Her eyes narrow but she holds on tight to her snide smirk. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” With that parting comment she walks out, leaving me with fire running through my veins and pain gripping my chest.

Turning, I face the mirror and exhale a deep breath. As I stare back at my reflection, I think about the way Grayson looks at me and touches me.

He loves me. He would never do what Clint did.

Never.

I’m pulled from my inner thoughts as Tania walks in, fixing her now-rumpled hair. “Do not tell me that was Mandy Whit-whore I just passed out there?”

I nod, still struggling to find my voice.

She can tell I’m upset, and fire flashes in her eyes. “What did that slut do? That’s it, I’m gonna kick her ass… Hold my earrings!” she says, her hands moving to her ears.

I quickly grab her wrist to stop her. “No. It’s fine. I promise. We had words, but I can handle her.”

She looks at me uncertainly, gearing up for a fight. “You sure? ’Cause you know I will cut that bitch.”

A chuckle escapes me; her loyalty easing some of the tension coiled beneath my skin. “Positive, but thank you for the backup.”

After a nod she walks up to the mirror and starts wiping at her smudged lipstick.

“Looks like you had your own little encounter,” I comment.

She smiles at me knowingly. “Yeah, but mine was a lot more fun.”

“Does that mean you finally said yes to that date with him?”

“Nope.” She smacks her lips together after freshening her lipstick. “Still not ready to give in to him quite yet. I want him to work a little harder,” she adds with a wink.

“You are a cruel, cruel woman.” I tease.

“I know, right? Come on, let’s get you back to your man before he comes lookin’ for ya.” Grabbing my wrist, she leads me back into the crowded bar.

I keep my eyes trained forward, squashing the urge to look where Mandy was before, wondering if she’s still here.

It doesn’t matter. She doesn’t matter.

Even as I say the words to myself, my stomach still churns.

“You couldn’t even keep Clint, what makes you think you’re going to keep a man like Grayson?”

I shove the nasty thought away and plaster a smile on my face as we reach our table. I’m just about to squeeze in behind Grayson to get to my chair, when he grabs my hips and pulls me down to sit on his lap. He wraps his arms around me, hugging me close before pressing a warm kiss to my bare shoulder.

My strained smile softens into a real one as his warmth erases all of my self-doubt.

“I ran into Jay just before you got back,” Terrell tells Tania. “I invited him to come to the barbecue this weekend.”

“You did what?” she squeaks, her face stricken with panic.

Terrell frowns at her outburst. “I said I invited him to the barbecue. We’ve been talking about having a beer for a while and this way he can see Mom and Dad, too… That a problem?”

“Nope,” she responds quickly, too quickly.

Terrell doesn’t believe her, but before he can question her further one of her favorite songs come on. Tania immediately jumps from her seat. “C’mon, Liv. It’s time we did some dancing.”

I don’t get a chance to respond before she has me by my wrist again and we’re moving through the crowded bar to the dance floor.

“I can’t believe that man. I’m gonna kill him.” I can barely hear her spit the words over the pounding beat. “He did it on purpose so I’ll have to see him. The bastard is trickier than a damn leprechaun.”

I burst out laughing at the analogy. “If you would put him out of his misery already, he wouldn’t need to be tricky. You like him. I know you do. Stop playing so hard to get.”

“No, not yet. It needs to be on my terms.”

“Why? What are you waiting for?”

She stops and turns to me. “He scares the hell out of me. When he looks at me it’s like he can see things others can’t. Parts of me I don’t allow anyone else to see. So I’m waiting for him to want me so bad that when he finally does get me, he ain’t ever lettin’ go. Because, mark my words, Liv, when I let that man in, I’m finished. Done. I’m going to marry the sexy bastard.”

I gape at her, shocked at her admission, and by the look on her face she is, too.

Then she smiles. “Shit, that felt really good to say out loud. Now enough chitchat, let’s dance.”

Stepping out onto the dance floor, we spot a few girls from school we recognize before falling in line to do the electric slide. I lose myself in the beat, easily finding the right moves, and all the while I feel Grayson’s eyes on me, his fierce gaze possessive and dark. Smiling, I dip my hips a little more, giving him a sassy wiggle of my fingers before turning and continuing the dance with my back facing him.

One dance turns into seven. Tania and I are having so much fun that we can’t bring ourselves to leave. For the first time in so long I feel…normal, my heart lighter than it has been for weeks.

My eyes move to find Grayson again, but I don’t see him or Terrell at the table. I do a quick scan and my feet falter, my stomach bottoming out. He’s standing at the bar with that bitch, Mandy. Their faces are close as they talk. When I see her hand move to rest on his forearm, I look away, nausea making it hard to swallow.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Tania asks.

I shake my head and give her a fake smile. “Nothing. Everything’s fine. I just need a drink. I’ll be right back.” I hightail it off the floor before she has a chance to stop me, because she knows I’m full of it. As I make my way back to our table, the sound of my name being shouted stops me.

Spinning around I see Ben Marshall, a former classmate and good friend whom I haven’t seen since graduation. “Oh my God, Ben?”

We move at the same time, both of us pushing past the crowded bodies before embracing one another in a tight hug. “What on earth are you doing here?” I ask, collecting a step back to get a good look at him.

“I’m visiting my folks for the weekend. Colin wanted to come out for a beer,” he explains, pointing over to his cousin sitting at one of the tables.

I wave at Colin before bringing my gaze back to Ben’s. “Well I’m glad I ran into you. It’s been a long time and you look great.” Ben was always a little awkward back in school, which is probably why we got along as well as we did. But now his glasses are gone, hair trimmed and neatly styled. His body is much leaner and more defined. He’s really grown into a man, a handsome one at that.

“Thanks, you do too, but you’ve always been beautiful so that hasn’t changed.”

I smile at his compliment. “Thank you.”

His expression turns remorseful, and I immediately know what’s coming. “I heard about what happened.”

I nod, unsure of what to say. It warms my heart when people offer me their sympathy, but it also makes it awkward sometimes. I appreciate it more than words could ever say, but I also don’t want to be defined by this for the rest of my life.

“I’m really sorry, Liv,” he says, reaching out to brush my cheek. “I wanted to call and check on you, but it’s been so long I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

I shake my head. “No, it’s okay. Don’t feel bad. I’m all right. At least I’m going to be. I’ve had a lot of amazing people in my life helping me through this.”

He opens his mouth to say something else, but our moment is interrupted when I feel a strong, looming presence next to me. Glancing up, I find Grayson staring at Ben, his eyes dark and furious.

“Who’s your friend?” he asks, pulling me in next to him, his arm wrapping possessively around my waist.

It’s something I would usually welcome—if he didn’t seem so upset.

I swallow thickly, hating the tension filling the air. “This is my friend, Ben. Ben, I’m not sure if you remember him or not, but this is Grayson Taylor. He—”

“Her boyfriend,” Grayson says, effectively cutting me off.