Love and Music (Small Town Secrets Book 3), page 19
Well, more than I already was.
The only clue I had to the content of the conversation was the faces of Randy and his spouse, but their expressions weren’t giving away anything. Randy looked a little nervous—quite appropriate, in my estimation—but I couldn’t read his wife’s face at all. She actually looked curious and on the verge. Of what, I didn’t know, but my stomach twisted itself in knots—until a warm smile covered her face.
While I continued feeling uneasy, I backed away. I wouldn’t need to be damage control after all—but I might need to be the supportive friend afterward. Walking away, I found the table where I’d hastily placed my dishes, but I stood waiting until Lisa found me and came over, plate still in her hands.
“So what happened?” I asked, hoping the tone of my whisper didn’t attract anyone else’s attention.
I couldn’t quite read Lisa’s face, but her eyes were dry as she set her dish down on the table. “You know…when I looked in his wife’s eyes, I felt a sweetness about her, a rare kindness that I couldn’t bring myself to mutilate. Don’t get me wrong. She deserves to know that her husband’s a cheating bastard, but I couldn’t be the one to hurt her. She actually even invited me to sit and eat brunch with them.” Lisa smiled, pulling out a chair. “And I considered it for a long minute. It would’ve been fun watching Randy sweat all through the meal.”
I laughed, relieved to see my bestie was handling everything okay. “That’s an awfully grownup thing to do, Leese.”
“I know, right?” After we sat down at the table, Lisa unwrapped her utensils. “But don’t expect me to stay that way.” Grabbing the carafe of water, she poured the glass in front of her to the rim and took a sip before changing gears. “I’m sure she’ll find out at some point.”
“If he’s like that all the time, you know it.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t want to be the bad guy any more than I’d already been.”
“You weren’t a bad girl, Leese. You didn’t know he was married.”
“Doesn’t make me feel any less guilty.” Sighing, she stood and looked back in the direction of the buffet. “I’m gonna go get some coffee and juice. Do you need anything?”
“Nah, I’m good.”
Lisa leaned over so I would be the only person to hear her. “And then we’ll blow this fuckin’ joint. And if I ask you to go to our twenty-year reunion, tell me to kiss your ass.” My eyebrows lifted as if ready for takeoff, my tongue poised to speak so that I could remind her of all my previous protesting. “No matter how much I beg or plead or cajole or bribe you, don’t do it. In fact, you can tell me you won’t be my friend anymore. That’ll get my attention.”
I doubted it, but now was not the time to say so. Once my friend got a wild hair, there was no talking sense into her.
While she went off in search of beverages, I used my fork to cut off a bite-sized piece of watermelon. I personally would have been happy blowing this joint now and going back to the diner we’d been to yesterday. There was nothing about this place that made the food special. In fact, I was pretty sure I’d have a better appetite anywhere else.
I was more than ready to return to my normal life.
When I felt a hand on my shoulder, my muscles seized up and my blood began to boil in anger. It made me realize that, while we’d resolved Lisa’s issue, we hadn’t taken care of my own. I’d lost my focus—and now Tyler was probably here and I was completely unprepared.
Only it wasn’t Tyler.
Or even Tamara.
It was Mike Hardy, software genius extraordinaire, and seeing his face reminded me that I hadn’t seen him since Friday night’s mixer. “Mind if I join you?”
“No, not at all.” I took a deep breath, hoping the adrenaline would flush out of my body quickly.
“Lisa here with you?”
“Yeah.”
“Tyler stole you away Friday night, and I’d dominated our conversation before, so I was hoping to hear more about what you’ve been up to since high school.”
Actually, Tyler hadn’t stolen me away—I’d ditched them until Tyler caught up to me again. And, as I recalled, I had told him what I’d been up to since leaving high school.
As Lisa waltzed back, drinks in hand, I saw Mike’s entire face light up. And then it dawned on me. Mike was a super nice guy and maybe wanted to reconnect with me—but I was not the object of his affection.
