Calamity Rayne Knocked Up (Calamity Rayne #4)

20. Everyone’s Two-Faced

Everyone’s Two-Faced

“ W ait, so, you’re sleeping with her?”

“Don’t look so shocked, Ray.”

But I was shocked. And, for the first time in a long time, I missed our old friend Elle, because she would have been shocked too. “Tyler, I thought you liked…”

He frowned. “Blondes?”

“Sure.” We could go with that. If it was code for dick.

He shrugged. “I guess I don’t have a preference.” He scrolled to the next picture on his phone. “Here we are at the cliffs. Can you believe how blue the sky is in Colorado?”

“Wow.” I took his phone and zoomed in on the girl. She was dressed from head to toe in earth tones, and her boots looked more masculine than anything I’d ever seen Tyler wear. I handed him back his phone. “So, where did you meet her.”

“An app. Nothing interesting to report there.” He passed me the fries, and I traded him the jalapeno poppers.

Hale was back at the main house with the plethora of guests who still had nowhere better to be. I told him I was spending the night on the couch catching up with Tyler. We started the night ordering takeout and looking for something to watch, but our attention span never got further than the Netflix menu.

Once the food arrived, we gave up and just started catching up. It had been three hours of updates, couch cuddles, and memories—a perfect BFF night in my opinion.

Lights trailed across the back wall. “Hale’s back.”

“Already? That was fast.”

“Remington’s place is literally on the property. Nothing’s more than a four minute drive around here.”

“Quaint.”

“Or crowded.”

Tyler couldn’t believe how many people were here when I explained our strange Thanksgiving with him. It felt more like a business retreat than a family holiday at times.

Hale’s laughter carried up the steps with the sound of his footfalls and I frowned, because it didn’t sound like he was alone.

“Incoming,” I warned just as the front door opened.

Hale entered with Xander and Barrett on his tail. I adjusted my blanket for privacy. Not that I cared how Barrett saw me, but Xander was an outsider.

“Hey, Tyler!” Barrett greeted, crossing the room to shake Ty’s hand. “Good to see you.”

“You too.” Tyler looked up at Xander and cleared his throat. “Hi. I’m Tyler, Rayne’s friend.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Xander, Rayne’s current chosen adversary.”

Tyler laughed in a strangely enchanted way. “I haven’t heard Rayne mention you before.”

I waved away his words. “He’s new and unimportant.”

“Ouch.” Xander placed a hand on his chest and feigned pain. “And here I thought we were making progress.”

I popped a fry in my mouth. “What would give you that idea?”

He shrugged and rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. “After the game today, I was walking back to the house, having a peaceful moment of reflection, and I said, God, does she hate me? Then I heard the faintest echo of a woman—and, you know, she even sounded like you.”

My mouth snapped shut. What was he getting at? My gaze drifted to Hale and back to Xander. “You’re lying.”

He held up his hand like a Boy Scout. “God’s honest truth. I said, God, give me a sign. Does Rayne hate me? Then I heard the echoing reply cry out yes, yes, yes. So I asked, God, will she ever grow to like me? And I heard the same reply, yes, yes, yes. ”

My eyes widened. That was the last time I did it with Hale outdoors. “I hate you.”

“See, I know that. But I’ve seen signs from above that it won’t always be that way between us…Rayne.”

Barrett cleared his throat, and Tyler gaped at me. “Ray, did you and Hale get busy in the woods?”

“No,” I lied. “Not according to Clinton’s definition.” I scowled at Xander.

“Come on, Barrett, I’ll get you that suit jacket,” Hale said, leaving us there with intrusive Xander. I had never met a man with worse timing.

“So, where are you from, Xander?”

“Brookline, Massachusetts.”

Tyler raised a brow. “Where the Kennedys are from?”

Xander grinned, impressed by Ty’s trivial recall. “Correct. Not a lot of people know that.”

“I went through a minor obsession with the Kennedys.”

He laughed. “Then you’ll get a kick out of this. My great grandparents came from Wexford.”

“No way!” When I looked at Tyler confused, he explained, “JFK’s paternal lineage comes from Wexford, Ireland.”

This was why I had a hard time imagining him dating a woman. What straight man knew stuff like that?

“As a matter of fact,” Xander continued, “my mom’s parents and the eldest Kennedys used to play bridge together.”

I frowned. “I thought you didn’t have family.”

“I don’t.” He glanced at Tyler. “We had a falling out several years ago.”

“I’m sorry.”

Xander waved away his apology as he lowered to sit on the arm of the loveseat, making himself right at home. “Don’t be. I’m not.”

Hale and Barrett returned, suit jacket in hand. “What did you guys end up watching?” Hale asked.

“Nothing. We just talked and ate.”

Hale glanced at Tyler. “Did she give you her list of baby names?”

“You have names?” Tyler’s face beamed with curiosity—not the straightest response to possible baby names, but whatever. “Spill!”

I tucked my feet under my legs and cradled the basket of fries. “Nothing’s set in stone yet. But for a boy, I like River or Quest, and for a girl, I like Sage or Harlow.”

He looked back at Hale. “I’m scared.”

I shoved him. “Why are you scared, dork?”

“Because those are names that you’d typically make fun of.”

“I would not.”

He looked at Barrett. “What’s your girlfriend’s name?”

