Must Be Magic (Spellbound) (10 page)

“It was last summer.” She trailed her sister through the maze of tables and chairs until they reached the dance floor where another dozen or so women had gathered behind Bree.

“Where are you going?”

Darby grinned. “I’m not stupid enough to stand anywhere near you. I’ll be blending into the edge of the crowd at the back.”

She picked a spot that looked safely out of Bree’s throwing range and found herself next to Angel. Bree’s younger sister smiled in greeting, and then someone hooted and the group of women seemed to swarm to the right.

Angel abruptly stepped back and yelled, “Catch.”

“What?” She raised her hands defensively, not realizing that Angel was talking about the bouquet until the flowers grazed her palms. Her fingers instinctively closed around the stems.

“Nice one,” Angel murmured, looking relieved she hadn’t been the one to catch it. “My mother would want me to start thinking about wedding plans if I had caught that.”

“I didn’t know you were dating anyone seriously.”

“I’m not, but my mother takes this kind of thing as an omen.” Angel shuddered. “Now you just have to hope that my cousin Reggie doesn’t catch the garter.”

Ugh.
Why hadn’t she just waited at the table?

Riley walked up to them, and Darby thrust the bouquet at her sister. “Here.”

“Uh-uh. You won it fair and square. Now I need to go grab my phone. Watching you squirm at the thought of who might be sliding Bree’s garter up your leg shortly is definitely a Kodak moment.”

“Bitch,” Darby muttered.

Riley’s grin widened, then she craned her neck as they made room for the single guys. “I wonder if Reggie plans on participating.”

“Now that’s just mean.”

But Riley had already retreated, probably in search of her phone.

The second Darby spotted the pervert in question join the pack behind Finn, she headed for the back door. If she stayed and watched she’d no doubt end up jinxing herself and get stuck with Reggie after all.

The back deck was almost deserted when she stepped outside. To her right she spotted Bryce and his father. They spoke too low for her to overhear, but judging by the expressions on their faces, it wasn’t a pleasant conversation.

She thought about escaping around the corner, then found herself turning toward them.

“Bryce? I think Finn might be looking for you. He’s ready to throw Bree’s garter.”

Without another word to his father, Bryce headed for the ballroom. He paused, nodding in what might have been gratitude, then started forward again only to stop.

“About earlier—”

“Bryce! Get your ass in here. If I have to do this, so do you.” Alex winked at her from the doorway, then motioned for Bryce to join him.

“Better get going.”

He hesitated for another moment. “Right.” And then he was gone.

Leaving her alone with Thomas Lancaster.

She walked in the opposite direction, toward the railing, doing her best to ignore the disapproving gaze that followed her. Instead of joining everyone else inside, however, he stalked toward her.

“Are you the reason my son has turned his life upside down again?”

Stunned by both the narrowed eyes that pinned her in place and the emphasized
again
, she actually retreated a step before squaring her shoulders. The one and only conversation they ever shared, she had let him intimidate her, and whatever his problem was this time, she wouldn’t be bullied a second time.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“My son almost threw his life away for you once, and now that he’s done it again, you expect me to believe you’re not involved? I’ve seen you two talking. I know something is going on.”

Taken aback by the unmasked hatred on his face, she forced herself to remain unruffled. “Bryce and I are just trying to get along for Finn and Bree’s sake. Not that it’s any of your business.”

His scowl deepened. “The same way it wasn’t any of my business when you showed up supposedly pregnant ten years ago, wanting to drag my son down with you?”

“
Supposedly
pregnant?” Her words slipped out in a shocked whisper.

“Since you came to your senses before Bryce found out, I can only assume you’ve either found a better way to manipulate him this time or you’re only interested in seeing my family ruined. It wouldn’t be the first time a Calder has gone to such lengths.”

Her head spun from trying to keep up with him. Manipulate Bryce? Ruin their family? She could barely comprehend the sheer hostility behind his accusations when her brain caught up on one part.

“Wait. What do you mean
before
Bryce found out?” Oh god
.
“You never told him I came to see you. You never told him about the baby, did you?”

It had never crossed her mind that his father wouldn’t tell him. She’d just assumed that she’d been right about him in the first place and that he didn’t want to have anything to do with her or their baby.

“What business of it was mine? It all worked out for the best. Neither of you needed to worry about raising a child. You made the right decision.”

“The right decision?”

He shrugged, but there was nothing indifferent about the gesture. “To either realize the lie wasn’t worth it or to take care of matters.”

So all these years Thomas Lancaster believed she’d either fabricated the whole thing or had an abortion? Her stomach churned as it all started to sink in.

Bryce never knew she was pregnant.

But afterward…he must have known about the miscarriage? She’d seen Dante the morning after she lost the baby, seen his ripped and bloodied knuckles. He only had to look at her when she’d asked who he’d been fighting, and she knew it had been Bryce.

Years later, when Bryce had gone to work at the DA’s office, there had been no reason to rehash any of it, but what if he never said a word because he hadn’t known any of it? What if Dante had picked a fight without explaining anything to Bryce, just assuming, like she had, that he knew about the pregnancy all along?

She wanted to think Dante wouldn’t have gone off half-cocked, but that was exactly something he would do. How many times had Dante always insisted that actions spoke louder than words?

Her heart hammered at her ribs, echoed in her ears. She clenched the bouquet until her fingers bit into her palms.

“Bryce never knew? Not even about the miscarriage?” She had to be sure that she wasn’t misunderstanding anything his father was saying.

