Chapter Thirty-Four
Declan
Brice and I were sitting on the balcony in my room, drinking expensive whiskey to stay warm. Yes, I grew up with a balcony in my room. And yes, I used it to my full advantage.
I looked over at my best friend and had to chuckle. “I’m fake-marrying your little sister.”
Brice nodded his head, slowly. “Yeah. I know.”
I grinned wider. “I got her pregnant. I have a son with your little sister.”
Brice narrowed his eyes to slits. “Why is all of this suddenly funny to you? Are you having a mental breakdown?”
I shrugged. “Maybe. I mean, I’m marrying Cassie in a fake ceremony because she lied to her shitty former friends. She lied to me too, you know. She kept my son from me.” I got quiet. I guess it wasn’t all that funny after all. “I hurt her too though. In Florida, and more than a few times since.”
Was I losing my mind? Or maybe it was a tad too much whiskey.
Brice turned his chair to face mine, a serious look on his face. “I know what Cassie did was wrong. But you know why she did it. What I did? That was worse. I should have told you about Wyllie. I knew Cassie was scared, I knew that she was uncertain about what you would say, what you would do. But I know you better than that. I knew you wouldn’t have broken her heart. I knew you loved her. And I’m so sorry, Dec. I promise I’ll make it right. I’ll make it up to you, to both of you.”
He was right, he did know me. Brice knew me better than I knew myself, just like I did with him. Brice knew I loved his little sister, he knew it even when I was too chickenshit to admit it. I dropped my elbows on my knees and hung my head. “You know what? Everything happens for a reason, man. You’re right. I loved her.” I took a deep breath. “But I love her more now.” I looked up. “Who’s to say what would’ve happened if you’d told me about Wyllie? I would’ve come back, sure. But then what? Cassie wasn’t ready for me. And I wasn’t ready for her.”
But I was ready now. I was ready for her and for Wyllie. I was ready to be a family. As soon as our wedding was over, I was going to ask her out on a date. A real one. And when we got home, back to Florida, I was moving them into my house. No if, ands, or buts about it.
I couldn’t be away from them; it would be torture. Even now, I missed them both. I wanted to stand up and sprint the five miles to the Huntingtons’.
I was in my tux, and we needed to leave in about an hour anyway. I’d just go early, I’d go and tell her I was sorry. For everything.
I started to stand. “Brice, look man, I’ve got to—”
“When Cassie first told me she was pregnant, I was so mad at her. I told her she was irresponsible and she’d ruined her life.”
I sat back down. I guess story time wasn’t over, but I wanted to leave. Now.
“As much as I’d love to hear all this, I really need to…”
He shook his head, sadly. “But then when she fell and we thought she’d—”
“Brice, I need to…” I held my hand up to stop him. “What? What do you mean she fell?”
Brice looked over his shoulder, confused. “Didn’t Cassie tell you she was in the hospital? That they thought she would lose the baby?”
I nodded, suddenly terrified of where this was going. “Yeah. But she said it was stress related.”
“No. She was leaving Steven’s apartment. She fractured her cheekbone on the stair railing and landed on her stomach.”
I stood up abruptly, knocking over my chair and shattering my mom’s expensive glassware in the process. “What in the fuck was she doing at Steven’s by herself?” My heart was beating wildly.
“I don’t know, man, she went over there to tell him about the baby. To call off the wedding.” Brice took a step toward me. “Dude, what’s going on?”
I was shaking with rage. “She didn’t fucking fall. Steven hit her.” I knew it the second Brice said she fell. I knew it in my bones. He’d hurt her before, why wouldn’t he do it again?
Brice reared back like I’d slapped him. “What?”
I started pacing the long length of the balcony, my blood boiling and my hands itching to pound something. “When Cassie got back from Seaside, she tried to call off the wedding. She told Steven she cheated on him and he slapped her. How do you think he reacted when she told him she’d gotten pregnant?”
Brice scrubbed his hands down his face. “Oh my God. Shit. He hit her? I never… I just… She never told me, man.”
I knew he was reeling. He had to be going over every detail from that day in his head. I stopped pacing, my mind made up. “I’m going to kill him.”
Brice headed toward the door. “Get in line.”
“Where are you going?” I followed him through my room and down the stairs.
“To my parents’ house. You wanna kick that motherfucker’s ass?
I shut the front door behind me. “More than almost anything. But I’m getting married in forty-five minutes.”
“Yeah? Well, Steven is on the guest list.”