Made for You by Kelly Elliott
My mother’s voice was low. Not that she was trying to be quiet, but because she was probably just as sad as I was.
“I really messed up, Mom.”
“Do you love her still?”
With a slow nod, I replied, “I never stopped loving her.”
Taking me by the arm, she turned me to face her. “Then please explain to me why you have a ring on that woman’s hand when I know damn well she is not who you want to spend the rest of your life with. If she is, then I don’t know my own son anymore.”
I turned my gaze back over to Daphne. I guess she was happy now that Emylie and Mason had walked off. She was back in a conversation with another person.
Meeting my mother’s stare, I knew what I was about to do was going to both disappoint and upset my parents even more. “I need to talk to you and dad.”
Her head pulled back in surprise. “Okay, we can talk tonight.”
I shook my head. “I need to talk to you now before I end up leaving town and telling you on the phone.”
She wore a concerned expression. “Let me go get your father. Lilly’s store is open. We can talk in her office.”
I blew out a deep breath and followed my mother.
I was going to tell them everything and I had no idea how they would react, but I knew it wasn’t going to be good.
MASON AND I walked along Main Street in silence. I hadn’t told him yet what Holden had told me yesterday about Daphne. My heart still ached as the words bounced around in my memory.
“Talk to me, Em.”
Sighing, I stopped walking and faced Mason. Those blue eyes of his held a piece of my heart that would always belong to him. He was not only my best friend, but the man who helped pull me out of a darkness I was sure I’d never climb out of.
“Holden told me what happened. The real reason he broken things off.”
His eyes widened in surprise. “Do you want to talk about it now?”
Becca walked up and glanced between us.
“What’s wrong?” she asked with a concerned expression.
“Holden told her why he broke up with her.”
Her mouth fell open. “Your mom is playing with Sage, let’s go behind the stage. We can talk there.”
I followed Becca and Mason as we made our way through the crowds. I felt so numb. My feet were moving, but I wasn’t sure how.
The knowledge of what Holden had done continued to hit me over and over, right in my heart. Each time I heard his words replay in my head, my heart broke a little bit more.
He cheated on me.
He broke my heart.
Destroyed my dreams.
Got another woman pregnant.
The knowledge of it pounded me again. This time harder. Burying my face within my hands, I sobbed uncontrollably. Mason quickly pulled me into his arms.
“I’m here, Tink. I’m here.”
Knowing Becca was with us, I needed to start pulling myself away from my vice. Taking a step back, I looked at Mason and shook my head.
“I know. I know, Mason.”
He gave me a funny expression before turning to Becca. It was then he realized what I was doing.
I wiped my tears away and blew out a deep breath. “He said he cheated on me over the Thanksgiving holiday. With Daphne.”
Anger moved across Mason’s face and was replaced by a look of confusion. Becca shook her head and mumbled, “Damn fucking cheaters.”
Mason shook his head in confusion. “But he came home that Christmas break. He told me he was going to ask you to marry him on Valentine’s Day.”
The strong intake of air almost made me choke. Holden was going to ask me to marry him? My heart instantly ached as the life we had planned together flashed through my mind.
Both Becca and I said, “What?”
Wiping the tears away, I said, “You never told me that.”
“Why would I? Em, he broke up with you not a week after going back to California. When he was here, he showed me the ring and said he was planning on asking you on Valentine’s Day. He seemed so happy and excited. When he broke up with you, I was confused and couldn’t figure out why. I even called him demanding he tell me what was going on. Why would I hurt you more by telling you he planned on asking you to marry him? The whole damn thing seemed so off.”
My stomach turned. What if that was the ring Daphne now wore? The thought sickened me.
“Wait. I’m royally confused here. He cheated on you how many times?” Becca asked. I knew how much this had to hurt her as well. Her own husband had cheated on her, and now one of our very best friends was a cheater.
Holden. Cheated.
I closed my eyes. “I guess he’d met the bitch before. She had flirted with him a few times. He said he got drunk and Daphne started flirting. He thought someone had slipped him something because he said he felt high. He woke up the next morning in her bed.”
Mason shook his head and whispered, “Fucker. Why would he come back home and act like everything was okay?”
With a shrug, I replied, “He said he wanted to forget the mistake he made that night. But when he got back to LA, Daphne told him she was pregnant.”
With a shocked expression on both their faces, Mason and Becca gasped. “Holy shit, what?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Daphne was carrying … she was pregnant with …” My voice shook as I attempted not to start bawling again.
Becca nodded and said, “I’m so confused. If she was pregnant, why didn’t they get married?”
“She lost the baby.”
Mason scrubbed his hands over his face. “If she lost the baby, why the fuck didn’t he leave her? Why didn’t he tell you what happened?”
“I don’t know if I would have forgiven him for cheating, and I’m positive he knew that.”
Mason shook his head and said, “So she lost the baby. What was his reason for staying in California then? He must have felt something for Daphne if he stayed with her all of this time. After all, he asked her to marry him.”
That was the cruel reality I had been dealing with ever since he told me yesterday. Why did he stay with her?
