I roll my eyes at her because she’s acting as if she wasn’t begging me for all the details.
“I have to go to the bathroom,” I tell them. I’m not ready to admit anything about what’s going on between Jameson and me, because I’m still trying to figure everything out myself. So instead, I head to the far corner of the room where I know I’ll find the restrooms.
CHAPTER20
JAMESON
“You are so fucking whipped,” Tim says, and it has me turning toward him, taking my eyes off Lauren as she walks to the bathroom.
“We’re not complaining,” Dale says. “It’s good to see her with someone who clearly worships her.”
“Josh didn’t?” I ask.
“Did he actually love anyone but himself?” Dale asks Tim.
“Nah,” Tim says, “I don’t think so. He was too obsessed with himself to pay much attention to Lauren, or even his kids. Every time they came to visit—”
“It was like Lauren dideverything,” Dale interrupts.
“That’s just not how we were raised,” Tim says. “But I guess Mr. Entitled Rich Kid from Park City thought that he married her so she could cater to his every need.”
I think about the family I was raised in, where my dad was a functioning alcoholic doubling as a workaholic. It must have been bad, because my mom, who I hardly remember, left before my fourth birthday. Then my dad remarried, and he and my stepmom had Audrey and Jules. My stepmom did everything for the family. At the time, I didn’t know any different. I just figured that, because she was a stay-at-home mom, it was normal.
And it pisses me off to no end that Josh, who I had convinced myself was better for Lauren than I was, didn’t fucking treat her like a queen.
“So if he wanted her to cater to his every need,” I say, “did that change once they had kids?” Obviously, the kids took up a lot of her time and energy, and I’m wondering how Josh handled that. I think I already know the answer based on a few clues Lauren has dropped about how she was pretty much parenting on her own even before Josh died, but I want to hear their perspective.
Dale snorts in response. “You mean, like was he jealous of the attention she gave the girls?”
“Yeah, I guess that’s what I’m asking.”
“Probably,” Tim says. “He wasn’t exactly a hands-on dad. He talked a lot about things he would do with the girls when they were older, like teaching them to ski or taking them camping, but as far as the last two years ... nah.”
I glance over at the hallway in the back to see if Lauren has come out of the bathroom yet, but she hasn’t.
“Now we’re just trying to figure out if you’re going to treat her better.”
I take a sip of my scotch and tell them the truth. “I already do.”
“We’re also trying to figure out if she’s as into you as you clearly are to her.”
“She’s getting there,” I say. “She’s been through a lot, though, so I’m not going to rush her.” I wouldn’t normally share these thoughts, especially with the guys, but I respect their concern and protectiveness, so I want them to know my intentions.
“Good,” they say together.
I glance over at the hallway again, and Lauren’s walking out. She looks up, her eyes scanning the room, and I assume she’s looking for me. But she freezes, then her eyes dart left and right. She looks panicked. And that’s when I see the back of Justin’s shaved head moving toward her.
“Hold this for me?” I say as I hand Dale my drink with an “I’ll be right back” thrown over my shoulder.
I move around the edge of the dance floor, and when I get to the other side, Justin has Lauren backed up against a wide pillar. He says something to her, and she winces and recoils before he steps closer, wedging his knee between her legs and effectively pinning her to the pillar. I swear I see red creeping in at the edges of my vision.
“That’s because Ihavebeen avoiding you.” Lauren isn’t trying to be quiet. “For the last twelve years, actually. Let’s keep that streak going.”
“C’mon, babe, don’t be like that. You and me ... together. It could be just like old times.”
I pause because she’s holding her own and I want to see how she handles this.
“Which old times, Justin?” Her normally sweet voice is acid. “You mean back when you were cheating on me with my best friend? I mean, thank you, but I am much happier without you in my life.”
