Page 35

CHAPTER 35

Zoey

T he evening of the gala, I stare at myself in the mirror, pleased with my choice in dress. It’s a black and hugs my body with thick off-the-shoulder sleeves, and a slit comes halfway up my right thigh. When I spin, the light catches the small glittery pieces within the fabric of the dress. My black heels make my legs look longer than they are and my ass look amazing.

Grabbing my clutch, I head downstairs to meet Henry and Maggie. I’ll be riding with them there to help Maggie with the final set up, and Matt will meet me there. Maggie made sure his name is on the list.

When I’m halfway down the stairs, Henry smiles up at me. “You look beautiful, Zo.”

“You clean up well, big brother. Where is your gorgeous wife so we can get going?”

His jaw drops slightly, and I turn to watch Maggie come down the stairs. I turn back to Henry, and he’s covering his mouth and shaking his head as he stares in awe at his wife. When she stops in front of him, he mutters, “How in the hell did I get so lucky?”

She goes up on her tiptoes and kisses him. I love that Henry and Maggie found each other and are still in awe of each other, even after having been together for eleven years. I only hope Matt and I can have that, too.

“Ready to go?” Maggie asks, and I nod.

We follow Henry out to the car, and he drives us downtown to the Convention Centre where the gala is being held. When we get there, we do everything we can to help Maggie with finishing touches. As guests start to arrive, Maggie begins making the rounds and greeting people. I grab a glass of champagne and take everything in. I can’t believe we were able to turn this space into something so beautiful.

Shiny silver stars intermixed with faerie lights hang from the ceiling. Soft burgundy drapery hangs from the walls, covering some of the harsher tones. Tables surround the perimeter of the dance floor at the front of the room, each draped with a black tablecloth with three tall vases in the centre filled with water and floating candles. The lights are set perfectly so you can still carry on conversation with people with the soft music that’s playing, but you can also watch the candlelight bounce off the shining stars.

As I make my way around the room, I spot Matt, two flutes of champagne in his hand. When he sees me, he stops, his jaw dropping as he motions for me to spin. I giggle as I do it, and he makes his way to me as quickly as socially acceptable without running or shoving people out of the way, it only has me giggling even more.

He hands me one of the flutes, and his free arm wraps around my waist, his hand landing just above my ass, staking his claim without being overly inappropriate.

I shake my head as I look up him, my smile never leaving my face. “You know, if you really want to show everyone I’m yours, you should kiss me.”

He grins down at me. “You’re brilliant and right, I should kiss you,” he whispers before our lips meet. It’s a socially acceptable kiss, even though I know neither of us want it to be.

When he pulls back, I ask, “How was Jayden when you dropped him off?”

He shakes his head and chuckles. “I swear that boy doesn’t care when I drop him off at Mom’s. He’s so spoiled by them that he’d be happy if I dropped him off with Grandma every weekend.”

I cup his cheek. “He loves you.”

His hand covers mine. “I know, and I’m happy he enjoys going to my mom’s.”

“He’ll be excited when you pick him up tomorrow.” I drop my hand from his face and take a sip of my champagne.

“You mean when we pick him up. And he’s going to be more excited to see you.”

I raise a brow. “We?”

He runs his teeth over his bottom lip and nods. “Yup. My plan is to woo you enough tonight that I can convince you to go home with me, and maybe if I do a good enough job you’ll spend the weekend.”

My shoulders shake as I silently laugh. “Someone’s ambitious.”

“When it comes to you, always.”

“Well let’s make the rounds and see how well you do tonight.”

He mock salutes me and takes my hand as we talk to people we’ve never met. After thirty minutes of socializing, I hear a familiar voice and grin widely as I spot Liv and Josh talking to a couple. I quickly make my way to Liv, and when she spots me, we throw our arms around each other. Josh ends his conversation and shakes Matt’s hand.

“I’m so happy to see you,” I say as I squeeze my best friend.

“Well, if you didn’t let my brother steal you away, you might see me more.”

I shake my head as I step back. “Don’t act like your husband hasn’t done the same. Plus, with Cate, you’ve got your hands full.”

Josh and Liv share a quick look before she agrees.

“Zoey, this place looks amazing. You and Maggie did good work,” Josh says.

“Thanks. The real judge will be how much money we manage to raise tonight.”

He nods. “Either way, that job is still yours if you want it.”

I’m radiating with excitement. Being able to do what Maggie and I have done for the last few weeks all the time would be a dream come true. “I’d love to take the job.”

Josh smiles and offers me his hand, and I shake it.

“I’ll send the signed contract to HR on Monday,” I say.

