Replace Me (Kin #2)(46)
Author: Jennifer Foor

“When Harley died everything changed. A part of Ford died with her. Now his mother’s back after all those years. He’s got a lot on his plate. I never would have said this months ago, but I’m glad he has Sky. She seems like she’s just as crazy about him.”

“She’s a great girl. She’s good for him. They both want the same things.” The car got quiet. I’d hit a nerve, but Ashley needed to talk about it, just like I needed to talk about Lacey. “How about Lace and Joey. Did you ever see her runnin’ to someone like him?”

Ashley laughed. “Now that’s hysterical. He makes you look like an angel.”

“I know, right. What was she thinkin’?”

“I’ve known Joey since we were little kids. He’s always had a way with the girls, even his brother. I guess it’s in the blood or somethin’. I can happily say that I’ve never been with either of them. Jamey’s goin’ to be just like Joey.”

“We had words, you know. I called Lacey a while back and he answered. He told me she was different to him and I needed to back off.”

She looked right at me with a shocked face. “Really? Do you think she put him up to it?”

“She didn’t even know about it.”

“Wow. Do you think he’s changed?”

“Hell no! He just wants to bang her. I guess he thought that if she got back with me he wouldn’t get to bang anymore.” I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. Thinking of Joey and Lacey made me insanely jealous. I’d never suffered from that kind of feeling before, especially not about a girl.

“You need to forget about her. I’m not sayin’ that to be mean. She gets to you like Ford got to me. Once I realized that and finally gave up, I started to feel better. Plus, I had these little ones to worry about.” Ford could have had a good life with Ashley. She was gorgeous. The girl had a great body and she was easy to hang out with. Sure, she had a wild side, but I found it spunky and attractive. Had she not been with either of them, I would have definitely wanted to hit it. That wasn’t me though. We were friends and that was it.

We pulled up at my parents and I turned the car off. Ashley looked at me like she was going to throw up. I grabbed her hand again. “It’s goin’ to be fine, Ash. Were two friends that are expectin’. That’s the truth. The paternity is irrelevant, right now.”

“It’s still lyin’.”

“Don’t get all honest on me, Ash. We can do this.”

She squeezed my hand. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

Lacey

“Stop moping and get your butt over here. Ford got some movies and we’re planning on vegging out all weekend.” Sky had been begging me to come over for the past week.

I still didn’t want to run into Joey. Seeing him would bring the pain back. His last words to me were all I could think about, no matter how much time had gone by. “You know why I don’t want to come.”

“I didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?” She had me scared. “He’s got a new girlfriend?”

“No. Well, I suppose he could. He left for Italy a few days ago.”

“Vacation?”

“No.” She got quiet for a moment. “Lace, Joey moved there. He got an opportunity to be the chef for some consulate. We didn’t find out until the day before he left. His brother’s staying in his place until the lease is over with.”

I could feel my lips trembling as she spoke. Not only was Joey gone, but he was on the other side of the world. “He’s not coming back?”

“Ford said it’s a dream opportunity. His mother was really upset. She was finally getting used to him living on his own and then he did this.”

“Sky, are you lying to me? Did you know about this and just not tell me?”

“No, I swear. He came to us the night before. He was short about it and didn’t give us any details. To be honest, we hadn’t seen him much lately anyway. Ever since the two of you called it quits, he kept his distance.”

“I bet he had plenty of women to take my place.”

The line got quiet again and I wondered if we’d been disconnected. “Lace, I’ve never seen a single woman visit Joey. He’d go to work, then come home. Are you sure that he didn’t want something more with you?”

“No. He made it quite clear.”

“I think he lied. We’re talking about a guy that did everything for his mother. What else could make him want to leave everything behind? Something had to happen.”

I thought about Joey being so far away. My heart was breaking all over again and I couldn’t even picture never being able to see him. I’d been foolish to not come around. “If that’s the truth, then I made him leave.”

“You did tell him you slept with Shayne. Maybe that’s what set him over the edge.” She told me like it was and I valued that in our friendship, but at the very moment I wanted to slap my best friend. I was in agony and needed to find answers, not be lectured.

“How do I reach him?”

“I have no clue. I guess his mother has a way.”

“I’ve got to go, Sky. I will call you later if I’m going to stop by.”

“Lacey, what are you going to do?”

I was sobbing and hoped that she could understand me through my tears. “I need to know the truth. Everyone told me he’d never want a relationship. What if he did? What if he was being honest to me? Oh my God, I could have ruined everything.”

“Lacey, calm down. We’ll get his number. Everything will be okay.”

“No, that’s not good enough. I’ve got to find him. I need him to know that my feelings were real. All that fighting, it was only because I was crazy for him. It was the chase that made me want him, but nothing could ever compare to what happened when we were alone. I can’t explain it. No man will ever make me feel like that, except Joey. He needs to know, Sky.”

“I can call the diner for you and get his contact information.”

“No. I need to do it myself. This is all my fault and it’s my job to fix it.”

I hung up the phone, knowing exactly what my plan was going to be. I didn’t care what it took, I needed the truth no matter what I had to do to get it. If there was a chance that Joey was in love with me, I had to know.

Chapter 22

Shayne

The house smelled wonderful when we walked inside. Peyton was the first person to greet us and I felt like I was going to vomit when I saw who her guest was. Jamey sat in a lounge chair in the living room. He nodded when our eyes met and for a split second I thought it was Joey. Ashley must have sensed my anxiety, because she grabbed my hand, getting my attention to go to her, instead of him.