Sweet Alibi (24 page)

“Fuck,” I whispered to the empty room.

“What was that, babe?” Kyle walked in and wrapped an arm around my waist. I leaned into him and sighed, but less out of comfort over being in Kyle's arms and more out of frustration for the havoc Tristan wreaked on my body.

* * *

“MORNING.” I WOKE the next morning curled around Kyle's body, his arm beneath my head, my hair spread across my pillow and his chest. I inhaled deeply and a bright smile crossed my face.

“Morning,” I smiled and tucked into his shoulder further.

“Beautiful as ever in the morning.” He placed a kiss on my head.

“I missed waking up with you,” I whispered.

“I missed it too, baby,” he said as he stroked my hair with one palm. We sat silently for a few minutes, the waves crashing outside of the open window a constant hum to the soundtrack of my new life on the beach. I loved it.

“Open your eyes.” I could feel his lips moving against my hair. I inhaled a deep breath of his skin before my eyes fluttered open. I turned to look up into his face but my eyes landed on a black velvet box sitting on his chest.

“Kyle.” My mouth dropped in shock.

“I missed you, Georgia. So much. I hated coming home and you not being there. I want you to always be there. This was the longest we’ve been apart and I never want to be apart again.” He lifted the box with his free hand and snapped the lid open. “Will you marry me, Georgia Hope Montgomery?”

Tears welled in my eyes as I stared at the stunning oversized princess cut diamond shining back at me.

“Kyle.” My eyes rocketed to his and I got lost in their chocolatey depths. I saw emotion pooled in them and I flung myself onto his chest and pressed my lips to his. “I missed you so much.” The levees burst and tears streamed down my face, but I refused to remove my lips from his. He kissed me back, holding my head tightly, his fingers twisted in my hair.

He finally pulled away. “Is that a yes?”

“Kyle, I don’t know. I want to spend my life with you, but this is all so much. This summer has been so hard
―
”

“I know, baby. That’s why I’m here. Being apart from you made me realize how much I need you. How much I’ve missed you
―
missed us -- over the last few years. I’m not going to work as much. Once this promotion business is off the table, that’s it. We get married, we move to the ’burbs, and we have babies. That’s what I want, and I want it with you.” His eyes held mine, pleading, searching, waiting. My emotions swirled, the thoughts spun through my head. Glimpses of my life played before my eyes. Kyle when we were young, kisses in the parking lot before school, summer nights under the stars, high school graduation, college graduation, finding him bleary-eyed at the dining room table hunched over law books, the beach house, Tristan, sailing with Tristan, reading with Tristan, the vineyard with Tristan. The laughter, the smiles, the flirting
―
all with Tristan. Kyle had soothed my soul, been my reason for living for many years, but I couldn’t deny that in the recent past there’d been a shift. Kyle had come to represent sadness and bitterness in my life, and Tristan had been the one to shine a light. There was also my life at the beach house. A life that Kyle wasn’t interested in and never would be because his job, his career, the career that he wanted
―
the one I could never ask him to leave for me
―
was in D.C.

“I want that too, but I need time, Kyle. It’s been hard being apart from you this summer. I’ve missed you more than anything, but things have been hard for me, and they’ve been that way for a few years now
―
”

“I told you, Georgia, no more long hours
―
”

“It’s more than that, Kyle.” I leaned away from him and traced my fingers along the line of his stubbled jaw. “It’s just that…” I said sadly. Do I tell him? The words were on the tip of my tongue.

It’s Tristan. I don’t know what I have with him, but I don’t know if I can let him go. I don’t know if I want to. I slept with him.

The words sat on my lips, begging for release. I opened my mouth to say something, anything. Apologize because I couldn’t say yes? I wasn’t sure.

“Don’t answer now. You can have time. Take time, Georgia. We can have a long engagement, no pressure.” I could tell he was begging. He wasn’t letting me get a word in for fear that word would be a no.

