Left Together (29 page)

“She’s
brand new! You aren’t putting anything in her.” I step back to glare at both of
them. “She runs perfectly.”

“But
if we just throw in a…”

“No!
And if you don’t let it go right this second, you’re going to be hearing ‘no’ a
hell of a lot more often, Evan Pierce!”

“We’re
done here,” he says, dropping the hood.

“Ah,
come on, man! You aren’t turning into a bitch, are you?” Jake punches Evan’s
arm. He’s shaking his head, clearly disappointed in his friend.

Evan
grins, then shrugs. “Call me whatever you want, Quinn. She’s totally worth it.”
He goes around the car to shut off the engine.

“Don’t
think you’re safe, Jake. I’ll kick your ass, too,” I threaten.

He
smirks at me. “I know that better than anyone. I was just trying to see if I
could get him in trouble.”

“You’re
a fucking asshole.” Evan laughs. He turns serious. “There’s no way you or
anyone else will come between me and my girl again.” He comes back holding the
key out for me.

“Thank
you,” I say softly, taking it from him.

“Are
you thanking me for the key, or for what I said?” One of the things I love most
about Evan is that he doesn’t care who’s with us. If he has something to say,
he’s saying it.

“Both,
but mostly because of what you said.”

He
runs his thumb along my jawline. “I mean it. You and me.”

“Really
with all of this bullshit again?!” Jade asks. “We get it. You’re in love and
all that shit. The perfect couple…blah, blah, blah.” When I glance at my
friend, she’s smiling. Before I can respond, her face drastically changes into
a look of anger and irritation. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” I notice
her focus has shifted to something over my shoulder. Evan, Jake, and I all turn
at the same time to see a very familiar Town Car coming up the driveway.

“This
is
not
fucking happening!” Jake grunts, pushing himself off of my car.

“Go
inside, Kacie,” Evan says without looking at me. “We’ll take care of this.”

“Are
you kidding me?” He knows my problem isn’t with what he said, but rather with how
he said it.

He
sighs. “I’m not being a dick. I’m only trying to help.”

“I
know, but hiding isn’t going to help shit.”

The
car rolls to a stop next to my convertible. I heard Robert quit in the midst of
all the chaos following my accident, but it looks like Sophia didn’t waste any
time in finding a replacement. It’s not like she’d consider driving herself
anywhere. The new guy steps out of the car, buttons his jacket, and through dark,
black sunglasses, glances around as if he’s escorting the president. He takes
long strides to the rear passenger side door and opens it, still checking for
anyone who may be trying to attack the witch inside. Jade and Jake are standing
in front of me and Evan. Jade is next to my car, one hand on her hip, whereas
Jake is standing tall, arms folded over his chest. They may be just a smidge
overprotective.

As the
door opens, Sophia slowly emerges from her place behind the tinted windows. She
pauses for effect. She doesn’t bother trying to conceal her annoyance at the
welcoming committee before her. The body language she puts off is as close to
profanity as it gets. Evan takes a step forward to add another person in her
path.

“Get
back in your car,” Jake says sternly. “You have no business here.”

“You
kids are so adorable thinking you have a chance in hell to scare me off,”
Sophia growls. “Run along before you get hurt.”

“Fuck
you,” Jade snaps. She’s probably wanted to say that since the first time she
met her. “You have thirty seconds until I call the police and have you arrested
for trespassing and harassment.”

Sophia
laughs. “Not going to happen. If you don’t get lost, I’ll make sure your
useless, drunk of a father is picked up on some criminal charge that will
miraculously stick.”

It’s
Jade’s turn to laugh. “Go ahead. You’ll be doing his liver a favor.”

“It’s
too late for that, but it would give me a break from having to pick up his
sorry ass from the bar a few times a week,” Jake adds. “Think of all the money
I’ll save on gas.” I didn’t know Jake was dealing with his dad. I thought they hadn’t
seen him in months.

I
watch as Sophia tries to come up with something else to intimidate the Quinns.
She must not be able to think of anything. “I need to speak with my daughter.”

“She’s
not your daughter, but you’re already aware she knows that. What is it that you
really want?” Evan asks.

“We’re
going to discuss how this family secret remains a family secret.”

“Screw
you,” I finally say. I thought I could let them handle it, but my frustration
has built up. “Get off my property.” I turn around and take a few steps toward
my house.

“Kacie,
I’m warning you to keep your mouth shut or else!”

