by Rye Hart
“I cashed in all my paid vacation to make sure I was here if she needed me. But she’s worth it. We went through hell and back in high school, and I’d do anythin’ for that girl.”
“You’re a good friend. Dedicated. Strong. Katie’s lucky to have ya,” I said.
“Are any of your brothers worried ‘bout me?” she asked.
I bit back my grin as she led the conversation right into my trap.
“Dylan’s asked me a few times if I knew how you were doin’,” I said.
“Why would he ask you?”
“Because I’ve made it very clear to my brothers that them bargin’ over here like they have is wreakin’ just as much havoc on you as it is Katie. You’re the one fieldin’ all the anger while Katie recuperates. I like that kinda strength in a woman.”
“You do?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am. There’s a lot that’s been shown ‘bout ya that I like through all this. Your feistiness. Your want to defend your friend. I can only imagine the type of woman you’d be standin’ at a man’s side.”
“At least someone’s acknowledgin’ that point,” she said flatly.
“Lizzie, talk to me,” I said as I wrapped my hand ‘round hers. “Somethin’s on that pretty little mind of yours. There’s a storm brewin’ a mile wide behind your eyes. Let me in. Let one of us in.”
“I’m scared you’ll be upset with me,” she said.
“The fact that you can admit that tells me you’re stronger than I ever thought you could be. All I want is to make this better for ya. Someone’s gotta be your rock so you can be Katie’s.”
Lizzie sighed, and I squeezed her hand. I was trying to coax her into saying what I knew was true. I wanted her to think she was safe so I had the proof I needed to get the guys on my side before we confronted Katie. I was seconds away from it. I could feel it in my bones.
“Stop with the damn walls, Liz. You’ve had ‘em up for years,” I said.
“I want you guys,” Lizzie said breathlessly.
“Say it again,” I said. “Say it until you’re confident in it.”
“I want to be the girl you guys share,” she said.
“Why?” I asked. “Talk me through what’s happenin’ here. Make me understand ya. That’s all I’ve wanted.”
“I see the way you guys looked at her when we were in high school. And no matter what I did, I could never get ya to turn your heads my way. Then she left, and I needed y’all. I needed y’all to help me with my best friend movin’ away. Y’all were grievin’, too, and I wanted someone who understood that. Who understood me.”
“I understand you,” I said. “I did then, and I do now.”
“I’m sorry I lied to Katie,” she said as she shook her head. “I’m sorry I told her we all slept together before. But I did it to get her away from y’all so I could try to show you guys how right we all are for one another. You guys are rough ‘round the edges. Even Dylan, with his suit-wearin’ ass. Katie’s been away for so long, she hasn’t seen how you guys have changed. How y’all have grown. I’ve been here this whole time, yet y’all were pinin’ over some girl in New York who left us.”
“Why didn’t you say somethin’, Liz?” I asked.
“I like that. You callin’ me ‘Liz.’”
“Why go through all this? Katie’s your friend, right? All ya had to do was come to us and talk. That was it.”
“Jealousy makes ya do crazy things, I guess,” she said. “I’ve always been jealous of how Katie could turn y’all’s heads. I competed against her in all sorts of things; most home runs in softball, most miles run during cross-country, most cups of coffee drank throughout the day. Fuckin’ anythin’, you name it. We competed and made each other better. But no matter what I fuckin’ did, Wyatt, you guys always looked at her. Never me. No matter how similar I was to y’all and no matter how I changed, none of y’all looked my way. Not for a second.”
“I’m lookin’ now, Liz. Does that count for anythin’?” I asked.
“Dylan’s really been askin’ ‘bout me?” she asked.
“And I’m sure all the others will start once they know I talked to ya,” I said.
“I want you guys. Please. I only did all this because I care for y’all. I’ve watched ya build that damn resort up from nothin’. I’ve watched y’all take woman after woman into your arms, hopin’ I’d one day get the chance to show y’all how right we all are for each other. Just gimme that chance. Let me show you and Dylan and Caleb and Andrew how right we could all be.”
