Believing Lies (43 page)

“No need to apologize. I’m just so glad you came,” Karen said. I looked at her, taking in her full appearance for the first time. She was extremely pretty, with blue eyes and high cheekbones. I’d seen the graduation picture in Conner’s room with his family, but the picture didn’t do her justice. She was smiling so warmly that I immediately liked her.

“I’m glad I came too.” I said, sincerely.

“And this is my daughter, Allie.”

I turned my attention away from Karen and focused on Allie. She was just as pretty as her mom. I was instantly drawn to her bright pink eye shadow and purple eyeliner, which sparkled around green eyes. She wore a lot of makeup, but she wore it in a way that was fun and not caked-on. She had on a tight black leather vest over a fitted white T-shirt and large black hoop earrings. I loved her punk chic vibe.

“Hi, Allie. Nice to meet you.”

A stunning smile graced her face. I bet this girl had every boy in her high school eating from the palm of her hand. “You too, Sienna. Although, it feels like I already know you, between the stories Sophie and the boys tell me, and of course I’ve seen pictures.” I felt slightly out of place. Here she was telling me that she’d heard all about me and had seen pictures of me, but I barely knew anything about her. “I’ve thought about calling you so many times and just asking you to lunch or something. I’ve been itching to meet you in the flesh for so long now.” I was flattered, but also unsure how to respond.

Sophie giggled into her glass of water before setting it down. “Easy, Allie. Dial it down a notch.”

Karen smiled. “As you can see, Sienna, we’ve both been a little excited to meet you.” Her gaze fell to my belly, which was so large I could barely push my chair in. “We’re also so excited for the baby to be born. I hope that once she is, you’ll let our family be a second family to her . . . and we really hope to you as well.”

“That’s very sweet.” I paused. They were so happy and nice, and I didn’t want to be rude, but seriously, how could I be close with this family without being close with Adam? It wouldn’t work, plain and simple.

Luckily, the waiter walked to our table, giving me a much needed distraction and temporary diversion from this conversation.

“Are you ladies ready to order?” he asked.

Karen looked to me. “Oh gosh, we were so busy we didn’t give you a chance to even look at the menu.” She asked the waiter for about five more minutes.

I lifted my menu and began to look for my dinner choice while the other three made small talk about something to do with dress shopping for Allie’s senior prom next month. Deciding to just order a burger and fries, I set the menu down at the same time Allie brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. A familiar, beautiful spiral of fuchsia stars fell from her wrist. I almost threw up. I looked at Allie’s face, mentally covering her hair with a towel and imagining her without the makeup. I added a pair of black glasses.
Fuck. My. Life!

She sensed my eyes on her, and met my gaze. “Figure it out?” she asked sweetly, glancing at my closed menu.

“Yeah, Allie, you could say I figured it out,” I spat. Her brows furrowed a bit. My icy tone had also caught Karen and Sophie’s attention.

Sophie touched my shoulder and leaned in. “Are you okay? You’re shaking,” she whispered.

I didn’t answer her. My thoughts were too focused on the girl in front of me.

“I like your tattoos,” I said with a bitchy bite to my voice.

She gave a hesitant and nervous half smile. “Um, thanks?”

I cocked my eyebrow. “Did you think that because your hair was under a towel, I wouldn’t recognize you? That tattoo is a huge giveaway.” I chuckled a little hysterically.

“I don’t . . . I don’t understand,” Allie stuttered.

“Sienna, what’s going on?” Sophie asked hastily.

“Why don’t you ask Allie?”

“I have no idea what she’s talking about,” Allie stammered, eyes wide.

I looked at her with contempt. “I’m talking about you calling me a skanky ass right before slamming Adam’s front door in my face.” My heart was racing so fast it threatened to beat right out of my chest.

Allie’s mouth dropped, and her eyes nearly popped out of her head. “Oh, shit! That was you?”

I narrowed my eyes at her and scowled. “Yep. Surprise, surprise.”

She looked at me closely, and I assumed she was mentally dressing me in oversized winter outerwear. “Oh no, I’m so sorry!”

“Sorry?” I questioned sardonically. “For what part? For slamming the door in my face or for sleeping with Adam?”

