It was a vicious cycle.
Audrey knew it was wrong, and knew that if Fallon found out, her sister would probably kill her, but it didn’t stop her from taking the crap Levi handed out. He might be an ass and say the most awful things, but there were good times between them. Like when he would hold her in his arms and run his lips down her temple. Or the way he loved watching chick flicks with her. Or when he would trace hearts along her palm, or when she would come home and he would rub her feet.
She loved him. It was sad, but true.
Audrey shook her head sadly. She didn’t understand why she hadn’t met her Prince Charming. The man who would sweep her off her feet. The man who would love only her for the rest of their lives. The man who would think she was all that he needed. Audrey shook her head again and wiped away the stray tears that escaped as thoughts of never being able to find a man who would love only her ran through her head. She couldn’t think like that right now. There was no sense thinking about things she couldn’t change. She would be a ball of tears in no time if she did.
So she did what she did best.
Audrey stood tall in her Christian Louboutin black studded pumps and slid her hands down the tight black sparkly pencil skirt she had paired with a low-cut gray blouse. She couldn’t go inside looking as if Levi had just crushed her heart, not tonight. Tonight was Fallon’s night, and she generally had no difficulty hiding her distress.
She was the queen of hiding emotions. She had lots of practice.
She knew she looked hot tonight, and if Levi Moss didn’t want her, well, damn it, someone freaking did. She made her way back inside to the VIP area Lucas had rented for Fallon’s party. Audrey couldn’t help but be a little dreamy at the thought of her future brother-in-law. He was the perfect man and everything her sister could ever want. She only hoped that she would find a man even half as good as Lucas. He treated Fallon like a queen, was the best father imaginable to her son, Aiden, and he loved her like a sister.
Yup. He was Prince Charming.
She had cheered for Fallon and Lucas since the day her sister told her about him, and would never forget meeting Lucas Brooks outside her family’s wine company. He looked like a lovesick fool, and she couldn’t help wanting to help him. Man, so much had changed since then. A small smile crossed Audrey’s face as she thought that within a week, Fallon and Lucas would be married. They had been through so much, and thank the sweet baby Jesus, Fallon finally got her head out of her ass and saw what was right in front of her.
The perfect man.
Sigh.
When Audrey’s eyes drifted over to where Elli Adler and Harper Titov sat, her envy grew. Elli and Harper were the epitome of happy women. Both were married to amazingly gorgeous, sweet hockey players … sigh … and both had perfect little children … another sigh. It wasn’t fair, they were like a club. An “I’m married to a sexy hockey player; have amazing children; and life couldn’t be better; and oh! I look good while doing it all!” club.
It was sickening, really.