“Lisa French. I hope you don’t mind that I stole a spot next to Megan. So good to see you.”
Lisa tilted her head a bit before a small grin spread on her face. I could read her expression like a juicy novel: Randy who? “Mike? Mike Hardy?”
“The one and only.” He stood, pulling out her chair but before she sat down, Lisa wrapped her arms around him.
For way longer than she should have.
But Mike didn’t seem to mind. “Megan, would you be offended if I sat between the two of you so I can talk to you both?”
“That’s fine.” I slid my plate and coffee over one seat. It was probably way better that way, because with my chatty friend, I wouldn’t be expected to hold a coherent conversation. And then we could get the fuck out of here and be done with it all.
But, just as I sat down again, there was Tyler, and I was the proverbial doe in the headlights. I’d wanted to be prepared for this confrontation but I’d been distracted all morning. Caught off guard, I wasn’t able to formulate any words—and I sure as shit knew I looked vulnerable, the last thing I wanted.
Try as I might, no words found their way out of my mouth.
“Can we talk somewhere in private?”
A scowl formed on my lips, because I didn’t want Tyler charming the pants off me somewhere away from other people. I couldn’t allow his charisma to overpower me anymore. The only hope I had at this point was to have my best friend by my side, calling bullshit when I didn’t have the ability to. Otherwise, I would accept anything Tyler had to say to me. Crossing my arms, I said, “I’m not going anywhere.”
Chapter Twenty-four
“I just want to talk to you.” Tyler’s dark eyes were like an endless forest, one I could easily lose myself in.
Oh, hell, no. But I couldn’t let my weakness show by letting my eyes drop. I was going to fake it as long as I had to. “Anything you have to say you can say in front of my friends.”
I couldn’t tell if the frown forming on his face was due to anger or frustration. “Come on, Meg. Don’t make me do this in public.”
Signaling I wasn’t about to budge, I planted my feet, the scowl on my face deepening. I didn’t say a word, instead engaging in a stare down.
I was not about to lose this time.
Sighing, Tyler’s face fell as he realized I wasn’t giving in. But when he spoke, his voice was so low, he was almost hard to hear. “You already told me you talked to Tamara last night, and I know she poisoned you. She told you something that made you run off.” I raised an eyebrow. “And she wouldn’t tell me what it was.”
“Yeah, it was a little something called the truth.”
Tyler almost smiled. “Meg, that woman wouldn’t know the truth if it jumped up and bit her on the ass.” My face was as unmoving as a statue. “Don’t tell me you believe whatever it was she told you.”
I got closer to him so I could whisper, hating the attention we were getting from the folks at our table. It was bad enough that Lisa and Mike had put down their utensils and weren’t talking with each other. Even though they weren’t staring at Tyler and me, I knew they were listening. “She didn’t have to tell me anything. She had evidence.”
“Did you leave before she was carted off?”
“Carted off?”
Tyler’s eyes shifted to the table. “Mike, you saw it, right?”
With reluctance in his eyes as he turned and looked up toward us, Mike nodded slowly. “Yeah. Who didn’t?”
Tyler’s eyes returned to me. “People who weren’t here.”
I was losing what little patience I had. “So what happened?”
Mike actually answered my question. “Tamara was arrested last night. She got out of control and started threatening people. Then she started destroying things, starting with the refreshments table.”
“So she’s crazy. We’ve always known that.” Mike got up from the table with a look I couldn’t read, taking his coffee mug to the beverage table. “But crazy doesn’t make her a liar.”
“Fair enough. So what did she tell you, Meg? What makes you so convinced I’m a bad guy? Is it just because I was stupid enough to date her? I was a dumb fucking kid, Meg. We all were.”
I heard someone at the table to my left gasp when Tyler dropped the F bomb and any other time I might have laughed. Where the hell had that particular person been last night during Madversary’s mini-concert?
But that made me aware that we were making a scene even if we didn’t want to. So I lowered my voice even further. “No, Tyler. I get that. It’s not that you dated her. It’s that you thought I’d never find out your secret.”
