With the suitcases all laid out, he began pulling outfits from the closet. Daniel got to the one he’d worn last night and his fingers glided over the fabric. He made it back to the bed intending to pack it, but instead sat on the edge, holding the hanger. “God damn it,” Daniel swore out loud, flipping the dress onto the spread-out luggage with much more force than was necessary.
He’d been a fool, that was for damned sure, and Daniel hated being made to feel that way. He had actually thought that James had felt something for him, that the last few days hadn’t been an illusion. But that was a joke, and the punch line was him. The guys with Weston had made it pretty clear that James had stayed with his family. Hell, he probably had them convinced that Daniel had pulled the wool over even James’s eyes and that this was all his fault. He should have known. For all the talk about how James felt, when push came to shove, James hadn’t had the guts to stand up and be himself. Instead, he’d taken the easy way out. Well, screw him.
Daniel deserved so much better than that. He hung his head. Why did he always go for the guys who could hurt him the most? He got back up and returned to packing. There wasn’t time for this kind of soul-searching crap. He needed to get packed and get the fuck out of here, away from James and his family with their expectations, masks, and outward lies matched only by the ones they spun in private. Daniel shook his head hard to try to get James out of it so he could think.
Moving more quickly now, he emptied the closet and the drawers where he’d stowed his folded things. The shoes came next, and finally the wigs and other small items. Daniel checked the area over once more, closed the suitcases, and went to the bathroom.
“Fuck,” Daniel groaned at the sight in the mirror. He looked like a damn raccoon had run hither and yon all over his face. Daniel grabbed a cloth, washing his face well to remove the last bits of makeup. His eyes were puffy and his cheeks red and blotchy—basically, he looked as bad as he felt. Well, at least there was no one to look good for, and he could rest at the hotel and wait for the flight back to Chicago and real life.
He dried his face with a towel, returning to the bedroom. Daniel closed all the suitcases, carrying them to the front door, before returning for a second load as light flashed across the living room walls from a car pulling into the drive. He moved faster, getting the last of his things together by the door, then bracing for whatever onslaught was about to come his way.
The front door banged open, hitting the stop like a gunshot. “Thank god. I was wondering where you were and what happened to you.” James raced inside. “They took Weston away.”
“I suspected they would,” Daniel said softly, arms crossed over his chest. “Did you get the message across that you wanted? Did everyone calm down once he was gone?”
“Yes. Most people settled back in their seats for the rest of the evening. I looked around for you, and the hostess said that you’d left. I hoped you had come back here.” James rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “I was worried sick and afraid that Weston might have hurt you or something.”
Daniel stretched out his hands. “As you can see, I’m right here. At least for the moment. I was just about to call for a ride to a hotel. This little charade is obviously over, and I think it best that I leave so you can continue with whatever cover story you told everyone.”
James stopped still. “What the hell are you talking about? My mom and dad are right behind me, and… You know, maybe a hotel isn’t such a bad idea. The fallout from this is going to rain down for hours like some nuclear blast.”
Daniel cleared his throat. “I’m going to the hotel alone. Whatever story you told everyone so you could get out of there and mend things with your family is fine. I just don’t want to be a part of it any longer. You do whatever you have to in order to keep things quiet within the family. Tell them whatever you want, make me the bad guy, it’s just fine. But I don’t want to be here when you do, and I don’t need to hear it.” Hell, the thought of hearing whatever James had to say was enough to knock his legs out from under him.
“Once again, what are you talking about? The guys pulled Weston away to keep me from beating him senseless. Holly calmed everyone down, and I got out of there so I could try to find you. I haven’t told anyone any stories or even explained. I wasn’t going to do that in front of a room full of people…some of them near strangers.”
Daniel put up his hand. “Wait a minute…hold the fort… I think you’d better start at the beginning, because I’m confused.”