He nods. “We’ll get you started in the new year.”

“I look forward to it.”

Matt takes my hand and kisses my cheek before we all make our way to find our seats. I’m glad the four of us are all together. We take our seats, and two more couples join us. A tall man, probably in his late fifties, offers his hand to each of us, introducing himself as Hank, and his wife is Loretta. Loretta seems so excited to meet new people, asking the four of us all sorts of questions.

“And how do the four of you know each other?” she asks.

“Josh is my husband, Matt is my brother, and Zoey is my best friend,” Liv answers as Josh’s arm goes around the back of her chair and she leans in closer to him.

“Oh, how lovely. And who invited you guys tonight?”

“Maggie Williams is my sister-in-law,” I say. “I’ve been staying with her and my brother and helped her with some of the planning for tonight. Matt’s my plus one.” I smile at him, and his thumb grazes over my shoulder from the back of my chair.

“I got mine through my company,” Josh says, and Loretta’s eyes widen slightly.

“Are you Joshua Lincoln?” He nods, and she nudges her husband, who was in conversation with the other couple beside him. “Honey, this is Joshua Lincoln.”

“Ah, the new owner of the Cyclone,” Hank says, nodding. “I have to say, I’m surprised the team sold so quickly.”

Josh shrugs and smiles softly at Liv. “What can I say, my wife and I both have a love for the game and the team.”

Matt gives Josh a playful slap on the back and grabs his shoulder. “Glad to know your best friend didn’t play a factor.”

Josh just shakes his head and takes a sip of his drink, but Loretta raises a brow. “You married your brother’s best friend?” she asks Liv, who blushes slightly, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“I did, and my dear brother is now dating my best friend. It’s funny how that all works.”

“You all seem to be handling that much better than my brother would have.” She laughs.

“If I trust Josh with my life, no reason I shouldn’t trust him with my sister’s. He’s good to her, and I have a beautiful baby niece that he dotes on.”

Loretta leans forward. “Oh, please tell me you have pictures of this adorable little girl.”

Josh is already unlocking his phone and showing her the dozens of recent pictures he has of Cate.

She ohhhs and awwws at the pictures and turns to Matt and me. “Your babies are going to be just as cute, I can tell already.”

I blush, hard. My cheeks are so warm, and I feel the tips of my ears heating, too.

“If they look anything like Zo, of course they will,” Matt says.

I bite my lip. Him just acknowledging us having kids together is such a turn on.

As the waiter’s come around with dinner, Loretta joins her husband in conversation with the other couple, and I lean into Matt and whisper, “You’ve succeeded.”

He grins down at me. “Have I?”

I bite my lip and nod before making sure I get in real close so no one can hear what I’m about to whisper. “You have, and I expect you to have me calling your name all night long while you fuck me.”

“That’s a guarantee, baby.”

I sit properly in my seat and dig into my steak. Everyone enjoys dinner, and dessert is served before the evening transitions into the auction. A silent auction has been taking place all night along one wall of the event space, but the bigger items are being done in a live auction on stage. Maggie climbs the stairs to the stage and greets the guests, thanking everyone for coming and for their donations for tonight’s event before handing it over to the MC who runs the auction. I can’t wrap my head around the money some of the items go for. It’s insane.

After the auction ends, a band takes over, and people head for the dance floor. Matt offers me his hand, and I place mine in his as he leads me to the dance floor. I lay my head on his chest and close my eyes as we sway to the music.

A few songs in, I feel a tap on my shoulder and a soft, “Excuse me.”

Matt stiffens against me, and anxiety radiates off him. Lifting my head, I look beside me and see this beautiful blonde woman, several inches taller than me, with full curves. She offers me a soft smile and looks up at Matt. He's not looking at her fondly. In fact, he’s practically glaring daggers at the woman.

“Can I cut in?” she asks, and I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do, but Matt’s grip on me tightens.

“I’m in the middle of something, Hazel,” he practically growls, and rage fills me. I look up at Matt, the question in my eyes, and he nods in confirmation. I fist my hand in Matt’s shirt in an attempt to not turn around and slap this woman. I never really thought about what I’d do if I ever came face to face with Jayden’s mother, but the only thought going through me right now is violence.

She took so much from Matt by not telling him, robbing him of the opportunity to experience the pregnancy, and then she just dropped Jayden off at his doorstep. She deserves nothing nice in this world. A calming presence comes to my side, and I see Josh and Liv. I know the second she finds out who this woman is, she won’t be calm, though. Matt’s eyes haven’t left Hazel, and I don’t even think he’s noticed his sister.

