Page 7

KNOCK ME OVER

BELLA

A year and one month ago

July

Xander clears his throat. “Stacey?”

“Yeah, your college girlfriend.” Audrey bobs her head a little too enthusiastically.

I don’t exist to her right now, but the truth is…I don’t exist to him either.

He sits up straighter, his movements jerky. “I didn’t even know she was still in Boston.”

“She wasn’t.” Audrey breaks into a proud smile. “She lived in DC for three years, and she’s changed so much. She’s grown so much.”

My heart pounds in my chest like a drum, making it hard to hear her as she gushes.

“When she moved back, she and her mom opened their own event company, and oh my God —it’s a tremendous success.

I’d been asking around and heard only good things about their firm.

Wanting the best of the best, I, of course, scheduled a meeting.

When I saw Stacey, I couldn’t believe the coincidence.

Of all the companies, of all the people I could’ve hired, I chose her. It’s a sign, Alex.”

Sign of what? I open my mouth, but no sound comes out.

My phone rings in my lap, like the universe knows I need an excuse to flee.

Needing fresh air, I stand. “I’ll be back. I need to take this.”

Neither Xander nor Audrey respond. Hell, they don’t even look at me. So, without looking back, I stride to the entrance.

I press my phone to my ear as soon as I’m outside. The night air hits my skin, sending tingles down my spine. I close my eyes, hoping it’ll soothe my nerves, and say, “Hello?”

The moment the voice on the other end of the line registers, my blood freezes. So much for the universe giving me a break.

“Wow, I was sure you wouldn’t answer,” my mother sneers.

“Then why are you calling me?” Opening my eyes, I force myself to breathe steadily. Her timing could not be worse.

“Stop being a bitch, Isabella. I didn’t raise you to be like that.”

“To be like what?” I press my fingers to my left temple to relieve the piercing pain that’s making my vision blur.

“I definitely didn’t teach you to lash out at your own mother.”

That one makes me chuckle. Is she for real?

“Seriously, what do you want? I’m not in the mood for your bullshit.”

“Your grandmother will be here in a few weeks,” she says. “She wants to see you.”

“Why?” My hands tremble slightly. I have very mixed feelings about my grandmother.

She loves me, I really think she does, but I don’t think she cares about me.

I’ve always been the one who tried to stay in touch, while she only made an effort when I was visiting her in Montgomery.

When I wasn’t there, I didn’t really exist to her.

“Really?” Mother snorts. “When was the last time you saw her? Or talked to her?”

“When was the last time she saw me? Or talked to me ?” I take a step back to let an older couple and a young blonde woman enter the restaurant.

Though I walked in feeling on top of the world, I suddenly feel as if I don’t belong here. That’s my mother’s effect on me.

She groans. “Stop this. She’s an old woman, full of sentiment. She wants to see her granddaughter—her only granddaughter, may I remind you. Would it really be that difficult to show up for her? Are you so selfish you can’t set your hatred for me aside for one fucking dinner?”

Jake’s image appears in my mind, my talk with him about his mother’s birthday party swimming in my head. Is it that hard to sit through one fucking dinner? he asked.

My mother sounds exactly like him.

This isn’t selfishness. This is a matter of mental health. This is self-preservation. I’m not sure I have it in me to sit through a dinner in my mother and Kevin’s awful company.

“Isabella!”

I flinch as if she slapped me across the face. Numbness sweeps through my whole body.

“Okay, I’ll be there.” The words are out before I realize it. Shit .

But I can do this. I can handle shutting down my emotions for one night. It’s nothing I haven’t done before.

“Text me the details.”

“What about your boyfriend?” she grits out. “Don’t you want to introduce Alexander to your family?”

“Alexander doesn’t even want me talking to you, so I can’t imagine he’d want to meet you.” Lies, lies, lies . He would never let me go there alone.

“That’s bullshit. Tell him we expect him there.

” She seethes. “Your grandmother wants to meet him, and she’ll eat me alive if you show up alone.

‘ How is it possible you’ve never met Isabella’s boyfriend?

