Pierced Hearts (Southern Charmers 1)

The color drains from his face, and he drops his hands from his hips, opening his mouth, but I beat him to it. “Cole Matthew Kendrick, born January twenty-eighth, eight pounds, six ounces, twenty inches long. This handsome little guy joins proud parents Pierce and Constance and big sister Maya.”

“What the FUCK!?!” He roars. “How do you know this shit?”

“I left here in tatters, Pierce. Broken, ashamed, hollow, and I went away for a reason. My brother drove up to Charlotte to break the news of her pregnancy. I found myself back in shambles. Then our dear, darling friend, Connie, followed the southern etiquette protocol and sent me a personal birth announcement—to my parents’ house. She was kind enough to repeat the action a mere sixteen months later,” I hiss, sarcasm dripping in my words.

“You have got to be shitting me.”

“No. So you don’t get to play the pity card because I do know a goddamned thing that happened to you. You got together with the one bitch in our group of friends that openly disrespected our relationship. I wasn’t gone fourteen weeks before she was having your baby.”

“I’m gonna kill her,” he spews, slamming his hand down on the table with such force my pans clatter.

“Why? Why be mad now? You have the children you always wanted, and from what I hear, they are perfect kids.”

“Leave my kids out of this.”

“Fine. I didn’t leave your ass in the dust and skip the town that I love easily. I was coming back—and I was prepared to beg, explain what happened. There was a sliver of hope that you’d understand.”

“Understand what, Darby? What you did to me was unforgivable.”

I flinch, wrapping my arms around my stomach to try to ease the pain slashing through me. He catches my actions, and for a brief second, there’s a flicker of concern. I have to shut this down. “You’re right; it was unforgivable. I was selfish and focused only on myself. But believe me when I tell you that I paid the price. There was no way for me to come back here and watch the man I thought I was going to marry live out his dream with a woman I could no longer stand. And that also tells you why I didn’t make a big deal about being back. I’m still not sure I can live in the same town. You came in here wanting some answers, and you’ve got them.”

He tears his hands through his hair, pacing a few times before pivoting and heading to the door. When he faces me, the color has returned to his face, and pure, unfiltered rage is pouring from his features.

“We’re not done, Darby. Not by a long shot.”

I try to tell him that we are very much done, but he’s gone, the door slamming so hard the vibration shakes me.

What the hell did I do?

•—•—•—•—•

“And that is that.” I toast my glass into the air in mock salute. “Five minutes alone with him, and I lose my cool, rip into him, insult the mother of his children, and let him know I was too weak to come back. I’m a real winner.”

“What are you going to do?” Stephanie asks the million-dollar question everyone seems to want answered. She’s patiently listened to me ramble on the phone for the last hour.

“I’m going to lament over my supremely bad choices and inability to control my emotions, and then I’m going to bed. Tomorrow, I’m going to show my face in public and hope like hell I don’t embarrass myself.”

“I’m going to re-arrange my calendar and be there sometime Thursday afternoon. You think you can be low key until then?”

For the first time in weeks, a surge of excitement shoots through me. Leaving my life in Charlotte was hard, but leaving Stephanie was devastating. She and her assistant, Scottie, were my lifelines. She is much more than my business lawyer and best friend. She is family.

“Low key is my middle name.”

“Good, save your crazy for when I get there. We’ve got some things to discuss.”

“Yeah,” I pause, “about that…” I draw out dramatically.

“You still haven’t told your family?”

“Nope, and I think they’re going to put up a strong fight. Mom’s doing everything she can to pull me into the community. Dad is remaining quiet, but he’s shooting me looks that scream he’s up to something, and you know about Evin.”

“You left Charlotte hellbent on following through with this deal. Are you saying after a few weeks home, you’re swaying?”

“I’m still thinking about the offer, Steph. It’s a huge decision.”

“No shit.”

“Okay, we’re not going to go over this again until you get here.”

She goes quiet, and I can image her lounging on her sofa with her own glass of wine, the thoughtful look she gets in her eyes when she’s got something to say.