Evin's Fight (Southern Charmers Book 3) by Ahren Sanders (books to read for teens .txt) 📗

“You’re working tonight, right?” Scottie asks.

I nod.

“Too bad for you, these tales are more fun with cocktails.” He digs in the cooler and hands me a sparkling water, then refills his cup with a bright pink liquid. “So, here’s the cliff notes version. Pierce will do anything in the world for Darby. But with his mission to build his family, he’s relentless. We all guess there are at least four more years of this.”

I gasp, slinging my face to her. “How many children do you plan to have?”

“I said three, he wants five.”

“I thought he already has two from his first wife.”

There’s a silence that settles in the air, and a sense of dread fills me. Before I can backtrack, Darby shocks me by asking, “My brother isn’t coming home with us tomorrow, is he?”

“I don’t think so.” My answer comes out soft and shaky. I clear my throat and revise, “I hope not.”

There’s a collective sigh before Darby’s girly squeal breaks the tension. “I knew it.”

Scottie perks up and shakes his head. “He’s not leaving, Flower Child. I’ve already extended his stay.”

“You work fast.”

“Occupational tendency. I get things done.”

“That he does,” Stephanie agrees.

“Are you okay with that?” I watch for any sign of disapproval from Darby.

“Of course, this is awesome!”

“Doesn’t it seem impulsive and spontaneous?”

“Poppy, you do not know who you’re surrounded by. We may seem like normal and composed people, but there’s a lot under the surface.” Ashlyn draws my attention back to her. “My story is the most spontaneous of the crowd. I walked out of an awful business function and into the bar next door to drink my irritation away. Miller was on a business trip and we hit it off. I spent the weekend with him and snuck away, leaving a note and a fake name. Months later, fate brought us back together, and now we’re married and having a baby.”

“Wow.”

“My story is boring. I met Todd at Darby’s wedding and had the best weekend of my life. Then rejected his advances until he wore me down. He was so sure of us he relocated his life and his business to Charlotte and gave me no choice but to fall in love with him.”

“Those are beautiful stories.”

“They didn’t come without struggles, but Darby’s is the real fairytale.”

“Does it have anything to do with why Evin despised Pierce for twelve years?” I blurt out and slap my hand over my mouth, horrified at my bluntness.

Darby’s eyes stay bright. “Oh yeah. And he had good reason. My brother is fiercely protective, and the aftermath of my split with Peirce caused a lot of heartbreak and rage for everyone. The feeling was mutual from both siblings. Miller despised me as well.”

“Oh God. You and Pierce split up?” It seems rude to ask, but my heart is racing, wanting to know more. Flashbacks of my last twelve years pass through my mind; there was so much that happened. Then it sinks in. “Twelve years is a lifetime.”

“That was the twelve years of hatred and misunderstanding that we both lived in hell.”

“Not everything was bad. You created your business and brand, built an empire that eventually became sought after, met me, and made some great friends,” Stephanie chimes in with a motherly tone.

Darby flashes her a grateful smile filled with love.

“Since we’ve started down this road, let’s get it over with so we can move to the good stuff with Poppy.”

Darby nods her agreement, rolls to her side, and settles. “I met Pierce when I was seventeen and he was nineteen. He walked up to me at the gym and asked for my number. That was it. I was in love. Pierce bypassed school and went straight into the family business. Evin and I both attended college close to home. Pierce and I were solid, and shortly after graduation, we found out I was pregnant. It was a shock, but since we’d already discussed marriage, we rolled with it. Then I lost the baby.”

I can’t stop my audible intake of breath, and my hand involuntarily goes to my stomach. Her face twists and she drops her gaze. “Oh Poppy, did I hit on a sensitive—”

“No, not at all. I can’t imagine how awful it was.”

She gives me a sad smile and goes on. “I didn’t handle it well, pushed Pierce to the ultimate breaking point, ran away, and left him in the wreckage. I was selfish—”

“Darby!” Stephanie warns, and Darby throws her hand up in defense.

“Steph, we all know I was selfish. Even if it was self-sacrifice.” Her focus comes back to me. “While I was dealing with my loss, Pierce turned to alcohol and drugs, falling into a rough crowd. Maya and Cole were born, and Pierce never married their mother. I assumed he was in love with her, he assumed I moved on, and it took a huge dramatic event for the truth to come out. In true Pierce fashion, once he learned the truth, he made it his mission to fix things. And here we are.”

“He wants to make up for lost time.”

“Well, when this baby girl comes, we’ll have our hands full. I’m putting the brakes on for a while.”

“We’re not wasting time on that subject. The bets are rolling in. You can get in on a timeline, Poppy.” Scottie waves off Darby’s scoff. “Now that all the heavy stuff is out of the way, it’s time to discuss the unthinkable. Evin Graham is not the same man he was a day ago.”

No one says anything, waiting for me to comment. The quiet is worse than a dozen nosy questions. Being on the hot seat with this crowd is one hundred times more nerve-wracking than performing in front of thousands of people a week. “We didn’t sleep together!”

Why this is the first thing that comes out of my mouth is beyond me, but it utters without my control.

“Oh, we know that,” Billy calls from the pool.

“How?”

“One look at you in that suit is