Twist of Fate (4 page)

“No, I’m not alright. I’m the furthest from that right now.” Hearing the toilet flush, I lower my voice so people can’t overhear my conversation.

“Aren’t you at a signing today?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Well then why do you sound like you’re about to have one of your notorious freak outs?”

“Let’s see, here I am signing books and I’m watching this adorable couple joking around with each other, actually feeling a bit jealous of them.” I stop for a moment remembering how it felt when his hands were around my waist like they were with Kristin.

“So, what’s wrong with that? Last time I checked, you weren’t really looking for anyone,” she states matter-of-factly.

“It’s not that I haven’t been looking Meg, it’s just no one has ever measured up to--”

“Yeah, yeah, I know -- the golden boy, Silas,” she cuts me off.

Megan is the only person, other than Joe and Laura, who know who Ezra’s father is. My father flipped out when he found out I was having a baby on my own. He yelled for hours about how the father is a piece of shit for not being there and supporting me. No matter how many times I told my dad, he was not there because it was my choice, it was never good enough. My mother, on the other hand, was just excited she was going to have a grandchild. She was so accepting and excited when I told her, it helped lessen the blow of my father.

“Yeah, well said golden boy was one part of the couple I was jealous of.”

I hear Megan spit something out of her mouth. “Shut the fuck up! Are you serious?”

“Believe me, I wish I was joking. It was definitely him.” I’m twisting the watch on my wrist to try to keep busy.

“Oh my God! What did you say? What did he say? What did his girlfriend say when she found out he knew you?”

“One question at a time Megan, but to answer all three, nothing. We didn’t say anything to each other. I think we were both in shock, at least I know I was. But listen, I have to run, I still have a line of readers waiting to get their books signed. I’ll call you later when I’m home.”

“Fuck that, I’ll be at your house with the booze waiting so we can talk about this. Ezra is at Laura’s for the night, right?”

“Yeah, he’s there all weekend. I have another signing tomorrow, so they are just going to keep him for me.”

“Perfect, just double checking things haven’t changed. Then I will see you at your place later. Go figure, the one signing I’m not at, and it ends up like a steamy soap on T.V. And Lilly? Don’t freak out. You will probably never see him again, so just calm down and go sign some books.”

Megan hangs up and I check myself in the mirror before heading back out. I don’t want to look like an author whose life is a mess. Leaving the restroom, I jump when I hear someone say my name. They didn’t say it loud, but my nerves are on edge. I turn and see Silas standing by the bathrooms.

“Silas, hey.” This is so awkward, and I don’t know what to do in this situation. “Is everything okay? Did I forget to sign one of Kristin’s books?” I try to convince myself that I hope this is why he is here, but it’s not working.

“Um, no, not exactly. She’s in the car. Look, I just wanted to apologize for acting so weird at the table.”

“No need to apologize, I am just as shocked as you are. I hate to cut things short, but I have to get back to my readers. It was great seeing you.” I turn and quickly walk back to my signing table.

It was supposed to be one night, and then we were never to see each other again. It looks like the universe decided to have a laugh at our expense, only I’m not laughing. I’m silently freaking out at the fact that the only man I ever felt a connection with just walked back into my life with his girlfriend on his arm.

Chapter 4

Silas

Well, that didn’t go the way I planned at all. I didn’t really know what to expect, but that surely was not it. I told Kristin I needed to use the bathroom before we left so I could talk to Lilly. Shady, I know, but what the hell. I haven’t seen nor heard from her since that night, and I didn’t even know we lived in the same state. And, in all honesty, my cock was still reacting to the mere sight of her. I needed an extra minute to get it under control. Instead of talking to her like I planned, I’m watching her run off, back to her table to sign more books. Realizing that Lilly doesn’t want to talk to me, I head back out to meet Kristin. On my way out, a sign catches my eye.

Come and meet Lilly Hughes, author of The One Perfect Night Series.

Join us as Lilly Hughes will be signing and taking pictures Saturday and Sunday.

