I dropped my purse onto the floor and tried to avoid Jayden's eyes. "Well, I got a pretty distraught phone call from my baby sister and I figured I'd drop by to make sure she was okay. Richard told me you weren't here and let me in while I waited for you and then invited me to stay for dinner."
Shit, I had almost completely forgotten about my dramatic phone call to Jay. I should have known that something like that would make my very protective brother come around to check in.
"Well, you're always welcome here." I cast him my best sincere smile, completely ignoring half of what he said.
He raised an eyebrow at me as he took another swig of beer. I could feel the suspicions growing within him.
"Where are Cara and Lily tonight?" I asked, hoping my attempts to change the subject weren't totally transparent.
"They're at home. I didn't think I'd be here for dinner or else I would have brought them over too."
I smiled again. "Next time."
"What's going on, Grey?" Jayden leaned in, dropping his voice so my fiancé would be unable to hear from wherever he was in the house.
"Nothing," I said shaking my head. "I just miss you guys."
Jayden opened his mouth to reply, but at that moment Richard walked in and saved me from this uncomfortable conversation.
"Darling, I didn't hear you come in!" Richard announced, and when I looked his way he bore a beautiful smile. Immediately guilt took over, and I wished Richard knew exactly where I was today and who I was with. Because right now all I felt were the secrets piling up more and more and it was becoming far too much on my conscience.
"I just got here and I was saying hi to my brother." I walked into his arms and pressed a kiss to his lips. He wrapped me into his embrace as a soft contended sigh blew past my ear. My body relaxed against his chest, and my eyes squeezed shut.
Richard pressed a kiss against my temple and slowly released me. "I'm glad you're home. Did you get everything squared away with your car?"
"Yeah, I did. What smells so good?" I asked, noticing the sudden delicious smells coming from the kitchen.
"That, my dear, is spaghetti and garlic bread."
"I can't wait to dig in, I'm starving."
"Well, it's ready now."
Jayden stood from the couch and took that as his invitation to help set the table. The three of us readied the table and enjoyed the meal, laughing and talking. To any onlooker it would seem like a great evening, but every now and then I'd catch Jayden's eye and I knew the subject wasn't dropped. Richard never seemed to suspect anything was wrong, and that was how I wanted it. There was no reason to bring about unnecessary pain for something that was in the past. We finished eating and carried all the dishes into the kitchen, and as I began to soak the pans in the sink Jayden spoke up.
"Well, this dinner was fantastic, thank you Richard. I should probably head home to see the Missus. Grey, do you want to walk me outside?" My body froze up, instantly excuses began to spin through my mind. There was nothing that would get me out of this. I just had to hope that Richard would suddenly become a tyrant and refuse to let me leave until the dishes were done. Of course, he wasn't like that at all; instead Richard pressed his hands into my shoulders and kissed the top of my head.
"Of course, I'll clean up here. It was great having you over. You're welcome anytime, and next time be sure to bring your ladies along."
"Will do, take care," Jayden said, giving Richard a wave. A forced smile touched my lips as I looked toward my brother.
"I'm coming, Jay."
"I'll meet you by the door," he said, turning to give us a moment of privacy.
"I'll be right back, sweetie." I pressed a kiss to Richard's cheek and he smiled brightly.
"I know you will be, darling. Go talk to your brother, it's okay." He kissed my forehead, and begrudgingly I shuffled my feet out of the kitchen to meet Jayden by the door.
He stood with his arms crossed over his chest, eyeing me down as if I was a criminal on trial.
"Let's go," he said in a stern whisper.
I didn't respond, but slipped my feet into my sandals and followed Jayden out, preparing myself for the undeniable battle that awaited me. Neither of us spoke as we walked down the steps and out the front door; it wasn't until we were standing near my car that Jay said a thing.
"What are you thinking, Grey?" he snapped, taking hold of my arm in almost the same place Stefan's hand had been earlier.
Before I could respond, he spun me around until I had an up close view of the boiling rage beneath the surface.