A Twist of Fate (21 page)

I nodded my head, as I forced my legs through the burn.

"Whenever it’s just the two of us, it feels like he’d
rather be there with Maddie and the babies.  It kills me to watch him sitting
there like that.  If he's over us, I wish he'd just say so."

"Have you talked to Maddie lately?" I asked,
carefully.

"Not because I want to, but Hunter insists.  She's permanently
elated.  It makes me sick.  Whenever Hunter's around she acts like he's hers to
control and he waits on her hand and foot.  It truly sucks, because I know I
should leave him so he can go be happy, but that would mean that Maddie’s won."

“You shouldn’t stick with him out of pure jealousy.”  I
stopped treading for a minute, to catch my breath and take a drink from my
water bottle.  As the room fell silent, I noticed Hunter approaching behind Aliah.

“You know what.  You're right," Aliah stated.

I shook my head no and lifted a finger to stop her.  "Wait…"

"I'm going to tell him what he's doing is ridiculous. 
It's Maddie or me.  He can't have both."

My face turned ghostly white and my eyes said it all.  Aliah
didn't have to turn around to know that Hunter was standing there.  She spun
around, eager to finish him off.

"So that's it?" Hunter asked.  "You're giving
me an ultimatum?  After all we've been through."  He narrowed his tired eyes,
and it was anger festering beneath them.

Aliah’s expression mirrored his.  "It shouldn't be that
hard of a decision.  If you can't just say you choose me, then it's over."

"You're jealous of Maddie?" Hunter stated,
incredulously.

"You're not making me feel jealous.  You're making me
wonder what I ever saw in you in the first place.”

Hunter waved her off as he turned to leave, then whirled back
around to face her.  "You're going to forget about me and move on, just
like that?"

"It'll be easy," Aliah argued, her voice as sharp
as a knife.  “I don't have to forget you, because I already lost you months
ago.”

***

AFTER A QUIET DRIVE into Toronto, I
was in high spirits.  The night grew darker as we entered the Bar and Grill
where some of our friends agreed to meet to celebrate the long weekend in May. 
Edwin tightened his grip around my waist, just as I realized that this was our
first night out since Cameron's party; the night Samantha died.

The dining area had a few stragglers taking their time with
dessert.  Others lounged on the stark black furniture, which stood out against
the warm, brown bricks that adorned the walls.  Edwin led me past the pool
tables to the narrow staircase that led to the second floor.

After passing through another lounge area, we cut through
the dance floor, heading straight for the rooftop patio.  The weather was
seasonably warm, with summer being just around the corner, which was a nice
change after the long, wet spring.  A waitress instantly greeted us, as we
exited the open patio doors, and Edwin gave her our order.

"I guess we're the first ones here," Edwin voiced
first.

Dance music flowed freely through the open patio doors and
the occasional gust of cool air, drawn from the dance floor, doused the
otherwise stifling heat radiating from the brick building.  The lights glowed softly
beneath the bamboo gazebo and dimly lit the space that was quickly coming into
darkness.

I was starting to feel surprisingly relaxed when I took a
seat next to Edwin.  Unfortunately, that feeling wouldn’t last long.

"Here comes Maddie and Hunter."  Edwin stood from
his chair and greeted them.  "Hey, brother.  Good to see you."

I stood too to give Maddie a hug.  "Wow Maddie, you
look great!"

"You really think I look okay?  I feel so huge; my
boobs especially.”  She started giggling.  “They feel like they're going to explode."

"Who has the babies?" I asked, surprised that she
left them in someone else’s hands.

Hunter piped up.  "Maddie's parents insisted that they
be the first ones to take them."

Maddie turned to face Hunter, as though she had to defend
them.  "This is our first night out since we had them, you realize.  I had
to know that the twins were in capable hands."

Hunter rolled his eyes playfully.  "Yeah, I know.  You
haven't stopped talking about that all the way here."

Maddie poked him in the chest.  "I can't help it. 
Maybe it was too soon.  I'm already having separation anxiety."

Hunter looped his arm around her waist and bumped her
against his hip, so there would be no more jabbing fingers.  "It's only
for a few hours.  I promise to have you back to them safely," he said,
with a smirk.

"You guys aren't spending the night?" Edwin asked.