“I can arrange that, ya know. I can go back and talk with ‘em, and I know they’ll all be on board. But what happens then? You’re holed up here with Katie.”
“I’ll go home. I gotta get some more clothes anyway. All the stuff I got here is dirty, and Katie’s outta laundry detergent,” she said.
“Then pack up your stuff, and I’ll take ya back to your apartment.”
“Will you stay with me?” she asked.
“I gotta talk to my brothers, but if they’re all on board, I know they’re gonna come for ya. It’s how we operate. You know that.”
I watched her eyes cloud over with lust, and it made me wanna vomit.
“Gimme five minutes, and we can get outta here,” Lizzie said.
She started running around the room, gathering her things and throwing it all into a trash bag. That was what she was. Trash. What the fuck was wrong with this girl? Did she really think something like this would fly with all of us? She didn’t know shit about us if she thought we’d be okay with all this. But having her back turned to me gave me time to stop the recording, download it, and send it off to my brothers in a text message.
And they were gonna be pissed.
I led Lizzie out of the apartment and let her coach me to where she lived. I dropped her off, and she tried to kiss me, but I backed away and cupped her cheek. Never in my life would I have ever thought hitting a woman would solve my problems, but I was two ticks and a hair slice away from shoving her into her apartment. I dropped my hand, and she threw her arms around me, whispering something about how she’d be waiting. Then I swallowed down the bile rising in my throat, got her number on my phone, and fuckin’ left.
Good. Now Lizzie was waiting at her own damn apartment instead of Katie’s.
I headed back to the resort, and my phone was buzzing off the damn hook. I pulled up to the resort and didn’t even get out of my truck before they cornered me and slammed my door shut.
“The fuck is this?” Dylan asked.
“Where’d you get this shit?” Andrew asked.
“Are you fuckin’ serious?” Caleb asked.
“As a motherfuckin’ heart attack,” I said. “I knew somethin’ wasn’t right. That bitch told Katie we slept with her after she left for college to tear us apart. Nasty-ass woman wants us all to herself.”
“We’ve got proof,” Andrew said. “We can send this shit to Katie as many times as we need to until she listens to it.”
“I’m already sendin’ this shit to Whitney. She needs to know what the fuck’s goin’ on,” Dylan said.
“I got Lizzie away from Katie’s apartment for now, but I don’t know how long she’s gonna stay away,” Wyatt said.
“Hold on. Whitney’s callin’. Gimme a second.”
I watched as Dylan walked away, talkin’ to Whitney on the other end of the line. I looked at Caleb, and I knew exactly what he was thinkin’.
“No. Do not send this to Hunter,” I said. “We can deal with him later.”
“He’s our friend in all this, guys. And he’s hurtin’. He’s pissed, but he’s hurtin’ too,” Caleb said.
“We don’t need any dead bodies. Let that man cool off before we rope him into any more,” Andrew said.
“Y’all got any idea what Dylan’s tryin’ to finagle?” I asked.
I watched him type away on his phone while Whitney was placed on hold.
“I don’t know,” Andrew said. “But whatever the hell it is, it’
s gonna be serious.”
CHAPTER 39
ANDREW
Dylan convinced Whitney to fly in and arranged her a straight-shot from New York to Dallas. She was coming to town to help us sort this all out. According to Dylan, she was just as angry as we all were. Lizzie had been pushing her out as a friend, and Whitney wasn’t going to tolerate someone lying to Katie.
When Dylan was serious, shit got done.
It was all hands on deck. All of us were going to have a sit down with Katie. Wyatt was over in his little corner, stalling with Lizzie via text message. I could tell he was struggling to keep her at bay, so I looked over his shoulder to try and see what he was telling her.
“Damn. This woman’s pushy,” I said.
“I’m gonna lose her if I don’t get her to calm the fuck down,” Wyatt said.
