White Lies (A Twisted Fate 1)

“I don’t know. Honestly, I have no clue, Willow.”

I was a little hurt Dad would share something so personal with someone and not tell me. But I knew Dad loved me and wouldn’t have done it without a reason. Maybe he died before he was able to tell me.

I stared into the darkness; my voice was stern and left no room for misunderstanding. “Don’t ever lie to me. If you can’t answer, just say so. But don’t lie. I’m going on faith that Dad told you that story for a reason. I’m going to try and trust you. Don’t prove me wrong.”

A sigh escaped him. He was closer than I anticipated. On instinct, I turned toward him, causing my lips to brush his. The connection sizzled, and neither one of us moved. Every fiber of my being was aware… acutely.

This was crazy.

I was crazy.

Suddenly parched, I licked my lips, touching his. Without warning, his lips crashed to mine.

Warm.

Commanding.

Desperate.

I moaned into his mouth. My hands moved to touch him, and he pulled away, leaving a void my body craved. What is wrong with me?

Only our ragged breaths filled the room. As I opened up to him, he pulled back. I wanted to taste him.

“I need to go, Willow. The phone is on the dresser. Don’t tell anyone about it. Does Carson know about me?”

“No. What do I call you?”

I felt him move closer before his lips were on my forehead. “Tack.”

“Tack.”

And just like that, he was gone.

I tossed and turned all night, thinking about the men who might possibly be after me, Tack, a potential pregnancy, and Alex.

My life was officially a monumental fuckup.

Again I lifted my fingers to my lips. He was familiarly comforting, and I wasn’t able to place from where.

His voice.

His touch.

The way he made me feel.

Tack consumed most of my thoughts. And I loved his accent. How long had he lived in the states?

His kiss.

Since that first night in the closet at the bar, my body came alive thinking about Tack, but I refused to admit it. My dreams focused on what his kisses would be like.

Now I knew his lips were strong and commanding and set me on fire.

It had been since the night before Alex died I felt alive like that. Truly alive… not manipulated alive. Alex had ruined so much with his lying, cheating, bastard ways. But nonetheless, it hurt to be betrayed as I’d been.

He knew a secret I’d had with my dad. I still wasn’t sure how I felt about that, but I was going to give Tack a chance to prove he deserved my trust. I hoped to hell he wasn’t playing me. It was probably stupid for me to give him as much trust as I had.

I waited for the warning bells to go off in my head, but they were oddly silent. It was truly an enigma.

I glanced over at the phone on the dresser. Now I had a direct line to Tack. Excitement raced through me. I closed my eyes for a second. Calm down, Willow. I stared at it, wondering if I should grab it. It was hard not doing the logical thing.

The phone vibrated, and I made my choice. Throwing back the covers, I ambled over and looked at the text message I’d received.

Tack: Good morning. Please let me know when you plan to leave there.

Me: Good morning. I will.

His response was almost immediate.

Tack: I haven’t been able to stop thinking about last night.

How was I supposed to respond to that? Did Tack regret thinking about me? Did he wish we’d gone further? I tapped the dresser as I thought about it. Hell, I hated lying. Honesty was best.

Me: Same here.

Tack: You feel it, don’t you?

Me: Yes.

Tack: You have no idea how happy that makes me.

Say what? That threw me for a loop. Things were progressing at the speed of a freight train, and I needed to slow things down for my sanity.

Me: This is all going too fast, Tack. Just because I’ve decided to semi-trust you doesn’t mean anything else is going to happen.

Tack: I know.

He knew? What the hell kind of response was that? I ran my hand over my face and mumbled, “Men. They say women are complicated, but men… they’re just… ugh.”

The faint smell of bacon had me ravenous. Carson was up cooking. I deposited the phone in my purse, abandoning Tack’s cryptic texts. I needed food. Coffee was also in order after the confusing text exchange this morning. I was stepping from one minefield into another.

Since I wasn’t ready to tell Carson about Tack, I wasn’t able to get his manly advice. Through the years, I’d helped him plan romantic evenings with girlfriends and he’d deciphered what guys said. It was a win-win situation having a guy as a best friend. However, Carson and I disagreed on which was the more complicated gender.

At the cream marbled counter top, Carson stood in his low-slung pajama bottoms and loose fitting T-shirt. Over the years, he had most definitely filled out. His hair was a mess and tucked behind his ears. Seeing me, he grinned.

“Good morning. How’d you sleep?”

I poured a cup of coffee. Not telling him about Tack felt dishonest, but I wasn’t ready to complicate things. Carson raised an eyebrow, and I remembered he asked me a question. “Oh, sorry. I tossed and turned all night. Good morning.”

I wasn’t a morning person.

He pulled the remaining bacon from the pan and the last pancakes from the griddle. “Why?”

I took a sip of coffee before answering. “I was thinking about all that’s happened.”

“Understandably so. You’ve had a shit couple of weeks, Willow.”

I decided I was ready to share one of the thoughts occupying my mind. “I might be pregnant.”

His shocked expression confirmed what I was feeling on the inside. He knew Alex and I hadn’t shared a bedroom in a long time. Shock then morphed to concern. “I thought Alex didn’t want kids?” My eyes cast downward. “Shit, I’m sorry, Willow. I just… this just caught me off guard. How are you holding up?”

I let out a deep sigh. “It’s all coming at me fast. I’m not sure.”

There was more to that statement than Carson knew.

“You know I’ll support you whatever you decide to do.”

“Decide?”

“Keeping the baby or not.”

I set my cup down. Irritation spread through me. I flexed my fingers a few times. I took all the pent-up anger I’d been holding inside and unleashed it on Carson. “You’re right. Alex didn’t want kids. Or at least kids with me. I went off birth control a while ago because of the side effects I was experiencing. Hell… Alex and I hadn’t slept together since we got married—at least not until the night before he died. I don’t know why I wasn’t thinking, but we didn’t use protection.” I stood taller. “There won’t be an abortion. If I’m pregnant, which is a slim chance, this baby will be part me, too.”

His arms wrapped around me in a friendly hug. I shook I was so mad. “I know you’re angry. I know you’re hurting. I think you misunderstood what I meant. It’s your choice. But whatever you choose, I will support you.”

My muscles were strung tight, and I worked on relaxing them. “I know. I’m sorry.”

In my bedroom at home, I flopped down on my bed. The bedding had been stripped and replaced with a pale yellow duvet and matching curtains. It went with the light blue room for now until I found something better I liked. While I was gone, I’d ordered a new mattress, too. It felt comfortable.

The thought of sleeping on the mattress I’d shared with Alex disgusted me, even though he’d been in here only a handful of times to sleep.

Carson went to the Whitmore Hotel headquarters after dropping me off. I needed some distance. He knew it after I erupted at him in the kitchen at the beach house. They say you hurt the ones you love the most. I owed Carson an apology when I saw him again.

Distance normally helped put thin

gs into perspective.

I sighed. Once I had the courage to take the pregnancy test, I would have a better idea what my next steps were. It was stupid, but I needed time to mentally prepare for the answer… either way. If I missed my period by two days, I would take the test.

One day at a time.

Ring.