Struck from the Record (29 page)

Clay could tell right away that Andrea was completely in her element as a hostess for their housewarming party and that she was also scared as hell about what was about to happen.

“It’s going to be fine,” he told her again.

He ran his hands up and down her bare arms. She was in a sleeveless, short floral dress and heels that kept clicking all over the hardwood floor as she paced.

“I know. I know. I just…”

“It’s okay. You want to make a good impression, but…these are our friends and family. It’s not going to be any different.”

She nodded. “It’s just…it’s the first time we’re doing something like this and as a couple.”

“We’ve been doing things together as a couple for years. The only people who know that it’s different this time are you and me. The only people’s opinions who matter here are you and me.”

She straightened her back and nodded. “I know. I don’t know why I’m nervous. Silly, really.”

He smiled at her just as the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it,” she squeaked, rushing to the door.

Brady and Liz entered the room, and then there was a chorus of cries from the girls.

Liz pulled her into a hug and squeezed her tight. “Ahh!” she yelled again, bouncing up and down on her own high heels. “This is so awesome.”

Andrea laughed and then tried to wriggle out of Liz’s embrace. “Thank you. Y’all come in. Come in.”

Once Brady and Liz were inside the foyer, Andrea shut the door behind them and teetered back and forth in anticipation. “What do you think?” she asked.

“It’s beautiful!” Liz gushed. “Oh my God, show me everything!”

And then they dashed away for Andrea to give Liz a tour.

Clay just shoved his hands into the pockets of his shorts and rocked back on his heels. “At least the squealing is gone,” he said to his brother. “Drink?”

Brady put his finger in his ear, as if he were trying to hear again. “Absolutely.”

Clay led him into the dining room where he had a full wet bar set up on an antique cabinet Andrea had insisted they purchase for the room. He poured out some scotch for both of them and handed off one crystal tumbler to Brady. They each took a swig from their glasses.

Then, Brady extended his hand to Clay.

For a moment, Clay looked at it in surprise and then shook Brady’s hand.

“Congratulations,” Brady said honestly. “I’m proud of you.”

“I…well…thanks.”

“I know what it means for the both of you to be here right now and how hard it’s been for you the last few months. Wish I could have been around more.”

“Yeah, well, I doubt I would have come to this conclusion without your help,” Clay admitted.

It was strange really, to have this heart-to-heart with Brady. The one person he’d always envied…always despised…and always looked up to. His emotions about Brady had always been so unclear. Like looking into lake water to try to find the bottom. Murky and diluted with darkness. Yet things had cleared up between them. Gradually, over time, he had stopped hating Brady, stopped envying him, and just let the past go.

“Look,” Brady said, scratching the back of his head, “that stuff you said at the wedding during your speech. We haven’t really had a chance to talk since then. You didn’t really mean that you thought you’d been living in my shadow, did you?”

Clay scoffed and shook his head. “It was hard, being your younger brother, Brady. I meant every word, but I’m cool with it now. You do your thing, trying to take over the world or save it or whatever. I’ll do mine.”

“From what I hear…you’re doing some good yourself,” Brady said.

“Where I can,” he said honestly, thinking of the side projects he’d been working on with Gigi.

“That’s the Maxwell way.”

“What are you boys getting on about in here?” Liz asked, coming down the stairs again just as the doorbell rang.

“Nothing, honey,” Brady said.

Andrea rushed to open it as Liz joined them. Chris walked through the front door, and Brady walked over to greet his best friend.

“
Nothing, honey
,” Liz repeated with a roll of her eyes. “Why do I feel like you’re up to something?”

“Because we usually are,” Clay said with a wink.

Liz poured herself a drink from one of the bottles on the table and took a sip before eyeing him carefully. “I do have one thing to say about all of this.”

“And that is?”

“Maybe you’re not as big of an idiot as I thought you were.”

He sputtered and laughed. “That right?”

“I mean, I know you’re an idiot but maybe not
as
big as before.”

“Oh, I’m as big as before.”

She rolled her eyes again. “You know what they say about the ones who brag about it.”

“Last I checked, you knew firsthand.”

“You’re a scoundrel,” she said with a laugh.

