Beneath The Lies (21 page)

By the time Carly finally left, Callie was in tears. Somehow I managed to get her to agree to go to bed and she even allowed me to lay down with her. Snuggled up tight in a twin bed, I sang to her until she finally gave up and fell asleep. Quietly, I sneak out of her bed and head back to my own and almost an hour later I give up and fall asleep, too. Hours later I come awake when I feel the bed move then Gavin pulls me tight against his chest and I immediately fall back asleep.

****

When I woke the next morning, Gavin was already up with Callie. The two of them are lying together on the couch watching something other than Frozen. “Good morning, Elsa.” Callie giggles and Gavin shoots me a peeved look.

“She’s convinced you her name has changed, huh?” Callie’s smile dims some but she doesn’t look at Gavin.

“Oh, I don’t know. I’m not sure there’s anything wrong with believing she’s a princess.” Callie’s smile pleasantly comes back but she doesn’t take her eyes off the TV. Gavin’s face changes to a look I can’t quite describe.

I end up pouring myself a cup of coffee and the whole time I feel Gavin’s eyes following my every move. When I walk back into the living room, my suspicions are confirmed as he continues to watch me. “I’m going to go take a shower then I’m going out to lunch with Gabby and Alyssa.”

Gavin’s eyes glaze over with what appears to be almost anger. He’s only met my friends once and he even agreed they are nice girls. This better not be about me not feeling up to going out.

“I’m going to go take a shower,” I repeat. Gavin’s mouth opens like he was going to say something but he closes it and nods his head.

I quickly shower and get myself ready but before I’m even out of the bathroom I hear a knock on the door followed by Alyssa’s voice. When I walk into the living room, I only see Alyssa and she’s trying her hardest to talk to Callie, who appears to want nothing to do with her.

“Ready?” Alyssa hops to her feet then turns toward the door.

“Yep.” I look over at Gavin and again I see a strange almost upset look on his face, but unlike moments ago he’s not curled up with Callie.

“Everything okay?” I ask as Gavin clears his throat.

“Yeah. I was going to talk to you about something, but not when Callie was in the room and now...fuck, now you’re leaving.” This big gorgeous man is acting almost shy and I love it. I love how different, almost soft he is with me compared to the way he acts toward the outside world.

“I won’t be gone long. Promise.” I lightly press my lips on his, not knowing if showing this type of affection in front of Callie is considered acceptable, but Gavin pulls me tight to his body and deepens our kiss. When he finally releases me, I feel like I’m in a fog of desire.

“Go. Have fun with your friends, but be safe. Remember to watch your surroundings, and don’t forget I was planning to talk to you this morning. No matter what happens from here on out, we talk to each other before we get upset.”

Instantly my mind goes into over drive trying to figure out why I would be upset, possibly with him. I was mad last night when I was here dealing with Carly by myself, and even more when he didn’t answer his phone or text and again when he didn’t come home when he implied he would, but I’ve slept since then. I would still like an explanation even if I’m no longer upset about what happened.

“Okay. We’ll talk later about what happened last night and why you got home so late. Now I’m heading off to enjoy time with my girls, so I’ve got to go.”

“Okay...later,” he adds while nodding his head.

“Bye Elsa, be good for your daddy.” I’m rewarded with another adorable giggle then I follow Alyssa out the door.

Gabby is waiting for us in her car. The two of them appear to have put their tiff behind them and went back to acting like the same pair I met when I first arrived at Berkley. Gabby drives us to an upscale restaurant in a part of town that I’ve never ventured to before.

As I’m looking the menu over I see about a thousand different salads I can order but their menu lacks what I’m really craving, which is a juicy hamburger. When the waiter comes over to take our order, I’m still lost, so I just order the same thing Gabby does.

As soon as the waiter walks away, Alyssa turns to me. “Where were you last night?” Her eyes are huge as she awaits my answer.

“Home. At Gavin’s, I mean, with Callie. Why?”