After reading the sign, I head to the car. I never give up easily and that sign is my ticket in. A feeling of guilt passes through me as I’m driving Kristin back to her place. I’ve never lied to her before, making today the first time. I didn’t want to lie to her, but what was I supposed to say?
Hey can you give me a minute so I can go talk to a one-night-stand I never quite got over?
That wouldn’t have gone over too well.

The whole ride home, Kristin is gushing about how nice Lilly is and how amazing her writing is. She is talking with such enthusiasm; I just sit back and listen the best I can. I don’t need Kristin to tell me how amazing she is when I already know. One night with her was all it took for her to occupy a permanent spot, not only in my head, but my heart as well. The connection that was there, especially when we were intimate, was the truest thing I have ever felt with a woman. Ever since then, there has been no comparison, not even Kristin. I feel guilty every time that realization crosses my mind, but after a while, I learned to just shove that thought to the back of my head. We arrive back at Kristin’s place and head up to her apartment.

“Everything okay?” Kristin asks as she shuts the door behind me.

“Yeah , why do you ask?” I put my keys on the hook next to the door.

“Well, you were kind of quiet the whole ride home. I just want to make sure there isn’t something bothering you.” Heading to the couch to relax, she kicks her heels off and sinks into it.

Following her to the couch, I sit down first and she lays down on it, with her head in my lap. Something we do so often it just happens naturally. “I’m good. You were just talking a mile a minute and I couldn’t get two words in,” I joke, hoping it covers up what’s really running through my head.

“I know, sorry about that. I just can’t believe how down-to-earth she is. I’ve never been to a book signing before, and I just expected it to be more rushed. But seriously, her books are hot.” She’s fanning herself for added emphasis.

“Oh, yeah? What are they about?” I never thought I would genuinely be interested in one of Kristin’s cheesy romance novels. It’s wrong for me to ask, being that the reason behind it is so I will know a little more about Lilly. God, I’m such a douche bag.

“This girl is traveling and her flight gets delayed, and she ends up talking to someone who was on her previous flight. They spend the next couple hours having drinks at the bar, and as they are drinking, they get grounded and share a hotel room. Long story short, they have the best sex of their lives and end up having a long distance relationship, until book two, where he moves to her state to be closer to her.”

Holy shit, no wonder this story sounds familiar, this is
our
story. She actually took our night together and turned it into a best seller. I’ll be damned. Does this mean our night meant more to her, too? I feel a glimmer of hope thinking about this.

“So, what you’re saying is, it’s a love-at-first-sight, girly kind of book.”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Kristin picks up my hand and entwines it with hers. “Was it love at first sight for you with me?” Just then, her phone starts ringing and she sighs before getting up to answer it. Looking at her phone, she holds it up. “It’s the administrator; this will just take a minute.”

“Take your time,” I say, breathing a sigh of relief that I dodged that bullet. Lying down on the couch, I close my eyes and rub them as my head is spinning with all the events from today. What I thought was a one-sided, undeniable attraction, may, in fact, not be one sided at all. I don’t know for sure, but that book Kristin described sounded a lot like my encounter with Lilly. Only the difference is, I never saw her again. Kristin comes back, lifts my legs and sits on the couch, placing them down on her lap.

“So, it looks like I will be working all day tomorrow. I’m sorry, I know we have plans, but I’m going to have to cancel them.” She’s pouting and she looks adorable.

Sitting up, I pull her to me and place a kiss on her lips. “Don’t worry about it, Lucas wanted to meet up for drinks tonight, but I’m exhausted from work, so I can meet him tomorrow.”

“Thank you for coming with me today. It’s not every day a guy will stand in line to get a book signed.” She throws her arms around my neck.

Wrapping my arms around her waist, I pull her into my body and tell her, “That’s because I’m not just any guy.” Leaning my head down, I kiss her.