“Tell her to meet us at that club we went to a few weeks back. Tell her we’re all comin’ to have a good time, so get dressed up nice and meet up there,” I said. “It’ll get her farther away from Katie’s place and give us more time to get Whitney and get over to Katie’s apartment.”
“When’s Whitney due in again?” Caleb asked.
“Her plane lands in an hour. Caleb, can ya pick her up?” Dylan asked.
“On it. I’ll head there now in case the plane lands early,” Caleb said.
“Fuck, that would be great,” I said. “Head straight to Katie’s once ya have her. Send us a message, and we’ll meet ya there.”
Then, it was time to hurry up and wait.
Forty-five minutes later, we had Caleb’s text message. We all hopped into my truck and sped for Katie’s apartment, ready to take on the fight we knew was coming. Only this time, we had Whitney on our side and proof of our accusations. I had no idea how Katie was going to react, but I was ready to clear this shit up once and for all.
Even if it did leave her “best” friend stranded at some club waiting for us. She deserved it for what she had pulled on Katie.
We all got to the apartment, and Whitney got out red-faced mad. I could tell by Caleb’s face she had been ranting the entire way there. She stormed up the steps without even looking at us, and we followed, Caleb in tow as he sighed heavily. I could only imagine the anger that could spew from a woman like Whitney, and as she banged down Katie’s door, my eyes widened in shock.
Whitney was strong, and I made a note to never fuckin’ piss her off.
Katie whipped the door open, and I saw her for the first time in damn near a week. She threw her arms around Whitney, hugging her close before she looked around at us. The two of them embraced for a long time, neither of them saying a thing until Whitney finally broke the hug.
“Katie, we all need to talk,” she said.
To our surprise, Katie let us all in. She looked thinner and paler than I last saw her, and I wanted to wrap her up in my arms. The stress Lizzie had put her through made me want to cuss and throw shit around, but my main concern was making sure Katie was okay. Our eyes were locked with Katie’s form as the girls sat down on the couch.
“Katie, Lizzie lied to you,” Whitney said, getting right to the point.
“What are you talking about?” Katie asked.
“Lizzie has been isolating you for her own nefarious purposes,” Whitney said. “There’s something I want you to listen to.”
Whitney pulled out her phone and pressed play on the recording, and with each word Katie’s eyes got wider. Her gaze drifted to Wyatt every time his voice came up, and I could see him tense. He was waiting for whatever barrage of insults was coming his way. But I could tell by the look on Katie’s face that she was swayed. She had been convinced of what the hell was really going on.
“I can’t believe she would do this,” Katie said.
“She’s been screening your calls and ignoring things from me. I’ve been trying to get in touch with you for days. Did Lizzie not tell you any of that?” Whitney asked.
“Not a thing,” Katie said, sniffling. “She didn’t tell me anything other than who was coming by. I can’t believe she would do this to me.”
“She’s selfish and doesn’t care who she destroys or runs over to get what she wants,” Whitney said.
Katie looked at each of us before a bombastic knock came at her door.
“Katie! Open the fuck up!”
“Oh shit,” Katie said. “I forgot Hunter was coming over again.”
“Has he been here before?” Whitney asked.
“Yeah. And it wasn’t good,” Katie said.
“I’ll get the door. You sit here,” Whitney said.
The four of us stood around the couch, bracing for the anger and shock we knew would happen once Hunter saw us all here.
“Whitney?” Hunter asked. “When the hell’d you get into town?”
“Come in and have a seat. It’s practically a party in here,” Whitney said.
Hunter turned the corner and froze. His face grew red with anger again, and he eyeballed Caleb hard. We all stood our ground, prepared to shield Katie from his onslaught, but she was on her feet before he could get a word in edgewise.
“Hunter, you need to tuck that attitude in right now. Enough has happened today without you coming in here and raising hell,” Katie said.
“She’s right,” I said. “Calm down and take a seat. We got a lot to fill ya in on.”
