Replace Me (22 page)

“She’s a great girl. She’s good for him. They both want the same things.” The car got quiet. I’d hit a nerve, but Ashley needed to talk about it, just like I needed to talk about Lacey. “How about Lace and Joey. Did you ever see her runnin’ to someone like him?”

Ashley laughed. “Now that’s hysterical. He makes you look like an angel.”

“I know, right. What was she thinkin’?”

“I’ve known Joey since we were little kids. He’s always had a way with the girls, even his brother. I guess it’s in the blood or somethin’. I can happily say that I’ve never been with either of them. Jamey’s goin’ to be just like Joey.”

“We had words, you know. I called Lacey a while back and he answered. He told me she was different to him and I needed to back off.”

She looked right at me with a shocked face. “Really? Do you think she put him up to it?”

“She didn’t even know about it.”

“Wow. Do you think he’s changed?”

“Hell no! He just wants to bang her. I guess he thought that if she got back with me he wouldn’t get to bang anymore.” I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. Thinking of Joey and Lacey made me insanely jealous. I’d never suffered from that kind of feeling before, especially not about a girl.

“You need to forget about her. I’m not sayin’ that to be mean. She gets to you like Ford got to me. Once I realized that and finally gave up, I started to feel better. Plus, I had these little ones to worry about.” Ford could have had a good life with Ashley. She was gorgeous. The girl had a great body and she was easy to hang out with. Sure, she had a wild side, but I found it spunky and attractive. Had she not been with either of them, I would have definitely wanted to hit it. That wasn’t me though. We were friends and that was it.

We pulled up at my parents and I turned the car off. Ashley looked at me like she was going to throw up. I grabbed her hand again. “It’s goin’ to be fine, Ash. Were two friends that are expectin’. That’s the truth. The paternity is irrelevant, right now.”

“It’s still lyin’.”

“Don’t get all honest on me, Ash. We can do this.”

She squeezed my hand. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

Lacey

“Stop moping and get your butt over here. Ford got some movies and we’re planning on vegging out all weekend.” Sky had been begging me to come over for the past week.

I still didn’t want to run into Joey. Seeing him would bring the pain back. His last words to me were all I could think about, no matter how much time had gone by. “You know why I don’t want to come.”

“I didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?” She had me scared. “He’s got a new girlfriend?”

“No. Well, I suppose he could. He left for Italy a few days ago.”

“Vacation?”

“No.” She got quiet for a moment. “Lace, Joey moved there. He got an opportunity to be the chef for some consulate. We didn’t find out until the day before he left. His brother’s staying in his place until the lease is over with.”

I could feel my lips trembling as she spoke. Not only was Joey gone, but he was on the other side of the world. “He’s not coming back?”

“Ford said it’s a dream opportunity. His mother was really upset. She was finally getting used to him living on his own and then he did this.”

“Sky, are you lying to me? Did you know about this and just not tell me?”

“No, I swear. He came to us the night before. He was short about it and didn’t give us any details. To be honest, we hadn’t seen him much lately anyway. Ever since the two of you called it quits, he kept his distance.”

“I bet he had plenty of women to take my place.”

The line got quiet again and I wondered if we’d been disconnected. “Lace, I’ve never seen a single woman visit Joey. He’d go to work, then come home. Are you sure that he didn’t want something more with you?”

“No. He made it quite clear.”

“I think he lied. We’re talking about a guy that did everything for his mother. What else could make him want to leave everything behind? Something had to happen.”

I thought about Joey being so far away. My heart was breaking all over again and I couldn’t even picture never being able to see him. I’d been foolish to not come around. “If that’s the truth, then I made him leave.”

“You did tell him you slept with Shayne. Maybe that’s what set him over the edge.” She told me like it was and I valued that in our friendship, but at the very moment I wanted to slap my best friend. I was in agony and needed to find answers, not be lectured.

“How do I reach him?”

“I have no clue. I guess his mother has a way.”

“I’ve got to go, Sky. I will call you later if I’m going to stop by.”

“Lacey, what are you going to do?”

I was sobbing and hoped that she could understand me through my tears. “I need to know the truth. Everyone told me he’d never want a relationship. What if he did? What if he was being honest to me? Oh my God, I could have ruined everything.”

