Replace Me (Kin #2)(47)
Author: Jennifer Foor

My sister came over and hugged me. I whispered in her ear, “What is he doin’ here, Pey?”

“Seriously?, We’ve been seein’ each other for a month. God, you are so out of the loop. Dad is fine with it for once, so back off.”

I grabbed my sister by the arm when she started to walk away. “He’s nothin’ but a player.”

She jerked herself out of my hold. “Screw you, Shayne. Just because you screw up your relationships, doesn’t mean people can’t change. Jamey’s living at his brother’s place now. He’s got a good job and I really like him.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn ya, Pey. He’s bad news.”

“For once can you stop bein’ a big brother. I’m not gettin’ married, Shayne. We’re dating, that’s all.”

Jamey was standing next to my dad, talking about something. I wanted to walk up and throw him against the wall. My animosity grew when I saw my dad patting him on the back when he said something funny. Ashley wrapped her arm around me. “We were just talkin’ about that family and here’s one of them. What the Hell is goin’ on?” She whispered.

“I don’t know. I sure as hell am not alright with my sister bangin’ this guy. Jesus, what else?”

“Calm down. They’re just kids. It isn’t like it will last. I’m more curious as to why Joey would let Jamey move in with him. I thought he moved to get away.”

“Well, I don’t want my sister over there. Next she’ll be bringin’ his brother over here and I will have a serious problem with that.”

My dad came over with a smile on his face. He hugged Ashley, like she’d never betrayed anyone in our family. “How are you feelin’, hun?”

Ashley shrugged. “I’ve been better. I get sick a lot, but Shayne takes care of me.”

“Twins, huh? They run in the family, so one of my kids was bound to have a set. It’s a shame ya’ll weren’t married. Raisin’ one baby is hard, but two at once is extremely difficult.”

I put my arm around Ashley, not even realizing what it was insinuating. “We’ll do just fine, dad.”

He looked from me to Ashley and took a deep breath. “I hope so, son. So, you remember Jamey, don’t ya?” My dad pulled Jamey over toward where we were standing.

“Yeah, of course. He’s Ford’s cousin.” Jamey smiled, but I refused to smile back. He stuck out his hand for me to shake and I squeezed it extra hard.

“Good to see you again, man.” Jamey was just as fake as his brother. I wanted to take him out back and beat him to a pulp.

Seconds later, my mother was calling us all into the dining room. Ashley stayed close to me, avoiding the elephant in the room, while I was preoccupied with how I was going to break this kid’s neck. Dinner was the easiest part of the night.

Afterwards, I walked outside for some air. Jamey came out and lit up a smoke. He offered me one, but I passed. “I thought you were back with your ex, Lacey.”

“Who told you that?”

“I just figured, after what she did to Joey.”

Had it not been for my curiosity, I would have already punched the kid. That’s how much I disliked him. “What are you talkin’ about? What did she do?”

He took another drag before speaking. “Apparently, Joey had it bad for her. Next thing we know, he’s takin’ a job in Italy and leavin’ the country. If you ask me, it had somethin’ to do with her. I ain’t never seen him so bent up.”

“Wait. Are you tellin’ me that he wasn’t just sleepin’ with Lacey? They were more?”

He put his hands up. “I don’t know how she saw it, but I’ve never seen my brother like that, neither has our mom. She’s torn up about him leavin’. I don’t know if she’s ever cried the way she has lately. When he asked me to stay at his place until the lease ended, I moved in the next day. It’s all f**ked up.”

Joey had left his family and friends behind because he was broken up about Lacey. It made no sense, unless he’d fallen in love with her; the kind of love that makes you do crazy things. I got that knot in my stomach again, knowing that I was the cause of all of this. Lacey slept with me and it ended her relationship with Joey. “How can I get in touch with your brother?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know, but my mother does. I reckon you can call her at the diner. She’s there until eleven.”

I put my hand on his shoulder. “Thanks. Oh, one more thing. If you hurt my sister, in any way, I will kick your ass. Got it?”

He chuckled. “Yeah. We’re cool, man.”

“We better be.”

I walked back inside and found Ashley helping with the dishes. “Hey, we were getting ready to have dessert.”

“Do you mind if we take it to go? I just remembered that there’s somewhere I’ve got to be.”

After saying thank you for the meal, we headed out. I waited until we were in the car until I let Ashley know what was really going on. She seemed shocked, not just because Peyton was seeing Jamey, but the stuff with Lacey too. “So what are you goin’ to do?”

“I’m drivin’ to the diner and findin’ out how we can get in touch with Joey. I need to make this right, Ash. All I ever wanted was for Lacey to be happy. For this dude to leave the country, he’s got to have it bad for her. If there’s a chance that he’s in love with her, she should know. I can’t keep ruining people’s lives. As much as it sucks for me, they deserve a chance.”

“What’s gotten into you, Shayne. You hate Joey.”

“You’re right. I don’t like him. But, I care about Lacey. If her sleeping with me did all of this, I need to make things right, or at least try.”

“It’s not like he’s goin’ to want to talk to you, Shayne. If he left because you banged his girl, I hardly think he’d listen to anything you have to say.”

“I have to try.”

I knew I was being irrational. Most guys would be happy that their ex’s love interests moved that far away from them. Joey was no longer able to stand between my trying to win Lacey back. As much as I wanted that opportunity, I knew it was too late for me. Joey had helped Lacey move on. A part of me wished that she didn’t care about him, but I knew that wasn’t the case. Lacey had this thing about being honest. Joey asked me to stay away from her because he wanted to be with her. He didn’t lie to Lacey just to screw her like I’d originally thought. She’d dumped him for the wrong reasons and I knew that if she found out the truth, she’d never forgive me or herself.