Bet Me Something (Something Series Book 3)

by Aubrey Bondurant

  When I walked into his room behind him, I could see he was already grabbing his suitcase, starting to frantically throw things into it.

  “What are you doing?” I asked even though it was obvious.

  “I need to go.”

  I tried to swallow past the growing lump in my throat. “Give me a couple minutes, and I’ll come with you.”

  He shook his head. “It would be better if you didn’t.”

  I noticed he wouldn’t meet my eyes. Instead, he busied himself with loading his suitcase. “Please don’t shut me out. None of what they said matters.”

  He turned towards me, his eyes finally locked on mine, a storm of emotions reflected in them. “Yes, it does. You heard your brother. He wasn’t making shit up about my past.”

  “I don’t care about that. I never did.”

  “You should. You can do a lot better.”

  No, no, no. I was losing him and didn’t have a clue how to get through. “That’s not true. You know what we have, how we feel when it’s just the two of us. You said it. When the world tilts, we’re back to center only when we’re together.” I reached out, putting my hand on his chest, watching as he put his in his pockets.

  He shook his head. “I can’t let you give up your future for me. God, how many times did I talk you into staying? The whole time I was selfish.”

  “No, you weren’t. You knew all along that I didn’t want to move home and only tried to give me options.”

  “I never meant to hurt you.”

  “You haven’t. Not yet. Please don’t start now. It never mattered to me what they thought about us. I meant to tell you before you talked to my brother. I love—”

  He wouldn’t let me finished the sentence. “Don’t say it. Don’t make it harder. It absolutely matters what they think because they want what’s best for you. And most importantly, they know me and the fact I couldn’t ever give that to you. I’m not worth staying in LA for or giving up things that you want to do with your life.”

  Thankfully, my temper over my brother’s comment kept my tears from falling. “They don’t know what I want, but I do, and it includes you. I’m not giving up anything. I told you from the beginning that I’ve only ever wished to stay in Los Angeles.”

  “Which is where you moved because of me in the first place? Be honest.”

  Oh, crap. Back to my dreaded sister-in-law bringing that up in front of him months ago at my graduation party. “It may have had some influence initially, considering how much you talked about enjoying the sunshine and it being so far away from my mom—”

  He interrupted my justification. “You deserve more than I could ever give you. I’m not that guy whose name you used to write hearts around when you were ten years old, Kenz. I wish more than anything I could be or that I was half as deserving as you make me feel. But I can’t have you giving up your dreams for me.”

  I threw up my hands “What dreams? The only things I know for sure are that I want to stay in California and do something with music. I don’t want to go to business school, and I certainly am not moving home. So what, exactly, am I sacrificing for you?”

  “What about your hesitation over your audition? Is it because you’d be afraid to leave on tour for months if it worked out?”

  I hadn’t given it a lot of consideration beyond the fear of trying out in front of people, to be honest. “No.”

  “So maybe I haven’t influenced your plans yet, but it’s a matter of time before I could. And if that wasn’t enough, think about the fact you’ve never fought with your brother, ever. He’s always adored you and vice versa. I caused this tension this morning. Not only by sneaking in your room last night, but by being with you.”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “Like hell it doesn’t, but you disagreeing only highlights my point about you giving me more credit than I’m worthy of.” He grabbed what was left in his closet, threw it in the suitcase, and zipped it up.

  “Colby—” I fought my tears. This couldn’t be it, yet I didn’t have the words to stop him.

  He stepped close to me and framed my face with his hands, giving me the saddest kiss goodbye in the history of them. “You’ll find someone who’ll love you the way you deserve someday, I promise. Someone your brother will be shaking hands with instead of horrified at the very thought of him touching you.”

  “That’s bullshit. You may not be willing to admit it now, but I know you’re in love with me. And it’s not about you not having the capacity to give me more, it’s about you not trying because of what you heard back there.” My voice broke. “We can work through this, but walking away right now would be a mistake.”

  He swallowed hard, emotion clogging his voice. “The biggest one of my life. I’m sorry.” He kissed my forehead and left out the door without a glance back.

  CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

  I was unaware how long I stood there in his room, waiting for the sound of his key to indicate he’d come back. The knock at the door finally snapped me out of it. Answering it, I was relieved to find it was Mark, of all people.

  “Are you all right?” he asked, his expression full of concern.

  “He left.” My mind still couldn’t wrap itself around the fact that in the same day I’d woken up with him, smiling, he was leaving me.

  “He probably thought it was for the best right now, given the circumstances.”

  I disliked that he was right. More than that, I hated that it could’ve all been avoided if I hadn’t come to Vegas for the weekend. If he hadn’t come to my room last night. If we hadn’t fallen asleep. If, if, if. That stupid word was going on my list, too.

  “Your, uh, brother is waiting to speak with you.”

  I lifted a brow, adrenaline kicking in. “Good, because I have plenty to say.”

  ***

  After Haylee answered the door, giving me a sympathetic smile, I went straight into the same room as before, where Josh and my brother were now sitting and having a discussion.

