But emotions are funny because they don’t always do what you tell them to. No matter what I wanted, there was something in the air between us, hot and fierce … and it couldn’t be stopped.
CHAPTER FIVE
Jake
Aw, shit. This bridal shower sucked. It was one of those modern affairs, where both sexes were invited. But I didn’t want to be here. I didn’t want to be eating cake and drinking champagne as my fiancée unwrapped gift after gift after gift.
But it couldn’t be helped. Amanda had set it all up, and I was only here for the ride.
“Oh my God!” she squealed excitedly. “This is for me?! You shouldn’t have!”
Her friend Erica stood nearby with a catty smile on her face. Because the iPad looked white and shiny, but it was probably broken. Yeah, Erica was handing off a fake gift, something that would go straight into the trash.
But that’s how Amanda and her pals roll. They pretend to be all friendly, but it was just for show. And unfortunately, the massive living room was filled to the brim with women like this. Just my luck.
Everybody at the shower cooed and preened, making like they were having fun. They hovered around the bride-to-be, pelting her with useless gifts and compliments as if this wasn’t my fiancée’s fourth time down the aisle. Sure, there were whispers behind closed doors, eyes darting back and forth, but no one said anything aloud.
At least not in front of me.
Fuck my life.
How the hell has this happened?
Because this was such a waste. I didn’t grow up with much. My parents were middle-class office drones that hadn’t known anything else but dull cubicles, slaving away for years until an early heart attack took my dad. A drunk driver took my mom not long after.
Point is, not growing up with money, I didn’t spend the shit like water. I knew where it came from and I knew the cojones it took to make a deal. So watching Amanda spend mine like it was an endless resource really got under my skin.
Another useless function where she got to tell everybody how this was finally THE one and she was happy to start her new life with a new guy. Yeah, right. Nothing but a line.
I shoved my hands into my pockets and made my way through the throng of guests, a multi-gender affair with men and women. It was the modern thing to do now but Amanda probably did it just to double the amount of gifts she got. So fucking unnecessary.
If it was up to me, we’d roll up to the courthouse thing then go off to drink champagne and fuck at the Ritz. Actually scratch that. I wasn’t gonna touch her. I’d whisk her daughter off to the courthouse for a quickie ceremony, not her.
Damn.
This was so fucked up.
I’m such a hypocrite. What was it that Lacey had said? Her words rang in my mind again, unbidden.
This isn’t how it’s supposed to happen.
You’re making a big mistake, Mr. Mason.
Let’s talk, Jake. When you’re ready, let’s talk.
Shit. My stepdaughter was the only real person at this shindig, the only person who truly cared about me. All anyone else saw was Mr. Moneybags, a handsome hero with a fat wallet and sly smile.
Fuck this goddamn party.
I stood in a loose circle, talking with other men about nothing. Like their wives, they were mostly trust-fund babies who’d never worked a day in their lives.
Sipping whiskey, the burn took away some of the boredom. Because all I wanted to do was go chill at home, drink some fine wine and relax. Although it was a weekend, I had a meeting in Connecticut the next morning and needed to leave the city early as fuck.
So trying not to let on, I looked around.
“Those stocks are worth a mint now,” one of the husbands was saying like he knew.
“Nice,” another one chirped. “I’d love to get in on that.”
“Me too,” I rumbled, although honestly, it didn’t matter. These bastards were talking about chump change. The shit I invested in was big. Just last week, I made a couple of million in my sleep. But there was no need to let on about my true feelings. Because those involved Amanda’s hot daughter and how Lacey had somehow slipped into my life.
FML. Speaking of which…
The brunette was here, but acting weird. All she’d done was stand in the corner and play on her phone, ignoring everyone else, even her Aunt Jillian. As I watched, Jill approached her niece again, arm outstretched.
But Lacey wouldn’t look up, refusing to budge, eyes fixed on the screen. What the hell? I know my girl, and she’s not the type to be rude. Nor is she the type to make waves, and unfortunately, her caveman behavior was definitely causing people to stare.