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“You tell me. You’re the one sitting by the fire, pouting like a bitch. ”
Hammer’s condescending remark, coupled with the patronizing brow, set Liam’s temper razing through the room. All the grievances he’d been swallowing since he’d first taken Raine for his own sat like bile in his throat, waiting to spew.
“You’re the bitch here, Hammer. But I’ve got to hand it to you. You almost succeeded,” he spat before raising his glass in a mock salute. “Aces to you. ”
“Succeeded at what?” Hammer growled as he turned in his seat. Face-to-face, Liam could see confusion and anger narrowing Macen’s eyes.
“At totally fucking up Raine’s life,” Liam jeered. “It wasn’t enough that you stunted her emotional growth for years by locking her away in your ivory tower. You had to top it off by trying to impregnate her, you selfish prick. ”
“What?” Hammer roared as he launched to his feet. “That’s not what happened and you damn well know it. ”
“Okay. Everybody take a deep breath,” Seth instructed as he situated himself between them, trying in vain to keep them apart.
Slamming his glass on the table, Liam surged out of his chair. Eager to go toe-to-toe with the man he used to call his best friend, he set his shoulders and clenched his fists. “Are you enjoying making Raine your substitute for Juliet?”
“What the—” Hammer screeched. “You need to get your goddamn jealousy under control, Liam, and think about what you’re saying. If Raine had been pregnant with your child, she would have wanted it, too. You’re too smart to be this stupid, asshole. ”
“Time out,” Seth bellowed, slashing an angry scowl first at Liam, then at Hammer.
“Jealousy? Look in a bloody mirror. The minute I showed the least bit of interest in Raine, you suddenly turned on me like a rabid dog. ”
“Christ, here we go. You’re not really going to start whining about that again, are you?” Hammer snarled. “Damn it, I know what she said up there cut you deep. But you’re out of line, man. Way the fuck out of line. Deal with the shit Gwyneth put you through before you destroy yourself and any chance of happiness. ”
“Don’t start psychoanalyzing me, you bastard, especially when you’ve done such a bloody fine job on yourself. You don’t know a damn thing about what I went through with Gwyneth. You were too busy banging subs a dime a dozen, so shut the fuck up. ”
Hammer scowled. “I know you can’t stand that the fucking bitch cheated on you, but you’re not the first guy to find out his wife was unfaithful. Stop being a damn martyr because you’re about to screw up the best thing that’s ever happened in your life. ”
“What? A fake friendship with a man who’s kept me in the dark about everyone and everything that ever mattered? Thanks, but no thanks, Hammer. You’ve shown me your true colors and they’re uglier than fuck. ”
“I’m not talking about me, asswipe. I meant Raine. She loves you. ”
“Oh, so you’re suddenly concerned about salvaging my relationship with Raine? This from the man who bragged just days ago that he’d get her back in bed. Isn’t that just your way?”
“And what’s your way, Liam? Ripping the collar from her throat and shoving her out the fucking door? You’re goddamn lucky we found her because I would have killed you if she’d left me for good. ”
“Left you, is it? She’s mine!” Liam growled.
“Not now, dumbass. ” Hammer smirked.
“That’s enough, you two,” Seth barked.
“Shut the fuck up,” Liam snarled at Seth before glancing over the man’s shoulder to pin his anger on Hammer once again. “You know, I tried hard to forgive you from keeping secrets from me. I even managed to feel sorry for you. After Thanksgiving, I’d hoped you’d gotten over your shit so we could finally put our differences to rest. But no. You buried the only worthwhile pieces of yourself with Juliet. ”
“Stop!” Beck roared, sidling next to Seth. “Sit the fuck down, you two. ”
“Butt out. ” Hammer scowled at the other two Doms before he turned back to Liam. “You leave Juliet out of this. ”
“How can I? You can’t let it go. Instead of dealing with your guilt, you’ve hurt me. You’ve hurt Raine. And you don’t give a bloody fuck. ”
Liam couldn’t miss the flash of pain in Hammer’s eyes. Good! The bastard needed to feel how much it hurt to have his heart ripped from his damn chest—exactly the way Liam had.
“This is about your sorry ass. Don’t pin this on me. I thought you’d be a man about helping Raine grow. But obviously you’d rather shit in your diaper than pull your head out of your ass. ” Hammer leveled him a glare of contempt.
“Take off your rose-colored glasses, Macen. Did you honestly think the three of us were going to set up house and live happily ever after just because you had a boner to do it ten years ago? Hate to burst your bubble, mate. But when we leave here, Raine will be mine again,” he blustered, knowing he had no way to make that hope a reality.
“Over my dead body,” Hammer fumed.
“For fuck’s sake. Shut. Up,” Beck howled as he glanced toward the stairs.
Liam turned.
There stood Raine. Dressed in jeans and a dark sweater, she clutched her suitcase as tears streamed down her face.
“Fuck,” Hammer groaned in regret.
Swiping a careless hand across her cheeks, Raine burned them both with a stare steeped in pain. She took Liam’s knees out from under him. His heart clutched, and a wave of dread tingled through his limbs.
As he and Hammer both started toward her, Raine pinned them with a scathing glare, shaking her head and halting them in their tracks. Liam longed to scoop her into his arms, hold her tight, and tell her he was sorry for breaking his vow.
As she descended the stairs, she gave off a near-palpable blast of arctic air that rattled his bones. He could almost feel her reconstructing her walls, building them tight and impenetrable. His guts seized. All the progress they’d made was now destroyed because he and Hammer hadn’t kept a lid on their shit.
“I agreed to do this with you both under one condition,” she spit out through clenched teeth. “Just one!”