For a moment Thomas Lancaster looked a little taken aback, then his eyes narrowed, and she knew.

Oh god, she knew.

“If you even think about pulling another stunt like that,” his father growled, but she didn’t hear whatever came after that.

Her mind spun and the world grayed at the edges.

She’d been so frustrated Bryce had never returned her calls, but when he still didn’t attempt to contact her after she’d spoken to his father, she’d been so hurt and scared. She’d spent almost a decade hating him for it. Hating him for lying to her about who he was and then for leaving her to go through her brief pregnancy and miscarriage alone.

And he hadn’t known about any of it.

Chapter Five

“You need to find Darby.”

Bryce went still at the concern in Alex’s voice. “What’s wrong?”

Alex swore under his breath and pressed the heel of his hand to his eye. “Now. You need to find her now.” His lips pressed together in a firm line.

Knowing Alex wouldn’t sound worried without a damn good reason, Bryce nodded and scanned the room for her. Whatever Darby was feeling, it had to be pretty damn intense to blindside Alex.

All the so-called bachelors were gathered in the middle of the dance floor, leaving everyone else scattered around the edges. When Bryce didn’t spot her, he turned toward the door, thinking maybe she was still outside.

Not until he reached the threshold did he remember his father had been outside too. Considering his father’s mood before Darby had interrupted them, Bryce wouldn’t put it past his father to say something scathing to the nearest Calder.

Hoping he was wrong, he squeezed past two women on their way back inside. He saw Darby and his father immediately. Whatever his father was saying had leached the color from Darby’s face.

Shit.

“Dad?” It was less of a question and more of a warning to back off. He switched his attention to Darby. “What’s wrong?”

She shook her head. “Nothing. I have to go.” She brushed past him, dropping her flowers at his feet in the process. She either didn’t notice or didn’t want to take the time to retrieve them.

He shot his father an accusing look. “What did you say to her?” Not even when he and Darby had been at their worst, which was right after he’d gone to work for the DA’s office, had he ever seen her so rattled.

Thomas Lancaster flicked at something on his shirt. “We were just reminiscing about the past.”

“Why did she look so upset?”

His father’s eyes narrowed. “No doubt she’s counting on you to follow her and ask her that yourself.”

“Darby’s not like that. She doesn’t play those kinds of games.” Maybe he’d believed that once, had been convinced she was out to screw with his head by calling him nonstop after he’d walked away.

But the look on her face just now had been anything but forced.

“Every woman plays games. Don’t let yourself be manipulated by her a second time.”

Frustration flared inside him. “What happened between Darby and me was over a long time ago.”

“Just be sure it stays that way.”

Bryce slammed his hand down on the rail. “Do not tell me how to live my life.” After their earlier argument, he wasn’t interested in hearing any more about how he’d screwed up by quitting his job, let alone what women he should or shouldn’t be involved with.

His father flinched, then nodded stiffly. “After what we went through with your brother and seeing how close you came…” His voice cracked. “I only want what’s best for you. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.” Without another word, he disappeared inside.

Thomas Lancaster so rarely betrayed his emotions—especially when his feelings were hurt—that Bryce actually felt guilty.

Damn it.

He bent and picked up the flowers, then walked around the side of the building to look for Darby. He could deal with his father later, preferably when he wasn’t still frustrated over his father’s lack of faith when it came to Bryce’s career decisions.

Letting out a breath, he glanced at the dark sky overhead before noticing Darby sitting on the same step as last night.

“You okay?”

It took her a few seconds to pull her attention from the beach. “Sure.” She forced a polite smile that only made him feel worse about leaving her to deal with the fallout from his earlier argument with his father.

He sat next to her and offered the flowers. “You dropped these.”

“Thanks.” She took them and he noticed her hand was trembling. He studied her face more closely and realized she seemed on the verge of tears.

“What did he say to you?” Bryce had spent years pushing her buttons and trading sly insults, but had never come close to upsetting her this visibly.

She only shook her head. “Doesn’t matter now.”

“You sure about that?”

Again she shook her head, slower this time, then carefully traced the bright-pink bloom on the bouquet.

“I know how much of an asshole he can be.”

Her head snapped up. “If there is a
but
anywhere in there—”

“There’s not,” he clarified. He rested his forearms on his knees. “You should have seen him when I borrowed his Porsche without his permission on my twenty-second birthday.”

“You crashed his car?” she guessed.

He nodded, relieved that she didn’t look as sad as she had moments ago. “Not my proudest moment. My father was pissed when he saw the bill for the repairs, but I thought he was going to have an aneurism when he heard about the strippers.”

She slanted him a doubtful look. “Strippers?”

“Cherry and Bambi. Luckily, neither of them was hurt or I would have dished out more than their usual rates that night. Bad enough I had to work overtime to pay my dad back.”

Her lips twitched. “Tough break.”

He nodded, somehow managing to keep a straight face.

“So what happened? Did Cherry and Bambi decide to give you a lap dance while you were driving?”

“No, but that would have been awesome.”

Darby snorted. “There weren’t any strippers involved, were there?”

“It sounded good, though, didn’t it?”

She bumped him with her arm. “Nice try, Councilor.”

“You can’t tell me that the mention of Cherry and Bunny didn’t get a grin out of you?”

“Bambi,” she corrected, grinning. “Isn’t keeping your facts straight kind of a prerequisite for being a lawyer?”

“I was just making sure you were paying attention.”