The Price of Fame: A Price Novel (The Price Novels Book 2) (25 page)

“Great. School is OK.” She kind of made a face, and I knew there was more to that story.

“OK, what was that for?” I asked.

“I don’t know. Had a little guy trouble last semester, and I had to bust my ass to pull my grades out there at the end. It all worked out, though. I’m still on the dean’s list. No worries.”

“What happened?” I sat down on the couch with Noah and got ready to listen.

“Well, I was kind of seeing one of my professors, and it went bad.” She didn’t look up at me. She kept playing with Ava.

“Gross, Isabelle! What were you thinking?”

“Gross? Arden, he wasn’t fifty or anything. He was in his thirties and really hot. Come to find out, he was also really married.”

“Isabelle, how could you?”

“I didn’t know he was married, Arden. I swear! He didn’t wear a ring or anything. I really thought he could have been the one, ya know. We were together for nine months before I even found out.” The pain in her eyes made my heart hurt a little.

“You mean, you didn’t sense it? If he had a wife, surely you would have noticed large periods of time that he was unavailable.”

“I guess, looking back, I did, but she was a buyer for some large department store, and she was gone a bunch. He stayed at my place several nights a week. I really didn’t think anything about it, you know?”

“How did you find out?” I asked.

“I was leaving for school one day, and she was parked in my driveway.”

“What?” My eyes were huge. I could feel them.

“She was really nice. I felt bad for her. I invited her in and told her everything. I had nothing to hide. I really didn’t know he had a wife. I was pissed at him. I was hurt, actually. But it made it easier to keep from losing my grasp on reality when I thought about the fact that I probably wasn’t the first or last extramarital affair he’d had, and I didn’t want that for my life,” she explained.

“Well, good for you!” I was glad she had made an adult decision. That wasn’t always her strong suit.

“It wasn’t an overnight realization, but after a few months, I got over it. Men are jerks!” She smiled at me, but her eyes were sad. I knew she had learned something here, but I also knew that this had hurt her.

I laughed. “Yes, they can be.”

“Everybody but Slayde,” she said with raised eyebrows.

“Whatever. You don’t live with him. He’s not a jerk, but he’s still a typical man, and they just don’t think like we do. He never puts the top on the toothpaste, he never rinses his spit out of the sink, and he leaves his dirty clothes all over the house. He makes me nuts. It’s like having another child sometimes. He still thinks sex solves everything. As long as he’s getting it, then he thinks everything is perfectly fine.” I rolled my eyes.

“Well, surely you don’t deny him that. That’s probably not the smartest idea.”

“No, I don’t, but not to keep him from running around on me. Damn, Isabelle, not every man’s a cheater.”

“I’m just saying. Take care of your business, so nobody else has to.” She laughed.

I heard Slayde and Tate come in. “Slayde has a friend who’s staying here too,” I told her. That was all I had time to say before they came in.

“Hey, Isabelle, it’s about time you came see us,” Slayde said as he hugged her. “This is Tate. He works with me. Tate, this is my sister-in-law, Isabelle.” Slayde sat beside me and took Noah out of my lap.

Tate and Isabelle exchanged pleasantries, and I thought I may have sensed a little flirtation while we all talked. Slayde and Tate went to grab beers, and Isabelle and I were left with the babies again.

“Your house is beautiful. There is enough room in here for two more families,” she said.

“Thanks. I know. You know Slayde—bigger is better.”

“So why didn’t you tell me Slayde was BFFs with Tate West? He is totally hot,” she whispered.

“Slayde has several hot friends. I would have to say his friend Kevin is deliciously hot, and he’s sweet.”

“Why haven’t you introduced me?” she asked.

“You live on the other side of the country, and he has a crazy fiancée.”

“I’m moving back in two months.”

“Really?”

“Yep. I got a job at a law firm in LA. And no, not with Dad.” I wouldn’t have been surprised if Isabelle’s hot-shot dad had made room for her somewhere at his firm.

“That’s awesome. Congratulations!” I gave her a one-armed hug.

“I know I’m ready to get back to the California sunshine,” she said, leaning her head back as if she were soaking it in.

Slayde interrupted us by popping his head in. “How about steaks?”

“Big surprise,” I said sarcastically.

