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“I’ll get it.”
Ev huffs before shaking his head. “You kept her things from her? Really? I thought we went over this shit with Slade and Jagger.”
Nothing we say now will make us look like anything less than the dicks they all think we are, so I keep my mouth shut. Creed must be thinking along the same lines because he keeps quiet too.
“Fuck this. I’m taking Avery home. Bring her things when you have them,” Ev tells Greg before looking at Avery. “You have shoes, sweetheart, or do you need me to carry you?”
Thank fuck, we gave her the sneakers. I’d hate to have to break my friend’s arms.
“I have shoes. Give me a second.”
She moves over to the door where her sneakers sit and slides them on as E crosses his arms over his chest, daring me to stop him.
“Just remember, Ev, she’s not yours,” I tell him quietly so Avery doesn’t hear him.
“Newsflash, asshole. She isn’t yours either.”
He steps back and offers Avery his hand. She doesn’t hesitate to take it. With one quick look behind her, she’s out the door, oblivious to the devastation she’s leaving behind.
“You stupid fucks.” Greg seethes as James picks up one of the chairs I tossed earlier.
“Save it, Greg. I don’t want to hear it.”
“Oh, you’re gonna listen, boy. Because someone has to get through that thick skull of yours.”
I move over to where Creed is and sit down beside him.
Greg walks over and stands in front of us. I almost smirk, feeling like I’ve been sent to the principal’s office. But there is nothing funny about this situation.
“We didn’t push you after Avery left because you made it really fucking clear you wouldn’t listen. Not forcing the issue is on us—on me. I should have made you talk. Even without Coop’s involvement, I could have told you that shit was out of character for Avery. How can I know that and not you?”
“Have you ever had something so good you just knew you didn’t deserve it? I knew she’d eventually figure out that she could do better and leave,” Creed answers.
“I’m starting to think you knew nothing about your wife.” He sits down on the coffee table and sighs. “You fucked up bad this time, guys. I hate to say it, but this stunt might just be the match that burns the bridge.”
“She still loves us. It’s in there. I’ve seen it.”
It’s why she’s holding back. She’s scared. I just didn’t know why.
“This isn’t a fairy tale. Love doesn’t fix everything. More often than not, love alone is not enough. Ask yourself this. What did she get out of a relationship with you that she couldn’t find somewhere else?” He pauses, giving us a moment to think about that before he continues. “You’re right about something, though. She does deserve better. And better just walked out that door with his hand wrapped around hers.”
I open my mouth to deny it, but Greg shakes his head. “I warned him off. I could see him falling, and I told him to back away. But now I’m not sure what to think. Given a shot, they could make each other really happy. Why the fuck should I advocate for this toxic bullshit between you?”
“I love her,” I tell him. “And I know you said it’s not enough, but it has to be. Otherwise, what’s the fucking point in any of this?”
“Do you, though, Hawk? Love her, that is? Because she seems to think otherwise.”
I laugh and lean back, my eyes taking in the wooden beams that stretch across the ceiling. “I didn’t know how I felt about her until she was gone. What did I know about love? It’s only from watching others that I figured it out.”
“God, this is such a fucking mess. It wasn’t supposed to go down this way.” Creed gets to his feet and starts pacing.
“Neither of you knew she was gifted?” James asks, walking over and sitting on the arm of the chair.
“No. It’s not an obvious gift like Salem’s, though, is it? I can’t believe she didn’t tell us.” Creed grunts.
“Why would she? She mentioned how it had fucked up her childhood. Maybe she just wanted to be normal. I hate that she didn’t trust us enough to tell us, but I can understand why. And she was right not to trust us. We used her, manipulated her, and then, at the first sign of trouble, we gave up on her.”
“I’ll be honest, I know next to nothing about what went down. All I know is you have an ex-wife that bailed. And somehow, I’m going to find myself in a situation where I’m dying and she tries to save me.” James grins, though it’s forced.