He touched her shoulder and stared into her baby-blue eyes. “It would have never worked out with us, love.”

She rolled her eyes again.

“I know you’re still beating yourself up about it.”

“Oh, yeah, totally,” she said sarcastically. “Those three weeks in Bora Bora…really upset.”

“I’ll always be the one who got away.”

“Obviously,” she said with a giggle. “Now, tell me everything about how this happened.”

So, Clay launched into the story with Liz as his house slowly filled up. At some point, Gigi, Ethan, and Cash all showed up and stopped in to say hi. Andrea actually pulled Gigi aside to give her a tour. Gigi looked frightened as shit but went regardless. She was still wary of Andrea after the two times she’d thought she’d fucked things up for them. Clay just hoped Andrea would push Gigi in Chris’s direction now that he had moved to D.C. Andrea’s friend Jamie showed up with her husband, and she and Liz traipsed off to discuss the artwork all over the house. And then a bunch of Clay’s coworkers at Cooper & Neilson and people Andrea knew through her art business all filled the space.

Andrea looked way more relaxed now that everyone was here than when they’d first started arriving. She was mingling in the living room with a group of her coworkers whom she’d introduced to him, and he left her to it. He wandered into the kitchen and over to Ethan and Cash. He hadn’t had much time to see them lately…not since he hadn’t been boozing it up like before.

“Hey, guys. Glad you could make it,” Clay said, shaking hands with first Ethan and then Cash.

Ethan held up his beer. “Wouldn’t have missed it.”

“Yeah. Never thought we’d see the day when Andrea actually pussy-whipped you quite this bad,” Cash said.

“He has a point,” Ethan said with a laugh.

Clay went still. Rage filled him from head to toe. He’d always gotten along with the guys. They’d had their differences, and he’d grown tired of them over the last couple of months, but he couldn’t handle this shit any longer. They’d always talked shit about Andrea before, and he just couldn’t allow that anymore.

“It was
my
idea to move in together actually,” Clay said. His tone was dangerous and filled with warning.

Ethan seemed to get the message, but Cash had always been an idiot.

“Man, she even has
you
convinced that you want this shit. That old ball and chain. Hope you’re still fucking some hot pussy on the side.” Cash took a huge swig of his beer.

It took everything in Clay not to punch Cash in the face. It had been a while since this anger had filled him so completely, but he wasn’t going to brutalize his own friend.

“Don’t fucking talk like that in my goddamn house,” Clay growled.

“What the fuck, man?” Cash asked.

Ethan smacked his arm. “Dude, I think he’s serious.”

“Yeah, I’m fucking serious.”

“Aw, come on,” Cash said with a laugh. “I am just joking. Weren’t we just joking, Ethan?”

“No, you weren’t,” Clay said. “And you’re not going to joke about Andrea anymore. I’m putting my foot down. You have
always
treated her like shit and talked shit about her, and I will no longer fucking tolerate it. You don’t know the woman that she’s become. You clearly don’t know shit,” he said darkly. “So, fucking think before you talk like that again about my girl. If it’s you or her, I’m choosing her. Every time. So, get fucking used to it.”

“Hey, I’m sorry,” Ethan said quickly. “I hope you don’t think we’re serious about Andrea. We always knew she was your girl. Just…thought things were back to the way they were.”

“Well, they aren’t.”

“Don’t get all uptight about it, Clay,” Cash said quickly. He seemed to have realized that he’d actually gone too far. That was a real feat. “We get it. You’re a one-woman man now. We’ll back off.”

“Good.”

Clay took a deep breath and then reached his hand out to his friends. They each shook his hand again, and then the conversation shifted to the law jobs that Ethan and Cash had at the same firm uptown. It was easy to fall back into that conversation with them, but he was glad he’d laid down the law. Things had changed, and they needed to know talking about Andrea that way wouldn’t be tolerated, but he didn’t exactly want to give up his friends. They were idiots, but they were
his
idiot friends. Every group had at least one.

The night slipped away, and soon, their party guests were saying good night and congratulations. As people filed back out of the house, Andrea and Clay each hugged and shook hands with them.