  Brian glanced up, looking relieved I was back. “Kenzie, it might not seem like it now, but you’re better off—”

  “How’s that?” My tone was sharp, and I witnessed a flash of disbelief in his eyes before he proceeded carefully.

  “Maybe now isn’t the time to have this conversation. I understand you’re upset but—”

  “Oh, I think it’s the perfect fucking time. You wouldn’t listen earlier, but you’re going to now.”

  Josh moved to leave. “I’ll give you two some privacy.”

  Clearly, I had no problem with confrontation when it was in defense of someone I loved. “No, you can sit back down because what I have to say concerns you both.”

  Josh quirked a brow while taking a seat.

  But Brian wasn’t having it. “I get that you’re upset, but this is a private matter. We don’t need to drag Josh into it any more than he already has been.”

  “You dragged him into it when you decided to gang up on Colby, making him feel like shit.”

  Brian’s temper, although rarely seen in my lifetime, remained in full force. “Are you kidding me? After what he did?”

  I stepped closer, putting my hands on my hips. “What, exactly, did he do? Have a relationship with me, a grown woman who entered into it fully aware that we’re two consenting adults.”

  His eyes softened. “Don’t you see? There’s no such thing as a relationship for Colby. That’s not what he’s about. And as difficult as it was to discover he’d slept with you, it’s much worse knowing he had you believing it was ever something more.”

  “Just because he has a past, doesn’t mean the man can’t change. And he has.”

  “Seriously? After hearing what I said to him, which is the tip of iceberg, by the way, you believe that?”

  My temper was at a boiling point. “I never should’ve heard that from anyone except him if he’d ever wanted to share it, but the truth is it doesn’t matter. Just like it wouldn’t matter if Sasha knew about you screw—” I st
opped myself and turned, not surprised to see both Sasha and Haylee behind me in the doorway.

  Sasha raised a brow towards Brian. “Screwing his way through so many college girls he lost count. I’m well aware of your history, Bri, and to your sister’s point, it doesn’t matter to me. It’s your past.”

  Oh, shit. This had now become a battle of the sexes because Haylee was looking none too pleased with Josh, either.

  Brian swallowed hard, looking at his fiancée and then back to me. “Point taken, but you say he’s changed, and yet he left to meet up with girls he’s been acquainted with previously at a strip club last night. Then he went to your room to crawl into bed with you.”

  No wonder Brian had punched Colby if that was the scenario he’d envisioned. “He didn’t go to the strip club; he stayed at the bar with Mark for another drink and then was already in my room by the time I’d had a couple of drinks in the lobby bar.”

  Josh shook his head. “I know you want to believe that.”

  I turned towards him. “The question is that as his brother, why don’t you? Is Colby a liar? A cheat? A terrible person?”

  “No. But, he’s not responsible, either.”

  “If you still believe that, then you haven’t been paying attention. Three years ago he made a mistake, allowing himself to be conned by a woman who used him to blackmail the company. Yet you won’t let it go, as if you’ve never made an error in judgement yourself. If you’d been tuned in, you would’ve noticed how he spends most of his hours working hard, how passionate he is about his movies, and how he’d give anything for your approval.”

  Shock filled Josh’s expression. “He told you about what happened?”

  “Yes, he did because he’s been working to prove himself to you ever since.” I spotted Mark walk in. His brown hair and Clark Kent glasses over kind, assessing eyes made him appear as the only calm one in the room.

  Some of my initial anger started to dissipate as I thought of Colby’s devastated face. “Look, this wasn’t the way we intended for you guys to find out. But what’s heartbreaking is I’d thought Colby was overreacting when he said you both wouldn’t take the news of us well. I believed he wasn’t giving you enough credit to be able to accept that he could change and not hold his past against him. It’s as though you forgot he’s a person with feelings who you’ve known your entire lives.”

  While I could see Josh softening, my brother wasn’t so easily convinced. “If it’s true that he’s changed, then why would he have me thinking he was going to the strip club last night to meet those women?”

  Shit. This was a harder one to explain. Thank goodness for Mark being there to assist.

  “Because he was doing me a favor in having you believe that. Truth is that we sat at the bar, and he confided he’d met someone he may be in love with.”

  I was shocked Colby had confided in Mark about me.

  “You knew he was with my sister?” Brian turned towards him.

  “Of course I didn’t, yet it makes sense given he didn’t divulge a lot of details about the woman he was talking about.”

  Brian focused back on me. “You deserve someone who—who—”

  “Who—what?”

  “Who, at the very least, would abide by your five-date rule before sleeping with you.”

  “Why would you assume he didn’t? We had our five dates, and they were amazing.” So they hadn’t come before we’d had sex. I thought this slight omission was warranted given the situation.

  Brian’s face registered his suspicion.

  “How can you forget this is a man who let me move in with him in order to take care of me after my accident? He shampooed and blow-dried my hair when I couldn’t, gave me my pain pills, and ensured I went to every doctor’s appointment. He’s been nothing but good to me.”

  “Were you guys sleeping together then?”

