Redemption (Forgiven Series) Read Online Free Page B

I’d be able to forget all about Ryan.
    “Tell Angie happy birthday and that I wish I could have been there.”
    “I will,” I called after her as she walked out the door. As soon as she was gone I dove back into my closet to find a pair of shoes to go with the dress. I knew I had a pair of black strappy heels somewhere in there. Finally, I found them and finished with my hair and makeup before grabbing my keys and heading out to my car.
     
    I pulled up to the hotel and parked the car in the lot. My dad would kill me if he found out I hadn’t valeted it, but who cares? It was only a car.
    I walked in, hoping Emily was already there. I wanted to give her the whole story about Ryan before she heard all of the rumors I was sure he was already spreading. Jerk. I found the lounge where the party was being held.
    The minute I walked through the door I saw him , and he was hot. Shaggy brown hair and dark brown eyes, he was what dreams were made of. I’d never seen him before, so I wasn’t sure how he knew Caleb or Angie. While I wondered about that, I saw Emily out of the corner of my eye and walked over to say hello.
    “Hey, Em, what’s up?”
    “Lauren!” she screeched. “I’m so glad you made it.” She looked behind me. “Where’s Ryan?”
    I rolled my eyes. “Probably with the dumb blonde I caught him with the other night.”
    “Fucker. I’m going to kick the shit out of him when I see him,” she seethed and grabbed my arm. “What the hell happened?”
    I wanted to get this conversation over so that I could enjoy the rest of my night. I just hoped I could get through it without crying. So far, my anger had been helpful at keeping the tears at bay, but I wasn’t sure how long that would last.
    Taking a deep breath I explained. “We were supposed to
    go out last night but I had to finish a paper first and he was supposed to be going to batting practice. He was going to pick me up, but I finished earlier than I thought, so I went to his apartment to wait for him.”
    Feeling myself starting to tear up, I stopped to try and get control of my emotions. “When I got there I was surprised to see his car in the lot so I went up to his door. I knocked and one of the baseball groupies answered the door wearing one of his shirts… just one of his shirts,” I admitted.
    “Bastard,” she spat.
    I looked at Emily and at that moment I was extremely thankful for her support. I would hate to be Ryan if and when he ran into Emily on campus. “What made it even worse was when he came to the door in just his boxers to ‘explain’.” I said using my fingers to make those cheesy air quotes.
    She looped her arm through mine and started to lead me away. “Well, tonight we’re going to forget all about that cheating bastard and make sure you have an amazing time.”
    “Sounds perfect to me.” I smiled because that was exactly what I needed. I could see Emily’s anger start to dissipate. I knew she was still pissed at Ryan, but she wasn’t going to let him ruin the night. As I watched her, I realized that she was buzzing with energy. She was so excited about the party she couldn’t seem to contain it anymore. Hopefully, Emily hadn’t given it away. She was a terrible secret keeper. “Does Angie have any idea about the party?”
    “Not that I know of, but I stayed far away from her the last week just in case. We all know that I suck at keeping secrets,” she laughed, shaking her head.
    I had to laugh with her. At least she recognized that discretion wasn’t one of her strengths. Unconsciously, I found my eyes once again straying to him . I wanted to taste his lips on mine.
    Oh my God. What was wrong with me? I’d just caught my boyfriend cheating on me and there I was fantasizing about another guy.
    Emily’s arm stayed wrapped around mine as she led me across the room. I wasn’t sure where we were going. She’d probably said, but unfortunately, I hadn’t been paying attention. We stopped in front of an