“Is she asleep?” Wilder asks an hour later as I exit the bedroom at the back.
“Yes.”
“Thank fuck.” Linc hands me a beer, and I gladly accept it as I drop into the leather seat beside him. “You deserve a fucking gold star for putting up with that shit,” he adds, keeping his voice low. Everyone else is snoozing, but we don’t want them to overhear our conversation.
“She’s a handful,” Wilder says.
“She’s a conniving cunt,” Linc adds, making no apologies for not mincing his words. “Please tell me you’ve come to your senses because I cannot sit back and watch you fuck up your life by tying yourself permanently to that woman.”
“I second that,” Wilder agrees. “I know you want to do the right thing, Jared, but marrying her is not it.”
“I know. You’re right. I can’t go through with it.”
“Halle-fucking-lujah.” Linc taps his bottle against mine.
“You know I only proposed because of the baby,” I whisper. “I didn’t want my kid growing up in a broken home, but it would be worse growing up in a household where his or her parents hate one another. I can barely stand to look at Toria. There is no way I can marry her.”
“I don’t envy you breaking the news.” Wilder winces.
“I’m going to wait until after we finish the tour. I’ll hire a nurse to keep an eye on her, and I’m going to talk to the ob-gyn about my concerns. When I return, I’ll sit her down and tell her I’ll be there to support her during the pregnancy and I won’t abandon my child, but that’s as far as my commitment extends. I’ll give her the house in Florence and get a legal agreement drawn up for joint custody and child support. I’ll ensure she wants for nothing, so hopefully that will mean she won’t contest it.”
“That’s more than generous,” Linc says, lighting up a joint. “But I’m telling you now that woman will not go easy. She’ll fight you tooth and nail and try to squeeze every penny she can from you.”
“Get your lawyers involved ASAP,” Wilder advises.
“I’d go as far as siccing a PI on her,” Linc adds. “I don’t trust that woman especially after what she just said.”
* * *
Sydney
“Oh, Syd, my heart breaks for you,” Cay says as we FaceTime Sunday night. Jared’s already on a plane back to the US, leaving me to pick up the pieces of my newly shattered heart all alone again. It’s an uncharitable thought. I was the one who told him to leave the past in the past and move forward with his life. It’s not like I could have asked him to stay with me. He has a new life. A new family. There is no room in his life for me anymore.
“I feel like I’m fifteen all over again and he’s just broken my heart,” I admit.
“I’d like to say I’m shocked your father did that to you, but nothing that prick does surprises me anymore.” My bestie tosses long purple locks over one shoulder as she lies on her stomach on the king bed she shares with her fiancé, Jerry, at their new apartment in Pacific Heights. They moved from New York a year ago after Jerry got a promotion at work, and he was transferred to the Wells Fargo HQ in San Francisco. Cay is self-employed, and she set up a new aromatherapy practice at the marina. I have yet to visit, but my bestie is totally enthralled by San Fran and living her best life.
“I should have realized it back then.”
“Your dad had only just started showing his true colors. You would never have thought that of him, and neither would I.”
“True.” I swing my feet up on the couch on the terrace, sipping my sparkling water. It’s tempting to hit thevino, but it won’t help. I need to keep a clear head to decide where I go from here.
“How did Jared handle the news?”
“He was upset too. He thinks his parents were involved. He swears he didn’t send any photo to Anvil, and I believe him.”
“That lot give parents the world over a bad name.”
“For sure. And all because of something my dad did. Why did Jared and I have to pay the price for my dad’s betrayal? It’s so unfair. But dwelling on all the what-ifs won’t help me. I’ve got to let it go. Let him go. Maybe now I can put him behind me.”
“I’m not sure how easy that’ll be when he moves to Florence with his wife and child.”
“I know.” I release a resigned sigh. “It’s been playing on my mind a lot today. If he was a regular person, the chances of bumping into them would probably be slim.”
“But he’s a famous rock star, she’s a famous model, and interest in them and their kid is going to be through the roof.”
“Exactly,” I concur with my best friend as I lean back and cross my feet at the ankles. “They will be photographed everywhere, and there’ll be no escaping them locally. Everyone will be talking and gossiping about them.”