Tyler did a great job looking confused. “My secret?”
“Seriously?” I took a deep breath in through my nostrils before looking over at my best friend. “Lisa, do I look like I’m still a stupid kid?” She shook her head. Raising an eyebrow, I jutted my jaw as if daring him to continue this charade.
“Meg, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, come on, Tyler. I already know you’re Tyson’s dad. Would you just be a man about it and admit it? Not for my sake—for your son’s. I don’t care anymore. You do what you want, but be a man about it. A kid needs his dad—and not just for the monetary support.” It wasn’t until the words were out of my mouth that I realized our entire table was listening. So much for keeping my voice quiet.
“Who the fuck is Tyson?”
Unlike Lisa, I couldn’t find my pulse at any given time, but at this moment, I could feel my blood pressure building like a volcano ready to blow. “Know what? I’m done here.” The coffee sucked anyway. Holding up both hands as if telling Tyler to back off, I stormed through the room with purpose, as if someone had pulled the fire alarm and I couldn’t panic and run, but I did need to get the fuck out as soon as possible.
As I reached the doorway, I felt irritated, knowing Lisa was once more my ride, so I couldn’t exactly leave the hotel. Actually, though, as angry as I felt at the moment, walking a few miles to my apartment might not be such a bad idea. I had to get away from the bullshit, though—and I couldn’t believe Tyler had taken me for such a fool. I walked with a steady gait, imagining him frozen in place where I’d left him, complete with the feigned look of shock on his face.
Instead, I’d barely made it a few feet down the hall, just out of sight of the doorway to the ballroom, when Tyler’s hand wrapped around my upper arm. “Tyler, leave me alone.”
“Not until we’re done. You really think I’m the father of her kid?”
“Enough, Tyler.” My heart felt like he was squeezing it, draining it of life and energy. I had to get the hell out of there. Being next to him, in his gaze, under his scrutiny, I could have found it so easy to forgive him for something he deserved no absolution for. I allowed myself to look in his eyes for just a moment. “I know you’re his father.”
Tyler got way too close so he could keep his voice low, but I felt that magnetic pull to him in spite of every nasty emotion roiling through me—and I just wanted him to hold me while it all drifted away.
But that was just a ridiculous dream.
“How do you know this, Meg? You said she had evidence. What did she show you? Some fake birth certificate listing me as the father?”
I couldn’t look in his eyes, afraid that I’d drown in them without listening to his words, so I focused on his Adam’s apple. “It was the results of the paternity test that showed you were conclusively the boy’s father.”
Tyler started laughing. “Really, Meg? How could I be the kid’s dad?”
Anger rushed through my veins, and I looked him in the eyes, but I somehow managed to keep my voice low. “Because you fucked her, Tyler.”
“Long before she got pregnant—long before you and me. When I got back with her after you dumped me, I didn’t sleep with her. In fact, she fucked around on me the night before graduation.” I couldn’t listen to any more lies, but I couldn’t pull my eyes away from Tyler’s and, when I tried backing away, my body refused to obey. As if sensing my weakness, Tyler kissed me. And, for a few fragile moments, I gave in. I let him inside me once more—not just his tongue, but his very essence. He filled my nostrils, my blood, my air.
My soul.
And I would never be the same again. He’d changed me, made me want more, but I couldn’t give in. Even if the distance thing could be worked out, Tyler’s infidelity brought everything else to a screeching halt. No matter how much he protested, Tyler Green was a cheater, and once a cheater, always a cheater. The fact that he was so adamant about his story, that he wouldn’t admit he was wrong and ask for forgiveness just made it worse. So while I drowned in his kiss and the touch of his gentle, firm hands on my shoulders, I knew what I had to do.