“Yeah, I’ve been thinking that too. He said it was a mistake, yet when Daphne lost the baby, he chose to stay with her. That’s what hurts even more than him cheating and getting her pregnant.” I could feel the tears stinging. “Maybe he thought he wanted to marry me, but he found something he liked better in her.”
Closing my eyes, I felt the tears fall. I needed to accept the fact that Holden had found someone who he wanted to be with more than me. It was time for me to move on.
Becca walked up and took me in her arms. “For what it’s worth, he doesn’t look at her like he looks at you, Em.”
Crying harder, I felt Mason wrap his arms around both of us.
Debbie and I moved about the kitchen in silence as I helped her prepare for tonight’s dinner. My mind was racing as I tried to figure out how I was going to react when I saw Holden and Daphne. Of course, I still had a few hours before I had to deal with them since they weren’t staying at the ranch. Something that really pissed Debbie off. She hadn’t seen Holden in a few years and Daphne was still keeping him away from his family.
The air in the room instantly charged and I knew he was there before he even spoke a word.
“Good morning, ladies.”
I froze in my place at the sound of his voice. Spinning around, I about choked on my own spit.
My lower stomach clinched as I stared at his sweat-dampened T-shirt clinging to his chest and abs. The way he took me in had my cheeks burning. He was taking me in like I was taking him in. With desire.
“What are you doing here?” I asked when I found my voice.
He lifted his brow and tiled his head. “It’s my house.”
I was momentarily stunned for a moment. Mentally preparing myself that I wouldn’t see him until later, I fought to find words to speak.
“Ah, I thought you were staying at the cabins. I wasn’t exp
His half-grin faded and the corners of his mouth dropped into a frown. “I’ve been away long enough that it didn’t make a lick of sense to be staying at the cabins. I came home to spend time with everyone. Not hide out.”
Did I detect some hostility in his voice? Things must not be so great between the happy couple. It was a childish way for me to think, but I didn’t care.
Deciding not to let it go, I pressed him for more information.
“Hide out? That’s an odd way to describe spending time with your fiancée.”
Holden stared at me so intensely I shuddered.
With a panty melting smile, he asked, “What are you doing for lunch, Em?”
Whoa. That came out of left field.
“Probably helping Debbie.”
“Nonsense. You need to eat lunch,” Debbie quickly injected.
My head snapped over to her as I shot her a what-in-the-hell look.
“Please let me take you to lunch, Em. I really want to talk to you alone. We need to talk.”
My stomach dropped. What in the world could he possibly want to talk to me about?
“Okay, I have to run home in a bit to pick up the lights for the back porch. I forgot to grab them. Did you want to meet in town?”
His face lit up and he smiled at me. “No. I’ll pick you up at your place at eleven. That way we can be back in plenty of time to help Mom and Dad.”
The only thing I could do was say, “Okay. Sounds good.”
Oh. My. God. He drops a bomb on me that he cheated on me. Got the girl pregnant, and now he thinks I’m going to drop everything and have lunch with him?
Wait. I totally just dropped everything to have lunch with him.
Holden gave me a wink and grinned from ear-to-ear. I didn’t want to admit how it made my stomach flutter. Or how the idea of spending some time with him alone thrilled me more than it should. But it did.
Chewing on my lip, I turned back to peeling the potatoes.
Debbie cleared her throat. “He still loves you.”
My hand stopped moving and I stared at the potato. “He’s engaged to another woman, Debbie. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t love me.”
“That’s not what he told me and Sam last night.”
I glanced over my shoulder and gave her an inquisitive look.
“He told us everything.”
I lifted my brows and asked, “Everything?”
She nodded. “Yes. We told him he needed to talk to you, to let you know how he truly felt and to tell you the whole story.”
The whole story? What did she think I knew? I was pretty damn sure I knew the whole story. Maybe I didn’t.
Anger rushed through my veins like ice water. “It doesn’t matter, Debbie. He made his choice. If he truly loved me and wanted this life, he’d have come back home when Daphne lost the baby.”
Debbie gave me a knowing look. “I’ll let him explain everything to you, but keep an open mind, sweetheart.”
I dropped the peeler into the sink and set the half-peeled potato down. “It’s in the past. He has a future with her, and I have my own future.”
“With Mason?”
For a brief moment, I was stunned. “I’m not sure what my future holds.”
Debbie turned away. “You’re each other’s crutch is what you are to each other. You both think you can forget your pain by being together, but you can’t. Neither of you would be happy together. You’re better friends more than anything else.”
Now I was really pissed. Ripping off the apron, I tossed it onto the counter.
“You don’t know anything about what Mason and I have together or how we feel about each other.”
Crossing her arms over her chest, she nodded. “You’re right. I don’t. But what I do know is the way you light up when you see Holden. The way your breathing changes when you’re near him. I see the same thing in him, and what I don’t see is either one of you looking at Mason or Daphne the way you look at each other. Emylie, my darling, I’m going to tell you what I told Holden last night. The two of you were made for each other.”