I opened my mouth to say I wasn’t sure before he interrupted me. “Just try it on, Georgia.” He slid the ring on my finger. I looked down as the diamond caught the light, refracting it in a million directions. My hand sat in Kyle’s, his thumb caressing my skin. “I can’t wait to marry you, sooner or later, whatever you need. I’ll wait as long as you need me to, baby.” He lifted my hand and kissed the ring on my finger, never breaking eye contact. “Will you wear it?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, glancing from the ring on my finger to the beautiful, brown eyes that I’d been lost in my entire adult life. I nodded nearly imperceptibly, the only admission I could give him, because I wasn’t brave enough to say more. I couldn’t give him the yes he wanted, and I couldn't crush him and say no. So I said nothing.

Kyle slid up to the headboard and hauled me on top of him, devouring my lips in a passionate kiss. “I love you so much,” he murmured as he wrapped his arms around my back, rubbing his warm palms over my sensitive skin. Tingles erupted over my body as he kissed me while tears simultaneously seared behind my eyelids. Kyle was so comfortable, yet I wanted more. A sense of guilt washed over me that I wanted more
―
what else is there? How could I be so shallow as to throw away what Kyle and I had on a sexy guy with tousled hair and a cocky grin? But I had, and I couldn’t go back, but part of me wanted to, and part of me didn’t, because Tristan had made me feel alive. Kyle had given me breath to resuscitate me when I needed it all those years ago, but Tristan was the rehabilitation necessary to make my life worth living again.

The realization choked my throat. I didn’t want to believe it. I couldn’t. Because believing that meant I loved Tristan. And I didn’t want to. I so desperately wanted to feel alive with Kyle.

He twisted a hand in my hair and nipped underneath my ear before capturing my lips with his own. The heartbeat roared in my ears and I leaned on him for a moment to strip my panties off and slide his boxers down before settling on top of him. I pressed his length between my thighs and rocked. I needed to make this right. I needed to do what I could to feel the passion with Kyle that came so easily with Tristan.

He slid the tank I’d slept in over my shoulders and attacked my nipples with his tongue. I arched my back into him and twisted my fingers in his short hair. Straight-laced Kyle, my rock, my comfort, my everything. I kissed along his neck and inhaled his cologne and had a moment of longing for a clean, ocean scent that I’d grown accustomed to all summer. Shame tightened my throat. I swallowed it down and continued to grind against Kyle.

“Georgia, wait,” He murmured before fishing a foil wrapper out of the pocket of his jeans that lay in a heap on the floor. Kyle insisted on using condoms, preaching that the pill wasn’t one hundred percent and he didn’t want to start a family until we were ready. He rolled the latex down his length and then lifted my hips in his strong hands and slid into me.

He filled me and I rocked my body against him, arching, moaning, grinding while trying to fight the image of tousled, golden hair and sparkling, green eyes that threatened to consume me.

* * *

“GEORGIA AND I have an announcement to make.” Kyle held my hand under the table. I watched in silent horror, begging him to turn and look at me, pleading with him not to reveal what I thought he was about to reveal. Everyone at the kitchen table
―
Drew, Silas, Gavin, and Tristan all turned as they shoveled bacon and eggs into their mouths.

“I finally got a ring on her finger.” A wide grin spread across Kyle's face as he lifted my left hand to show off the glinting diamond on my finger. I plastered a small smile on my face as I avoided the eyes of everyone at the table.

“Huh.” Silas sat directly across from me and when the single syllable escaped his mouth my eyes found his. My stomach rolled painfully; I knew that look on Silas’s face. It was all judgment. And I couldn’t blame him, even if I hadn’t said yes.

I didn’t do this. I didn’t agree to this, not like you think.

I silently pleaded as I maintained eye contact with my best friend. I couldn’t even bring myself to look at Tristan. I was terrified of the expression I would see directed at me. I imagined the hard set of his jaw, his eyes glaring, hurt and anger reflecting in them.

“Congratulations,” Gavin said before passing another forkful of eggs into his mouth.

“Yeah, congratulations, Georgia,” Drew spit from beside Gavin.