***

I stay at Kristin’s for dinner and drive straight home afterwards. I’m sitting on my couch watching TV and not finding anything I want to watch. I open my laptop and do a Google search for Lilly Hughes. All sorts of links pop up from Twitter, Facebook, her website, links to purchase her books. I don’t know which one to click, so I start with her Facebook page. She has a decent amount of followers on her page. I nix Twitter because it will probably be the same thing as Facebook. Opening her website, it takes a minute to load. Once everything is up, I feel like I hit the jackpot. There is an author biography and a list of her upcoming signings, along with book release dates. Clicking on author bio seems to be the best start. I want to know everything I possibly can about Lilly. Scrolling though, I see she grew up in New Jersey and has lived here her whole life with her family. She loves music, and although she has a regular job, her passion is writing. Well, she must be a great writer if she is doing well for herself. I hover the mouse over every tab that is available on her site. This may be borderline stalking, but I can’t help myself. The last tab I click is the purchase links. I hit “1-click” for Kindle and have her first book sent to my iPhone.

Closing my laptop, I shoot a text to Lucas, telling him I will meet him tomorrow night. I have no desire to go out and drink. Tonight I have other plans in mind -- plans to read Lilly’s first book.

Chapter 5

Lilly

Pulling up to my house, I see Megan’s car parked in the driveway. I know she’s been waiting for me and I hope she brought some alcohol. I head inside, ready to face her game of twenty questions. I’m so confused and feel like I’ve been thrown into a tornado. My life definitely just took a spin, and it’s scary not knowing the destruction waiting for me once the storm clears.

“Hey Megan, where ya at?” I place my keys on the table next to the front door and head toward the sound of her voice.

“Hey girl, I’m in the kitchen. I figured you would need a drink after today.” She emerges from the kitchen, handing me a glass.

“Thanks, I will need more than one.” Taking a big sip of the rum and Coke, I see Megan staring me down out of the corner of my eye. Pulling the glass away from my lips, I sigh, kicking off my shoes. “Okay, let’s have it.”

“I have so many questions, I don’t know where I want to start.” She’s following me down the short hall to my bedroom.

“Imagine how many questions I have.” I make quick work of changing into my sweats after a long taxing day.

“Well, how does he look? Is he still as smoking hot as you remember?” She sits on my bed, making herself comfortable.

“Hotter than I remembered. I honestly think he’s gotten better looking since I saw him three years ago.”

“So, he’s a man that ages nicely, that’s a good thing.”

“For Kristin.” My tone is snarky and I raise the glass back to my lips.

“Forgive me if I’m wrong, but it sounds like you’re actually jealous of her.”

Taking a minute to think about what Megan just said, I silently ask myself if she could be right. Am I jealous of Kristin? I don’t even know her; hell, I don’t really know Silas. I think I would be lying to myself if I said I wasn’t. I could be happy if I tried, but every time I meet someone new, I’m constantly looking for Silas in them. After a couple tries, I’ve just given up, it’s no use. No one could ever measure up to the man I spent one night with.

“Maybe just a little.” Pinching my thumb and pointer fingers together, I know Megan can read me like a book, so there’s no point in lying to her.

“Where’s your laptop?”

“Why do you need my laptop?” Grabbing it from the floor, I hand it to her.

“I don’t know about you, but if it was me, I would want to know every little thing about Silas and what he’s been up to. And, what better way to find out other than social media?” She opens the laptop.

I shut the laptop before it has time to boot up, earning me a questioning look from Megan. “No way, I’m not going to cyber stalk someone. Besides, what good will it do? It is pretty obvious he is happy in his relationship with his girlfriend and he didn’t seem very excited when he saw me,” I say, shrugging my shoulders.

“What exactly did he say?”

I go over every little detail of the signing with Megan and tell her about how awkward it was. From having to smile at the man my heart aches for as he took a picture of me with his girlfriend; down to signing my signature line for the series, which is also based on Silas. She is listening while I talk, and it isn’t until I get to the part about the bathroom that she finally says something.

“So, wait a minute. He followed you to the bathroom?”

“Yeah, he was waiting for me when I got out.”

“And you didn’t think that was weird?” Megan raises her eyebrow at me.

“I guess-- I don’t know. There wasn’t much thinking going on at that moment, only an inner freak out.”

“Wake up, Lilly. He introduces himself to you instead of just telling his girlfriend he knows you. Then, he sends her off to the car while he waits for you to come out of the bathroom. Obviously he wanted to talk to you.
Alone
.”