The girls discovered Gavin was a father when they stopped by to visit me after my accident. They were just as shocked as I was when I found out about Callie.

“Man that sucks. We were at a party when Kyler got a call from his brother. The whole place cleared out within seconds,” Alyssa says.

Gabby is nodding her head. “Yeah. They claim last night would be the last time, but they’ve said that before. Either way fights are happening there less and less so everyone jumped when the call came in.”

I clear my throat, trying to think of something to say, because clearly they know something I don’t. “Oh. Shit. He didn’t tell you?” Alyssa questions.

“I...” I have no idea what to say.

“Gavin hosted a fight last night at The Hill.” Gabby, unlike Alyssa decides to put me out of my misery.

“Oh,” I whisper, slightly embarrassed that I didn’t know what they were talking about.

“Yeah, I was wondering where you were. Then we saw that bitch that’s always hanging around Gavin and not you. I almost called you but Gavin removed the chick’s hands from his arm then he had a friend of his kick her ass out.”

“She was freaking pissed. Screaming at him in front of everyone how she’s going to make him sorry,” Gabby adds.

Holy crap
. I wonder if that was before or after she showed up at Gavin’s house. I can only imagine what Carly would have done if I had answered the door.

“He didn’t tell you any of this?” I swallow again, trying to figure out how I should answer without making Gavin look awful in front of my friends.

“No. He came in late and told me this morning he wanted to talk to me about last night, but he didn’t want to with Callie in the room.”

“That makes sense. I got the impression from Noah that the fight happened at the last minute,” Gabby adds with pity laced in her tone seconds before Alyssa speaks up again.

“Kyler said there wasn’t going to be any more fights at The Hill. I hope he’s wrong because I’m not about to go to Phil’s. Too scary for even me.”

The topic changes from school, to Noah, to a guy Alyssa is hoping to score a date with, then to eating a salad with nuts as the protein. Everything was going great until I suddenly hear my name being called. I glance over my shoulder in time to see Leeta appear at our table.

I smile up at her, but it falls instantly when her eyes narrow at me. I have no idea what she’s about to say but I tell just by how she’s holding her body that this isn’t the same Leeta I know.

“Kate, dear, how are you feeling? I heard about your accident.” My whole body coils with tension when I hear the tone of her voice. All three of us stop eating and look up to see this different, almost evil version of Leeta.

When I lived with Leeta there were a few times I felt she was trying too hard to be my friend, but fake or not she was always nice. By the look on her face I would say she’s taking enjoyment at my expense, and I’m not sure why.

“I’m doing fine. Thank you for asking, Leeta.” My eyes remain fixed on hers while she continues to study my features before speaking again.

“I was scared when I received the call that you had been an accident. Then I was upset when you didn’t even bother to call me yourself.”

“Oh, God. Leeta, I’m sorry. I’ve had a lot on my mind.”

She slowly taps her finger on her chin. “You’ve also been busying moving in with that no good son of mine. I guess it’s safe to say our relationship is over. There’s no way Gavin will tolerate us being friends.”

I want to reassure her that Gavin doesn’t control me, that we can be friends, but every warning Gavin’s given me is right at the surface. Not to mention the Leeta that is talking to me now isn’t the same woman I’ve known.

“I’m sure the board at SGS was happy to hear you were okay. After all, the company will be yours one day very soon.” I see looks of shock cross both Gabby and Alyssa’s face. I’ve never spoken about my father’s company or the fact that I’ll one day—very soon—be a millionaire due to my father’s death, and this is a crappy way for them to find out.

My voice when I find it is weaker than I intended. “Everything is fine, Leeta. Thank you for your concern.” Hoping she’ll get the hint that I’m done talking with her, I turn back to my friends and plaster on a fake smile. I either irritated Leeta more than she was expecting or she had a whole other reason for coming over in the first place, and I learn that with her next blow.