Maddie acted all flabbergasted by Edwin’s insinuation.  "Are
you kidding?  We aren't together like that.  Why would we get a room?”  Maddie
eyed up Hunter.  “Besides, I'm not ready to be away from my babies for that
long.  I miss them already."

"Well, at least we have one thing in common,"
Hunter said.

They smiled at each other and I couldn't help but notice the
flame flickering vibrantly between them.

As the night went on, more friends filed onto the spacious
patio, hovering around our table and a nearby lounge area.  As I sipped from my
drink, my eyes were drawn to a group of people lingering near the patio doors.  Suddenly,
I choked on my beverage, and a shot of electricity spiked through my body, my
heart thrumming against my chest.

Cameron and Wesley escaped from the crowd and strolled up to
the bar together. 
Since when did they become buddies?
  Cameron looked
as sophisticated as always, his expensive jeans slung from his narrow hips, to
make all the ladies swoon; myself included.

I gulped back the lump forming in my throat, but the dryness
didn't subside.  I downed my drink and, before Edwin could see why I was
darting, I kissed him on the lips and delivered a reassuring smile.  "I'll
be back in a bit," I said, before scurrying for the nearest exit.

With the most casual of glances, I noticed that Cameron and
Wesley were too concerned with themselves to notice me zipping through the
crowd.  Relief washed over me, once I realized I had managed to sneak away undetected. 
Finding a clearing, I blasted through the crowd and gasped for air when I
finally reached the open space on the other side of the small dance floor.

Just seeing Cameron was hardly an event, but I was terribly
short of breath.  My chest heaved as though I had just run a marathon and a
bead of sweat started to form on my brow.  I tried to ignore it, but my body
wouldn't lie: I was still tuned into Cameron and everything that he was about.

I observed the other patrons, staring at anything that might
steal my attention away from the thoughts I was hiding from.  I wasn’t
expecting to find Maddie working the floor.  But she was, and it looked like
her newfound chest was getting her the attention she had been looking for.

Turning my eyes away, so I didn’t disturb Maddie's little
game, I located Hunter nearby.  He was methodically drinking his beer from the
bottle, stalking Maddie from the bar.  I made my way over to him, hoping we
could help each other lighten up.

"You'd think that girl would've learned a lesson,"
I hollered, as I neared Hunter.

He glanced at me briefly, basically ignoring that our
friendship even existed.  I became uneasy when I saw the jealously raging in
his eyes, and he continued to glare into the distance.  I followed his eyes and
found Maddie still flirting with the same cute guy.  Now that Maddie had
birthed his babies, he had little reason to be so overprotective of her.

"Hey!  What are you doing in here all alone?" I blurted,
trying to break his dark stare.

He looked at me, removing his icy, defiant eyes from the
dance floor.  "Just thinking," he said, as if it were the first time
he noticed I was standing there.

"About what?" I imposed, not expecting much of a
response.

"I was just thinking how quickly Aliah moved on.  It
really pisses me off."

There was no way he was thinking about Aliah.  It would be too
much of a coincidence that his baby momma was having a good time without him,
in the direction of his glaring eyes.  I checked the dance floor for Aliah, but
she was nowhere to be found.

"I thought you and Aliah agreed separating was best for
the both of you."

"We did.  I just hate how she wasted my time.  I’ve been
blowing off Maddie, the only sure thing in my life, to keep Aliah happy all
this time.  Look where that got me.  Now Maddie's off gallivanting and there's
nothing I can do about it."

"Looks like you’re wasting your own time, if you ask me."

"Excuse me."  His tone was bitter.

"Everyone knows that Maddie has it bad for you.  You
just have to make the first move.  I've never really thought of you as a
benchwarmer," I said, egging him on.

Hunter's looked at me, dumbfounded.  "You really think
she'd give me a try?  I don't want her to think I’m on the rebound.”

"Then tell her that."

Hunter nodded to himself, working up the courage to do it,
then guzzled the rest of his beer.  He clanked his empty bottle on the bar and
looked to me.  "Here goes nothing."

FEELING PROUD OF MYSELF, I waved down
a bartender and had him refill my drink.  I headed for the table I had been
sitting at earlier and there they were: Edwin, Cameron, Wesley and Owen, all
sitting together.  I knew it spelled trouble, but there was nothing I could do
about it.