I spin
around. “Or else what?!” I shout, hoping my other neighbors aren’t home. “Are
you going to ruin my childhood? Are you going to rob me of happy memories like
birthday parties, Christmases, unconditional love and support, and family
vacations? What else could you possibly do that I haven’t already had to live
through?” I make my way through the protective wall my friends built to look
her in the eye. “I hadn’t planned on making a big deal about this, Sophia. All
I asked of my father was for you and him to stay the hell away from me. Since
you couldn’t do that, I’ll have no problem making sure Kristen is brought back
to Tampa and flaunted in front of all your friends. Nothing will give me
greater pleasure than making sure every single one of them know about the real
Sophia Foster. The liar. The manipulator. The bitch who took a baby from a
young girl and passed the child off as her own so she didn’t have to admit she
wasn’t woman enough to keep her husband from cheating on her. That, to this
day, he
still
doesn’t respect her enough to be faithful. Now, I wonder,
what do you think the women down at your fancy country club would do to someone
like that? What about the doctors’ wives on all the committees over at the
hospital you pretend to give a shit about?”

“You
wouldn’t dare.” She glares at me.

“Oh,
no? Well, let me tell you something. If I’ve learned anything in the last
twenty-two years, it’s how to destroy someone. Wonder from where I could have
possibly picked that up? And the best part is I’ve been saving all of my rage
and vengeance for one
special
person. So go ahead, Sophia. Keep pushing
me.” She’s trying to decide if I’m bluffing and whether or not she should risk
her reputation over me. “Goodbye, Sophia,” I say, then head into the house. I
don’t bother to give her one more second of my time. She’s stolen too much of
it already.

Waiting
in the kitchen for my friends to come inside, I pour myself a glass of iced
tea, an act which has become easier to do. My left hand and wrist are already
stronger than they were only a week ago. For the most part, I’ve learned how to
function with one arm. I’ve found ways to move that don’t hurt as badly as
others. This morning, I was able to wash my own hair. It took a lot longer than
normal, but I did it. Evan was upset when I wouldn’t let him help me get
showered or dressed, but he didn’t give me too much trouble. He knows how
important it is for me to get back some of my independence, just like I know
he’s only making sure I don’t hurt myself any further.

The
closing of the door catches my attention. Evan leads the parade into the
kitchen. “I’m fine,” I call out before they bombard me with questions.

“Kacie…”

“I
promise. There’s nothing she can do or say that can hurt me anymore. She lost
that power.”

Jade
comes over to stand beside me, kissing my cheek. “That’s my girl.”

“Are
you really going to meet your mom, or were you just bullshitting?” Evan asks,
resting his hands on the counter.

I take
a deep breath and slowly release it. How did I not see this coming? “Yes, but
I’m not expecting much out of it.” Evan’s face lights up. “I’m serious.”

He
comes to my side of the counter. “Do you want this for you, or because I pushed
you?”

“For
me,” I promise. “But one thing I won’t do is use her to get back at Sophia.
That was just a bunch of shit to get her to leave.”

“That’s
my
girl!” Evan whispers, lifting my hand to his lips. 

Kacie

Since
my life has finally returned to some sense of normalcy, I’ve been feeling much
better about everything. Despite the initial relief over finding out the truth,
the few days following the discovery have been a bit rocky. My emotions are all
over the damn place. I go from happy to miserable to pissed. The happiness
doesn’t really require much explanation. At times, it’s more like a state of
elation. When I start to consider how different my life could’ve been, I get
depressed. Then thoughts of Gram surface. What if I did grow up with Kristen,
but without Gram? That wouldn’t have been acceptable, either. Then the feeling
of how lucky I was to have survived the accident begins to subside and anger
settles in. I am angry at Sam. I am angry at Sean. I am angry at missing out on
things with my real mom. Hell, there have been moments where I am simply pissed
at the world. But now I realize no matter how things have gone, it’s more
important to look at where I’ve ended up. Not many of my friends can say they
are financially stable. I’m more than fortunate in that respect, thanks to the
kindness of my grandparents. The people I’m surrounded with on a daily basis
mean everything to me. The man who now shares my address, well…he’s absolutely
amazing.

Through
these rough few days, Evan has been extremely worried, but it only adds to my
frustration to know I’m causing it. He has been keeping a very close eye on me,
following me everywhere…except when I go hide in Gram’s room. Evan always backs
off to give me space when I go in there. It’s comforting knowing he respects me
that way. Spending more time in her room has actually helped, especially when I
walk out of the room and directly into the open arms of the man I love. When
Monday afternoon rolls around, he doesn’t feel comfortable about going back to
work. I’m only able to convince him to go by telling him how getting back to
our regular routine is exactly what will make me feel better. So that’s what we
do.

