Beauty from Pain (Beauty, #1)(64)

“Hi, Daniel. It’s Laurelyn. I need you to drive me to town in the morning. Can you be ready at seven?”

“Certainly, Miss Beckett. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Miss Beckett. I feel a frown form on my face and I sigh. “Thank you, Daniel.”

I survey the pile of luggage and wonder where I’ll go in the morning. I have no idea. I’m short on money so a hotel for longer than one night is out of the question. I can’t ask to come back to Ben’s after the way I left, so I guess I have no choice. I’m forced to go home. Jolie will be happy.

I decide to shower tonight so there’s no delay in getting away from this place first thing in the morning. Under water that’s as hot as I can stand, I need this torment to be washed away. I’m unsuccessful at ridding myself of the pain, and the water eventually runs cold, much like the feeling I have deep inside.

I’m lying in bed, but nowhere near sleep, when Lachlan calls for the fourth time. I finally silence the ringer because I don’t want to hear Bret sing anymore. It’s too bad I’ll never hear him sing again without thinking of Lachlan Henry.





32

Jack McLachlan

I can’t stay away from Laurelyn until tomorrow afternoon. I leave my parents’ house early to come home to be with her, but not without hearing a shitload of trash talk from my brother about being *-whipped. I may be, but I’m not complaining.

I come through the garage door and stumble over a pile of luggage. I turn on the light and recognize the bags as Laurelyn’s. What the hell is going on here? First, she wouldn’t answer my calls and now her luggage is by the door?

I walk to the bedroom, not sure of what I’m going to find. Please don’t be gone, Laurelyn. I hold my breath as I stop in the doorway. It’s pitch black, so I turn on the bathroom light and see her asleep in my bed. I release the breath I was holding.

It’s three in the morning and I only want to strip down and climb into bed with her, but I don’t because I know something isn’t right. I sit on the bed next to her and brush her soft cheek with the back of my fingers. “Laurelyn.”

She stirs, but doesn’t wake, so I say her name again. “Laurelyn, baby.”

She opens her eyes and bolts up in the bed, taking the sheet with her. “What are you doing here?”

This isn’t the welcome home I’d imagined. “I live here.”

“You told me you wouldn’t be home until this afternoon.”

“I left early because I wanted to be with you. I’ve sort of developed a habit of doing that.” She doesn’t say anything. “What’s going on? Why are your bags by the door?”

“Because I’m leaving.”

I feel my heart jump into my throat. “Why?”

“Your wife thought it would be the appropriate thing for me to do and I tend to agree with her.”

What the hell is she talking about? “I don’t have a wife.”

“Audrey paid me a visit, and she says differently. She’s stunning, Lachlan. And I should know because she stunned me.”

That psycho has traced me to Avalon. She’s getting smarter. And braver. Attempting to destroy two of my vineyards was ballsy, but now she has walked into my house and f*cked with my personal life through Laurelyn. “I’m not married to that woman.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“I swear I’ve never been married.” She doesn’t say it again, but I see she doesn’t believe me. I run my hands through my hair. How am I going to prove this to her?

There’s only one way. I reach for my phone in my pocket. “You can ask my mum. She’ll tell you.”

It’s three o’clock in the morning, but I bring up my contacts and press the one labeled “Mum.” I put it on speaker and it rings a few times before she answers the phone.

“Hello?”

“Mum, this is going to sound crazy, but am I married?”

“What are you talking about, son?” My mum has no idea she’s the only one who can save me with Laurelyn right now.

“Have I ever been married?”

“No. What’s this all about?”

“Laurelyn and I had a bit of a misunderstanding. She just needs to hear that I’m not married.”

“He’s not married, dear, but I’d sure like for him to be. How are you feeling?”

Oh, hell. I mute the phone. “Tell her you feel much better. I’ll explain later.”

I unmute the phone and hold out for Laurelyn to answer my mum. “I’m feeling much better, ma’am. Thank you for asking.”

“I’m sorry to wake you, Mum. Go back to sleep and we’ll talk later.”

After I end the call, I put the phone down on the nightstand. “She wanted to know why you didn’t come with me, so I told her you had the stomach flu.”

“Oh.”

“Tell me what happened with Audrey.”

“I was in the gym working out. I stopped to take a break and I thought I saw something in the mirror. When I looked, I saw this redheaded woman in the middle of the floor watching me. I’m pretty sure she’d been standing there for a while, but I can’t be certain because I didn’t hear her come in.”