“Don’t credit yourself so much, asshole. She’s got a mind of her own and a bite much harsher than yours. Case in point, she showed up here on a fucking date. You’re off the hook.” The truth of that is the hardest part to swallow. “We’re over. That’s what happened in the bathroom. Your dad just ended his career. Go be there for him.”
“He’s not the one that needs me,” Benji declares.
Every cell in my body aches as I finally allow myself to acknowledge how much love ricocheted between us in that bathroom, even as my fury overshadowed it. It is still there, just as powerful—the draw, the need, the goddamn breath-stealing ache.
“I’ve been faithful.”
“She’s probably still here,” Benji tries to encourage.
“It doesn’t matter.” I shake my head. Because I just tarnished something beautiful, and she stepped back helplessly and watched me do it. “I told you to stay the hell out of my personal life. I remember that part of the conversation well.”
“Listen to me, man. Just try and get your bearings. She’s still here, and you can catch her before this goes any further.”
“And do what, exactly? Pledge my love and loyalty? I did when I married her. Try to be the husband she needs? She hid herself, her struggles from me. Beg her to see what we stand to lose, if we continue on that way? Did that, too.” I glare at him, spitting all the venom I feel. “What the fuck is this? Because your parents are finally on the same page, after decades of being at odds, now you’re a love enthusiast? I don’t want that fucking fate, and that’s exactly why we’re over. No, thank you.”
“You saw what I saw,” he digs in further. “Step back, please, East, and take a good look at what you’re doing. That’s all I’m asking.”
Panic seizes me, and even as I fight it, realization overtakes me that if I had a chance in hell of reclaiming the other half of my soul, I just sabotaged it with jealousy and pushed her into another man’s arms. Fully aware that even if it doesn’t happen tonight, it probably will in the future—which is the most excruciating kind of hell.
“I was unimaginably cruel,” I whisper in broken admission.
“I’m so sorry, man. But if there’s a chance to fix it, then you should try.”
“Yeah, well, how about I take your advice when you apply it yourself.”
He shakes his head in frustration as Joel walks in, no doubt leaving the seats we secured for his family to congratulate me. The grin on his face dims considerably as he reads the tension in the room. Benji lifts his chin to Joel in acknowledgment as I pull my cell from my duffle to see endless notifications coming in. One notification in particular has my boiling blood turning to ice in my veins. I look up to Benji before opening it and know without a shadow of a doubt what I’ll find when I do. “Doesn’t matter who filed,” I lift the phone for Benji to see. “She just signed the papers.”
Turning it back toward me, it’s when I note the witness signature, signed by Nate himself, that I allow the darkness to consume me.
Stinkfist
Tool
Easton
Ambling through the party buzzed, bottle in hand, throat sore despite the numbness taking over, I glance around to see several sets of feminine eyes homing in on me. Nowhere near interested in dipping my toe into that arena, I lower my head and make my way to my suite. On the way, I spot Tack and Syd standing together, surrounded by a group of admirers, and I salute them as I pass. It’s been a night to remember for all, and sadly, I’ve done my best to drink away every minute of it. After doling out strict instructions to security guarding the hallway that I want privacy, I slam myself inside my suite with an exhale.
Relieved I made it through enough of tonight’s celebration without overshadowing it with my personal shit, I head toward my balcony. Stepping out, I find LL leaning against the railing, sipping a Coke. His drink selection is laughable because I have no doubt his drug of choice is running through him. He turns to me, confirming it, in his normal state, shaking, skin clammy, and needing a shower.
“The fuck you doing in my suite?” I slur.
“Just admiring the view,” condescension ripe in his words, while rolling his eyes down my frame, “both of them.”
“Yeah, enjoying this?” I point to myself in my inebriated state. “Well, take a good look, asshole. I won’t be down much longer…and heads up, you’re the next catastrophic mistake I’m erasing from my future.”