lucas is fast asleep with Natalie and Nathan curled up in each arm, and Bailey tucked in between his legs and the sofa. All of them are out for the count.
“I’m trusting they’re all asleep and not dead,” Lilly says with a laugh as she looks around at the state of her living room.
Her voice alerts Bailey, who scrambles to get on his feet and manages to put his paw in the one place that ensures Lucas wakes up instantly. His eyes fly open as he cringes in pain, unable to move because of the sleeping babies in his arms.
“You’re back,” he groans as we both stand there laughing.
Somehow, he manages to lay both Nathan and Natalie down without waking them, and comes over to greet Lilly. Seeing them together hurts my heart and is a harsh reminder of what I’ve inevitably got to deal with very soon.
