Mine to Promise (Southern Wedding #6)(27)

“Okay,” is the only thing I can say because I have no idea what else to say. “Sounds good,” I agree as he walks out the door.

“Lock up,” he urges, waiting at the top of the stairs. “I’m not leaving until I hear the lock.”

“I thought it was rude to close the door in your face,” I reply, a tad annoyed, “but if that’s the case.” I close the door and lock it. “Goodbye!” I shout to the closed door.

“See you tomorrow, Addison,” he replies back to the door. I just put my head to the wood, closing my eyes, wondering what in the hell am I going to do.





stefano

. . .

I wait for her to say something else, and when I’ve been here longer than a few minutes, I jog down the steps. My head spins the whole time, and I mean the whole time. Even getting into the car I don’t turn the music on, I don’t call anyone, I sit in the silence and hear their voices over and over in my head.

Did you get lost?

I don’t talk to my parents.

I had to choose.

I honestly don’t know how I make it back to Matty’s house. I park the car and put my head back on the headrest and take a huge exhale before opening the door and making my way to the front door.

Opening the door, I hear the television coming from the family room, and instead of just going upstairs to clear my head, I walk over to the family room. Her parents threw her out of the house when she needed them the most. Because of me.

I look into the family room. “Who else is here?” I ask, not sure if anyone else followed them home. With my family, you just never know.

“Just us,” Matty answers, sitting up, probably taking in the look on my face. Or maybe the fact that I’m shaking. Making my way into the room, I sit down on the couch and put my head back and rub my face. The voices from the television are shut off. “Are you okay?” Matty asks, his voice filled with worry.

I open my eyes and look at them, seeing Matty sitting up while Sofia just lounges next to him.

“You know?” I ask Sofia, and all she does is roll her eyes at me.

“I think the question you should be asking is, how the hell did anyone else not know?” She sits up now and looks over at Matty, who now has a confused look on his face.

“What’s going on?” he asks, looking at me, then back at Sofia.

Sofia doesn’t say anything, instead she looks at me and waits for me to say something. “Um,” I start, but I’m not sure what to say. I sit forward, folding my hands together. “Avery—” I start to say but then Matty gasps and jumps out of his chair.

“You?” He points at me before he puts his hand on his mouth, then putting both on top of his head.

“How?”

Sofia laughs at him. “Well, if he has to tell you how.” She winks at him. “I don’t know how we are going to have a baby, especially since we just did that before he got home.”

“Okay, eww.” I jump off the couch. “Was it here?”

“No,” Sofia assures me, getting up and I look back at the seat I was just sitting on. I’m almost about to sit back down when she adds in, “Well, not this time.” Her laughter fills the room.

“Okay, everyone needs to stop talking,” Matty demands as he points at me. “You, explain.”

“Should I get something to drink?” Sofia asks, and Matty just glares at her but all she does is laugh at him.

“That look doesn’t scare me, Matthew Petrov.” She points at him. “So direct the look at him. He was the one who did it.”

“Out with it,” Matty orders me.

“It was one night,” I finally say, my feet moving as I pace their living room, back and forth in front of them.

“You don’t do one-night stands,” Matty reminds me, and I groan.

“Well, obviously I did,” I exhale. “It was after that one time I said I will never have another one-night stand. I had just finished my first-ever merger, and I was flying high.” I run my hands through my hair. “She bumped into me at a bar, and then we went to grab something to eat, and she just, fuck, I don’t know. She just made me forget my rules.”

“Can we circle back to how you didn’t see?” Sofia looks at Matty.

“How was I supposed to see?” Matty puts his hands on his hips. “Now I see it, but you think I walk around with a picture book, and I’m like do any of my cousins look familiar?” He throws his hands up in the air. “Oh, you have no father for your daughter. Here, take a look at him. Does he look familiar?”

“Can you be more dramatic?” Sofia asks, laughing at him, and he tilts his head to the side. “Okay, wrong question.” She holds up her hands.

“Anyway,” I say, looking back at Sofia, “what can you tell me about her parents?”

It’s Sofia’s turn to glare at me. “Nothing.” She folds her arms over her chest. I know she is not going to tell me anything when it comes to Addison. I know this because she’s loyal to a T, and her loyalty will be with Addison before it is with me.

“You know what I do, right?” I ask her, and this time, it’s me putting my hands on my hips. “I can find out everything in two minutes flat.” I stare at her.