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I turned toward him. “The question is that as his brother, why don’t you? Is Colby a liar? A cheat? A terrible person?”
“No. But, he’s not responsible, either.”
“If you still believe that, then you haven’t been paying attention. Three years ago he made a mistake, allowing himself to be conned by a woman who used him to blackmail the company. Yet you won’t let it go, as if you’ve never made an error in judgement yourself. If you’d been tuned in, you would’ve noticed how he spends most of his hours working hard, how passionate he is about his movies, and how he’d give anything for your approval.”
Shock filled Josh’s expression. “He told you about what happened?”
“Yes, he did because he’s been working to prove himself to you ever since.” I spotted Mark walk in. His brown hair and Clark Kent glasses over kind, assessing eyes made him appear as the only calm one in the room.
Some of my initial anger started to dissipate as I thought of Colby’s devastated face. “Look, this wasn’t the way we intended for you guys to find out. But what’s heartbreaking is I’d thought Colby was overreacting when he said you both wouldn’t take the news of us well. I believed he wasn’t giving you enough credit to be able to accept that he could change and not hold his past against him. It’s as though you forgot he’s a person with feelings who you’ve known your entire lives.”
While I could see Josh softening, my brother wasn’t so easily convinced. “If it’s true that he’s changed, then why would he have me thinking he was going to the strip club last night to meet those women?”
Shit. This was a harder one to explain. Thank goodness for Mark being there to assist.
“Because he was doing me a favor in having you believe that. Truth is that we sat at the bar, and he confided he’d met someone he may be in love with.”
I was shocked Colby had confided in Mark about me.
“You knew he was with my sister?” Brian turned toward him.
“Of course I didn’t, yet it makes sense given he didn’t divulge a lot of details about the woman he was talking about.”
Brian focused back on me. “You deserve someone who—who—”
“Who—what?”
“Who, at the very least, would abide by your five-date rule before sleeping with you.”
“Why would you assume he didn’t? We had our five dates, and they were amazing.” So they hadn’t come before we’d had sex. I thought this slight omission was warranted given the situation.
Brian’s face registered his suspicion.
“How can you forget this is a man who let me move in with him in order to take care of me after my accident? He shampooed and blow-dried my hair when I couldn’t, gave me my pain pills, and ensured I went to every doctor’s appointment. He’s been nothing but good to me.”
“Were you guys sleeping together then?”
I knew he was trying to figure out how long we’d been hiding it from him. “No. We weren’t. You make it sound cheap and tawdry when it’s nothing like that. He’s my best friend, and I would think you, of all people, would appreciate that type of relationship turning into more.”
“Then why the hell didn’t he tell me any of that? He didn’t say one word. And then he walked out.” Brian’s tone started to sound regretful.
“What would you do if Sasha’s brother or father came at you, slinging shit from your past and then punched you in the face? Then you had your own sibling side against you. He had the two men he’s grown up with and respects the most tear him down completely after jumping to conclusions.”
“Colby’s never indicated that he’d changed his ways.” Brian was sounding defensive now, which was a good sign that he was starting to have some regrets.
“Sometimes the easiest way to guarantee someone isn’t disappointed in you is to keep their expectations low. You, Josh, and Mark set the bar high by being the type of men you are now, but you certainly aren’t above having your own history of dirty laundry, some of which I’m sure you wouldn’t want aired. You had no right to take it that far with him and throw those things in his face or to imply he’d never be good enough for me.”
Both men looked contrite and out of fight for the moment. Josh finally spoke. “What did he say when you went after him?”
I fought the tears. “That he believed every word.”
* * *
A half hour later,I was showered and packed up, wondering what I should do next. I’d left both men there in the room before I broke down, the adrenaline having run its course. Sitting on my bed, I felt lost because the two most important relationships in my life, with Colby and with my brother, were both in turmoil.
Thankfully, Mark snapped me out of my mood by arriving at my door with coffee and muffins in hand. “How you feeling?”
I shrugged. “Numb.”