The agony in her voice slammed Liam with guilt.
Hammer tried to take another step closer. “Raine, listen. We—”
“Shut up!” she snapped as she seared him with a fierce scowl. “Don’t you dare come near me. ”
For once, Hammer was stunned silent.
“I let you both bring me here so I could try and fix myself, to finally have a fucking happy life. And I’d almost been convinced that my dreams would come true. But Liam just admitted that you two can’t share me. How naïve I was to think you could. ” Raine’s voice cracked on a gut-wrenching sob. “Even knowing that it didn’t work with Juliet, I fooled myself into believing it would be different with me—that we were different. I bought into the fantasy. ” She looked at Beck. “Didn’t you tell me to grow up earlier? You couldn’t have been more right. ”
Liam shook his head. No. No. “It can work, love, if—”
“Don’t you talk to me, either,” Raine choked. “I appreciate all the ways you both helped me. But I thought that today’s task about honesty would run both ways. I see now it was a stunt. While I was ripping my heart open, you two were beating your chests over which of you got to slide into my panties again. Whatever. I thought you two were everything I ever wanted. But I finally understand that you’re both so fucking broken, I’m not sure you’ll ever be what I need. ”
“Bullshit!” Hammer growled.
Raine’s words utterly demolished Liam. Her truth about the baby earlier today hadn’t cut his soul as wide open as her words now. Even walking in on Gwyneth’s adulterous ménage hadn’t charred him this completely. He had to make this up to Raine. But first, he had to force her to hear his apology and pray she accepted it.
“Wait a minute, Raine,” Seth interjected as he moved alongside Liam.
She shook her head. “There’s no point. I can do a lot of things, Seth. But I can’t continue to love two men who don’t love me enough to keep one promise. ”
“That’s not fair, precious,” Hammer implored, his voice broken.
Liam turned to stare at the man. Macen looked pasty and shaken. He’d never seen Hammer so afraid.
“Don’t start, Macen. ” She wagged a finger at him. “You don’t know the first thing about fair. ”
“Raine…” Liam started, not sure what to say—what he could say—to make her listen.
She shook her head, looking right through him and Hammer as if they weren’t there, and held back a sob as she turned to Beck.
“Forgive me, love. I’m sorry for everything. ” The inevitable loss threatened to crush Liam.
“Get me off this fucking mountain,” she choked. “Now. ”
“No!” Hammer barked, leveling a frantic gaze at the tattooed Dom.
“Raine,” Beck soothed as he wedged between Hammer and Liam before closing in next to her. “Let’s talk about this for a minute. ”
“I’m done. ” He’d never seen more resolution on her face.
“You promised you wouldn’t run away again,” Hammer reminded her.
“You’re going to talk to me about broken promises?” she challenged. “Your turn to choke on disappointment. Can we go, Beck?”
Glancing over his shoulder, the tattooed Dom grimaced in apology to both Liam and Hammer before wrapping an arm around her waist. “Come on, princess. ”
Helpless and wrought with contrition, Liam watched as Beck led her toward the door. Hammer took a step forward, then stopped.
“Fuck. ” Macen scrubbed a hand down his face. “This can’t be happening. Precious…”
Liam strode toward her. “Stop, love. Let’s talk—”
She opened the door and didn’t turn back.
“Wait!” Hammer screamed at the top of his lungs. “Don’t leave. I love you!”
She froze, dead in her tracks.
The entire room stood still.
Slowly, Raine turned, focused solely on Macen as her chin trembled. A mournful sob escaped her lips. Beck seemed to support her dissolving frame.
Liam gaped at Hammer in stunned silence. And what he saw made his eyes burn. Macen’s face was etched in pain while he watched helplessly as the woman they both loved stood ready to walk out the door. She’d wrenched Hammer’s heart open. A trail of tears wet his harsh cheeks.
Raine’s face twisted as her brows drew together. “Goddamn you, Macen. You wait until I’m ready to leave to tell me? Or are you just saying anything to make me stay?” She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter anymore. I wish this had turned out differently. ”
Raine stormed out, slamming the door with a thunderous boom.
“I’ll do what I can for you, dumb fucks, but I’m not making any promises. ” Beck sighed in disgust before he opened the door and followed Raine out into the night.
Hammer closed his eyes and palmed the tears from his cheeks. The second Raine walked out, she’d shredded his heart. For years, he’d wanted to declare his love. He’d never imagined that she’d believe his admission had been a disingenuous ploy and reject him. He might not have been the best at showing her how he felt, but he knew what love meant because of her. For Raine, he’d always cared and been concerned in a way he hadn’t for anyone else.
But you haven’t always put her needs first.
“Fuuccckkk!” Liam roared. “She’s gone again. Bloody hell!”
“Calm down, you two. Let’s talk,” Seth ordered with a scowl.
“I think we’ve said more than enough, don’t you?” Liam mocked.
“What’s talking going to solve?” Hammer sounded at the end of his rope. “In case you missed it, she left us. ”
Seth just shook his head. “So you’re going to stand there like whipped puppies and take it? Beck will reason with her, but if you want her back, we need to iron this out. ”
Liam scoffed. “I don’t see how. ”
“You two are friends, remember?” Seth arched a brow. “Friends fight, like you just did. Now it’s time to move on. ”
Hammer narrowed his eyes. “Are you fucking blind?”
“No, but you two are. Raine needs time to cool down. Then Beck will bring her back, and you clowns need to be ready when she gets here. You have an hour, maybe two, to lick your wounds and practice groveling. With your egos, neither one of you have a minute to waste. ”
“I doubt that’s enough time to patch everything up,” Liam muttered. “I’m not sure a decade would be. ”
