Mind Pucked (Chicago Blue Jays #1)

1. Oakley

1

OAKLEY

Georgia and Dan are excited to invite you to partake in celebrating their special day!

I clutch the wedding invitation in my hands, feeling like I’m about to explode. My eyes dart from the embossed gold lettering on the fancy cardstock to Georgia and Dan, standing before me in the middle of my dad’s living room. It’s as if I’m trapped in some twisted reality television show. This cannot be real.

“Is this a joke?” I demand, tossing the invitation onto the coffee table. “You two have got to be kidding me.”

Georgia smiles innocently, but I see the truth in her piercing blue eyes which are cold and calculating. Dan wraps his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. The way he’s holding her—his hand resting possessively on her stomach—makes my skin crawl. She’s pregnant, isn’t she?

And I thought this day couldn’t get any worse.

“Oakley, sweetheart, I know about your past with Dan,” Georgia coos, her voice dripping with condescension. “But we’re meant to be together. Now we’re going to have a family. Isn’t it romantic?”

“Romantic?” I scoff, my anger boiling over. “You call sleeping with my fiancé behind my back romantic? You two deserve each other!”

When Dan proposed to me, I was stunned, and I hadn’t wanted to embarrass him so I’d said yes. I hadn’t expected that a week later I would catch him in bed with my stepsister. And the worst part is that after I ran out of the room, all he could do was say he hadn’t meant to hurt me.

Once again, Georgia was picked over me. I’m over it.

“Hey, Oakley,” Dan interjects. He’s trying to sound reasonable, but his brown eyes give away his guilt. At least he feels guilty. Georgia couldn’t care less, despite the act she’s putting on. “We didn’t plan for things to turn out this way, but what’s done is done. Can’t we all just try to move on and be happy for each other?”

“Happy for each other?” I sputter, incredulous. “Dan, you betrayed me! And Georgia, you’re supposed to be my sister. How could you do this to me?”

Because she always gets what she wants and doesn’t care who she hurts in the process.

Didn’t I learn that a long time ago?

“Oakley, it’s not like I intentionally set out to hurt you,” Georgia whines, her eyes filling with crocodile tears. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. It just…did.”

I stare at her in disbelief, my pulse pounding in my ears. Of course she’d try to play the victim here. She’s trying to gain sympathy and twist the situation to her advantage. My hands clench into fists as I refuse to give her what she wants.

“Really, Georgia?” I spit, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “You expect me to buy that pathetic act? You knew exactly what you were doing when you slept with Dan. Don’t even pretend otherwise.”

Before Georgia can respond, Tina, my wicked stepmother from Pittsburgh, steps forward, her icy blue gaze fixed on me. Her designer clothes and perfectly styled hair scream superiority, and I briefly wonder how many hours my dad had to work to be able to afford those clothes.

This woman wouldn’t know a thing about love if it hit her in the back of the head.

“Oakley, there’s no need to be so dramatic,” Tina chides, her voice clipped and precise. “Georgia has made a mistake, but she’s your sister. You should be more understanding and forgiving.”

“ Step sister,” I correct her. “And— forgiving ? Tina, this isn’t some petty spat over borrowed clothes. Georgia slept with my fiancé and now expects me to go to her wedding and be a bridesmaid? The answer is no. There’s not enough money in the world that you could pay me to attend that trainwreck.”

The air between us crackles with tension, and I stand tall, refusing to cower under their scrutiny. Despite the pain and betrayal gnawing at my heart, I will not be seen as inferior to them. They may have broken my trust, but they won’t break me.

“Oakley, you’re being unreasonable,” Tina snaps, her patience wearing thin. “We’re family, and families forgive each other.”

“Family?” I scoff. “I don’t want a family that stabs me in the back and then expects me to smile and accept it. And I sure as hell don’t need a stepmother who puts me down at every turn. Oh, I forgot Georgia is the golden child and does nothing wrong, right?”

I lock eyes with Tina. She crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by my outburst. “You’ve never been happy for Georgia a day in your life, and you want to call her the bad sister?”

That’s it. I’m going to lose my mind.

“Excuse me?” I snap. My fists clench involuntarily at my sides, as if preparing for battle. “I told my dad he never should have invited you or your daughter into this family. You two intruded on our lives and tried to manipulate everyone around you.”

“Manipulate?” Tina scoffs, feigning innocence. “I’ve done no such thing. I’m simply trying to help you see reason and support your sister in her time of need.”

“Support her?” I can’t believe what I’m hearing. “She betrayed me, and you expect me to just…what? Get over it?”

“Life is full of disappointments, Oakley,” Tina replies coldly. “It’s time you grew up and faced reality.”

“Reality?” I retort, shaking my head. “Reality is that you don’t care about anyone but yourself, Tina. You or Georgia. You want everyone to follow your twisted narrative, but I won’t be part of it. I’m not going.”

“Enough!” Tina’s voice rises, and I can see the ice in her blue eyes beginning to crack. “You’re being selfish and immature.”