’” she says, mimicking my grandmother’s voice.

“‘ How can you sleep at night not knowing who he is? ’” She huffs.

“I’m not interested in being lectured. Do you hear me? ”

Eyes closed, I drop my head back against the brick wall behind me. “I’ll think about it.”

“Fine.”

“Is that all?”

“Yes. I’ll send you the details once we finalize them.”

After I’ve hung up, I push myself away from the wall. Fuck . How long have I been outside? I look at the screen. Seven minutes. Seven shitty minutes, and I’m ready to climb the wall because of her. My headache is throbbing now. God, what I’d do to just go home.

But I can’t. Not without Xander. So, with a cleansing breath, I straighten my dress, running my hands over the skirt a few times. I’m in no state to stay and hold a conversation. I hope Audrey won’t mind us leaving.

Inside, I head for our table but immediately halt in my tracks. The blonde who entered the building a few minutes ago is sitting in my place.

As I force myself to approach, the three of them break into laughter. With every step, I’m more certain I know who this blonde is.

God, I hope I’m wrong. Audrey can’t be that cruel, right?

I focus on Xander, and what I see brings my heart dangerously close to exploding. The glint in his eye is familiar. Warm and tender. It’s the look he typically reserves for me. Only this time, it’s aimed at this girl.

“Hey.” I put my hand on his shoulder, garnering his attention. “Sorry. I needed to take that call. It was…important.”

“Who was it?” he asks, head tipped back.

“It doesn’t matter.” My voice is shaky as I glance at the blonde who’s still sitting in my seat. “Um…”

“Oh, right!” Xander shakes his head, one side of his mouth ticking up. “Apparently we weren’t the only ones Audrey invited to dinner.”

“That’s not true!” she says, wearing a pretentious smirk.

“I honestly didn’t think you’d stay this long.

You rarely hang out for more than an hour or so.

” Audrey picks up her water glass and takes a small sip.

“Stacey and I have a lot to discuss, so we agreed to meet tonight. It just so happened that this time worked best for both of us. So I thought, why not combine two things? That way I can see my brother and his—er, my friend and party planner.”

She orchestrated this whole thing.

The tsunami in my chest grows stronger, bigger, and soon I’m in the middle of it, drowning. This pain inside me is so strong and so real, I’m afraid my heart will stop beating.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” The blonde stands and spins around. “I probably took your seat.”

Her long, dark lashes make her blue eyes almost crystalline.

They radiate warmth and happiness, and the smile that plays on her full lips is genuine.

She has a little birthmark on her right cheek, right at the corner of her mouth.

She’s stunning…and she’s exactly his type.

A combination of Taylor Swift and Margo Robbie. I am the exception.

A nuisance .

“I’m Stacey.” She holds out her hand. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

I accept her hand on autopilot. “You too. I’m Isabella.”

A dark, oppressive emotion forms in my mind. I don’t like this feeling. I don’t like these thoughts…but I can’t help it.

I hate Xander’s sister. I literally hate Audrey.

“I’m sorry again for taking your place.”

I plaster on a facsimile of a smile. “That’s okay. Don’t worry.”

“Okay.” Stacey shuffles around the table to the empty chair. The one beside Audrey. The one directly across from Xander.

He watches her every move, grinning. He’s so damn happy to see her.

I want to disappear. I want to run away from this place, from his manipulative sister, but instead, I sit.

“Bella?” The expression on his face darkens as he finally bothers to look at me. “Are you okay?”

I shrug. “My head hurts, that’s all.”

“Do you want to go home?” He takes my hand, his fingers skimming along the inside of my wrist.

“If you want to stay, we can stay. It’s no big deal.”

“Stay, Alex,” Audrey orders. “You haven’t seen Stacey in years. You have so much to catch up on, don’t you think? This is a sign. Out of all the event planning firms I could’ve chosen, I went with hers.”

“I swear, she’s told me that ten times already.” Stacey chuckles. “Please don’t feel obligated to stay. I’m sure you have better things to do than hang out with your sister and her event planner.”