“What? You want something else? Tell me. I’ll cook it, but I can’t read your mind.” He was standing there, waiting for my answer.

“No, that’s fine. That’s just all you cook when friends are over.”

“Steak and beer, the meal of champions,” he said and left the room.

“Slayde!” I yelled.

“What?”

“Can you bring me a clean pacifier, please?”

I heard him in the kitchen banging around. I knew they were lying there on the counter, right in front of his face.

“Where are they?” he called.

“On the counter by the sink,” I shouted. He came in seconds later with the pacifier. “Where was it?” I asked, even though I knew the answer.

He laughed. “On the counter. In plain sight. I know—if it were a snake, it would have bitten me.” I laughed too. Slayde couldn’t find anything, ever! He wasn’t like that before we got married. I had no idea what happened when he said I do, but it must have been serious.

We had a great time cooking out that night, and everyone slept late the next morning but me. I saw Isabelle come out of Tate’s room, looking guilty. She saw me and smiled, and I hurried after her, up to her room.

“What in the hell happened last night?” I asked her.

“Use your imagination,” she said.

“Isabelle!”

“Oh, Arden, lighten up. You were the only twenty-four-year-old virgin I have ever known. It was no big deal.”

I was still giving her a dirty look. “I hope you used protection. Who knows where he’s been.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yes, ma’am.”

“So, what happened?” I asked.

“Just sex, but good sex. I was a little surprised.”

“OK, forget I asked. I’m going downstairs, and I will see you after you’ve showered.”

The next two days were fun, but I didn’t get to spend as much time with Isabelle as I had planned. She and Tate had obviously hit it off, and who was I to ask her to come visit with her sister. She would be back soon enough, I reminded myself.

After Isabelle and Tate left, I went to take a long hot bath and have a few minutes of peace. Slayde came and sat on the side of the tub. “Is there room for one more in there?” he asked. I pouted. “OK, sorry I asked.”

I didn’t mean to hurt his feelings, but sometimes he wanted all of my space, and it made me feel like I was going to suffocate. Everyone needed a little time by themselves. Even if it was just ten minutes in the bathroom.

“Am I a matchmaker or what?”

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know if that’s the case. It just seemed like they were hooking up to me.”

“I guess we’ll see,” he said, very proud of himself, but he left me in peace.

It was slow at the hospital, which was odd, but a blessing nonetheless. I sat down with a latte and flipped through a magazine one of the nurses had left behind. I really wasn’t paying much attention to it until I ran across Slayde’s latest Calvin Klein ad. He wasn’t stripped to his underwear for a change, which was nice, but he had his arms wrapped around some girl. I had to look twice to be sure, but it was Kinley. My heart skipped a beat. I hadn’t seen her in years and wasn’t aware that Slayde had. How could he not tell me this? How could he let me find out this way? I knew it was one in the morning, and four where Slayde was, but I was calling his ass and waking him up. If I was going to stress, so was he.

It took him a few rings to answer. “Hello?” I could tell he was still asleep.

“Why didn’t you tell me you still talked to Kinley?”

“Huh? What are you talking about? I don’t talk to Kinley.” His voice was thick with sleep.

“Then who is this girl who looks just like her in this damn Calvin Klein ad? I know it’s not old, because they did a crappy job Photoshopping out your wedding-ring tan line.”

He let out a deep breath. “Oh yeah. No, it’s not old. That’s the one I did when I was in New York.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.

“I don’t know. Bad timing, I guess. We weren’t getting along very well then, and I didn’t want to make it worse.” I didn’t know what to say. He continued, “I guess this is like when Eric worked with you. You couldn’t help it, it meant nothing to you, but you knew it would bother me. So you didn’t tell me.” He had a good point.

I sighed. “I guess I just don’t like seeing you with your arms around her. It makes me think about you having sex with her.” I knew Slayde loved me, and the fact that I was even worried for a minute was my issue. He had never given me one reason to think anything crazy like this, and worrying about it sure wouldn’t change anything. “All right, but in the future, please tell me things like that. I don’t need any unnecessary stress, and neither do you. I’m sorry I got worried.”

“I promise, babe. I love you. See you tonight,” he said, and we got off the phone.