I’ve
had a few more physical therapy sessions with Brian. Noah was right about him.
The man knows what he’s doing. He has drastically helped decrease my pain level
with exercises and massages to the point where I very rarely need to take my
pain medication. I even feel more comfortable lying in bed at night, and going
up and down the stairs. Those were my two biggest struggles. The best thing
about Brian is that Evan likes him, too. When Noah first told us about him, he forgot
to mention that Brian is more than twice my age and happily married with two
teenage daughters. The second the physical therapist introduced himself to us,
Evan relaxed. He also called Noah later that night to bitch about getting him
so worked up. It was quite comical on my end, so I’m sure Noah enjoyed it, as
well.

Another
thing I was able to accomplish in the last few days was getting my classroom
completely set up and ready for the first day of school, which is in a little
over three weeks. Evan drove me in for a meeting with Dr. Kelly. Afterwards, I
walked him down the hallway to show him where I’d be spending most of my time
over the next ten months. He asked what else had to be done and when I told
him, he set out to do it for me. Taking the posters and things I had purchased
a while back, he stapled them where I wanted on the bulletin boards. I had my
finalized class list, so I had made name cards for all of the student desks and
Evan taped them across the top of each one. We separated the books into reading
levels and put them into bins. Since he was there, I had him move my desk and
also an easel that is taller and weighs more than I do. One of my favorite
things to do with the kids is circle time, so I ordered a soft, comfy rug and
had it delivered to school. It was stored in one of the offices. Once Monica,
the receptionist, was able to locate it, Evan went to get it and unrolled it.
The only other thing that needed to be done was to make copies of all the
“Welcome to First Grade” papers I have to give to each student. I left that
with Monica, and Evan will pick them up early next week to bring home for me to
sort and stuff into packets. Before we left, he tried to fulfill his bad student/teacher
fantasy in an actual classroom. I gave him credit for putting in the effort,
but that was it.

Around
dinnertime, Jade, Jake, and Kyle come strolling into my living room. I assume
they are looking for something to eat because they have all just finished work.

“You’re
not going out dressed like that, are you?” Jake wonders, glancing down at my
t-shirt and old running shorts.

“I’m
not going anywhere,” I reply, turning my attention back to the weatherman on
the television.

“Yeah,
we are,” Kyle adds. “We’re sick of coming over here to babysit your sorry ass.
I’d like to sit someplace where a hot girl serves me a cold drink.”

“Remember
that the next time you ask me to get you a beer, you son of a bitch,” Jade barks,
shaking her head.

Smiling,
he kisses her on the cheek. “Baby, I offered to get you takeout and feed it to
you while holding you hostage at my place for the weekend, but you declined.”

“I
wonder why,” Jade mumbles, annoyed. “Anyway, can we please go out, Kacie? I
don’t feel like cooking or cleaning anything up tonight.”

“You
guys go ahead.”

“We
want you to come with us or we wouldn’t be here,” Jake says. “After we get
something to eat, we can swing by Skyline for a drink or two.”

“Maybe
you haven’t noticed, but I have this very unattractive scar running down my
arm. There’s nothing I could wear to Skyline that would cover it.”

“I think
it looks pretty awesome. Why the hell would you want to cover it?” Kyle remarks,
falling onto the sofa next to me.

“That’s
such a guy thing to say.” I chuckle. “Besides, I still have to wear that stupid
strap thing.”

“Stop
making excuses, Foster. Go get your ass dressed. If you dress slutty enough, no
one will notice your arm.” Jake shoves my leg as he sits down on the other
side. “For real. I’m fucking hungry. Hurry the hell up.”

Under a
ridiculous amount of peer pressure, I make myself presentable. The final result
isn’t perfect, but it’s good enough to go to the dark club.

We have
a decent dinner, then make our way to the club before the normal Friday night
rush. Once inside, most of the staff surrounds me with hugs and say how happy
they are to see me back at Skyline. It has been awhile and the last time didn’t
end so well. When they have hung around a tad too long, their boss comes over
to see what’s keeping them from the customers.

“Well,
how the hell did you manage to get her out of the house?” Evan asks my friends
as he comes over to kiss me.

“We
didn’t give her a choice,” Jake says before taking a long sip of his beer. I’m
glad they didn’t because it is exactly what I need.

***

Lately,
I’ve been waiting patiently in bed for Evan to wake up. Sometimes I spend the
time reading. Occasionally, I play games on my phone. If my laptop is close by,
I’ll fire it up and work on stuff for school. Most of the time, though, I enjoy
relaxing next to Evan before starting the day. Today, I’m too antsy to sit here
anymore. It’s so hard to sneak out when he sleeps right up against me, though.

Just
when I think I’m clear, his groggy voice startles me, “Where are you going?
What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s
wrong. Go back to sleep,” I whisper, feeling guilty for interrupting him. He
was home earlier than normal this morning, but I’m sure he’s still tired.

“Only
if you get your beautiful ass back in this bed with me.” He’s now propped up on
one elbow, trying to wake up.

