Page 16 of Always a Fake Bridesmaid
“Considering you’re talking about me as if I’m not here, it does. And I’m not sure what your problem is, but it’s not me. And it’s clearly not Ewan. So while you do one of the thousand things I am sure youshouldbe doing, why don’t you stop worrying about things out of your control.”
Trish raised her chin. “I know you’re just with him for his money. But don’t worry, the McBrides are never going to settle down. And if they do, it’s going to be with someone fromhome. Not some city girl who uses her daughter to lure men. I bet you did the same thing to her daddy.”
I moved forward then, putting myself between Livvy and Trish so that Livvy didn’t end up in jail for murdering a woman.
“You are going to want to take a step back. And never,evertalk about that little girl again. You do? And you’ll have to do deal with me. I don’t know what kind of trip you’re on, but it has nothing to do with me, Livvy, or the McBrides. I didn’t want to date you. My brothers don’t want to date you. We tried to be nice about it. Subtle even. But if you’re going to continually insult my friends, and theirfucking children, we’re going to have a problem.”
Trish took a step back, her eyes wide. “How could you speak to me like that?”
“You’re lucky that he stepped in front of me, or that pretty face of yours wouldn’t be so pretty when I was done with it,” Livvy growled.
Was it weird that I got hard just hearing her speak like that? There was just something so fierce about her that nearly sent me over the edge, and I told myself I needed to stay focused.
“Are you going to let her insult me like that?”
“The only reason I’m not letting her at you is I don’t want to have to deal with the sheriff. Remember, Trish. All this land that you want? It means there’s also a lot of places to hide the body.”
“How dare you threaten me.”
“How dare you insult me and my child so maybe you can get a crumb of the money you think that Ewan has,” Livvy said so calmly that I was truly afraid she was going to go through me to kill this woman.
I held up my hand as Trish went to speak and shook my head. “Go. Go now or I’m going to go talk to Kandi, and we’ll see exactly how much of your lying and nastiness is about to catch up to you.”
Her face paled and she scrambled back. “You’re going to come crawling back.”
“I was never there in the first place.”
She hopped away, and I was grateful we hadn’t had an audience. When I turned to look at Livvy, I knew I’d need to atone for Trish’s bullshit. The woman in front of me hadn’t deserved any of her ire, and it was my fault she’d been forced to.
“I’m so damn sorry. I should not have brought you up here.”
Livvy just looked at me before she burst out laughing.
“What?” I asked, utterly confused. “Why are you laughing?”
“It’s like she’s in high school. Or at least high school in movies from the eighties. Trish tried to emulate a cheerleader without any personality. What did she think she was going to do, use her wiles to get you into bed and force you to marry her when you’re caught? What year does she think it is?”
I pressed my lips together. “Those so-called wiles would have never worked. And no matter how many shotguns her daddy has, there wouldn’t be a wedding.”
“Thank God. I thought you were smart. I would’ve hated to be wrong about that.”
I reached forward and pushed her hair back behind her ear. “I’m sorry, you know. For what she said about your daughter. Her father. She has no right to any of that information, and no right to degrade you like that.”
Livvy reached up and gripped my hand, leaning into my palm as I cupped her cheek. “It’s funny how some people look at single moms so differently than they do single dads.”
I frowned as she lowered my hand but didn’t let go.
“My cousin was a single father for the first five years of Nora’s life, when his girlfriend died in childbirth.”
“Fuck. I’m sorry.”
“So am I. She was an amazing girl and we miss her to this day. And maybe it’s the circumstances, but in the end, it was people looking at a single father and not judging. They were there to help, to hit on him, to do everything that they could to prove that my cousin being a dad like any good dad was some monumental feat. And yet when people figure out that Amelia doesn’t have a father, I’m immediately labeled a whore.”
Rage slammed into me. “You’re not, and if they call you that in front of me, I’m going to be the one in jail.”
Her lips twitched. “My family would say the same. I thought I was in love, and I wasn’t. I was just out of college, thinking I had a steady and beautiful relationship. And the moment that pregnancy test came up positive, everything changed. Brick was no longer the caring boyfriend who talked about the future and all his dreams with his family’s estate. Never my dreams, mind you. That should have been the first of many clues. When we found out I was pregnant, he was suddenly the man who called me that whore, claimed the baby couldn’t be his, and left. He cut ties with his family on the surface, cut ties with me in every way possible, and never looked back. I still don’t know where he is. Amelia has never met him, and I hope to hell never will. But sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat because I think he will come back. And he will use his family money to try to take my daughter from me.”
“Livvy. What a fucking asshole.” I paused, shaking my head. “I’m trying to think of something more eloquent here, than I really want to find that man and kill him. Which probably isn’t the greatest thing to say.”