“McKinsley. And she’s not my girlfriend.”

“Yeah, okay,” I mumbled .

Tyler held up a silencing finger. “Did Ray make fun of her name?”

“What’s your point?” I snapped.

“My point is, those names are a little more new age than I expected. But I really like Sage.”

“It’s cute, right?”

“Very.”

“Do you have kids, Tyler?” Xander’s question caught me off guard, but didn’t surprise me. I often caught him staring at my stomach. Maybe procreation confused him.

“Me? God, no.” Tyler laughed and I frowned at his look of repulsion.

“But you like kids.”

“I like your kid. I can handle kids in small increments, but I’m not interested in long term investments.”

“Charming. And to think I was going to ask you to be godfather.”

“Hey!” Barret objected. “I’m the godfather.”

“You’re already an uncle and Elara’s godfather.”

“So? I can be both.”

A horn beeped, and Xander looked out the window. “Your girl’s here.”

“Shit.” Barrett slipped into Hale’s jacket. “See you guys later.” He pointed at me and Tyler. “I’m the godfather.”

When I looked back at Tyler, I shook my head.

Hale dropped onto the cushion beside me and stole a fry from the basket in my lap. “Let’s put something on. Xander, you want some fries?”

What was he doing? Those were my fries and this was mine and Tyler’s night. There was no Xander space here.

“Sure.” He slid fully onto the loveseat and took my fries. He just took the whole basket as if he paid for them.

Hale looped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer as I stared in stunned silence.

When he adjusted the blanket, I asked, “Can I talk to you for a moment?”

Hale finally read the confusion on my face. “Sure.”

I handed Tyler the remote. “Put something on.” Hale followed me into the kitchen, and I turned on him the moment we were alone. “What are you doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re crashing my couch time with Tyler. ”

“Is that a problem?”

“For you, no. For Xander, yes.”

“Rayne, he’s not that bad.”

“Hale, he’s been hitting on me since the moment I met him.” Hale usually had a jealous temper, but this guy kept evading his radar. I didn’t get it. “You didn’t even say anything when he claimed to hear us having sex earlier!”

He laughed. “He was teasing you.”

“He’s flirting!”

“No, he’s not.”

I scoffed. “You should hear the shit he says when you’re not around.”

“What’s he saying?”

I scoffed again. “You know…. Rayne…. and… See you tomorrow…”

“I’ll fucking kill him,” he said sarcastically.

“You don’t get it! It’s the way he says things!”

“With words?”

“Oh, forget it. And, B-T-dubs, he didn’t just hear us fooling around today. He also watched us kissing on Thanksgiving.”

“The nerve!” He laughed. “Did you ever consider he might just be envious, Rayne? We’re happy, and he’s single. There’s nothing wrong with looking when you see a happy couple.”

“I’m telling you, Hale, something’s different about him.”

“You’re absolutely right, but I’m one hundred percent certain he’s not hitting on you.”

I rolled my eyes. “Because you know and see all?”

“No, because Xander is gay.”

“You men are so—I’m sorry, he’s what now?”

“Xander is gay.”

I blinked, my brain a little slow on the computing part. “It sounded like you said he was gay.”

“Exactly.”

“How do you know?”

“Because he told me.”

“He told you he’s gay? When? How?”

“We were having a drink, and the other guys weren’t around, so he told me.”

“He just blurted out, ‘I’m gay’ ?”

“Pretty much.”

I thought about Tyler, who had a million different opportunities to come out to me, but never did. “Well, I guess you just get everything then, don’t you? ”

“I’m sorry. Are you upset that he’s not hitting on you?”

“No. I’m just...” I didn’t know what I was, so I threw up my hands in frustration. “This pregnancy has my instincts all messed up.” Then it finally occurred to me. “Oh my God, wait! He’s into you! ” I knew I sensed a red flag! I was just reading it wrong.

Hale shrugged. “Maybe, but he realizes I’m straight and happily married.”

“He gives me Hand That Rocks The Cradle Vibes.” I protectively rubbed my belly. “I don’t trust him.”

“Xander’s a good guy, Rayne. He’s not trying to steal me or our baby from you. We’re working on a few business ideas together. That’s all.”

Another red flag. “Hale, you can’t.”

“Sure, I can. His company’s in trouble and I can help.”

“But the only reason you know his company’s in trouble is because I told you.”

“It’s not like you had confidential information, Rayne. I asked, and he confirmed. He’s never going to sell to my dad.”

“Why not?”

“Because he’s a prick.”

“Which one?”

Hale laughed.

“It’s not funny, Hale. I work for your dad. You might think you’re screwing him over, but I’m a part of this.”

“Baby, Xander already told my father he’s not interested. Their meeting’s been postponed indefinitely.”

“I can’t believe you.”

“Rayne, there is nothing underhanded here. This is how these things work out.”

“Don’t patronize me, Hale. You used Thanksgiving to schmooze a business deal, because it was one more way to stick it to your dad. I thought we were past this.”

“Rayne—”

“No.” I evaded his touch when he reached for me. “You know you did something wrong, and you did it knowing I was involved. I’m mad at you and you gave him my fries.” I pulled open the door to walk out on him then immediately closed it, deciding to stay in the kitchen a while longer.

“What’s the matter?”

“They’re making out.”