People at nearby tables turned in our direction. Karen addressed her daughter in a low, commanding voice, “Allison Marie Vance, explain yourself right now.”

Allie was glancing between her mom and me, as if she wasn’t sure who to address first. She settled on her mom. “I swear, Mom, I’ve never slept with Adam,” she said with panic in her voice before looking at me. “But I understand why you would think that, Sienna. I was sleeping over at the boy’s house,
in Conner’s bed
, to keep Adam company while Conner was in Chicago with Sophie. Adam’s like a brother to me. I knew he was home alone and feeling kind of down, so I brought over some movies to watch.”

I looked in her eyes and surprisingly found honesty there. “If nothing was going on, then why did you act that way toward me?”

“You were wearing a hat.” Her eyes brimmed with tears. “I didn’t recognize you with the hat and the big scarf was covering some of your face. It was so freakin’ cold out that night, and I just wanted to shut the door because I was freezing.”

“You’ve seen lots of pictures of Sienna. How could you not have recognized her?” Sophie questioned.

“She was bundled under a huge winter jacket. I wasn’t looking close enough, and the cold weather was fogging my glasses a little.”

Could I believe her?
“But you told me that he had a girl—”

“I meant you. I was defending you.” She let her head drop to her hands.

Karen rubbed her daughters back.

Sophie asked Allie and me the million dollar question. “Why didn’t either of you tell anyone about this?”

Allie looked up and wiped a tear from her eye. “That night, I went back into the living room, feeling proud of myself. I knew Adam was only interested in Sienna, and I didn’t want any other girls thinking he was available. When he got out of the shower, I told him some skank came looking for a piece. He just laughed and told me thanks for sending whoever it was away. It never came up again.”

Sophie looked at me, and I could see the hurt in her eyes; hurt she felt for me, and hurt I’d caused her by not being honest with her. “You told me you just changed your mind about calling him. You never mentioned, even once, that you went there.” Her tone was compassionate, but she was unable to hide the accusing undertone.

“I was ashamed, okay,” I replied defensively. “After what happened at Christmas, I was trying to keep a little dignity.”

A sympathetic expression passed across Sophie’s face. “You really were going there to get back together with him and tell him you still loved him?” she asked softly.

Allie’s mouth hit the table. “That’s why you were there? I’m so, so sorry. I really screwed things up!”

I started to panic inside. All these months apart. All these months spent angry at him and myself. All the times he’d tried to reach out to me. The hole in my heart ached to the point of physical pain. I felt a hot tear stream down my cheek. “He must have been so hurt,” I whispered.

Karen nodded. “He’s heartbroken, sweetie. It kills me to see him like this. Do you still love him?” she asked simply.

“I . . . I don’t know.” I stared at my belly, my head hung low. My racing heart started to slow, and it was like I could actually feel the hole in it start to fill up. I nodded, and another tear escaped. “Yes,” I said, meeting her gaze. “I always will.”

Sophie squealed in delight, causing people to again turn and stare at us. Allie looked as if the weight of the world had just been lifted off her shoulders, and Karen was absolutely beaming.

My whole universe stopped. “What if it’s too late?” I wondered out loud, the magnitude of that thought slamming me to a halt.

Sophie nudged my shoulder and gave me a shit-eating grin. “Not on his side, it isn’t. I can guarantee that.”

Hope. It flared through me bright and powerful, filling in the months of doubt and pain.

Karen reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a plain white envelope. “Here, this is from Adam. I wasn’t supposed to give it to you until dinner was over, but I think now is the appropriate time.”

Curious, I took the envelope and opened it. I didn’t immediately see anything, so I opened it further. Tucked in one corner were two tiny pieces of paper. I pinched them between my fingertips and pulled them out.

They were fortune cookie fortunes, which had Adam’s handwriting on the backs.

I read the first one to myself.

“
What’s meant to be will always find a way
.”

My fingers trembled. It was from the fortune cookie I opened on the night we first slept together; the night I got pregnant. I flipped it over. He had written:

“Please let this be true.”

Although I already knew what would be on the second one, I read it silently.

“
If you desire something you’ve never had, you will have to do something you’ve never done
.”

On the back, he’d written in very small handwriting:

“I wanted you to love me, so I gave you every piece of me.”

