“Thought you could use a friend.” He says, taking a sip of his scotch.
I snort, “Yeah? Do you see one cause I fucking don’t?” I retort coldly and knock back my drink. Is this kid for real? How dare he call himself a friend after what he did—impudent bastard.
“Cole, you’re my best friend, beyond that you’re my brother man. We’ve known each other for years. If you’re waiting for an apology, you’re not going to get one.” He tells me, and I glare at him darkly. “Maybe going after Shayla wasn’t the best decision on my part, but she was single, and you’re engaged to be married to another woman. I would think if you cared enough about this girl, you’d want her to be happy with someone you know would treat her right.”
“You can tell you’ve never been in love.” I sigh, pouring myself another drink and knocking it back. “Shayla wasn’t so
“Shayla Hart, what is your sexy bum doing out here in the cold?” Jo asks, walking out on our terrace as I lay there on a pile of cushions looking up at the dark sky.“Waiting for the sky to open up and swallow me whole?” I sardonically utter as Jo lays down beside me and looks up at the sky.“Looks like you might be waiting a while on that one, Bish.” She sighs, and I smile sadly, staring up at that one bright star in the sky.“I can’t believe I’m leaving in a few hours,” I sigh and lace my fingers with Jo’s as we stare up at the sky together.“Oh, Shayla, I really wish you wouldn’t. Can’t you just pretend you left and let him think you’ve gone?” She suggests, and I close my eyes and shake my head.“I can’t, Jo,” I tell her. “I can’t be here anymore. Too much has happened. I have too many memories, I know it’s stupid,
“You bet your sexy arse he’s thinking about you when he’s with her!” Jo shouts, throwing her arms around me, and we topple over laughing. “Cayla foreveeeerrr!”Aimee and I look at Jo, confused. “Who the hell is Cayla?”Jo giggles, “Your portmanteau, silly! It’s your names together. Cole and Shayla equal Cayla!” I laugh, shaking my head.I look at Aimee, who is laughing hysterically. “Don’t let her drink anymore.”“Hey, it’s better than Cophie! What kind of lame arse name is that?” Aimee hands me another shot, grinning, and I groan. I was already tipsy, and honestly, tequila makes me go stupid.“She has a point.” Aimee giggles, taking her shot. “Their names don’t even sit right together. Should have let me punch the bitch square in her fake nose.”“Team hashtag Cayla!” Jo chirps, making a hash sign wi
“Aimee, what are you talking about? How do you know this?”“Derrick told his cousin he and Sophie had sex after they broke up when she went to pick up her things, and she got pregnant because they didn’t use protection! Derrick confronted her, and she admitted it to him, but then slapped him with a confidentiality agreement and a payout to keep his mouth shut and sign away his rights to the baby.” She explains, and I gape at her in utter shock. “That stupid bitch Sophie’s been lying to trap Cole and force him to marry her.” I felt paralysed; my feet felt like led. “Shayla, what are you waiting for? GO TELL COLE!” She screams at me, and I pace back and forth. My hands and knees were shaking frantically.“Oh, my God!” I shout my fingers in my hair. “What if I’m too late?!”“You fucking will be if you keep standing there!” She shouts, and I look at her, still stunn
“Hi,” I frown while I look at Derrick standing in the doorway. “Can we talk?” He requests. I nod and gesture for him to come in, and he does, closing the door behind him.“What are you doing here?” I question, puzzled, leaning against the wall and watch as he paces the small room rubbing the back of his neck, seemingly troubled.“Tristan, I should have done this a long time ago. I don’t know what the fuck I was thinking, keeping it from everyone this whole time.” I straighten from my position leaning on the wall, and look at him, baffled.“Told me what, Derrick, spit it out?”Derrick sighs, “That baby isn’t yours. It’s mine.” He blurts out, and I stare at him, my hands fisted at my sides. “After Sophie broke it off with me, she came over to collect her things one night, and we got into an argument, things got pretty heated, and well, we had sex. I didn’t
While my mind was reeling, I hadn’t realised we arrived at her street. I didn’t even wait for the car to stop before I dash out and race up to her apartment, taking two steps at a time till I got to the fifth floor. I bang my fist on the door in a flurry, the door opens, and I see Aimee standing there. “Please, tell me she’s here?”Aimee shakes her head, “No, she went to the church to stop you. Didn’t you see her?” I shake my head, and a bubble of excitement erupts inside of me. “What are you waiting for idiot, GO!” Aimee shouts, pushing me out the door. I laugh, grab her face, and kiss her forehead with an audible ‘mwah’ before I run down the stairs again to go back to the church. Aimee sighs, watching me fly down the steps, a smile on her face. Gerald looks at me through the window with a frown as I run toward the car and jump in.“Sir?”“Back to the church. Hurry!”
“You’re doing what?” Cole’s parents utter at the same time. Staring at us wide-eyed.Cole and I look at one another as we sit at the dining table at his parents’ house a few days later. I press my lips together to stifle the laugh that was bubbling up inside of me at the horrified look on his mother’s face.“We’re getting married in Vegas, and we would love it if you could be there with us,” Cole tells them evenly, and his mother’s eyes almost bulge out of her head.“Vegas?” She sputters, stunned, and we nod. “Like…in the chapel? With Elvis?” I mask my chuckle with a cough, and Cole looks at me, his eyes full of mischief as the corner of his lips twitch.“Yes, mother. Vegas, the chapel, Elvis, the whole lot.” Cole tells her, and she turns her gaze to me.“Son, just so we can prepare ourselves, how many times exactly are you planning to get m
As Cole and I had expected, our reconciliation made the headlines once again. Aimee came running into my bedroom the next day with Jo hot on her heels. They threw themselves onto my bed, waking me up from a very peaceful slumber.“Bish! Wake up! You’re all over the fucking internet!” Aimee shrieks bouncing up and down on my bed. I groan and pull the covers over my head, but Jo yanks it back down and flicks my nose.“Get up, you lazy moo. You have to see this!” Jo chirps excitedly, shoving her tablet in my face. I blink and look at the photo of Cole and I kissing in the middle of the street after I jumped into his arms. I smile when my heart flutters wildly in my chest. There are various other images of me running toward the church and then Cole running out of the church. The headline at the top read:Nations Sweethearts, Tristan Hoult and Shayla Hart have Reunited!“Nation’s sweethearts?” I utter with a roll
I lick my lips slowly and lock my gaze with his as I trail my finger down the side of his face. “This may just be a pretty face to most, but it’s my seat, and you best believe I’ll be riding it till I’m crying out your name over and over again,” I tell him, and he groans throatily, swallowing hard.“By all means, hop right on...” He whispers, brushing his nose over mine. “I’m going to ravish you.” He growls impatiently while sliding his hands up my thighs under my skirt. “I’m going to fuck you so hard you won’t be able to walk straight for days.” I pucker up my lips and blow him a kiss as I pull away.“You better.” I purr with a wink as I walk to the door, deliberately swaying my hips while he watches my bum avidly.“Christ, Shayla.” He mumbles as I walk away and falls back on the bed with a frustrated sigh.Back in the kitchen, the girls and I disc