Gigi squeezed him extra tight and said into his ear, “That wasn’t half bad. I’m really glad you’re happy.”

“Thanks, Gi.” He released her. “So…how about you and Chris?”

“And, suddenly, I hate you again.”

He laughed. “So, there’s hope.”

“I’m not going to talk about this with you. He and I are just friends, all right?”

“‘Just friends,’” Clay repeated, using air quotes. “I bet.”

She punched him roughly on the arm. “Stay out of it, Maxwell.”

“Can’t do that, De Rosa.”

“Good night,” she said firmly before following the other guests out.

Andrea finally closed the door and leaned back against it with a sigh. She closed her eyes. “That was great.”

“A lot of fun,” he agreed.

“No…”

“No?” he asked, confused.

She opened her eyes and looked at him, fiercely, possessively. “The way you spoke to Ethan and Cash.”

“What? You heard that?”

“Yeah. I kind of accidentally stumbled into you telling them off.”

“Well, I just…” He scratched the back of his head. He hadn’t known he’d had an audience. “I wanted them to know that you were the most important thing in my life. They couldn’t talk shit about you anymore. That you were it for me.”

She smiled, like the sun filling the room. “You have no idea how much that means to me. I’ve dreaded their presence all week.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He closed the distance between them and ran his hands up and down her arms.

“They’re your friends,” she said simply.

“They are, but they won’t be if they can’t respect you.”

“I was just worried. That’s all. I know how they influence you. I know what’s happened with them in the past.” She dragged her lip between her teeth. “I was just…worried.”

“Well, no more worries any longer,” he told her simply.

“None at all,” she agreed. “Things are different now.”

She ran her hands up his shirt and brought his lips down to meet hers. The kiss was sweet and filled with promises of a bright future, hope-filled days ahead, and all of her dreams come true.

Chapter 28

ALL ABOUT YOU

Clay stepped out of the enormous waterfall shower. Steam filled the bathroom so densely that he could barely see the mirror across the room. He reached for a plush white towel and wrapped it around his waist. After a long day at the office, he’d been dying to come home and wash the day off. Plus, Andrea had her art gallery opening this evening, and he wanted to be presentable by the time she got home.

Just then the door to the bathroom burst open, releasing the steam.

“Oh!” Andrea squeaked. “Shit.”

“Hey, I didn’t think you’d be home already.”

“I didn’t think you’d be…” She trailed off as the steam cleared, and she got a good look at him.

“Yes?”

“Whoa,” she breathed. “You look sexy as fuck.”

He laughed and ran a hand back through his wet hair. “Thanks, babe.”

“No, seriously.” She entered the bathroom and then ran her nails down his chest and over the washboard abs. “You’re fucking delectable.”

He reached for her hips and dragged her closer. “In that case, if you’re hungry…”

She wet her lips. “Always, around you.”

“Well, I can arrange for you to be well fed.”

She groaned. “As much as I want you to fuck me right here and now,” she said, taking a tender step backward, “this steam is killing my hair for the opening.”

Clay laughed and smacked her ass as she hurried out of the bathroom. He changed into the requisite tuxedo for the evening, and Andrea reappeared from their closet in a red dress with tiny straps and a narrow slit down the middle to her navel. She paired it with shimmery gold heels.

Andrea had arranged a driver for the evening so that they could enjoy themselves without having to worry about getting home. Especially if they wanted to stay after and celebrate what he knew would be an incredible success for her.

She threaded her fingers together and then apart, back and forth.

He reached out and took her hand. “You’re going to be wonderful tonight. You don’t have a thing to worry about.”

“You’re right.” She sounded hollow.

“Look at me,” he told her.

She turned her face back toward him.

He tilted her chin so that she looked up into his eyes, and he smiled. “We’re together, and nothing can stand between us when we’re together. This is just another gallery opening. You blew the other ones out of the water. You have
nothing
to worry about.”

“Okay,” she whispered.

He leaned down and kissed her lips. “Nothing,” he repeated.

“I’ll just be better when it’s over.”

“I know. You worry too much. I’m just ready to finally get to see this gallery of yours.”

A real smile cracked her lips. “I hope it meets your expectations.”