“Lacey, calm down. We’ll get his number. Everything will be okay.”

“No, that’s not good enough. I’ve got to find him. I need him to know that my feelings were real. All that fighting, it was only because I was crazy for him. It was the chase that made me want him, but nothing could ever compare to what happened when we were alone. I can’t explain it. No man will ever make me feel like that, except Joey. He needs to know, Sky.”

“I can call the diner for you and get his contact information.”

“No. I need to do it myself. This is all my fault and it’s my job to fix it.”

I hung up the phone, knowing exactly what my plan was going to be. I didn’t care what it took, I needed the truth no matter what I had to do to get it. If there was a chance that Joey was in love with me, I had to know.

Chapter 22

Shayne

The house smelled wonderful when we walked inside. Peyton was the first person to greet us and I felt like I was going to vomit when I saw who her guest was. Jamey sat in a lounge chair in the living room. He nodded when our eyes met and for a split second I thought it was Joey. Ashley must have sensed my anxiety, because she grabbed my hand, getting my attention to go to her, instead of him.

My sister came over and hugged me. I whispered in her ear, “What is he doin’ here, Pey?”

“Seriously?, We’ve been seein’ each other for a month. God, you are so out of the loop. Dad is fine with it for once, so back off.”

I grabbed my sister by the arm when she started to walk away. “He’s nothin’ but a player.”

She jerked herself out of my hold. “Screw you, Shayne. Just because you screw up your relationships, doesn’t mean people can’t change. Jamey’s living at his brother’s place now. He’s got a good job and I really like him.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn ya, Pey. He’s bad news.”

“For once can you stop bein’ a big brother. I’m not gettin’ married, Shayne. We’re dating, that’s all.”

Jamey was standing next to my dad, talking about something. I wanted to walk up and throw him against the wall. My animosity grew when I saw my dad patting him on the back when he said something funny. Ashley wrapped her arm around me. “We were just talkin’ about that family and here’s one of them. What the Hell is goin’ on?” She whispered.

“I don’t know. I sure as hell am not alright with my sister bangin’ this guy. Jesus, what else?”

“Calm down. They’re just kids. It isn’t like it will last. I’m more curious as to why Joey would let Jamey move in with him. I thought he moved to get away.”

“Well, I don’t want my sister over there. Next she’ll be bringin’ his brother over here and I will have a serious problem with that.”

My dad came over with a smile on his face. He hugged Ashley, like she’d never betrayed anyone in our family. “How are you feelin’, hun?”

Ashley shrugged. “I’ve been better. I get sick a lot, but Shayne takes care of me.”

“Twins, huh? They run in the family, so one of my kids was bound to have a set. It’s a shame ya’ll weren’t married. Raisin’ one baby is hard, but two at once is extremely difficult.”

I put my arm around Ashley, not even realizing what it was insinuating. “We’ll do just fine, dad.”

He looked from me to Ashley and took a deep breath. “I hope so, son. So, you remember Jamey, don’t ya?” My dad pulled Jamey over toward where we were standing.

“Yeah, of course. He’s Ford’s cousin.” Jamey smiled, but I refused to smile back. He stuck out his hand for me to shake and I squeezed it extra hard.

“Good to see you again, man.” Jamey was just as fake as his brother. I wanted to take him out back and beat him to a pulp.

Seconds later, my mother was calling us all into the dining room. Ashley stayed close to me, avoiding the elephant in the room, while I was preoccupied with how I was going to break this kid’s neck.  Dinner was the easiest part of the night.

Afterwards, I walked outside for some air. Jamey came out and lit up a smoke. He offered me one, but I passed. “I thought you were back with your ex, Lacey.”

“Who told you that?”

“I just figured, after what she did to Joey.”

Had it not been for my curiosity, I would have already punched the kid. That’s how much I disliked him. “What are you talkin’ about? What did she do?”

He took another drag before speaking. “Apparently, Joey had it bad for her. Next thing we know, he’s takin’ a job in Italy and leavin’ the country. If you ask me, it had somethin’ to do with her. I ain’t never seen him so bent up.”

“Wait. Are you tellin’ me that he wasn’t just sleepin’ with Lacey? They were more?”