“I
can’t sit there anymore. I have to get up and move around.”

“Why?”

“I
have a favor to ask you.”

A sexy
grin spreads over his too-handsome-for-his-own-damn-good face. “I fucking love
when you ask me for favors in the morning.”

I
return the smile. “I’m not talking about sex, Evan.”

“Damn.”
He rolls onto his back. “What is it then?” he asks, almost as if he’s bored.

“I
need you to take me somewhere.”

“Where?”

I
hesitate for only a second. “Port Charlotte.”

Evan
immediately pulls himself up. “Really?”

“Don’t
get too excited. I just want you to drive by so I can see her house.” He raises
his eyebrows. “I need to know she’s living in a decent place.”

“Sweetheart,
you can see the house by using Google Maps.”

“Not
well enough, you can’t.” 

“You
turn me the hell on when you pout like that,” he says, climbing out from under
the blankets and coming toward me. He’s wearing boxer briefs, but I’m familiar
with what’s under them. I take a step backward, making him smirk. “You’re not
getting away.”  

“Who
says I’m trying to?” It’s quite difficult to keep the smile off my face.

“Come
here.” He’s kneeling close to the edge of our bed, holding his arms out. Does
he have to be so damn sexy all the time? Instinctively, my body moves toward
his. As soon as the only thing separating us is my thin, worn tank top, his
lips touch my forehead and I let out a sigh. It’s frustrating not being able to
wrap both of my arms around him, but I make do. He raises the bottom of my
shirt to place his hands on my bare skin. “I really want to throw your ass back
in this bed and make you scream my name all fucking day.”

“Hmm.
That sounds like it would be a lot of fun,” I mumble, closing my eyes to
imagine it. The way he trails his fingers up and down my ribcage is exciting
and hot as hell.

His
chest vibrates with a chuckle. “Too bad. We’re going on a road trip.” Evan
pulls away so I can see him wink.

“I
changed my mind. Let’s stay here,” I say as he gets off the bed.

“Nope.”

“For
real. We can go another time. Your idea is much better than mine.”

“Of
course it is,” he calls over his shoulder, walking to the bathroom. Just before
getting there, he turns to look at me with his sexy grin firmly in place.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. The second we get home, we’ll finish this, even if
it’s up against the inside of the front door.” Then, the bastard disappears,
leaving me standing in the middle of the room all by myself.

***

I’m
getting better at watching the scenery go by while sitting in the passenger
seat of my convertible. The only problem is that it allows too much time to
think. If I was the one behind the wheel, at least I’d be focused on driving,
instead of having the doubt setting in. Why the hell am I going to Port
Charlotte without finding out if Kristen wants me there? I suppose it doesn’t
matter. I’m not going to speak to her. Actually, it’s not even like I’m going
to see her. So no big deal, right?

“Hey,”
Evan says, lowering the volume of the music. “Did you hear what I said?”

“No.
I’m sorry. I was just…”

“You’re
not pissed because I turned you down this morning, are you?”

I
laugh, more at the look on his face than at what he said. “Please. If I wanted
you, I would have had you. And, just for the record, you would’ve enjoyed every
wonderful second of it.”

“Fuck
me,” he groans. “I’m going to have to pull this car over if you keep that shit
up.”

“Do
you really think I’d let you get my car all dirty?”

“Do
you
really think something like that would stop me?” He reaches over the center
console to run the back of his hand along my thigh. “Why are you so distracted?
Because of your mom?”

“Just
thinking,” I respond, glancing down at his fingers creeping higher up the
inside of my leg.

“Like
that, don’t you?”
Cocky son of a bitch
. Using just the tip of my finger,
I lightly trace where our skin meets. I may also be licking my lips in a
certain provocative way. “If you don’t knock that shit off, you’re going to
make me lose control of this beautiful car.”

“Just
the car?” It’s my turn to smirk at him.

“I’ve
already lost control of everything else. You did that to me the first time we
met.”

“Such
a sweet talker,” I tease, giggling.

“Not
even close. Sweet talking is what you get when a guy is trying to get in your
panties.” He raises his hand until his pinky sneaks under the bottom of my
shorts. “I don’t have to try. I own those bitches.”

“What
if I said I wasn’t wearing any?”

He
suddenly stills. “I’d say your car is about to get really fucking filthy.” He
pulls his hand away from my leg to adjust his shorts. “Damn it!” he barks as he
swerves just in time to catch the exit.

“Maybe
you should be paying more attention to the road rather than to my panties.”

“You
say that as if such a thing is possible,” he says, looking around at the street
signs.

 “What
were you talking about while I was zoned out?” I don’t want to get lost, so I
change the subject to let him concentrate. He looked up the directions on how
to get to Kristen’s, so I have no idea where we’re going.