Part 21 (1/2)

Kade lets a bit of a laugh free, considering there was once I time I called him an idiot for going after Lyle Hughes simply because Raya was playing pool with him. I get it now. Completely.

”If you want her, then why don't you just take her? I think it's rather obvious she's in love with you and only you,” Kade says, shrugging as he looks around the party for the girl who never leaves his side for long.

”She's not in love. She's just confused... like me.”

”Let me see that boy while you open this,” Wren says while handing me an envelope and pulling Trip free from my grasp.

”What's this?” I muse while staring at the large, manila envelope.

He's interrupted when Raya comes swis.h.i.+ng in, a little tipsy, and crashes into the waiting arms of Kade. A pang of envy strikes me when he loses control over his h.e.l.lacious grin, and he pulls her to him. They forget the rest of the world even exists as they suddenly start devouring one another.

”Open it,” Wren says with a s.h.i.+t-eating grin, shaking his head at the two showy lovers.

I force a smile as I pull out a piece of paper. But my smile is banished by my shock, and my breath gets lost on its way to my lungs. My whole world changes as I stare down at the birth certificate someone had redone.

Trip Tagland Masters is the name.

”I thought his middle name was James,” I almost whisper.

”Well, at the time, she couldn't tell people what she really named him. She hired a lawyer to get the surname changed. She had the paternity tests done in secrecy, and now the birth certificate is fixed. I told her I knew a guy who could rush the process, and she hired him without question. In case you were wondering about the possibility he wasn't really yours, now you know for sure he is.”

My still evades my lungs, and it's all I can do to stay upright. I've been an a.s.shole with no real, legal rights, and yet she goes and has this done. Not to mention, she named him after me to begin with, she just didn't give him my surname in the beginning.

”I never questioned if he was mine once I found out. I should have questioned if he was mine the second I found out she was pregnant. She's not the type to screw around like that.”

”She screwed around with you,” he laughs. ”How could you have known?”

”It's different with me. She always knew me better than any other girl I've ever been with, and she only knew me for three days before she got pregnant.”

”Dude, hang it up. You're in love. You haven't even been with another girl since you met her. Just drop bulls.h.i.+t and be with her.”

I smile a little as I stare at Trip's scrunched face as his dreams carry him far and away from reality.

Thinking about what Ash said outside makes me a little sick. She feels replaceable, expendable even, and she's not - not to Trip, not to me. There's no one in this world more perfect for me, and somehow I've got to get over what she did.

Staring at the birth certificate she had redone, I know I'm getting closer to being over it.

As.h.i.+ara A tall blond guy has been staring at me for far too long, and now I'm starting to feel uncomfortable. I'm worried I've got something stuck to my face. Of course, I'm rather drunk, so it's possible I'm making some ridiculous expression.

Oh well. Who cares? I don't.

I stagger off to head away from the eyeing blond and my friends, as I make my way toward the quiet patio. I grab a bottle of champagne from the chilled ice, and I smirk as I see the fountain Tag once crashed into.

”Well, h.e.l.lo, mermaid,” I say to the statue in the middle. ”Are you lonely? I'm available it seems.”

”Are you now?” a voice says from behind, and I whirl around to face the blond guy who refuses to stop staring. Apparently he's resorted to following me around as well.

”Really? Is my dress on backwards or something?” I slur out, and he laughs a little while coming to brush my hair from my face.

”Not at all. Your dress is on perfectly, and it's a very nice dress on you. Melanie tells me you're still single, even though you live with your baby's father.”

That's because we're f.u.c.king weird.

”Yep, single but not available. Sorry.”

I turn to walk away, but he follows me.

”Are you going to hang out behind me all night? I've already got one stalker, I don't need two.”

He tilts his head curiously, and then he takes a seat on the side of the fountain.

”I'm sorry. I heard about that as well. I'm not trying to stalk, but you really are beautiful. I've heard of Tag - he's rather infamous in our circles. I hate to see you've landed in his web. I'm just here to try and be a friend.”

Recognition strikes, and the face on him becomes familiar. It makes sense now.

”A friend,” I repeat with a sigh. ”I need more champagne, not a friend. Tag Masters is my son's father, so if you're expecting me to say something bad about him to a guy I don't know, you're sadly mistaken. You see, I know who you are now. Jason Marks. You're a reporter. I've seen your picture. You're a long way from home, since you report in Chicago.”

”Clever girl, but I'm not on duty tonight. I simply came to be a friend to Melanie.”

”Or you're here because Tag is about to launch his latest business which is still under wraps. I've been getting calls from newspapers all around. Everyone wants to get the first look at his latest project, and the compet.i.tion is waiting to find out how to compete, wanting to beat him to the punch. Sorry, but I've got enough friends.”

I turn to walk away, my champagne still in tow, and his hand gently tugs at my elbow to halt my retreat.

”I'm sorry. I really didn't ask you to say anything at all about Tag Masters though.”

”That's because you seduce your sources first. The thing is, I can't be seduced anymore, at least not by anyone like you. You were wasting your time from the beginning, and you're wasting mine now,” I mumble.

He looks over my head, and his eyes widen as he backs up.

I turn just as Tag comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist very protectively.

”Is there a problem?”

”Yeah, what happened to those bodyguards watching over me?” I grumble as I stagger into his body.

He holds me tighter to steady me, and then his eyes move over to a man who basically comes running.

”What the h.e.l.l?” he snaps to the guy I didn't know was even around.

”Hey, I was just trying to have a friendly conversation,” Jason says while trying to walk away.

”He's a reporter. Ask Melanie if she really knows him,” I murmur while turning into Tag and pus.h.i.+ng my head against his chest.

The security guard starts patting him down and finds his recorder, and Jason's head pops back in defeat.

”Told you,” I murmur as Tag pulls me a little tighter.

”What's going on?” Melanie asks as she rushes out to join us by the fountain.