AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Corinne, I am!” I exclaim. “Jackson is just trying to cause shit between—”
“There is no you and I,” she interjects vehemently. “I can’t believe I ever thought there was.”
The phone line goes dead, leaving me clinging to it as though it’s a lifeline. Two things trail through my mind on repeat. The first is that this cannot be happening. Not after the amazing day we just had together, and not after I finally had Corinne open her heart up to me, letting me in and trusting me enough to give us a chance.
The second is that I’m damn well going to find Jackson and make him wish he’d never broken Corinne’s heart the first time, let alone twice. Then, I’m going to make this right.
***
Mom didn’t make a fuss about coming to my house to sit for a little bit while I went out. With Spencer sleeping, I didn’t want to wake him when I didn’t have to and didn’t want to bundle him up to go outside if I didn’t need to. He’s comfortable and the world is a calm, serene place for him right now.
He might be the only one seeing it that way, but I’m going to let him hang on to that as long as he can.
I figured my mother must have been the one to advise Jackson of my appearance with Corinne in tow, and she was sheepish about it when she showed up. However it had come up in conversation with him, she hadn’t meant to let it slip.
“I’m assuming this is about Jackson,” she’d remarked, her eyes full of guilt. “I didn’t mean to mention Cori to him, Brody. It was just such a natural thing to say when we were talking...that Brody and Corinne had just left...”
I let her ponder that one on her own, mostly because I wasn’t sure what to say about the fact that my name and Corinne’s seemed to be natural rolling off her tongue. And also because I didn’t have much time.
I knew my brother would be at Mom’s house even before she told me he was. He doesn’t live in this city, so where the hell else would he go? He’s burned every other bridge in this place a long time ago.
“Jackson, where are you?” I holler, stepping inside my parents’ house. “Jackson!”
“Easy, big brother.” Jackson appears in the doorway leading to the kitchen, his eyes gleaming with mischief, his grin cocky as ever. “I’m right here. Whatever could be the problem?”
“Why?” I spit out. “Why the fuck would you flat-out lie to Corinne about me? Isn’t it enough that you ruined her for over two years, you cheating bastard?” The questions careen from my mouth like ammunition, and it’s everything I can do not to close the gap between us and pulverize the son of a bitch for the way he hurt her.
Jackson’s grin stays plastered on his face, but he pushes away from the doorframe and shrugs. “Careful, Brody. You might fall off that high horse of yours with all that name calling.” He chuckles each word, not giving a damn about the truth of what I’m saying. “You can’t possibly want my sloppy seconds anyway, can you?”
I’m on him within seconds, my hands pressed roughly against his throat as I slam him up against the wall beside the doorway. “Don’t you ever refer to her as that again, you hear me?” I push up against his throat once more then release him, stepping back to try to cool down. “Answer my fucking question, Jackson.”
The snickering that follows as he rubs his neck only ignites the fury inside me, though. “You always were kind of a hothead,” he chuckles under his breath. “As to why I told her that, it’s true, isn’t it? Don’t tell me you didn’t know I was getting a piece from Breanne. Hell, there was some side action going on in your own relationship, if I remember correctly.”
“Charlotte cheated on me, Jackson!” I scream at him. “Not the other way around! I’ve never screwed around on anyone, and I sure as fuck didn’t know about the bullshit antics you pulled on Corinne until you fucking bragged about it months later!”
Jackson exaggerates his movements, pretending to mull that over. Then, a slow, deliberate grin crosses his face and he shrugs. “Hmm. Well, oops, my bad.”
I lunge for him again, this time making damn sure my fist connects with his jaw. “You think this is a fucking joke?” I growl at him. “You think you can just do and say whatever the hell you want, without ever thinking about how it might affect other people! You’re disgusting, Jackson!”
“She’s my fucking ex!” Jackson screams back at me, though his words are slightly muffled by the pain in his face.
Those four words halt me in my tracks. I don’t move, instead watching him with a new intensity as though the impact of what he’s said has hit me with just as much force as the punch I threw at him. “Yeah, she is.” My chest heaves violently. “So what?”
“There’s got to be some kind of fucking rule about that,” he replies, rising to his full height again and cupping his jaw in his hand. “You’re my fucking brother, for God sake.”
I laugh. Full-out, wholeheartedly laugh. “You’re a fine one to be talking about rules,” I snap, shaking my head. “The only rule you had to follow was to keep your dick in your pants, to be faithful t
o that amazing woman, and not only were you unable to do that, you had to brag about it.” My head is still shaking from side to side, and I’m completely shocked by his audacity. “You had your chance, Jackson, and you blew it by being a total asshole. Don’t ruin this for me by being the same fucking thing.” I swallow, evening out my voice. “Don’t ruin this for her. Christ, you owe her that much.”
To my utter disbelief, he remains quiet long enough for me to wonder if he’s actually contemplating what I’m saying. “Of all people, you had to choose my ex-girlfriend to fuck, Bro.”
“No,” I tell him, shaking my head. “That’s where you’re wrong. I chose her to fall in love with.” I pause, then meet his gaze head on. “That’s what this is about, you’re jealous?”
“Fuck you,” he retorts, but the vehemence in it is only halfhearted at best. “This isn’t about jealously, Brody. It’s about Corinne. She was mine first, so as my brother, you don’t get to waltz in and be the good guy.”
“Was,” I state through clenched teeth. “Corinne was yours. The fact that she’s not now, that’s on you. And you don’t even want her now, you just don’t want me to have her.”
“Now you’re catching on,” Jackson sneers.
