Every Which Way (Sloan Brothers) (24 page)

“Where’s Aunt Rachel?”

“She had to go do a few errands in town.”

Lucky bitch
.

“Come on! It’ll be great for us to all catch up.”

Severine turned to Rennick and he shrugged. “As long as there’s alcohol.”

“This is great!”

Rennick followed her mom, and Severine was left with her dad. He stepped forward uncomfortably and gave her a small smile. “How are you, Severine?”

When he said her name, it came out formally and with a slight accent. She could only imagine that’s how it’d be pronounced in
France
. A part of her wanted to shake him back and forth and yell into his ear that he was from
Kentucky
, therefore, he had no foreign accent.

“I’m okay. School is going great, and it’s almost Christmas break, so after finals I’ll be even better.”

His expression was anxious as he nodded his head and listened. “Your mom told me you’re with someone?”

Severine nodded her head and looked away. “Mmhmm...he’s a really nice guy.”

“Well...it’s good to hear that you’re happy.” He shifted on his feet. The two of them were pulling away from
Awkward Street
and were now veering right into Painfully Quiet Boulevard.

Time tended to do that. Severine had no idea where to begin with her dad. There were no right words for her to say.

“I’m glad you’re doing well.” He opened his mouth to say more and slammed it shut. When he finally talked, his voice was gruff. “You’ve turned into a beautiful girl, Severine.”

He turned toward his black SUV before she could respond. It was the closest to a compliment from him that she had ever been given.

Rennick looked over at her and gave her a smile that was grim. He pretended to hold a grenade in his hands and pulled the safety pin out. He threw it and made the sound of an explosion.

Once their dad left again, everything would be in ruins.

Chapter Twenty-five

Severine was only gone for five days. It felt like five weeks.

The hurt was still raw, but what made her mad more than anything was the fact that her dad’s visit overshadowed the true reason for her visit.

She tried to focus on homework. The open laptop beckoned her to finish her report. She couldn’t focus on anything because she kept replaying the dinner spent with her mom and dad. They talked like everything was okay—like they were the closest of friends. When he left that night, true to form, her mom was more of a basket case than before he arrived. The silence inside her dorm room was killing her. Severine grabbed her phone and quickly texted Lily.

Meet me at the coffee shop. Overwhelmed
.

Lily’s reply was instant.
K chica. See you soon
.

Severine could call Macsen and meet him. There was a chance that he wouldn’t answer. There was an even higher percentage that he would be distant if he did meet up with her. He was treading lightly around her, acting afraid to say anything wrong.

Severine just wanted things to be normal between them. Everything else in her life was already turned upside down. She didn’t need for him to change. Right now, she needed him the most. She needed his shoulder to lean on and for someone to open up to.

In a rush, Severine grabbed her jacket off the back of her chair and hurriedly put it over her tan sweater. She didn’t give her car time to warm up, rather, she pulled out the minute it started and sped to the coffee shop.

There was so much on her mind. Lily was the only one she could trust with her feelings. She wasn’t a journal type of girl. Most times, she harbored everything. Right now, she had to have her friend.

She saw Lily already sitting at a couch facing the windows. Her coffee sat on the coffee table and next to it stood a frappe. Severine hurried inside and sat down next to her. This was the exact same spot she had discovered the Sloan brothers; the same spot Thayer had challenged her with one glare, and Macsen had snatched her curiosity. It seemed like a fitting place to be.

“Please tell me that drink is for me.”

Lily glanced up at her magazine and pointed. “Spiced chai frappe, with extra whipped cream. It seems like an extra whipped cream kind of night.”

“Are you psychic? This is exactly what I needed.”

“What’s up? Why did ya wanna meet so late?” Lily still flipped through the magazine. She was giving Severine time to say what was really bothering her.

Her hands held the plastic cup tightly. Straight to the bone, her fingers felt numb—just like her feelings. “I saw my dad while at my mom’s.”

Beside her, the pages stopped turning. “Are you serious?” Lily asked quietly, for their ears only.

Severine clenched her eyes tightly and turned her body towards Lily. “He came with Rennick and only stayed for a few hours. But it just ticked me off.”

“Maybe he wants to reconnect.”

Severine shrugged. “He’s had nineteen and a half years to do that.”

“So do you think he has an angle?”

Severine snorted and leaned back against the decorative pillow. “I have no freakin’ clue. It’s just weird.” Lily nodded her head, but she was already flipping through her magazine. “Rennick was with him though.”

Lily’s eyebrows rose high in shock. “Really? Now that’s interesting.”

“I know, I haven’t seen him in so long.”

“So how’s that piece of hot man meat doing?”

“Blech, Lily, stop.”

“He is...” Lily stared off. Severine cringed, knowing Lily was thinking about him. “God...what I’d give for one night with that dude.”

“You’re with Ben,” Severine mentioned.

Lily wiped the goofy smile off her face and was back in the real world. “I know that. I’m just saying, if I had a chance at that...”

If Severine mentioned anything about him asking about her, their conversation would quickly turn into an episode of 90210. Lily had a teenage crush on him that Severine had assumed she was over. Clearly, they were harder to forget than she thought.

“If we’re done with girl talk of the century, I need to pick out a book real quick and finish up some homework.”

Severine gave Lily an amused smile. “If? You were the one gushing over Rennick like a middle schooler.”

The two of them stood. “I’ll always go all middle schooler on that dude. He is-”

Lily paused mid-grab for her magazine. She stared at the window in horror.

