“Umm, guys. That’s a lot of money. Are you sure about this?” Raven asked, a frown creasing her brow.
Carla cackled with glee. “It’s too late now! They’re all in. Show your cards, ladies!”
Sydney showed her hand. “Straight. Ace high,” she declared.
“Cynthia, what about you?” Raven asked.
Everyone held their breath. Sydney’s heart pounded in a mad jungle rhythm. She had to win. In some weird way, it would be symbolic for her, and prove everything would work out with Tristan. She hated the way Cynthia made the whole thing seem ugly, even though she knew it could be the truth. He’d married her to give Becca a family, not because he loved her. But with this one hand, maybe her fate would change. Good would triumph. Maybe it would show they’d always been meant to be together. Maybe . . .
“Full house.”
The table exploded with noise, and Cynthia gave her a triumphant smile. Sydney stared helplessly at all the lost chips and her cards. Stupid tears clogged her throat. Ridiculous. It didn’t matter. It was only a game and proved nothing.
“Are you okay?” Raven whispered in her ear. “You look weird.”
She blinked and forced a smile. “I’m fine. Congrats, Cynthia. Great hand.”
“Thanks.” Cynthia bent over so she could utter the next words softly against her ear. “Don’t push me. Already your daughter is the subject of gossip at the whole school. It could get worse, or better, depending on if I step in.” Her smug smile made Sydney sick. “Next time you want to talk about my many marriages, remember I didn’t have to play eenie meenie miney mo when it came to figuring out who the father is.”
Sydney jerked back. With a mocking wink, Cynthia stood up and gathered her purse. For one moment, pain hit her in the gut. The idea of anyone talking about Becca because of Sydney’s mistake made her want to howl like a wolf and tear Cynthia limb from limb. She’d kept her life simple for the past years, so no one had stirred up gossip. Now she was being picked apart and analyzed because of her past.
It was all her fault.
Suddenly Raven stepped in front of Cynthia. “Hey, what did you say to her?”
Cynthia waved her hand in the air. “Oh, nothing. We know each other from the school. Our daughters go to ballet together, right, Sydney?”
Sydney rose to her feet. Very quietly, she looked the woman in the eye. “Yes, that’s right. Our daughters are also in the same class together at school. They’re friends.”
Cynthia never flinched. Didn’t matter. Sydney wasn’t going to make matters worse or put her daughter at risk of being teased or bullied. Morgan walked over and stood shoulder to shoulder with Raven. “Bullshit,” Raven said calmly. “I heard what you said to Syd.”
Morgan joined in, her Southern accent taking on a twang. “Are you trying to hurt a little girl because of your need to gossip and spread rumors?”
The woman gave a nervous laugh and took a few steps to the side. “No, of course not. You must’ve misunderstood.”
“We don’t allow mean girls to join our poker table.” Raven’s mild voice contradicted her badass attitude. In her jeans, black boots, and black tank top showing off her shoulder tat, she cut an intimidating figure. “Sydney is family. I think all of us have issues in our past we’d rather not discuss, especially with people we can’t trust. Do you have a problem with this?”
Cynthia’s mouth fell open. Sydney bet not many women challenged her with such stark honesty, ready to defend rather than tear apart. “No. As I said, it’s just a misunderstanding. It was lovely to meet you ladies. Good night.”
“Cynthia.”
She looked back at Raven with wariness. “Yes?”
“Don’t come back. And if you keep spreading gossip about Becca, I promise the Pierce family will make you regret it.”
They watched Cynthia scurry out of the bar and slam the door behind her.
Morgan shook her head. “Goodness gracious, that woman is loathsome. Imagine using little girls to get attention. Plus, she took all our money!”
Sydney laughed, reaching out to take each of their hands and squeeze. God, she’d missed them. Forgotten how powerful a group of women can be when they unite. She’d had no idea how truly lonely she’d been without having girlfriends to talk to. “Thank you. I wasn’t up to my usual fighting standards.”
Raven squeezed her hand back. “I’ll set you up with Xavier any time. For now, you have us.”
“Always,” Morgan said.
They took her side even when they were mad. Between fighting her feelings for Tristan and the whirlwind wedding and losing her friends, the emotions roared up and strained against the wall she’d erected for protection. Her lower lip trembled. Morgan and Raven shared a look. “Uh-oh. She’s gonna break. Let’s get the others out of here,” Raven instructed.
“Done,” Morgan said.
In a matter of minutes, the other ladies left, and she found a shot glass of whiskey in front of her at the table. “Drink,” Raven ordered. “It’ll settle you.”
With trembling hands, she tipped the glass back and finished it in one swallow. Raven lifted a brow. “Nice. You’ve been practicing.”
Sydney choked out a half laugh. “I hate crying. I feel all weepy and emotional lately. I feel so damn . . . weak.”
Raven dropped into the seat next to her. “Nah, not weak. It’s just all that ugly mess of truth coming up to be dealt with. There’s been a hell of a lot going on in your life this past month.”
“Yeah.” She struggled to find the words. “I know you’re both mad. But thank you for sticking up for me tonight. It meant a lot.”
Morgan blew out a breath and shook her head. Her smart bob swished across her shoulders. “You lied to us. You lied to Tristan. I needed some time to sort it out so I can talk to you without losing my temper. You know I can’t have children. So when I heard you kept a child from her biological father, on purpose, it hit all my hot buttons.”
Misery flooded her. Yes, she’d had her reasons, but her friends didn’t know. She’d never told them the truth of her and Tristan’s past relationship or the issues. To them, she’d done it with a cruel casualty and hurt the Pierce family. “I know. I kept the truth to myself for so many reasons, but I also know it may not be enough for you to understand. All I can do is explain my side of the story. I didn’t keep Becca a secret to hurt anyone, especially Tristan. I was trying to protect them both.”