He put his hands up. “I don’t know how she saw it, but I’ve never seen my brother like that, neither has our mom. She’s torn up about him leavin’. I don’t know if she’s ever cried the way she has lately. When he asked me to stay at his place until the lease ended, I moved in the next day. It’s all fucked up.”

Joey had left his family and friends behind because he was broken up about Lacey. It made no sense, unless he’d fallen in love with her; the kind of love that makes you do crazy things. I got that knot in my stomach again, knowing that I was the cause of all of this. Lacey slept with me and it ended her relationship with Joey. “How can I get in touch with your brother?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know, but my mother does. I reckon you can call her at the diner. She’s there until eleven.”

I put my hand on his shoulder. “Thanks. Oh, one more thing. If you hurt my sister, in any way, I will kick your ass. Got it?”

He chuckled. “Yeah. We’re cool, man.”

“We better be.”

I walked back inside and found Ashley helping with the dishes. “Hey, we were getting ready to have dessert.”

“Do you mind if we take it to go? I just remembered that there’s somewhere I’ve got to be.”

After saying thank you for the meal, we headed out. I waited until we were in the car until I let Ashley know what was really going on. She seemed shocked, not just because Peyton was seeing Jamey, but the stuff with Lacey too. “So what are you goin’ to do?”

“I’m drivin’ to the diner and findin’ out how we can get in touch with Joey. I need to make this right, Ash. All I ever wanted was for Lacey to be happy. For this dude to leave the country, he’s got to have it bad for her. If there’s a chance that he’s in love with her, she should know. I can’t keep ruining people’s lives. As much as it sucks for me, they deserve a chance.”

“What’s gotten into you, Shayne. You hate Joey.”

“You’re right. I don’t like him. But, I care about Lacey. If her sleeping with me did all of this, I need to make things right, or at least try.”

“It’s not like he’s goin’ to want to talk to you, Shayne. If he left because you banged his girl, I hardly think he’d listen to anything you have to say.”

“I have to try.”

I knew I was being irrational. Most guys would be happy that their ex’s love interests moved that far away from them. Joey was no longer able to stand between my trying to win Lacey back. As much as I wanted that opportunity, I knew it was too late for me. Joey had helped Lacey move on. A part of me wished that she didn’t care about him, but I knew that wasn’t the case. Lacey had this thing about being honest. Joey asked me to stay away from her because he wanted to be with her. He didn’t lie to Lacey just to screw her like I’d originally thought. She’d dumped him for the wrong reasons and I knew that if she found out the truth, she’d never forgive me or herself.

We pulled up at the diner about forty minutes later. After walking in and getting a table, I waited for Joey’s mother to come and wait on us. She was standing up at the bar, hugging a blonde that was crying. At first I didn’t recognize who it was, until she turned around. Lacey stood there, with Joey’s mom. She was sobbing and had makeup running down her face.

I couldn’t help myself. I got up and walked over to them. “Lace, are you alright?”

Lacey

Of all the people that I wanted to see, I had run into Shayne and Ashley. I’d driven all this way in tears. Joey was gone and I had to talk to him. I was desperate.

Miss Viv. walked away so we could talk.

“What are you doing here, Shayne?”

“You first. What’s goin’ on?”

I started crying so hard I didn’t know if he could understand what I was saying. “Joey’s gone and it’s all my fault. I ruined everything. I didn’t know, Shayne. I swear, I didn’t know.”

“You didn’t know what?”

“Everyone thinks he left because of me. I walked out on him and told him we couldn’t be together. I didn’t know his feelings were real. Now he’s gone.”

Shayne pulled me into his arms and I refused to pull away. I needed the comfort out of some desperate attempt to have someone understand me. “Please don’t cry, Lace. It’s goin’ to be okay.”

I shook my head. “No, it’s not. I love him. I’m sorry. I know it isn’t something you want to hear from me, but it’s true. I fought it, I really did. I just can’t anymore. I can’t imagine never seeing him again.”

“Shh, we’ll get in touch with him. I’ll talk to him. It’s goin’ to be fine.”

I shook my head again and finally pulled away. “I’m not calling him, Shayne. I’m going to Italy. I’ve got to see him. He needs to hear it in person.”