“Lily, come on. You’re in the
wa-
”

Lily snatched Severine tightly by the wrist, dragged her to the back of the couch and yanked her toward the ground. She crouched there with flushed cheeks and eyes as wide as saucers.

“What the hell are we doing?” Severine hissed out.

Lily ignored her and peeked over the couch. She lowered her head back and banged her head against the back of the couch.

Around them, a few customers gaped at them like they were idiots. Severine turned her face away from them, toward the couch. This was bordering on psychotic.

“I think you need to call Macsen and ask him where he is.”

Severine had seen that look. She had given that look to so many girls throughout the years. It was a look of pity when they’d been steamrolled by a guy. Her heart slowed. She wanted to look over the couch to see what Lily was talking about, but there was no need, she already knew.

Mutely, Severine nodded and found his name immediately. When she called his phone, he answered after the fourth ring.

“Hey, Sev.”

“Hey...” she paused and glanced over at Lily’s frantic face, before continuing. “I think I’m gonna come over and hang out. I really want to see you.”

She strained to hear anything as he breathed across the phone. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Lily peeked her head over the couch once more and quickly moved back down. “Still there,” Lily mouthed.

Severine closed her eyes tight.
Please don’t lie to me. Please don’t lie to me
...

Her stomach was already dropping before he spoke, “Really? Okay, that’s fine. I’m not home yet though.”

“I’m just going to stop by Java. Do you want me to get you anything?” she gritted out through her teeth.

He paused on the phone. It felt like minutes. Severine glanced back at her spy, and found her looking over the edge of the couch. Lily reported back instantly and pointed her index finger at Severine, whispering. “Looking around for you!”

“You don’t have to,” Macsen said back. “But that’s really sweet of you.”

Severine mouthed to Lily, “Girl?”

Lily’s gaze was painful. But she nodded her head up and down. She confirmed it all.

Anger made her voice sure. It fueled her to speak. “You know what? Let’s forget coffee. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

She hung up before he could respond, stood to her full height, and walked with determination to the clear glass door.

Lily trailed behind her. “Severine, you need to wait.”

If he turned, he’d be able to see Severine looking at him. If he turned, he might be able to prepare himself for the shit Severine was about to unload on him. But that would give him a heads up. It was something he had never given her. Severine wasn’t going to extend him any favors.

He bent his head down to whisper in the girl’s ear. Severine could hear the laughter clearly. “I’m gonna kill him.”

“Shit,” Lily muttered. “I could be wrong. That could be his niece or cousin visiting for the holidays! Maybe his family is super close.”

Severine gave Lily a look and rammed her back into the door and walked outside, toward Macsen.

Chapter Twenty-six

Dark strands blew around her face wildly as Severine ran across the road to Macsen and the unknown girl. The sky was black, and the stars twinkled beautifully. A storm was coming up on them. The tree branches waved back and forth in the air and a slight drizzle of rain coated the asphalt. In an hour, it would turn into ice and everyone on the road would be more alert and careful. Severine was kicking herself for not applying that same theory to her life.

Behind her, she could hear Lily’s mumbling, “Shit, shit, shit. Double shit. Shit on a spatula, this is bad.”

Severine wasn’t stopping. Her eyes were glued to Macsen’s back. The closer she got to him...them, the more her hands shook. She considered herself to be a very pessimistic person, but the one thing she had predicted to bring her joy was now blowing her hopes into smithereens. And it hurt so fucking bad.

“Hey you,” Severine called out in a playful voice, if playful was the new vicious.

He turned around and those green eyes that had consumed her before looked at her with horror. If she weren’t the one getting crushed, Severine would’ve thought Macsen’s face to be priceless. Confusion mixed with fear. “Sev! I didn’t know you were here,” he uttered in a raspy voice. He sounded completely taken aback.

“I know you didn’t,” Severine snapped out. She looked behind him and saw the petite blonde that had been laughing earlier. She was the size of a Polly Pocket. With her bright blue eyes and pouty mouth, she could technically be labeled as pretty. Everything about her was unlike Severine.

Her lips wanted to quiver so badly. Instead, Severine bit down on the inside of her cheek to keep the action from happening. She didn’t want to give either one of them the satisfaction of seeing her pain.

Macsen was still in front of her—still frozen. Repeatedly, he blinked. His eyes never left her, and it was like he was unable to believe she was standing right in front of him. Like he couldn’t believe he had been caught.

She didn’t want to catch him on anything. He was hers. He was supposed to give her happiness and laughter. All of this felt like a joke. Severine was waiting for a bunch of people to run from the side of her car and yell out that she had just gotten
Punk’d
. Anything. Anything, but this.

“What are you doing?” It was his one chance to rectify the entire situation. This was Macsen’s one chance to step up and say that everything was a complete misunderstanding—that this blonde girl was a friend, a distant cousin, a random stranger...anything except what Severine’s mind was telling her it really was.

“I-I was just...”

The longer he stuttered, the more Severine’s pulse quickened.

“Who’s behind you?” Severine asked quietly.

He shook his head back and forth. He didn’t open his mouth up once, but the look in his eyes implied everything...everything he refused to admit. Severine took a shuddering breath and stared down at the asphalt.

“Mac, what’s going on?” the blue-eyed blonde behind him asked.

Severine’s heart was breaking. It was clenched tightly in Macsen’s hand, and the pieces of everything she trusted him with slipped in between his fingers.

Lily ran up to the three of them and stopped short when she saw the expression on Severine’s face. “Oh shit...”