“You’re not just my event planner,” Audrey says, her voice full of more passion than the situation calls for. “You’re my friend! One of the best I’ve ever had. I’m not letting you out of my sight this time.”

Stacey bursts into laughter. “I’m starting to regret agreeing to work with you.”

So far, Stacey’s been nothing but nice, but my heart isn’t in the right place. Hell, my mind isn’t in the right place either. When I look at her, all I see is a threat. And I can honestly say it’s the first time I’ve ever felt like this.

I’m jealous.

“What do you say?” Xander smiles at me gently. “Do you want to stay or go home?”

Across the table, Audrey stares daggers at me. I don’t want to give her the satisfaction of knowing her surprise knocked me over, that I’m restless and intimidated. I’ll never show her any weakness.

“Let’s stay.”

“Thank you.” Her lips curl into a smile. She looks from Xander to Stacey, gesturing to them with a tilt of her head. “These two deserve a moment to reconnect, especially after what your ex did to them.”

I keep my expression even. Only the fast and painful beating of my heart reminds me I’m still alive.

“Audrey!” Xander bites out, frowning.

“What? I’m telling it like it is. If it wasn’t for Miller, who knows what could’ve happened between you two.” She shrugs, unbothered.

“Isabella is not accountable for what he did,” Stacey snaps, crossing her arms over her chest.

Audrey lifts her chin, defiant. “I was just stating my opinion.”

“Still, it’s disrespectful to Isabella.” Stacey turns her gaze to me, her eyes full of compassion. “I’m not after your guy, honest.”

I can’t find it in me to respond. I don’t know what to tell her. It takes everything I have to hold her gaze and not allow the pain to swallow me whole.

So much pain… I’m not sure I can handle it.

“Audrey, if you keep this up, we’re leaving,” Xander grits out. “Stop it.”

“Okay, okay, I get it.” Face contorted in anger, Audrey glares at me. Clearly, she thinks I am to blame for something. In her eyes, I’m evil incarnate.

Thankfully, the tension doesn’t last long. It ebbs, and the atmosphere slowly brightens.

The three of them chat, bringing up funny stories from college, about professors and other students. I sit quietly, willing my headache to fade. I have nothing to add to their conversation since I didn’t go to school with them, and we don’t have any friends or acquaintances in common.

Tired of feeling like the odd man out, and frustrated with myself for being so negative, I stand to go to the bathroom and give myself a minute to recenter.

But the second I straighten, my vision goes dark.

The pain in my temples sharpens, the sensation like an ice pick, and I drop back onto my chair.

“Bella!” Xander grasps my arm, his lips tugged down in concern. “Are you okay?”

I press my fingertips to my temples. “My headache has gotten worse.”

“And you didn’t say anything?”

“I didn’t want to interrupt,” I whisper. Bile climbs up my throat, but I swallow it back. I don’t want to throw up.

“Babe, I’m so sorry.” He massages my back as he turns to the other women at the table. “Sorry, I need to get Bella home.”

“Of course,” Stacey says with a soft smile. “Take care of your girl.”

He slowly helps me to my feet. All I want is to close my eyes and sleep. No dreams. No worries. Nothing.

Once I’m safely ensconced in the car, I shut my eyes and recline my seat a little. It’s rare for me to have such intense headaches anymore. My last one was while I was in college, so I don’t even have any aspirin with me.

Home, our bed, and Xander’s warmth are what I need. They’re what I crave, especially after watching him reconnect with his ex tonight. I need him to show me nothing has changed between us. That my worries are baseless.

“Were you upset about something?” His soothing voice is like a lullaby, blending perfectly with the hum of the engine.

Yes, your sister hates me and wants to replace me with your ex. Yes, the way you look at Stacey makes my heart bleed. Yes, your first real girlfriend is the epitome of your type, while I, your current girlfriend, am more like an anomaly. A joke.

I can’t possibly say all that, right? It screams of insecurities, and I want to hide those from him.

“Mother called,” I whisper, my eyelids heavy. “I have to go to dinner with them. My grandmother is coming to visit.”

I drift off then, into a blessedly dreamless sleep.