Page 46 of Finally Home
I nod, having expected as much. Jeremy watches me with his giant arms crossed over his chest. The way his eyes roam over my face makes me shuffle down into my seat nervously. “Now that we have the basics covered…” He raises a thick eyebrow. “You ready to talk about the real reason you invited me here without the guys?”
My earlier guilt comes back full force at the look on his face, and I wince.
With a sigh, he squeezes my hand again. “You’re leaving us, aren’t you?” Tears fill my eyes when I shrug and Jeremy nods in understanding. “I could see it on your face the day of the trial and again just now. You’re so happy here, Cupcake. I’m not saying you weren’t happy in Seattle, but you practically glow here.”
I can’t help but smile at that. So much has changed over the last month, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. “Part of it is that Rhodes and I are finally together, and I hate that I would be away from him so much,” I say quietly. Jeremy met Rho the day of the trial and the two have gotten along like peas and carrots. “But I feel at home here in a way I never did there. I’m so grateful for my four years with the Sirens and to you most of all. You took a chance on me when I was just a kid, and I’ll always love you for that, but I think it’s time for me to make a change.”
Grinning, he shakes his head. “Well, you’ll need to come back at least one more time to get your stuff and sign some paperwork if you’re gonna quit on me. There is an escape clause in your contract and that includes not being forced to work in a hostile environment. Monroe definitely qualifies.” I swallow nervously and he lets go of my hand to tap the table with his knuckles. “Really though, I’m incredibly proud of you Wren. I know you’ve had to make a lot of hard decisions lately, but you’ve handled it with grace and maturity far beyond your years. I’m honored to be your friend, and I expect multiple visits a year.”
“Damn it, Jer,” I sniffle. “Of course, I’ll come back to visit. I’m going to hate not seeing you every day.”
His smile softens and he places money down on the bill. “Alright, Cupcake. I’ve gotta head to the airport and you need to tell your new bodyguard about your trip to Seattle.”
I’ll miss my job and my friends, and I might even miss the Washington rain a little bit, but I can’t wait to start the rest of my life here in Charleston.
Rhodes is at practice with Finn when I get back, so I quickly change and pack a bag. The sooner I handle everything in Washington, the sooner I can get back to Rhodes and Finn. I’ve just packed the last few things I’ll need from the guest bathroom when my phone starts vibrating on the nightstand, and the steady buzz of nonstop notifications nearly sends it tumbling onto the floor.
My eyes widen. There are more than a hundred notifications, but Asher’s name pops up on the screen before I can read any of them, and I hurry to answer the call. My nerves are too shot to even appreciate the irony of someone changing his ringtone to “Hot Mess” by Zoe Clark (Ash is the most put-together guy I know).
“Wren, I need you to do me a favor and do not look at your phone. I’ll be there in two minutes.” His voice is frantic as several other voices shout in the background.
My stomach drops at the urgency in his tone. Asher isn’t one to lose his cool, and he should be headed to the airport, so my own panic immediately spikes in response. I pull the phone from my ear and scroll through my notifications, clicking on a video link against my better judgment. What I see on the screen has me running back into the bathroom to empty the contents of my stomach.
“Wren!” Three voices shout from downstairs. I must have forgotten to lock the door when I got home, but a wash of relief runs through me because they’re here.
Jamie is the first to make it into the bathroom, and his face crumbles when he sees me on my knees, hugging the toilet. “Baby Reid,” he gasps as he sits down next to me. He grabs my hair, holds it back, and whispers assurances while I heave.
“Jamie,” I groan. My voice echoes off the porcelain, but I don’t feel like I’m going to be sick again, so I flush and put the lid down, resting my sweaty face on the cold seat. “Please don’t tell me everything will be okay when it probably won’t.”
Wes walks over and gently picks up my head so he can sit on the toilet lid. When he’s settled, he sets my head against his knees and runs a cold washcloth over my face and neck to cool me down. “People have sex tapes leak all the time, Wren. It’s not like you’re with some random guy, he was your husband. It’ll blow over fast and in a month we’ll laugh about it.”
My eyes burn as I start to cry, and I can barely get the words out between heaves for air. “I didn’t know I was being filmed.”
They freeze in sync, but it’s Asher who growls, “What did you just say?”
I clear my throat and wince—the amount of tears I’ve shed this week has it all swollen and irritated. Ash grabs me the water from my nightstand, and I take a sip, letting the cool liquid soothe my raw throat. “That was the only time I ever got blackout drunk after we moved to Seattle,” I whisper. “The night I told y’all about my feelings for Rhodes? I went home and tried to go to bed but Derrick was all over me for the first time in months. Had I been more sober, I would have been suspicious at how insistent he was, but I was drunk and exhausted and too emotionally wrung out to fight him on it.”
Another round of nausea overwhelms me, but I swallow down the bile. “I never would have…I didn’t consent to that. I was barely even conscious, for fuck’s sake! I trusted my husband to take care of me. Not film me at my most vulnerable.” My chest heaves, and sobs wrack my body.
“What do you want to do, Wren? We need to report this to the police and to the team,” Jamie says softly, rubbing my back.
Thoughts fly through my mind too fast, and my panic continues to rise. All I know is that I need to get out of here now.
“I can’t let any of this affect Rhodes or his career. I mean, God, I didn’t even think about that. We got together before my divorce was even final, what if our relationship had gotten out to the press? He’s a public figure, they could have torn him apart. I was going to move back to Charleston to be with him and now I can’t even…” I trail off guiltily, realizing my slip too late.
Three sets of wide eyes find mine, and I can see the hurt on Wes and Jamie’s faces, but Ash keeps his expression neutral. “You were going to leave without telling us?” Wes asks frustratedly.
“No!” I shout. “Of course not. I was literally packing a bag to fly to Seattle right now. I want to see if I can even get out of the last year of my contract, and I was going to tell y’all when I knew for sure. I promise, I never would have left without saying goodbye.”
Asher sits down next to me, wraps an arm around my back, and rests his head on top of mine. “We know that, Wren. It was just a shock to hear, especially when we’re already dealing with a crisis right now.”
I take in a deep breath and hold it until the tears stop. I can’t afford to break down right now. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t think before I spoke, and I shouldn’t have told you like that. When does your flight leave?”
They look at each other in silent communication but, again, it’s Asher who answers. “We were on our way to the jet when the news broke, actually.”
I nod, standing on shaky legs. “Great, then let’s go. I need to get out of here. I’ll just stay in Seattle longer than I planned and grab a hotel while I figure things out.”
They roll their eyes at me, and Jamie grabs my bag, leading me down the stairs. “You know I have a guest room, and I’m not gonna let our favorite PR badass stay in a hotel. But do we need to swing by the stadium so you can talk to Rhodes before we leave?”