The Life That Mattered (Life Duet 1)

“It was your mom and aunt. I’m not implying they’re not important, but—”

“Then what the fuck are you implying?”

Whoa!

My jaw hung in the air for a few moments. What was up with him? We used to laugh at his mom and Aunt Charlotte, poking fun at their “rough lives” of luncheons and how often they scolded grounds keepers for cutting the hedge shrubs a half inch too short. Graham said he would take his place in the family business, but never be cut-throat like his dad. And he wanted to marry Lila because she wasn’t a lunch-at-the-tea-room kind of girl.

Comebacks lined up on the tip of my tongue, each one fighting to be heard first. I didn’t let them speak. The Porters owned me and my family. Even if they never said the actual words, I knew the score.

The Taylors: nothing. The Porters: everything.

“I’m implying that Lila is under a lot of stress, and since you haven’t spoken directly with her, maybe you should give her the benefit of the doubt. She loves your mom and Aunt Charlotte.”

Truth.

Lila made a shocking transformation—hating all the Porters and everything they stood for when we were in college, to embracing their family because she fell in love with Graham. She was a better woman than I was. If they hadn’t owned my family, I would not have felt the need to have lunch with his mom and aunt just because Graham and I were friends. Lucky for me … Ronin’s mom, Ling, was amazing, and I loved having lunch with her any day.

“Sorry.” Graham exhaled, dropping his gaze to his feet. “I didn’t mean to snap at you. Maybe I’m feeling my own wedding stress too.”

“Go home. Take Lila to dinner. Remember all the reasons you begged me to make her give you a chance.” Boy oh boy … did he ever beg—promises of treating her like royalty, a priceless piece of art, making it his life’s goal to make sure she was always happy. Of course, all of this came after I told him she would never change her mind about him, no matter how many good words I put in on his behalf. My lack of confidence in his wooing capabilities seemed to feed his cause.

However, even if I didn’t say it to his financially generous face, I had every reason to be mad at him for treating Lila like a property that he was on the verge of purchasing. Newsflash, women didn’t have to wear pantyhose anymore or fight for their right to vote. We sure as hell didn’t have to give up our careers just because a guy put a ring on our finger. I didn’t care if he ran for president. His life and career would never be more important than hers.

He straightened his scarf. “I didn’t beg you. I didn’t need your help.”

I gasped, head jerking back. He knew that was bullshit.

Graham waved his hand as if to avert my reaction or attack I started to mount in my head.

“Anyway … she did buy some new lingerie. I suppose dinner would be a fair trade.”

I laced my fingers behind my neck to keep from wrapping them around his neck. “Screw you, Graham Porter. I’m taking my friend back. If dinner requires her to dress in silk and spread her legs for you, then you don’t deserve her. Go buy yourself a whore for the night.”

“Jesus, Evelyn … I’m kidding.” He held up his hands in surrender.

Rubbing my lips together, I shrugged. “So am I.”

“Really?” He narrowed his eyes. “Because it didn’t sound like you were kidding.”

“Were you kidding, Graham? Really?”

There it was … the crux of our friendship. He was marrying my best friend, and my instinct to protect her was fierce. He begged me for help, whether he cared to admit it or not. So I begged Lila to give him a chance. And now they were getting married. I felt like their happiness would always fall back on me, the glue that stuck them together. Unfortunately, I felt stuck in the middle, wondering if I messed up.

He slid on his gloves and smirked. “Of course, I’m kidding. I don’t ask her to spread her legs. I usually just bend her over a chair.”

No. No. NO! He did not say that.

Honestly … I had no comeback to that, but I hoped I could get the awful image it evoked to vanish from my head and never return.

“I didn’t come here to talk about Lila.”

I returned to my cleaning tasks. “I can’t talk sports. My mind isn’t there right now.”

“Ronin saved a man’s life today.”

“What?” I glanced over my shoulder, not sure I heard him correctly.

“We were waiting for a table at the lodge. An older guy behind us collapsed. Stopped breathing. Ronin did CPR until the ambulance arrived. I think he saved the guy.”