AllFreeNovel
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A cackle comes from the other side of our table. Wyatt is in stitches, his face splotchy as tears leak down his cheeks. He’s laughing so hard that he can barely get the words out. “You should see all your faces.” He stands, hiking his shoulders up and hunching over as he beats his chest. “Me, Tarzan. She, Jane. Me take Jane. No one have Jane but Tarzan.”
“Why aren’t you more upset about this? What do you know, Wyatt?” I seethe. He’s always keeping fucking secrets, and I, for one, am running out of patience.
Ignoring my question, Wyatt stands, leveling us all with a glare before he smirks, turns, and walks away.
“Well, that was enlightening,” Lev mutters, and I share his sentiment. It always feels like he knows more than he shares, and I, for one, am sick of it.
Cracking my knuckles, I glance back to their table. Ariah’s laughing, enraptured in whatever it is Reign’s saying. Stupid fucker. I want to strangle all of them for the smiles she’s giving them—break every limb that’s touched her—-and gouge out their eyes for even looking at her. Even more aggravated than I was before, I return my attention to our table. Something needs to be done. “One of us needs to strap that fucker down and interrogate his ass. Wyatt knows too much and never shares a thing before he deems it time,” I demand. “I’m sick of that shit.”
The table’s quiet before Lev breaks the silence. “Wy wouldn’t say a damn word.”
“He’d die before he confessed anything,” Owen adds. “And I respect him even more for it. We’re fuck ups. We’re stubborn, selfish, and arrogant. At this point, we’re all talk and no action.”
My hackles rise. “What do you call what we’re doing now? This is all for her,” I argue.
Sebastian sighs, “It’s still for us. The end results are still self-serving. Even if our intentions are good—they’re still to benefit our wants regardless of her needs.”
Owen smiles. “What he said. We have to earn the right to be with her.”
“Which means our decisions should put her first,” Lev chimes in.
I mull over their words. Has this all been about us?
“Our decisions have put her first,” I exclaim, staring each of them down. “She’s our forever. I don’t care how long she’s mad—as long as she knows she’ll be mad by our sides.
Before lunch becomes a group therapy session, Samantha appears in the cafe doorway, her entry as dramatic as her exit. I stifle my laugh when I see the tape around her extremely swollen nose. Owen is not so inclined. He full-on points and snickers when she sits at our table.
“Laugh it up now,” she croaks. “Just know her stunt will cost you. Then we’ll see who’s laughing last.”
I roll my eyes, but Owen tilts his head, studying her. “Your threats are getting old.”
Samantha’s mouth twists, and she gasps in pain. Guess she forgot her nose was broken. “The wedding has been moved up. We’ll be married in December, and the engagement party is in two months.” She stands, preparing to walk away. She pauses mid-turn. “Oh, and your girl’s invitation will be hand-delivered with explicit instructions that her attendance is mandatory.”
My fists clench under the table. We’re running out of fucking time.
“Who’s laughing now?” Samantha mocks, turning on her stilettos and storming out.
I secretly pray her heel snaps, piercing her nonexistent heart when she falls backward on it.
“We need this to be over. Not for our sake,” I exclaim once I’m sure Samantha’s gone.
They all nod in agreement, and no other words need to be exchanged.
For her—for our babies—for our futures.
21
ARIAH
“The look on Wes’s face,” Shay squeals, bouncing on my bed. “Priceless. Freaking epic!”
She hasn’t stopped grinning as she gives me a play-by-play of the guys’ reactions to what Reign and Elias did.
I can’t lie. It’s great to know they reacted so strongly. Hearing the recounting of Owen springing from his seat to Wes looking like he sucked on a lemon made my day. Not because I want them back. Okay, part of me does. But because they’re experiencing a sliver of the hurt I feel daily. However, at this moment, between their reactions and feeling Samantha’s nose crunch against my fist, I’m riding the high.
“Serves those fuckers right,” Shay giggles before changing the subject. “Have you had any progress with finding that doctor?”
Shaking my head, I reply, “No. Her practice ‘mysteriously’ closed, and Dr. Lambert, along with anyone else who worked there, have all somehow disappeared. At least that’s what my dad told me.”
