Chapter Twenty-Eight
Declan
I opened the car door for Cassie, and after she was safely inside, I shut it a little harder than necessary. I climbed in, started the car and put it in drive. I needed to get away from that bar or I was going to go back in there and whale on that guy.
“So, you knew him?”
Cassie nodded. “Yeah, yes, I uh, I’ve known Evan for, I know Evan.”
Normally I would find it adorable that she was tripping over her words. Right now? Not so much. “You guys dated?”
“Uh, yeah. Yeah, we dated.” Cassie was staring out the window, down at her hands, anywhere but at me.
I stayed silent the rest of the way home. So now it was the bartender, the lawyer, and the environmentalist. It wasn’t Cassie’s fault that yet another man who wanted her was shoved in my face.
Nope, that was all Brice’s fault.
***
I walked through the front door, not bothering to hold it open for Cassie. “Brice.”
“In the kitchen, man.”
I stormed into the kitchen and found Brice with his head in the fridge. “Is Wyllie here?”
“No, he’s with our moms at the park. Hey, are there any cookies left?”
Good. No Wyllie. Now I could kick his uncle’s ass. I grabbed him by the back of the shirt and dragged him out of the fridge. “Great, because I need to talk to you. What the fuck were you thinking?”
Brice held his hands up, trying to placate me. “Whoa, five dollars to the swear jar. And what are you talking about?”
I had a feeling I had crazy eyes and sounded nuts, but I was pissed. “Evan.”
“Yeah, Evan, he’s a friend of mine. And he’s a bartender. Did he do a bad job? Did he mix a bad drink?” Brice chuckled. “Nah, he can’t mix a bad drink. He runs the Dragonfly.”
“No, he didn’t mix a bad drink. He and Cassie dated.” I slammed my hand on the island, startling Cassie, who’d just walked in. She went across the room to stand next to her brother.
Brice rolled his eyes. “What? Cassie never dated Evan.”
Cassie held up her hand. “Uh, yeah, I did.”
Brice put his hand on her shoulder. “Aw, sweetheart. Breakfast doesn’t count as a date.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, puffing it up for effect. “Oh, okay, great. So you never actually dated him. You just fucked him for a while.”
“Five dollars in the swear jar.”
“Shut up, Brice.” I looked at Cassie, waiting for her to tell me I was wrong. She didn’t say anything. I knew I should just drop it. But I was too irritated, with both of them. “Cassie, have you dated every man in the greater Dallas area?”
Cassie’s eyes got real big, “Me? Seriously? You FUCKED ALL OF EUROPE.”
I took a deep breath and was about to say something I’d regret. Brice knew me well enough to see it coming.
“Okay, the both of you need to calm down. Cassie, you need to put two-fifty in each jar, okay? You know it’s the right thing to do.” He turned to me. “And why are you so angry? It’s just a fake wedding, right? She isn’t really your fiancée.”
I whirled on my friend. “You don’t understand why I’m angry? You’re meddling. You need to stop. You’ve got to back off.” And who gives a fuck if she was really my fiancée? She was my, well, my Cassie and I didn’t need ex-boyfriends hitting on her.
Brice looked indignant. “I am not meddling.”
I counted on my fingers. “You brought up custody of Wyllie. You brought up Jason. You set us up with Evan. And you’re the reason that ring is on Cassie’s finger.” Cassie took a sharp breath. Shit. I couldn’t believe I said that. I hadn’t even meant it. Brice was just making me so damn mad. And I was tired of feeling like I could lose her at any second. “Cassie, I’m so sorry, I didn’t—”
She cut me off. “You’re wrong, Dec. Brice isn’t the reason this ring is on my finger, I am. I lied to you, I delivered the biggest shock of your life, and I told a lie to some horrible catty people just to save face. I’m the reason this ring is on my finger. You’re just doing me a favor. But don’t worry, it’ll be over soon.”
She turned and walked out of the room. I rested my arms on the island and hung my head. What just happened? Had I ruined everything that might have been? All because I’m a stubborn hothead?
Brice let out a long sigh. “Go after her, Dec.”
“She won’t talk to me.” I knew Cassie well enough to know what I’d just said would cause her to shut down.
“Well, then she’ll listen.”
I looked up at Brice. “I don’t know what to say.”
He shook his head sadly. “She’s the best damn thing that’s ever happened to you, Declan. And you are about two seconds away from losing her.”
***
Cassie ignored me the rest of the evening. Wyllie came home with our moms not long after Cassie had walked out of the kitchen. The minute Gigi handed him over, Cassie busied herself with him for the rest of the night. Making him dinner, feeding him, bathing him…she didn’t want anyone’s help. And when she went upstairs to put him to sleep, she stayed there.
Brice didn’t really have much to say either. He was still pissed that I hurt his baby sister. He made me pay up to the swear jar, but then ignored me. When I went upstairs later, I hoped Cassie was in our bed. I wanted to talk to her, to apologize. But she had Wyllie in bed next to her.
Smart girl.
I showered and crawled into bed next to my son.
And his mother.
My family.
Sleeping next to them like this, hearing them both breathing; knowing that at this moment, they were both safe, was the best feeling in the world.