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Pursing his lips, Reed shakes his head. “Babe, I’d rather stick around with the guys for a minute. Haven’t seen Declan in a while, and he’s got this big personal news.”
Lena huffs, irritated. “Well, then.” She flounces off, empty wine glass in tow, toward the drink table. She doesn’t look like she’s coming back either.
Reed has a tired, tolerant look on his face, like he’s used to this kind of behavior from her. As soon as she’s out of earshot, Cole reaches across the table to slap him on the arm.
“Lena Beaumont? You’ve got to be kidding me. You fucking idiot.”
“What?” Reed raises an eyebrow. “You got something to say about it?”
“Do you guys know her?” I ask, curious. Whatever is going on between Reed and Lena, it doesn’t seem to be a good relationship—or even much of a relationship at all. I’d never walk away from Declan like that at a party, especially not around his friends.
“In a manner of speaking,” Declan says delicately.
“I’m surprised you don’t know her,” Cole tells me. “She’s basically a fucking royal. The Beaumont family, they’re like, lords or something.”
Reed scoffs at that. “They’re not lords.”
“They’re literally aristocrats, Reed,” snaps Cole. “She’s a goddamn heiress. What are you doing?”
“Dating,” Reed says sulkily. “Not that you’d know anything about it.”
Cole turns to give me an exasperated look, mock-exaggerated. “This man’s gonna get his face on another tabloid. Watch.”
“Is that—is that a common thing?” I stammer, looking between each of them to try to gauge whether that was a joke. It doesn’t seem to be. There’s a weariness in Declan’s and Cole’s expressions.
“Reed is a player,” Declan says simply, prompting a guffaw and a lot of head-shaking from Reed.
I grin and laugh along with them as they continue to tease Reed for dating this new girl. It’s all good-natured, of course, and the fact I’m willing to play along with the jokes seems to endear me to Cole.
Even Declan is opening up. He seems relaxed around his friends, and his arm is snaked around my back, resting on my hip.
Just as Declan and Cole are starting in on another girl Reed has dated recently—“I’m pretty sure she’s dating an actor now”—Cole goes quiet abruptly, his blue eyes locked on something across the room.
“Oh, shit,” he mutters. “That’s not good.”
Chapter 36
Sophie
Declan’s smile evaporates. He turns to follow Cole’s gaze, and immediately, it’s like a storm cloud has settled over his features. His eyes darken, and his jaw goes rigid.
A new man has entered the room, well-dressed in a classy beige suit. He’s older, but still handsome, a bit of a silver fox. In fact, he looks a lot like Declan—dark hair, streaked with gray, and those piercing, intimidating blue eyes.
“Declan,” I whisper. “What’s up? Is something wrong?”
I have a theory, but I don’t want to voice it aloud just yet.
“Shit,” Cole repeats, his tone hushed. “Did you know he was gonna show up here?”
A nerve jumps in Declan’s jaw. “I thought he might,” he mutters, almost under his breath. “Hoped he wouldn’t.”
Before anyone can say anything else, Declan is pacing across the room, a dark look on his face. I move to follow him, but Cole reaches out to block my path with his arm.
“You do not want to get mixed up in this, I promise you,” he says.
“Who is that?” I ask.
Cole shakes his head. “That’s his dad. Can’t believe he had the nerve to show up, honestly.”