My eyes finally landed on Tristan’s. He sat at the head of the table, kitty corner from Drew and Kyle. I sucked in a sharp breath when I saw his beautiful, green eyes burning into mine
―
staring unabashedly, unwilling to turn away. It was obvious he was angry and I silently pleaded for him not to make a scene, not here, not now.

His jaw was clenched tight, his face held in a controlled, expressionless mask. I’d never seen him that way and it frightened me. I felt instantly terrible that I’d made the beautiful, laidback guy so angry. He didn't deserve that. I never should have done what I did. And Kyle’s announcement was only twisting the knife. Anger with Kyle boiled in my stomach, so palpable I could taste it.

“Congratulations, Kyle, Georgia
―
I hope you both get everything you deserve.” Tristan patted him on the back, but his eyes stared at me unapologetically. The anger and hurt swirling in his green depths was clear. But I hadn’t even said yes. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some work to do.” He stood and turned away, dumping his plate in the sink before walking out. He hated me, and yet I hadn’t even done anything. But by doing nothing I had allowed the world to fall out from under me. I had allowed Kyle to make this decision for us. I’d allowed him to put the ring on my finger. I’d given him the proof necessary for the announcement. And hadn’t I acquiesced
―
wasn’t my answer as good as a yes when I’d let him slip that ring on my finger?

My heartbeat roared in my ears, my breathing escaping in quick pants. I needed a break, I needed to get away from this table, I needed to scream, or run, and most of all I needed this ring off my finger. Kyle was rambling about wedding ideas, but I didn’t hear any of it. My gaze shot to Drew's as fear clenched my stomach, a lump of pain stuck in my throat. Mist mingled in my eyes and threatened to overflow. Drew's gaze penetrated mine; she was angry, that was clear, but after a few moments her features softened, and I could feel the compassion pouring off her.

“G and I will clear the table. We'll bring coffee out on the deck.”

“I wasn't done.” Kyle stopped mid-sentence and shoveled another pile of eggs into his mouth.

“Done now. Great, let's go.” Drew swooped his plate from him, and I walked dutifully behind her into the kitchen.

Once the guys were on the deck, Drew dropped the plates in the sink and wrapped me in her arms. Sobs wracked my body as she held me.

“It's okay, Georgia. It's going to be okay,” she said soothingly.

“No, it's not. I’m such a fucking horrible person. I’ve ruined them both. Tristan never deserved this. I never ever should have done what I did. And if I ever told Kyle, it would destroy him. They’ll both hate me forever.”

“Shh, it's going to be okay, G, I promise. Things seem fucked right now, but however they work out, they’ll work out,” she murmured.

“I didn’t say yes, Drew. I didn’t say I would marry him, I just needed time, but then he slipped the ring on my finger and guilt came crashing down on me this morning, and when we made love, all I thought about was Tristan. I never said yes.” Heaves wracked my body, my shoulders hunched into her small frame, her arms rubbing circles on my back.

“Oh God, Georgia, things are fucked up.” She held my cheeks in her hands and looked me in the eye. “Why did you keep the ring on, honey?”

“I love him. I’ve always loved him. I just couldn’t bear to tell him no.” I wiped the tears from my cheeks.

“And what about Tristan?”

“I don't know. I thought we were a fling, but I can't stop thinking about him. We slept together on the beach, and it was different. It was…everything,” I sobbed. “This morning, I told him I needed time. I gave him hope, and then Kyle’s announcement… I didn’t say yes, Drew. But Tristan will never believe me. The anger in his eyes at breakfast…” I trailed off.

“He was pretty obvious. He couldn’t take his eyes off you. Do you want to marry Kyle?” 

“I don’t know. Before this summer, without a doubt, but now…since Tristan…” New tears streamed down my cheeks.

“God, G, we’ve got to figure this out.”

“I can't leave him, Drew. I just don’t think I can. If things get bad again and he’s not there…”

“I know you think that now, but maybe you should give the ring back, tell him you need some time.”

“That's not an option. Kyle will take it the wrong way and you know it.”