Plastering on the fakest smile and staying as calm as possible, I say, “Why don’t we take this conversation outside?”

Her eyes dart to me, and her smile drops for a second before it returns. “I only need to talk to Matt.”

I grate my teeth. I’m not letting her talk to him by herself. I’m not letting her even attempt to take my man or my kid away from me. I don’t care if Jayden isn’t my biological child, he has become a part of me. I care more for him than I do myself, and I’m not losing him. You’d have to kill me and put me six feet under if you wanted a shot at it.

“Like I said, why don’t we take this conversation outside.”

Frustration seems to radiate off her as she looks at Matt, and he shakes his head. Taking my hand, he leads the way out of the event space. I make eye contact with Liv, and she knows immediately to follow us. As soon as Matt deems us far enough away from the doors, he stops and plants his feet shoulder-width apart and crosses his arms over his chest. I have no idea how she ended up here at the gala, but I want her as far away from us possible. I want her gone.

“What do you want, Hazel?” Venom fills his voice, and Liv’s shocked inhale fills the hallway.

“To talk.” She side-eyes Josh, Liv, and me. “Alone.”

Matt shakes his head and scoffs. “Anything you have to say to me, you can say to them.”

“And who are they?” she says, disgust filling her voice.

“My family. Jayden’s family.”

I take a step closer to Matt, loving that he’s lumped me in as his and Jayden’s family. I try to show some of the strength Matt is by not going after this woman, but it’s hard.

“I’d like to see my son,” she says, and I say, “No,” before anyone else has a chance to.

If she could shoot fire out of her eyes, I’m sure I’d be burnt to a crisp right now, but I don’t care. I pull my shoulders back and stand taller.

She scoffs. “And who the fuck do you think you are to say I can’t see my son?”

“The one who’s taken care of him when he’s been sick. The one he reaches for in the morning when he wakes up and wants to put him to bed. The one who reads him books before putting him to bed and plays with him. And he’s not your son, you gave him up.”

She looks at Matt. “You’re going to let her speak to me like that?” She pops a hip like she thinks Matt will choose her over me.

Matt nods. “She’s only saying the truth.”

She eyes me up and down before returning her gaze to Matt. “You let this woman around our baby? Maybe I shouldn’t have left him with you if you make such bad choices.”

She’s gone too far. I take a step forward and lower my voice to one that’s unrecognizable even to myself. “You better watch yourself before you end up with my palm across your face. Matt is an amazing parent. He’s stepped up when you didn’t even tell him he had a kid. You took away the experience of the pregnancy, the birth, his first few months, all because you’re a selfish little bitch. Matt’s a better parent than you could ever be. You gave up your rights, so why don’t you turn around and take your ass out of here right now and never show your face around here again.”

Her jaw is slack as she stares at me then Matt then back at me. “You can’t speak to me like that,” she shrieks.

“She can,” Matt says. “Unlike you, Zoey won’t abandon Jayden. I know without a doubt that no matter what happens between her and I, she will always be in his life. But my plan is she’ll be there, with us, always. She will be the female role model he’ll look up to, because she’s a good person who supports her family and the people she loves. I’m not letting you into his life only to abandon him again. I’m not putting him through that. You gave me the papers saying you didn’t want him anymore, and I’m going to honour that. You should know there are certified copies of those papers with Josh and Liv”—he tips his head towards them—“my parents, my lawyer, a cop friend, and another friend. No matter what you do, there are enough people who know that you can’t fight it.”

“He’s my son,” she tries to argue, but I shake my head.

“He’s not.”

“And he’s yours?” she says in outrage.

I take a step closer. “He is. I will die before I let you try to take him or walk into his life, only to abandon him again.”

Her entire demeanour changes as disgust fills her expression, and she looks at Matt. “You know what, I only gave this a shot because I was in town and you were a decent fuck, but it’s not worth this. You can keep your psycho bitch and the kid, I’m heading back to Winnipeg next weekend anyways.”

I raise a hand and take a step towards her, but arms wrap around my waist. She laughs at me. “Go,” I say. “Before I give you what you deserve.”

She rolls her eyes and leaves the building, and it takes everything in me not to go after her. The arms drop from around my waist, and I take a deep breath, turning and tucking the strands of hair that fell behind my ears. I drag my hand downward in front of me as I close it in an attempt to centre myself. When I open my eyes, the three of them are staring at me. Liv looks worried, Josh looks kind of impressed, and Matt, I can’t pinpoint the look.

“You good?” Liv asks, and I nod.

She hugs her brother and whispers something to him before Josh shakes his hand and they head back inside, leaving Matt and me alone.