They were all laughing, as Edwin slammed his hands down in
victory and Owen left the table to sulk.  When Wes slipped into the vacated seat
across from Edwin, they looked like they were about to have a duel.

I rested my hand on Edwin’s shoulder.  "What in the
world are you guys doing?"

"What does it look like?  We're arm wrestling,"
Wes insisted.

"Seriously, Wes?” I wagered, smirking.  “You don't
stand a chance."

Wes’ arrogance flooded me like a violent, crashing wave.  "I
already beat Cam.”

"And I beat Owen," Edwin added.  "When I win
this one, I'll be the champ."

"You cheated.  But, whatever,” Cameron said, trying to
protect his manhood.  “It's only twenty bucks."

"No, it's proving that I'm the man," Edwin stated.

"There's that,” Wes said, mirroring Edwin’s smug expression. 
“But what's twenty bucks to me?"  Wes’ eyes slipped deviously up my body
and he struck me with a naughty chew of his lip.  "Now that she's here,
why don't we raise the stakes?"

I don't like where he’s going with this.

"I'm listening," Edwin said, waiting for the
proposal.  And I could tell he was intrigued, knowing his fierce, competitive
nature.

"If I beat you, I take Abby to the dance floor and
she's all mine for 30 minutes.”  He waggled his eyebrows at me and repeated
himself, as if I could have missed his vulgar comment the first time.  “All
mine."

"Make that 20 minutes and you’ve got yourself a deal,"
Edwin answered.

My mouth fell open in horror. 
What do I look like?

"Deal," Wes responded, irrefutably.

"Excuse me?" I squealed, utterly appalled.  "Do
I look like a trophy to you?"

"Relax, baby," Edwin said.  "I could have
beat Owen with a hand tied behind my back.  I'm sure beating Wes will be a
breeze."

That was a far cry from reassuring and it actually fueled
the ball of anxiety in my stomach that had quickly grew in size.  As I turned
away, I caught the fact that Cameron looked even less impressed.  That made my
heart skidder again, adding another layer of stress to the situation.

Focusing on Edwin, to show that I was not impressed, I
huffed at him.  "You're really going to play games like this?  What if you
lose?"

"I'm not going to lose."

A mischievous grin formed on Wes' lips.  "See?  Even
your little lady thinks I've got the upper hand on you."  He waggled his
eyebrows at me again and it only egged Edwin on more.

"Let's do this," he said, looking Wes in the eye.

Wes clasped his hand and matched his glare, getting ready
for the battle.

"I'm not watching this.  It's totally absurd!"  I
turned toward the loungers, but it only made me catch Cameron staring at me.

"I would have to agree with Abby," Cameron said,
his eyes protectively scanning over me.  "This is pretty ridiculous."

"You're just jealous you didn't think of it first,"
Wes teased, as they started the competition.

I couldn't manage to keep my eyes away, giving in and
watching the entire episode as it unfolded before me.  Edwin and Wes showed
feverish determination in their faces, but their hands were not moving at all.  They
stayed neutral for such a long time that I was ready to take off, until
suddenly the tables turned.

When Edwin started to lean into Wes' danger zone, I got a
little excited.  He was overpowering Wes and looked resistant to Wes' efforts.

"Yes," I cheered, catching Edwin off guard.

Wes took advantage of that millisecond, while Edwin
readjusted, and forced his hand forward.  Both of their arms were shaking and
slowly but surely Wesley began to lower Edwin's hand closer and closer, inch by
inch, until the back of Edwin's hand skimmed the table top.

With one final grunt, Wes flattened Edwin's hand to the
table.  "Ah, hah!" he chanted.

"No!" I screeched.

Wes stood from the table with both hands in the air. 
"And that's how it’s done," he announced, his tone balancing between
cocky and proud.

"This isn't happening,” I said, covering my eyes with a
hand.

Edwin looked up to me.  "I can't believe I lost."

Wes was chuckling now.  "I won fair and square.  Time
to pay up, brother.”

Edwin hesitantly lifted his eyebrows at me.  "You know
I'm a man of my word.  I’m no cheat.”

"And you think I am?”