  I knew he was trying to figure out how long we’d been hiding it from him. “No. We weren’t. You make it sound cheap and tawdry when it’s nothing like that. He’s my best friend, and I would think you, of all people, would appreciate that type of relationship turning into more.”

  “Then why the hell didn’t he tell me any of that? He didn’t say one word. And then he walked out.” Brian’s tone started to sound regretful.

  “What would you do if Sasha’s brother or father came at you, slinging shit from your past and then punched you in the face? Then you had your own sibling side against you. He had the two men he’s grown up with and respects the most tear him down completely after jumping to conclusions.”

  “Colby’s never indicated that he’d changed his ways.” Brian was sounding defensive now, which was a good sign that he was starting to have some regrets.

  “Sometimes the easiest way to guarantee someone isn’t disappointed in you is to keep their expectations low. You, Josh, and Mark set the bar high by being the type of men you are now, but you certainly aren’t above having your own history of dirty laundry, some of which I’m sure you wouldn’t want aired. You had no right to take it that far with him and throw those things in his face or to imply he’d never be good enough for me.”

  Both men looked contrite and out of fight for the moment. Josh finally spoke. “What did he say when you went after him?”

  I fought the tears. “That he believed every word.”

  ***

  A half hour later, I was showered and packed up, wondering what I should do next. I’d left both men there in the room before I broke down, the adrenaline having run its course. Sitting on my bed, I felt lost because the two most important relationships in my life, with Colby and with my brother, were both in turmoil.

  Thankfully, Mark snapped me out of my mood by arriving at my door with coffee and muffins in hand. “How you feeling?”

  I shrugged. “Numb.”

  He took a seat at the small table next to my hotel window and motioned for me to eat. “What did Colby say before he left?”

  I recapped our conversation. “He went from barely being able to spend a night apart to breaking up with me.”

  “Like you said, he believed what they said. Truth be told, even I was guilty of not noticing how Colby’s changed the last few years. But yesterday evening, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind he’d met someone he was falling in love with.”

  My heart hurt. Only hours ago he’d confided that to someone, and yet today he’d left me in his room. Hearing the knock on the door, I tensed, not sure I could withstand another round with my brother.

  “I’ll get it,” Mark offered.

  I was relieved to hear Sasha and Haylee’s voices and nodded towards Mark, giving him the okay that they could come in.

  Sasha walked in, and to my surprise, immediately hugged me. She normally wasn’t so affectionate. “You okay?”

  “Not yet, but I owe you both an apology for spoiling this weekend.”

  Both women shook their heads and Sasha spoke.

  “You didn’t ruin a thing. As for today, you stood up for someone you love in a way that was sincere and unapologetic. Don’t go and express regret now. Love is messy and sometimes embarrassingly on display in the most awkward of ways. Your graduation party was a good example of that for me and your brother. I don’t know how it is you never found out what happened, but let’s just say I thought every person there was aware of my meltdown and how upset I was with Brian at the time.”

  I appreciated her words and the idea I wasn’t alone when it came to messy, not to mention public, displays. “Thank you for sharing that,” I murmured.

  “Josh is on his way to LA to see Colby. He feels terrible, as well he should,” Haylee offered.

  I expelled a breath, hoping some good would come out of this debacle.

  Another knock sounded at the door. This time it was my brother. His hands were in his pockets, his eyes wide at the company already in the room. Suddenly, everyone cleared out while he came in, shutting the door behind him.

  Colby was correct in that Brian and I had nev
er fought. Ever. He’d always been there for me, and although I was upset by the way he’d treated Colby, I knew Brian’s intentions had been honorable. I also believed that finding out the way he did contributed to his over-reaction.

  “Do you hate me?”

  I shook my head, knowing if I broke down crying, he’d probably think it was Colby’s fault.

  “I’m sorry, Kenzie.”

  “I’m not the only one you should be apologizing to.”

  He sighed deeply. “Now that I’m past the initial shock, I realize that. Seeing you there earlier at your door half-dressed, I saw red and lashed out. All I could picture was him crawling back from the strip club into your bed, and I completely lost it. And so you know, the overdose wasn’t even a girl he’d invited to the party, and the sex tape was only a camera phone snippet from a college night. Not exactly harmless, but not as blown up as I was making them out to be.”

  I didn’t need to know these things; however, hearing that Brian’s perspective was shifting on them was promising. “Like I said, everyone has things from their past they’re not proud of.”

  He nodded. “You’re right about that, and I have every intention of fixing things with Colby, but for right now, I need to know we’re okay.”

  “We’ll get there. I’m not even sure I know how to stay mad at you. I regret we put everyone in this position to begin with.”

  “I appreciate you saying that. But you were more than entitled to be upset with us, especially with me treating you like a girl who wouldn’t know better. I shouldn’t have claimed you were staying in California or giving up your future for him.”

  “No. You shouldn’t have.” Knowing how terrible he felt, I added, “But I still love you.”

  “I love you, too.” He hugged me tight, then pulled away sighing. “Have you talked with Colby since he left?”

  I shook my head.

  He cursed under his breath. “I thought I was protecting you, not interfering with your relationship. I can’t stand the thought that I may have ruined—”