“Me? Selfish?” I sputter with disbelief. “You have some nerve!”

“Oakley!” A firm hand grips my shoulder, and I turn to find my father standing beside me. His face is creased with concern, and his eyes plead for understanding. “Calm down, sweetheart. This isn’t helping anyone.”

“But, Dad…” I start to protest, but he shakes his head firmly.

“Come with me,” he says quietly, guiding me away from the confrontation. As we retreat to a quieter corner of the house, I can still feel Tina’s icy stare on my back.

They’re the ones being unreasonable, yet I feel like I’m the one being punished.

“Oakley, I know it’s hard,” my dad says gently, wrapping an arm around my shoulders once it’s just the two of us. “But you need to find a way to get along with them. We’re all family.”

“Family?” I scoff, echoing my earlier words. “What kind of family does this to each other? They’re not my family, Dad.”

“Life is messy, Oakley,” he replies with a sigh. “And people aren’t always fair, but we have to keep moving forward.”

I frown as I struggle to find the words to express my frustration. “It’s just so unfair, Dad,” I finally manage, my voice cracking.

“I know, sweetheart.” He looks at me with sympathy in his eyes. “But trust me, you’re better off without Dan. Wouldn’t you rather find that out now than later? You deserve so much more than what he could ever give you. Let him be with Georgia. Let him be her problem.”

“Maybe,” I say hesitantly, not entirely convinced. But then I think about Georgia, her smug smile and growing belly, and a spark of defiance ignites within me. “You’re right. Let her have him. I didn’t want to marry him anyways.”

“That’s my girl.” Dad smiles, his face softening. “Now, the best way to get back at someone is to show them that you’re not affected, so you’re going to go back in there, congratulate them, and accept their invitation.”

“But, Dad…”

“If you don’t want to do it to be the bigger person, then do it for me…to maintain the peace.”

I look at my dad, a part of me still desperately wanting to say no. But I can’t say no to him, not when he’s done everything for me my entire life. I still don’t understand how he could pick someone like Tina, someone who’s the complete opposite of how my mother was, but I guess it’s not for me to understand.

I’ll never do another favor like this for him again.

“Fine.”

He smiles and rubs my cheek. “That’s my girl.”

I take a deep breath, steeling myself for the unpleasant task ahead, and follow my father back into the lion’s den. The tension in the room is palpable as we approach Georgia and Dan, both of them wearing wary expressions. As if I’m the problem.

“Congratulations on your upcoming wedding,” I say through gritted teeth, forcing a smile that I know doesn’t reach my eyes. My resentment simmers beneath the surface, like a pot about to boil over.

“Thank you, Oakley,” Georgia replies, her voice dripping with false sweetness. Dan simply nods, his gaze never quite meeting mine. “You may actually have fun if you manage to find a date.”

Manage to find? What, as if I can’t find a guy to go with me? The taste of bile lingers in my mouth as I try to force a smile and pretend everything is okay.

My hands ball into fists at my sides, but before I can stop myself, the words escape my lips. “Actually, Georgia, I’ll be taking not one, but three dates to your wedding,” I snap, glaring daggers at her. Her eyes widen in surprise, and I feel the slightest hint of satisfaction at catching her off guard.

“Three dates?” Dan chimes in, his voice dripping with disbelief. “You must be joking.”

“Does it look like I’m joking?” I challenge, raising an eyebrow and daring him to question me further. The room falls silent, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife. “I hope you didn’t think you were my only choice all those years.”

Dan’s nose wrinkles, and I’m happy to see the expression on his face.

“That doesn’t sound very ladylike,” Tina comments, her nose upturned toward me.

“I don’t remember asking,” I snap back.

“Look, all that matters,” Dad steps in, “is that she’ll be coming. Oakley can bring whoever she’d like.”

“Fine,” Georgia finally concedes, her eyes narrowing as she studies me. “I look forward to meeting these mystery men.”

“Trust me, they’re much better than any man I’ve ever dated before,” I retort, my words a personal dig against Dan. Then I spin on my heel and storm out of the house, slamming the door behind me.

As I stride down the front steps, my heart races with a blend of satisfaction and uncertainty. What have I just gotten myself into? Now I have to find three wedding dates, for a wedding that’s only six weeks away.

My eyes scan the quiet suburban street, taking in the neatly trimmed lawns and identical houses that seem to mock me with their predictability. “Three dates, Oakley? Really?” I mutter to myself, rolling my eyes at my own recklessness. “What were you thinking?”

But as much as I fear the consequences of my impulsive decision, there’s also a part of me that relishes the shock and disbelief on their faces. Maybe, just maybe, this bold move will be the first step in proving to myself—and everyone else—that I’m not the wounded, desperate girl they think I am.

Thankfully, I have three best friends I can call who might be able to help.

“Time to text the boys,” I whisper, pulling out my phone and scrolling through my contacts to find the ones I’m looking for.