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"What’s going on?" she mumbled, rubbing at her eyes and yawning as he disappeared. Then she noticed Mia in the entrance with Drew.
Blinking a few times, she pointed and mumbled, "Hey. What’re you doing here?"
"I’m the brother to your boyfriend’s wife," Drew told her.
Mia shivered, a little concerned what he might do to Piper.
Piper froze and her mouth fell open. "Oh," she finally said, and then winced. "Oops."
"Yeah. Oops," Drew bit out stonily. He vibrated, and Mia unconsciously reached back and grappled for his hand. When he didn’t pull away and actually returned the grip, squeezing her fingers, a jolt arrowed deep inside her.
It was nice knowing he needed her support. Satisfying.
"Did you know he was married?" he asked, making Piper shift weight and give a half-hearted shrug. "Did you know they had three kids together?"
Piper’s hand was shaking as she lifted a few fingers to the corner of her eye. "He showed me pictures," she admitted on a whisper.
Drew’s grasp on Mia’s hand tightened painfully; she moved even closer, leaning fully against his chest.
"Do you know how much his wife loves him?" he pressed. "For twelve years, she’s stood by his side, supporting him through college, raising his children, feeding and clothing him without complaint. Does that not mean anything to you?"
Piper choked out a sob and whirled away, slamming her hand over her mouth and hurrying down the hall toward her room.
Every muscle in Drew’s body seized as if he wanted to go after the adulteress. Mia spun around to face him, resting both her hands on his chest. She was so close she had to tilt her head back to see his face, shadowed as it was in the dim light.
"I’m so sorry," she whispered. "I had no idea he was here. Drew, please believe—"
He wrapped his hand lightly around her wrist and tenderly pulled her fingers from his chest. That he cared enough to be gentle affected her more than if he’d shoved her away.
His eyes slid to hers. "You already made it clear whose side you’re on, Mia."
He took a step backward until he was standing outside the doorway, physically drawing the line between them.
Brows wrinkling to show his misery, he shook his head. "I have to go babysit now," he said, his voice cracking. Then he turned stiffly and strode off her steps heading for his truck.
Mia just stood there dumbly,
and watched him drive away.
Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned to find Jeffrey Wright, shirttails hanging loose from his pants, tucking a wallet into his back pocket as he hurried into the front room. He faltered when he saw her. They both paused, neither speaking a word as they studied each other. Then Mia stepped back, clearing the exit for him. He nodded a brief thanks and hurried out the door.
She closed it behind him, locking and bolting it. Then she pressed her face to the wooden panel. Her hand came up and fisted against the door. She pounded once for the injustice of it all.
Poor Drew, she thought. Poor Drew’s sister. Amanda had known all along something wasn’t right, and Mia had been reluctant to do anything about it.
This was Piper’s fault, she decided. Piper and Drew’s brother-in-law. Because of them, she wasn’t going to see Drew again, and she’d probably digress further into herself. Why would Piper date a married man then lie about breaking up with him? It made no sense.
She found Piper in her room, sitting on an unmade bed with her head bowed and her hands fisted in her lap.
"Piper?"
Her roommate lifted her face. The light from the hall beaming into the dark room immediately picked up the shine of tears on her cheeks.
"He said he was going to leave her," she rasped, sniffing and wiping at her eyes.
Mia had to force herself not to roll her eyes. She moved into the room and sat gingerly next to Piper.
"He said he’d already gone to the lawyer and filed for a divorce. But he lied to me, didn’t he?"