“I was heartbroken to learn that Shelley Johnson recently passed away. Have you ever met her? Oh wait, of course you haven’t. Your parents didn’t want you to know the Johnson’s or their son Alex. A shame really, not knowing who your birth parents are, if you ask me.”

I push the lump in my throat down as I struggle for air.
Birth parents?
A slow haunting smile forms on her face, causing a shudder to pass over my body.

“Your father had his reasons, I guess, but still the Johnson’s have wondered about you for years. Their adorable little baby that was taken from them, never to be seen again.”

I watch horrified as she laughs—actually laughs—at the blow she just delivered. “I think it’s time to go, don’t you think, Lis?” Gabby jumps up, knocking her chair backward.

“Yep, time to go.” Alyssa grabs my hand, pulling me in her direction. Tears start streaming down my face as Gabby opens her purse and tosses money on the table. All I can hear is the thud of my heartbeat as I’m being pushed toward the entrance of the restaurant while Leeta’s words remain on repeat.

My parents never wanted me to know my birth parents, someone left an article about a kidnapping, and Leeta is without a doubt trying to imply that the two are connected.

“That’s not possible...it’s just...not.” Before I know what’s happening, I lean over a bush close to Gabby’s car while my stomach rejects everything I just ate.

****

I don’t remember the ride back to Gavin’s apartment, but when I snap out of the daze Leeta’s comment put me in I’m sitting on Gavin’s couch next to him with two frightened friends staring at me. “Babe, are you okay?”

I breathe through a sigh and look over at Gavin. He’s clearly just as concerned as Gabby and Alyssa are. “I don’t know. I don’t think...it can’t be...true. Right? I mean, my parents adopted me, they didn’t kidnap me. That’s just absurd.” I jump to my feet and start pacing the room.

No one says a word as I continue to ramble on. “Leeta is demented. You said so yourself. What she’s claiming...it is just ludicrous. She’s trying to make me doubt the only two people who’ve ever loved me, and it’s...” I drop back down on Gavin’s couch where once again I break out in tears.

Gavin wraps me up tight in his arms while he slowly rocks me back and forth, trying to calm me down as my tears turn into an ugly sob.

When I start to regain some control again, Gavin speaks up. “Kate, I don’t know how you came to be your parents’ child. I only met your mother once, but that was enough to see how much she loved you. Maybe you were kidnapped, maybe you weren’t. Maybe your parents knew something, maybe they didn’t. No matter what, whatever you do from this point forward, never doubt how much they loved you. That’s exactly what Leeta is hoping you’ll do.” I know Gavin warned me about his mother, I know he thought she was after something but nothing could have prepared me for what happened today.

I look up and see Gabby and Alyssa quietly standing over to the side then I notice that Kiran is with them. That’s how completely out of it I was when I arrived. I don’t even remember seeing him until now.

“What if it’s true?” I look up and into Gavin’s dark eyes. He seems to be reflecting the same pain I feel back at me.

“Maybe your birth parents didn’t willingly give you up. Even if that part is true, it doesn’t mean that your parents were involved with it. They could have been victims themselves.” I take a deep breath, forcing my body to relax because he’s right. God, he’s right. And no matter what, I know my parents loved me, but what if? That’s the part my brain keeps going back to.

“Babe, look at me.” I bring my face up to Gavin’s. “Fuck, it guts me to see you this heartbroken. You want answers? I’ll do everything in my power to help you find them. If you’d rather we never talk about this again, then say the word and that will be it from me. But...whatever happens from this moment forward, I want you to know that your parents, they aren’t the only people who’ve ever loved you. You need to add me to the list, and like them I’ll do anything and everything fucking possible to make you happy and to keep you safe.”

My mouth drops open as I hear Gabby and Alyssa sigh. “You love me?”

Gavin looks deeply into my eyes. “Yes. I love you. I’ve loved you longer than you’d ever think was possible.”

The girls both make an awe sound, causing Kiran to smirk and shake his head at them.