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I was just pulling the front door open when Dean ran up behind me and grabbed my arm.
“Just wait!” he snapped as he yanked hard enough to pull me towards him.
“Let go of me, right now!” I snarled through gritted teeth as I wrenched my arm free. Dean was taller and bigger than me, but that wasn’t hard since I was a tiny five and a half feet, and on the petite side. Still, he knew better than to manhandle me. I may be small, but I was not defenseless. My brothers had taught me enough self-defense to protect myself.
“I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t know you’d be home.”
“Oh fuck!” I gasped with mock horror. “I am so sorry I have ruined your plans to fuck that woman behind my back. You’re right. This is totally my fault for coming home early.” I held a hand to my chest with exaggerated shock as I glared at him.
“Come on. Don’t be like that, Evie,” Dean whined. He had pulled on a pair of shorts, but was still half naked and rumpled from whatever he had been doing. He was a good looking guy, with short bright blonde hair and blue eyes. He wasn’t built, but he was fit and in shape. The classic American pretty boy, I think Kade – my brother – had once described him as and it was pretty accurate.
“We’re done, Dean,” I sighed as I deflated and turned to the door.
“What? Just like that? We’ve been together for years. You can’t just end it like this.”
“I didn’t end anything,” I told him as I turned to meet his eyes. “You did.” With that I opened the door and walked out into the fresh air. I took in a deep breath as I crossed the lawn, fighting to hold back my tears.
“Evie, please,” Dean begged as he followed me. “You’re being ridiculous. It was just a moment of madness. It didn’t even mean anything.” He put his hand on my shoulder and clamped down in an attempt to stop me and it just ignited my anger again. I instinctively grabbed his hand and twisted it as I turned, just the way Matt – another of my brothers – had shown me.
“Keep your hands off of me!” I growled as Dean bent over and cried out in an attempt to lessen the way I was twisting his arm painfully. I shoved his arm as I released him and he stumbled back a little.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” he spat at me as he nursed his arm to his chest and looked to me with shock.
“I’ll be here for my things at ten A.M tomorrow. I suggest you not be here,” I said calmly. I was far from calm inside, but I refused to let this waste of space see that.
“Of course I’ll be here. We need to fix this. I’m not letting you go, Evie.”
“There is no fixing this. You cheated on me, Dean. Again. I forgave you once, but I won’t be that stupid again. It’s over. If you’re here tomorrow you’ll be sorry,” I threatened.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’ll be bringing my brothers to help me move my things.” I didn’t need to say anything more. Dean was already terrified of my brothers and he knew damned well they would kill him for doing this to me a second time.
“You can’t hide behind those fuckers for the rest of your life, Evie,” he scoffed, a shit eating grin on his face. It was the final straw. Before he even saw it coming I balled my fist, just the way I had been taught, and I let a punch fly right into his face, catching him on his right cheek.
“I don’t need them to protect me, asshole,” I told him angrily. “Doesn’t mean they won’t anyway though.”
Dean cried out in pain and reared back away from me; his hand pressed over his cheek where I had hit him. I was pretty sure I got him good, judging by the pounding pain throbbing through my hand. Good.
“You’re a psycho!” Dean cried. I smiled a little to myself at that comment as I unlocked my Jeep and climbed in. As I backed out, the blonde came running out of the house in nothing but Dean’s button up shirt. I saw her go to him and cradle a perfectly manicured hand on his cheek just before I pulled away from the curb and sped out of there.
I made it about three streets away before the tears that filled my eyes blinded me so much I had to pull over. I parked in the small lot of a drug store and buried my face in my hands as the sobs burst from me.
Five years. Five years of my life with that cheating asshole – all wasted. How could he do that to me? To us? We’d had so many plans. My whole future was tied up with his, and now that was all over.
Insecurity flooded me as I allowed thoughts of not being good enough to take over. Was I not pretty enough? Not slim enough? My figure could never compete with that blonde’s. I was much curvier and shorter too. I didn’t have long legs like she had. I didn’t put the time and attention into my hair and make-up that she clearly did. Was that important? Did Dean cheat on me because I didn’t curl my hair often enough, or because I didn’t wear bright enough lipstick? Was I too frumpy in my jeans and Chucks? Why wasn’t I enough?
My cell ringing pulled me from my downward spiral. I jumped at the shrill ringing, then fumbled to grab it from the cup holder beside me.
Livy’s name was on the caller ID, so I took a breath and tried to calm down enough to answer it.
“Hey,” I greeted, wincing at the hoarseness in that one word.
“Hi, hun. You mom just wanted me to check if you’re on the way over. Matt has dinner almost ready,” she explained. Hearing her voice was a comfort. Livy was one of my best friends, as well as my sister in law. Our family was a little complicated, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
When Livy came to live with us when she was seventeen, she fell in love with four out of my five brothers. They had so much in common, all having come from hellish childhoods and they just found something in each other that clicked. It was a complicated and unconventional relationship with the five of them, but it was also beautiful and filled with so much love. I envied them more than I could say. That was what I wanted – that perfect love that they shared. Thoughts and memories of Harris flashed through my mind, but I pushed them back as always. Harris wasn’t that same guy anymore and I wasn’t the same girl either.
“I’m on my way now,” I sniffled.