I was able to leave work a few hours early, and I was extremely glad to be home. I heard Slayde talking to someone in the kitchen. It was Kevin. I wasn’t usually a nosy person, but I didn’t think it would hurt to listen to them for just a minute.

“You and Arden have been through a lot, and you always seem to come out OK,” Kevin said.

“Everybody has problems, Kevin. It’s just how you choose to handle them that makes it all work. I love her more than anything in this world. Nothing would ever change that. I always try and handle any situation the way I think she would want me to or how I would want her to if the roles were reversed. The right answers are always clear that way,” Slayde said.

“Is it hard being famous and having women all over you all the time? I see women hit on you all the time, everywhere you go, and you totally dismiss them every time. It’s crazy. How do you do it?”

“It’s easy because I don’t see other women as attractive anymore. I’m not saying I can’t see who is and isn’t pretty, but that I’m not looking for that. I don’t pay attention to it. I’m not stupid. These women don’t know me. I love Arden, and she loves me no matter what I do for a living. On her worst day, she’s better than anyone else on her best day. You know what I mean?”

“Yeah. You’ve got a pretty good head on your shoulders. I don’t think I would be thinking like that if I were in your shoes,” Kevin said.

“If women threw themselves at you daily, would you ditch Kimberly for some big-busted blond who seemed easy?”

“Don’t ask me that right now.” Kevin laughed.

“Well, then, that means you’re marrying the wrong woman, Kev.”

I knew Slayde loved me and wouldn’t hurt me, but hearing him say it to a friend he knew he could tell anything to was a totally a different thing.

“How did you know she was the one?” Kevin asked.

“I never had to ask myself that question. I just knew she was. I didn’t have any doubts that I wanted to be with her and only her for the rest of my life. Are you asking yourself if you can live with her? Or are you asking if you can live without her? I think it’s how you answer the second one that counts. You can live with a lot of people, but there aren’t many people you can’t live without.”

“The rest of your life is a long time to be with only one person,” Kevin said.

“No, it’s not. Kevin, don’t marry this chick if that’s how you feel. You’ll regret it if you do.”

“Maybe you had gotten all of the fun out of your system before you met Arden. Maybe I’m just not there yet.”

“I don’t think that’s it. I think, had I run into Arden years before I did, I would have been just as ready to settle down and be with only her right then. I promise I wouldn’t have ever missed having sex with other girls. The thought of that kind of makes me sick now.”

“Now I’m sure of it—you’re gay. Either that or I want to have sex with your wife, because she’s obviously the best piece ever.” He was laughing. “Wait, wait, wait, I’m just kidding.”

I wasn’t sure what they were doing, but it sounded like they were tussling. They both laughed.

“But you two never fight,” Kevin said.

“Oh hell yeah, we do! Not all the time or anything, but we definitely fight. You saw how pissed I was when we went to Vegas. But fighting is good because then you get to make up,” Slayde said.

“Maybe you’re right. Maybe I shouldn’t marry her. I don’t feel anything like what you’re saying, but maybe I won’t with anyone ever. Maybe I’m just not like you.”

“Dude, do you think I’ve always been a pushover, and I give in to whatever women want? I do that for Arden because I love her, and I love it when she’s happy. Not that I didn’t treat other women nice, but I didn’t put their feelings ahead of my own like I do hers, that’s for sure. I’ve never loved anybody but her.” My heart swelled.

“You let her wear the pants,” Kevin teased.

“That’s fine, as long as I’m the one taking them off.” They both laughed again.

I was leaning against the door listening when my cell phone rang. It was loud; they would know I was right there. I opened the door and walked in and smiled at them. Slayde blushed a little. I think he knew I had heard him, but I pretended I didn’t. Taking my phone out of my purse, I saw that it was Isabelle, and I walked outside.

“Hello,” I said.

“Arden, where are you?” she asked. She sounded strange.

“I’m at home, Isabelle. Where are you?”

“I’m at the hospital, looking for you. I already called your house, and Slayde said you were here.”

“Sorry, I left early, and he didn’t know. What’s going on?” I asked, feeling uneasy.

“I just need to see you, that’s all. Can I come over?”

“Of course. I’ll be here.”

I walked back in to the kitchen. “Hey, Kevin! Slayde, did you talk to Isabelle?”