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“I seriously doubt that” I mumbled, noticing her hand shaking as she took a sip of water. “He told you the real truth or his made up bullshit that he believes to be the truth?” I rounded the counter and went to put my hands on her shoulders but she stopped me by putting her hands up, her eyes pleading with me to not take a step closer.
“He told me all about how you cheated on Colin’s mother.”
I was quiet for a long moment, just staring at her, my cheeks hot, my blood boiling with rage.
At Toby.
But also at Katie.
She still believed Toby, after all this time? Had nothing that had happened between us made her realize I was the good brother and Toby the evil one?
My world was falling apart. I wanted so badly to come home to her, to kiss her, to tell her how much I missed her, to put myself inside her and make her mine.
But she wasn’t mine. She still believed Toby’s lies. And even worse, she thought I had lied to her about Colin’s mother. “I don’t understand why you don’t trust me,” I said.
Katie shrugged. “It is what it is. You’re the one who said you don’t do relationships. Is that how you got away with cheating on her? Didn’t put a label on it? Did it go just the same way it’s been going with me?”
Fuck.“After all this time, you still believe my lying brother over me?” I could hear myself shouting.
“Was he telling the truth?” she said loudly, looking up at me defiantly with hurt brown eyes. “Tell me he was lying and I’ll believe you.”
“I’m tired of this,” I said, banging my fist against the fridge. “I’m tired of always being on some kind of probation. I’m tired of you acting like I’m not trying, tired of all your tests. And what I’mreallytired of,” I breathed in deeply and shook my head, “is you believing my shithead brother instead of trusting me.”
“I’m not testing you, Adam,” Katie said quietly, but I could see the fire in her eyes.
“Aren’t you?” I asked her, taking a step toward her. She didn’t back down, just looking up at me with her chin tilted up. “Isn’t this all about me being on some kind of probation because you don’t trust the Lanphier’s after Toby?”
She set her jaw, gritting her teeth. “No, that’s not what this is about,” she insisted.
I barked out a bitter laugh. “I think it is, Katie. I think you want me to be perfect because Toby was so shitty to you. That’s not how relationships work. I’m not my brother.”
“I know that” she said, her voice less harsh. “But Adam, there’s just so many things?—”
“What kind of things?” I asked. I wanted to fix it. I wanted to do better, but I was also angry. I didn’t know what I wanted from Katie in that moment, and that was the truth.
“You really want to know?” Katie asked, putting her hands on her hips.
“Yes, of course,” I answered, trying to stay calm. I wanted to tell her she was being difficult and hormonal, but I knew that wasn’t going to get us anywhere. Plus, there was panic rising in my throat. I didn’t want to break things off. I didn’t want her to go. But I couldn’t stop feeling so angry.I hated that she believed Toby over me. I hated that she compared me to him. I hated that she was ever with him in the first place.
“You’re distant, you just leave every time we make love,” she burst out. “It’s like you don’t even want me, you only want my body.”
“Katie, you know that’s not true,” I started, but she cut me off, her voice raising.
“And then because I have trust issues, you act like I’m choosing Toby over you. That’s not it, but he told me a lot of things about you back then. I know that he’s not that trustworthy, but you’re his brother. Maybe you’re not that trustworthy either.”
“Then maybe you shouldn’t be having babies with me,” I shot back, unable to stop myself. “If you can’t trust me?—”
“Idotrust you with the babies,” Katie corrected me. “I just don’t trust you with my heart,” she said, her voice cracking.
I wanted to take her into my arms. I wanted to tell her that I was sorry, that I’d be there for her, backtrack everything that had been said so far, but my pride and my anger wouldn’t let me.
“So that’s it then,” I said, shutting down my facial expressions. “It’s over.”
Katie looked up at me, searching my face. “Is that what you want?”
“That’s what you want, isn’t it?” I asked her. “That’s why you haven’t answered my calls. That’s why you’re yelling at me right now. You want this to be over.”
“Don’t tell me what I want, Adam Lanphier,” she seethed, but I was done with the conversation.