When Tyler stopped kissing me, he pulled me into an embrace, resting his lips on my forehead. And goddamn it. I hadn’t noticed until that moment that my arms had betrayed me, wrapping themselves around his torso as if holding on for dear life. But that helped me find my inner strength. I pushed myself away from him, shaking my head. “I can’t trust you, Tyler. I don’t believe you.” Turning quickly, I looked for somewhere to go, somewhere far from him as the tears started streaming out of my eyes. When I saw the women’s restroom, I pushed on the door, rushing in.
Another woman stood at the sink washing her hands and I dashed into a stall, locking the door before pulling tissue off the roll to wipe underneath my eyes. When I heard Tyler’s voice clear as a bell, I figured he’d opened the outer door to the restroom and stuck his head in. “Megan, please come out here so we can talk.”
The voice of the other woman in the restroom reminded me of a rottweiler. “Get the hell out of here, you pervert, or I’ll sic security on your ass.”
“Can you just ask the young lady to come out here?”
“Really? It’s pretty obvious she doesn’t want to be around you. So just take your pervy self out of here before I call the cops.”
“Come on, Meg.”
I didn’t say a word—in fact, I hardly breathed until I heard the door to the hallway close with a resounding thud. Had I not been so emotional, I might have thanked the woman at the sink for sending him away, but I had to get myself under control. It didn’t help that I still felt Tyler’s lips on mine.
Leaning against the metal side of the stall, I shook my head and took a deep breath, wiping underneath my nose as my sobs subsided.
Why the fuck had I ever agreed to come to this stupid reunion?
Why?
Chapter Twenty-five
About half an hour passed before I finally peeked outside the bathroom. I’d long since gotten my emotions under control, and now I was ready to leave. Hoping Lisa had finished her breakfast, I dreaded heading back into the ballroom after that scene, but I was glad my friend hadn’t tried tracking me down. I’d needed the time alone—and I figured Lisa knew that. Walking back through the doors to the ballroom, I heard Penny at the mike again, talking about memorable events from our high school years.
I was fucking sick to death of the nostalgia.
As I walked across the room to the table where Lisa sat, I felt eyes on me. Fortunately, Penny never stopped talking so she didn’t draw more attention to my presence. Mike was still next to Lisa and I took the empty seat on the other side. My friend leaned over and whispered close to my ear. “Where have you been? I tried calling your cell a couple times and texted you. Did you and Tyler work things out?”
“What makes you think we had things to work out?” I glanced around, hoping my voice wasn’t detracting from Penny’s show. “He’s a liar and a cheater.”
Mike leaned forward so I could see him behind Lisa. “Megan, I hope you don’t think I’m being too presumptuous—and it’s definitely none of my business—but are you still convinced Tyler is the father of Tamara’s oldest son?”
I felt anger at first but fought against it, because something about the way Mike worded his sentence caught me off guard—and, ultimately, made me uneasy. Suddenly, I felt a sinking feeling in the pit of my gut. “I saw the paternity results.”
“You know that stuff’s easy enough to fake with good software, right?”
Jesus. Condescend much? Just because he was a computer guy didn’t make me Luddite. “Yeah, I know that. I wasn’t born yesterday. But what she had looked to be several years old. It wasn’t something she printed just for the reunion. She’s obviously been carrying it around for a very long time.” But I tried to think back to last night. Had my emotions overruled my sense of judgment? Could I be that easily fooled?
“I have no doubt about that—and we all know Tamara’s good at manipulating people.” That pissed me off even more—but I knew I needed to focus on Mike’s words, not the way I felt. “But you and Lisa left before things got crazy here last night.” My friend nodded her head, already privy to what Mike was about to tell me. “We all found out that Billy Prescott—not Tyler—is the father of Tamara’s firstborn.”
Closing my eyes to focus on the sudden ringing in my ears, I tried to process Mike’s words. It wasn’t that they didn’t sound true, but it was a possibility I hadn’t even dreamed of. Billy Prescott, the “beloved” quarterback of our class. He was the father of Tamara’s son?
My eyes popped open. “Are we talking about the same Billy? He wouldn’t have been caught dead with someone like Tamara in public back then.”