“I have to deliver,” Edwin insisted, taking my hand and
tugging me onto his lap.  He tucked my hair behind my ear and whispered into
it.  "I love you, Abs.  And I know how much you love me.  It's only a
dance.  You can stand to lighten up a bit.  You’re stressing out way too much
these days.”

Anger made its appearance on my face, as I stole a glance at
Cameron storming off the patio with another drink.  I couldn't untangle my thoughts
with Edwin staring me down.

"What's the worst that can happen?" Edwin said, softly
interrupting my thoughts.  "So he might grab your ass.  Big deal.  It'll only
remind you of how lucky you are to have me."  He was so damn confident that
it irked me.  But it was true.

"I can't believe you’re encouraging this.”

Wes stepped in and grabbed onto my wrist.  "A deal’s a
deal."

I turned my face to Edwin, who was trying to hide his
amusement, and scowled at him.  "I'm going to need a stiff drink first."

“Done,” Wes answered.

Edwin laughed as Wes pulled me toward the bar.  I downed a
shot and it burned as it slid down my throat, but it didn’t make that horrid
feeling go away.  I motioned for another.

"Wow, you mean business.  Hey, bartender, can I get
another one of those please?" Wes hollered.

The next shot went down a lot smoother than the first, but
it still didn’t fix my problems.  “Oh my god.  What was that?” I asked Wes,
surprised by how tasty it was.

"Let's just say that the entire office will know on Tuesday
that I gave you two screaming orgasms tonight," he said, smirking.

I rolled my eyes, not even caring anymore, ready to finish
what he and Edwin had started.  “Let’s get this over with.”

I hoped to make Edwin jealous from his own stupidity, when I
let Wes hold my hand, but when I looked back at him, he was still smirking. 
Asshole.

After passing through the patio doors, Wes immediately locked
his arms around my waist and pulled me up against his warm, lean body.  It was
incredibly awkward for me, with him gyrating to the beat, but he seemed to be
enjoying himself profusely.  And damn if he didn't know how to dance.

Wes, noticing my discomfort, brought his mouth to my ear. 
"This doesn't have to be so painful," he drawled, then looked me in
the eye and tucked my hair behind my ear, just like Edwin had moments earlier.

"Edwin doesn’t deserve you.”  He flashed me a slanted
smile.  "Then there’s Cameron over there, about to have a bird.  And he's
my ride."

"Oh."  I tilted my head slightly and caught a
glimpse of Cameron's crazed glare.  "I'm sorry.  I can't even believe I
agreed to this."

"I'm glad you did," he said, with an honest smile
touching his lips.

I shook my head no.  "You'd think Edwin was my pimp."

Now Wes was the one shaking his head.  “All the money in the
world couldn't buy a prostitute as hot as you," he said, his eyes greedily
scanning over me.  He brushed my cheek again and I shuddered from the intimacy
of it, backing away on a sharp intake of breath.

"Please don't."

"There are boundaries.  I can handle that."

Quickly moving on, he took my hand and raised it up, showing
me off.  Then he attempted to pull me close again.  This time I made an obvious
effort to back away.

"Edwin thinks you should loosen up for me, remember?"

"Will you stop with the clowning?  This is awkward
enough as it is."

"I'm sorry.  I thought it might make it easier for
you."

"Well it's not," I snapped.

"What's wrong?" he asked, honestly flabbergasted
by my reaction.

"I think things have gotten a little out of hand here. 
It was supposed to be a dance and you're...you're…"

"I know what I'm doing."  Now he looked
disappointed, like I had snapped his heart in two.

"I think I've already completed my end of the
bargain," I said, fluttering my eyelashes.

He teased me by licking his plump lower lip.  "You're
sure you don't want to have a little taste?"

And even though his lips were looking as delicious as
Cameron's, I refused to budge an inch.  “I’m sure.”

To my surprise Wesley didn’t press the issue.  Instead, he followed
me back out onto the patio where we instantly noticed a commotion.

"Let's go," Wes said, brushing me aside and
hustling toward Edwin and Cameron.

I hoped to intervene, but it was already too late.

"I don't have a short temper," Edwin hollered. 
"I just have a quick reaction to bull shit!"  He jumped up from his
chair, bumping the table and spilling half of the drinks.

