AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I wasn’t certain if Fawn had told him the reasons why I’d done what I had, but if anyone knew about protecting someone, it was the kid. He’d made the ultimate sacrifice for our sister in high school, and though I’d understand annoyance with me if he knew Fawn, I would have thought he at least got it.
Again, I still had my own questions, but I thought it best to keep them silent at the moment in a room full of pissed-off people.
Bru raised his hand, the guy sitting in my desk chair. “I mean, how do you even know Fawn to blackmail?”
“Oh, we know the answer to that,” Thatch cut in, and I folded my hand over my face as he put out there that connection.
“You’re kidding,” Bru stated, and Wells shook his head.
“Wish he was, and you obviously never really forgave her for all that,” Wells chimed in with, but that was when I lifted my hand.
“I was over that and hadn’t lied about that,” I admitted, making more than one eyebrow jump in the room. I had a big reason to have beef with Fawn over an episode that occurred in high school, a huge reason, but I truly had been over it. Had I felt that gave me license to rope her into all this fake-girlfriend shit, sure, but I hadn’t been mad at her.
Knowing no one in this room would understand why, I, once more, kept my opinions to myself. That was when my sister laughed, and I truly didn’t like her mad at me. Sloane and I hadn’t gotten a lot of time together over the years, and I even stayed in the Midwest for school to be closer to her. The time had been great for us to get to know each other, so I didn’t like wasting the time we did have on drama.
This couldn’t be helped at the present, and I watched as my twin scrubbed at her face.
“You know, I warned her not to mess with you,” she shot, and Dorian rubbed her arm. She wasn’t having it, though, shaking her head at him before snarling at me. Her dark eyes pierced. “You made me look like an idiot, a fucking idiot, and what you did to her…”
Biting her lip, she gazed away.
“It was just awful. Horrible,” she finished. “And for what? For us? Bull-fucking-shit. This was for you. For you, Ares. Fuck.”
“Fuck is right.” Thatcher leaned back. “I mean, I’ve done some fucked-up shit, man, but…”
I think we all had, all us guys anyway.
It seemed everyone had put me in my own league here, which said something. I gazed away. “Look. I know you’re all pissed—”
“Damn fucking right. I mean, what the fuck?” Wells passed a hand over his head before looking at Dorian. “Right? Tell him what a fucking idiot he was.”
Normally, he would. In fact, Dorian would be doing all the talking.
He wasn’t tonight, and I guess I was the only one who knew why. He’d come in here hot, but it wasn’t so much about what I’d done.
I glanced away when D’s dark eyes hit mine. My friends were all pretty intuitive. It came with the territory of us all knowing each other for, like, ever, but Dorian thought he got a read on something deeper tonight. Clearly.
“Not sure what else there is to say,” he said, and my mouth parted. His fingers grazed my sister’s arm, his attention moving to her. “We should probably all get to bed. It’s getting late, and everyone’s got early flights.”
This was facts, but I was still surprised he shut the conversation down.
I was even more so relieved.
I really didn’t need my buddy tossing around his “theories” right now. It would just make everything more complicated.
And things were complicated enough.
For some reason, my friend was saving me from further complications, and I could only gather he had his own reasons for that. He stood, taking Sloane’s hand. She got up too and clipped me on her way out of the room.
I got her shoulder. “Little—”
“Don’t even, Big,” she said, calling me by the nickname she gave me. I was big and she was little, a name I’d given her. She frowned. “You made me look like a fool tonight, and what you did to Fawn was just disgusting.”
I swallowed. “I know. I—”
“Well, I’m glad you know.” She nodded, then headed toward her room. At least, that was where I assumed. Dorian started to go with her, but I cut him off.
“Hey,” I said, my voice low. “I know everyone is pissed, but I need you to make sure this is a good Christmas for my family.” We needed to have a good Christmas. Just one after last year. My jaw moved. “You know last year was rough, and you can be pissed at me all you want, but I just need you to do that. For my family, do that.”