A big, fat tear hit the tabletop. I couldn’t stop smiling.

“Are those fortune cookie fortunes?” Sophie asked quizzically.

“Yeah.”

“And?” she probed.

“They are exactly what I needed.” I had no more doubts about if he really loved me. The proof was in my hand. A sense of urgency overcame me. I needed to get out of here. I needed to get to Adam. “I have to go.” I saw three very concerned and leery faces. “I need to find him,” I clarified.

“What the hell are you waiting for?” Sophie questioned, a tad too loud. An older couple, sitting at the table next to us, scowled.

“I don’t know where to find him.”

“I’m sure he’s at his house,” Karen offered.

“I don’t know where that is anymore.” That realization pierced deep. I’d pushed him so far away that now I didn’t even know how to get back to him.

Sophie slouched in her chair. “Crap. Neither do I.”

Allie frowned. “I don’t either. He won’t tell me.”

“Only Tim and I know where he moved,” Karen informed us. All eyes were on her. She pulled out a pen and paper from her purse and wrote down an address.

“Thank you so much!” I snatched the paper, feeling like I’d just gotten a Golden Ticket. I stood up and started to put on my jacket, only to stop mid-button. “But what if he’s not home? I guess I should call first. I mean, if he didn’t want anyone to know where he lives, he might not want me to just show up.”

Karen reached across the table and took my hand. “You are the first person he wants to know, and that’s why no one else does. He only told Tim and me because I left him no other option.” She gave me a small smile and shrugged her shoulders. “Plus, if he’s not home, just use your key.”

The key
.

“What key?” Allie asked.

“He gave me a key for Christmas, but wouldn’t tell me what it was for.”

“Do you still have it, or did you get rid of it?” Sophie asked. It was a legitimate question since I did have a track record of throwing away or flushing things when I was hurt.

I unzipped the little inside pocket of my purse and placed my fortunes inside, before pulling out a key on a red silk ribbon. “I couldn’t get rid of it. Trust me, I’ve thought about it.” I wrapped the ribbon around my finger for the millionth time since it was given to me. “I never leave home without it,” I admitted.

I stood up, and Sophie gave me a hug goodbye and a swift swat on the butt when I turned away. I hugged Allie, who apologized a few more times. I told her I forgave her. Her intentions had been in the right place.

Karen hugged me and kissed my cheek. “I knew I’d love you,” she told me.

Chapter Thirty-Five

I made the final turn, according to my GPS, and pulled in front of a gorgeous two-story house. It was beige with blue shutters, bay windows, and a white wrap-around porch. The front yard was large and landscaped with stones. This couldn’t be the right house. This was a wealthy neighborhood, and this house was definitely worth more than a pretty penny. I pulled out the address Karen had given me and compared it to the address I’d typed into the GPS to make sure I hadn’t made a mistake. I looked out my window again and noticed the mailbox had KORBELL on it.
No flippin’ way!

On nervous legs, I walked to the front door. The outside lights were on, but no interior lights appeared to be. Holding my breath, I rang the doorbell and waited. When I couldn’t hold my breath a second longer, I exhaled and pulled out my phone.

ME: He’s not home.

SOPHIE: Use the key, dummy.

ME: I’m scared to.

SOPHIE: USE IT!!!!!

I slid my phone back into my pocket and pulled out the key. I twirled the red ribbon around my finger once and slid the key into the lock. It clicked in place. I squeezed my eyes shut and pushed the door open.

“Adam?” I called out nervously. “Are you here?”

Nothing.

I stepped in and closed the door behind me. I quickly found the light switch and turned it on. It felt weird being inside his house without him here. Then again, he had given me the key, so he must’ve intended for me to use it. My curiosity got the best of me, so I wandered about, looking from room to room. The house appeared to be older, yet very updated. The furniture all seemed new. Based on the kitchen appliances and counters, I assumed it had been remodeled recently. I went into the living room, where I saw Adam’s huge TV from his old house.
Finally, something familiar
. A beige couch, loveseat, and oversized chair filled the spacious area. I walked to the fireplace and almost fell over with shock. Lined up were pictures of me or of us together. Some of them were just candid shots of me that I never even knew he had taken.