"Oh, you wanna go?" Cam yelled back, stepping
closer.  He tugged off his shirt and paced closer, until my fingers rested on
his warm, buff chest.

"This isn't the place for this," I ordered, trying
to break his heated glare from Edwin’s.

It only angered Edwin to see me showing care.  "Stay
out of this Abby!"

"Please," I demanded, pushing Cameron away.

"Don't push me off like that," he cautioned, only
flashing me an irritated scowl.

I was stunned by his forcefulness, but his anger was clearly
fueled by heartache.

"Don't touch her," Edwin warned, rolling up his
tight sleeves.

It was obvious that neither of them was going to listen to
reason and there was no turning back time.  Before I could think of something useful
to say, two big guys grabbed onto them and ushered them away.  A slimmer guy
approached us and apologized, but insisted that we had to leave too.  Choked up
on emotion, I rushed down the stairs after them.

Edwin stomped through the main dining area, and Cameron
hardly kept a safe distance behind him, before they reached the street.  I hightailed
it outside to intercede.  I thought to take Edwin's arm and pull him to his
truck, but before I could Cameron was already piping up again.

"I wasn't finished with you," he hollered out,
provoking Edwin.

Edwin shook me off his arm and I fell back onto the
pavement.  After retrieving myself from the ground, I searched for some backup
and only found the bystanders snickering and pointing at Wes.  I wondered
myself why the hell Wes' shirt was off.  He wasn't even involved in the fight,
but none of the ladies were complaining.

Drawing my eyes back to the real plague, I rushed in between
them again, knowing it wasn't the smartest place to put myself, but also
knowing I was probably the only one who could keep them apart.  Their eyes
could have burned holes right through me.  At that very moment, I felt
invisible.

"Face it," Cameron said.  "Abby was happier
with me and you can't handle it."

Oh shit!

"You wouldn't know happiness if it slapped you in the
face," Edwin retorted.

"If you didn't want the truth, then you shouldn't have
asked for it," Cameron went on, unfolding the story.

"What do you know?” Edwin said, patronizing him.  “Abby’s
mine.”

Cameron's mouth quirked up into a dangerous smile, his chest
muscles flexing at the challenge.  "I know that no one in their right mind
would send that beautiful woman into another man's arms."

"We've all had too much to drink.  You don't want to do
this," I pressed, trying to get through to one of them.

"Get her out of here," Edwin called to Wes.

Wes took me by my shoulders and pulled me back, as though I
were a weak, delicate damsel.  "Trust me, darlin’.  You don't want to get
blood on those pretty little shoes, do you?"

Cameron's face seemed apologetic for a moment, then it
quickly turned to a darkness that I had never before witnessed in him.

"No!" I hollered, as Cameron threw the first
punch.

He hit Edwin right in the jaw and though Edwin was forced
sideways and backwards from the blow, he straightened himself immediately and
hissed angrily at him.

Edwin spit out a mouthful of blood and a dark, demented
rumble came from his throat.  "She doesn't want you anymore.  Don't you get
that?"

Cameron was ready for Edwin's first swing and so he missed
him.  At first glance, I thought Cameron might stand a chance, but Edwin was
younger and stronger and very determined.  Both were drunk, but they exchanged
blow for blow until they were both bloody messes.  It was no use trying to
intervene now.  It was personal.

Edwin threw the game changing fist that sent Cameron to the
ground out cold.  I shrieked in voiceless agony, my body turning boneless.  I
collapsed in Wes's arms, horrified from the gore.

"Looks like you lose again, tuff guy," Edwin
announced quietly, standing over Cameron who was now crumpled on the pavement.

Edwin spit out another mouthful of blood and greedily yanked
me away from Wes.

"Help him," I breathed to Wes, as Edwin pulled me
up the street.

Wes immediately ran to Cameron and shoved the others out of
the way to see if he was okay.  Cameron was already coming to before the
bystanders again closed around him.

The night was dark and the adrenaline gleamed in Edwin's
eyes, as he quickly walked us toward our getaway vehicle.  I could hear sirens
heading in our direction.  I glanced over my shoulder, concerned for Cameron,
and found him on his feet and staring at me with hurt and frustration in his
eyes.  Wes and Owen were there with him. 
He'd be okay.