‘Is everything ok?’ Concern is etched into Sasha’s tone. ‘I know you and him and I took a while to see eye-to-eye, but you know, he’s a really decent guy.’
‘Huh.’ I toy with the stem of my glass for something to do with my hands, the sickly sweet smell turning my stomach.
‘Honestly, he is. Believe me, I was dubious myself, but what he’s doing for that Mexican girl is utterly admirable,’ Sasha continues.
My head snaps up so quickly my neck’s in danger of breaking. ‘How is marrying a young, beautiful girl admirable?’
‘He’s not marrying her.’ Sasha stares at me, a look of bemusement on her face.
‘What?’
Hope twitches in my chest.
‘It turns out they lived on the streets together a lifetime ago. He promised her sister that he’d take care of her. They lost touch for a while, but when he found her again, he promised to help her with a visa to live in the States. The whole marriage arrangement was the quickest way to prevent her deportation.’
My jaw drops so fast it nearly hits the table. ‘He’s not marrying her?’
‘No, but he’s doing everything else he can to stop her from being sent back to Mexico. Apparently, her father’s involved with some unsavoury people over there. Ryan and Jayden couldn’t stand the thought of what she might face back home.’
‘But what about the papers?’
‘You should know better than to believe everything you read,’ Sasha says. ‘I don’t doubt he’s filing a lawsuit for that story.’
‘Is he sleeping with her?’ The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them.
‘What kind of question is that? Lula’s like a little sister to them, by all accounts. They’d been searching for her for years, but only found her after she was arrested for working illegally in a Mexican restaurant.’
‘If she was like a sister to them, why didn’t she reach out before? She must have known about Ryan’s rise to fame?’
‘She thought he’d abandoned her. And she’s been alone for so long, I guess she was used to fighting her own battles.’
Such strength from someone who’s barely more than a child. She did the pure opposite to me. Instead of running and fleeing at the first sign of trouble, she stuck it out, got a job and cracked on with it.
The waiter brings our change, buying me about ten seconds to compose myself.
Jayden wasn’t going to marry Lula after all. It wasn’t what it seemed. I should have known better. I should have trusted him. The pink bedroom flashes to the forefront of my mind. Of course, he wasn’t sleeping with her. She had her own room.
He still lied to my face, though.
I opened up to him. Let him see my darkest truths, and yet he still couldn’t confide in me about the darkest days of his own life.
Sasha stares at me for a long beat, her gaze narrowing. I can almost see the cogs whirring. ‘Oh my god, I don’t believe it, but it makes perfect sense! Pedro is Jayden, isn’t he?’
My hands fall into my face in shame.
‘No. Fucking. Way.’ Victoria slams her fist on the table.
‘Language,’ Sasha and I warn in unison.
Sasha stares at me open-mouthed. ‘I don’t believe it.’ Her mouth closes, then parts again. ‘You hate him. He thinks you’ve got a silver spoon stuck up your ass.’
I sigh. ‘Believe me, he removed that a long time ago.’ Sasha’s eyes dart from mine to Victoria’s, who shrugs, then back again.
Victoria rubs her hands together in glee. ‘Now, I’d love to hear more about that.’
‘Oh god, it’s such a mess.’ My fingers massage my temples.
‘Why is it such a mess?’