“I don’t wanna hear a damn word from any of ya. I don’t give a shit what’s goin’ on here, but I need to talk to my sister. Privately,” Hunter said.
“You can talk to me in front of everyone. No one is leaving because they can all compose themselves,” Katie said. “Now, I know this is hard for you to believe, but I’m in love with your friends. And I love you, Hunter. More than any man I’ve ever known. You stepped up into a role you were never meant to fill when Dad left us, and you’ve continued in that role even though you don’t have to. The only threat in this situation isn’t here right now, and I want you to calm down so you can listen to me.”
“Threat? What threat?” Hunter asked.
“Long story short?” Whitney said. “Lizzie’s a lying fuck.”
My eyes widened as my brothers smirked in Whitney’s direction.
“No arguments here,” Caleb said.
“What did Lizzie do?” Hunter asked, his voice full of confusion.
“She told me she slept with all the brothers after I left for college. She told me she wanted to be with them, but they tossed her aside and cut her out of their lives. Made it seem like they used her in some vulnerable emotional state for their own reasons,” Katie said.
“Even I know that shit ain’t true,” Hunter said. “They’ve got slightly higher standards than that.”
“Thanks. I think,” Katie said. “But you don’t have to protect me anymore. Not from them, at least. I’ve loved them for a long time. And I’m not going to stop loving them. I was cooped up here all week because I thought the men I really loved were capable of deceitful acts like that. But they’re not, and, in some ways, knowing that truth makes me love them even more.”
I felt my heart soar at her words, but I could tell Hunter still wasn’t happy about it all.
“I can’t approve of this,” Hunter said. “I never will.”
“Hunter, please. Can’t you see that they make me happy? I’m not a little girl anymore and I can make my own decisions. Being with them is my decision. You don’t have to like it, but I’m asking you to respect it,” Katie said.
Hunter shook his head, his fists still balled up at his sides. “Jesus Christ, Katie, I know you’re a grown woman, but you’re still my sister. I just want what’s best for you.”
“And they are what’s best for me, Hunter. They are. You, or anybody else for that matter, are not going to change my mind on that.”
“Then you’ll have to live with the consequences,” Hunter said.
I watched one of my closest friends storm out of the apartment of the woman I loved. The woman we all loved. Katie looked to Whitney for some
sort of guidance, and her friend excused herself to run after Hunter. I wasn’t sure what Whitney was going to do, but if she was as fiery with him as she had been in the few moments I’d interacted with her, I knew Hunter had no idea what he was in for.
Katie’s resolve finally crumbled and she sank slowly to the couch. I hurried to her side, with my brothers hot on my heels. Tears streamed down her face as she put her head in her hands.
“I don’t know what to do. I can’t lose my brother,” she sobbed.
“He’s not going anywhere,” I reassured her, and my brothers agreed.
“But you heard him, he won’t approve of us,” she said miserably.
“Katie, Hunter is a stubborn sonofabitch with attitude for days, but he’s not gonna turn his back on you. Ever. He might beat the shit outta us, but he’ll never walk away from you. He loves you too much,” I said.
Katie nodded and rested her head on my shoulder. “But what if he never comes around to us being together?” she asked.
“Then you’ll just have to have a relationship with him that’s separate from us,” I said.
She shook her head as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry. I just cost you your best friend. I’ve made such a mess of everything.”
I pulled her closer to me as my brothers each put a reassuring hand on her. “No way, Katie, you’ve finally made things right.”
CHAPTER 40
KATIE
Andrew pulled me off the couch and crashed our lips together. I melted into his embrace, feeling the brothers surrounding me. I could feel the love Andrew had for me pouring from his system. He was shaking. His muscles were twitching, and his cock was throbbing, and he was aching to be close to me.
“I’m so sorry,” I said breathlessly.
“Don’t you dare. This is all Lizzie, and now that she’s gone, we can pick up where we left off.”
My eyes connected with Andrew’s, watching him plead with me as a smile crossed my cheeks.
“I would love nothing more,” I said.