Tears collected in the corners of my eyes as I turned away. “I’ll be back this afternoon to help you.”
Deep in my heart I knew she was right. The only thing I wanted to do was get home and figure out what I was going to wear on this lunch date with Holden. When really I should be telling Holden to go screw himself.
No. Lunch meeting. I certainly was not going on a date with an engaged man.
Walking out to my car, I pulled out my phone and sent Mason a text letting him know what was going on. His only reply was a simple, “good luck.”
As I got in my car and drove off, I glanced back to the house. Daphne was standing on the porch staring at me.
With a forced smile I waved.
I wasn’t surprised when she didn’t return the gesture.
“WHERE ARE YOU going?”
I was about to walk out the door when Daphne’s question stopped me.
Turning, I forced the corners of my mouth up into a smile. “I’m heading into town for a lunch meeting.”
“Really? A lunch meeting with who?”
There was no sense in lying to her. “Emylie.”
Her hands crossed over her chest and she huffed. “Why? Why in the world are you having lunch with your ex-girlfriend? You should be taking me out to lunch or to a spa so I can prepare myself for the onslaught of your family.”
Damn if I didn’t want to roll my eyes at her.
“I need to clear the air with Em about a few things. That’s all.”
Her upper lip snarled. “Oh, cute. Em. What would Mason think if he knew his Em was having lunch with you?”
The thought of Emylie and Mason together still boiled my blood. Every time I looked at the guy who I thought was my best friend, all I wanted to do was punch the living hell out of him. But then I’d come to my senses and realized I pushed the two of them together in the first place, and I couldn’t blame either one of them.
“I’m sure he is fine with it since it’s simply lunch, nothing more.”
She stomped her foot like a child. “What in the hell am I supposed to do while you’re off having lunch with that slut?”
Balling my fists together, I quickly walked up to Daphne. “Don’t you dare call her that.”
She narrowed her gaze and glared at me. “Why not? She’s sleeping around with Mason, yet going off and having lunch with you.”
“And that makes her a slut?”
She shrugged. “Maybe. Have you noticed the way she eye-fucks you? It turns my stomach. Then she goes off with her arms around your best friend.” Lifting her chin, she smirked. “So yes. I’m going to say she is a slut.”
“I’m warning you, Daphne. Don’t call her that.”
Her face dropped and tears formed in her eyes. “If I didn’t know any better, Holden, I’d think you still loved her. Don’t you even care that I’m carrying your baby?”
I shook my head. “For Christ’s sake, are you really going to pull this shit with me? You’re the one with the ring on her finger and here to meet my entire family. What more do you want from me, Daphne?”
A tear slipped down her cheek. “I want you to not go to lunch with your ex. I want you to want to be with me … the woman carrying your baby. The woman you intend on marrying. I’m pregnant for fuck’s sake!”
Something in me snapped. It was like a dam broke. I couldn’t hold back all the words I’d been dying to say.
“Let’s be real here, Daphne. This thing between us has been built on a one-night stand and you getting pregnant.”
Her mouth fell open. “Well you certainly cared enough to stay after we lost the baby.”
“Because you had a breakdown, Daphne! Did you really think I’d leave you when you were suffering? You could hardly get out of bed.”
Her chin started to tremble. “So what you’re really saying is you’re with me out of pity?”
She buried her face in her hands and started crying. I wasn’t in the mood for her dramatics.
“I don’t have time to deal with one of your tantrums, Daphne. I’ll be back in a few hours. In the meantime, why don’t you go sit by the pool and relax?”
“How can you say such cruel things to me?” Her crying grew stronger.
I knew I was being a first-class dick right now, but I didn’t care. Heading to the front door, I pulled it open.
“Holden!” Daphne cried out. “Don’t you dare walk away from me. Holden!”
She followed me out to the porch. I didn’t bother to look back until I heard her make a groaning sound.
“Oh God! Not again!” she cried out.
Stopping, I turned to see her down on her knees with her arms wrapped around her stomach.
“The baby, Holden you hurt the baby.”
Quickly rushing back up the stairs and onto the porch, I cried out, “Daphne!”
I lifted her in my arms and carried her back into the house. “It’s okay, I’m sorry if I got you upset.”
She buried her face into my chest and cried.
“What happened?” Mom asked rushing out from the kitchen.
“We got in a fight and something’s wrong. I think I need to take her to the hospital.”
Daphne jerked her head up. “No! No the last time they started poking around I lost the baby. No, I don’t want anyone touching me. I need to lay down and not be stressed. That’s all.”
The instant guilt felt like I had walked into a brick wall.
Walking faster, I said, “Let’s get you up to bed.”
My mother stopped at the bottom of the stairs. “Maybe I should at least have a doctor come out and make sure everything is okay.”
Daphne stared into my eyes with fear. “No doctors, Holden. Please.”
“It’s okay, Mom. I don’t want to stress Daphne out. Let’s let her rest.”
By the time I got Daphne up to my room, she was somewhat calmed down, but still complaining of cramping in her stomach.
“Daphne, I’m worried if we do nothing, something bad will happen.”