Chapter 45

Joey

She tried.

Andi really gave it her best. She dried her tears, wiped her face, and proclaimed it didn’t matter. She assured me her night with my dickhead brother was worth the fallout.

The problem?

She’s stone stiff and refusing to even speak. I know she’s crushed. I know she’s barely holding on and going to lose it the second she’s alone, and I’m helpless, unable to do a damn thing about it.

Disembarking is more stressful and awkward than I ever imagined it could be. We all stick together, but the tension surrounding everyone but Dave can even be felt by other passengers. They give our group a wide berth and whisper to each other about the scowls on everyone’s faces.

The limo is late, the driver blaming traffic when he finally arrives twenty minutes after the scheduled pick up.

“It’s not a big deal,” Dave tells the driver as we begin to load all of our belongings into the trunk.

How he doesn’t feel the tension clouding us is beyond me. Jon is still angry, and I don’t know if he’s pissed at Tony and me, or about his own actions. Hell, it could be both.

No matter how upset he is, what he said to Andi was out of line. I want to rip into him, punch him in the damn face and tell him to calm the fuck down, but I’ll wait until we’re alone.

Anthony keeps his distance as well. I know he doesn’t want to rub our relationship in my brother’s face, but I want nothing more than to hold his hand and rest my head on his shoulder.

“Take Andi home first,” Jon spits to the driver before climbing inside of the black car.

With the mood everyone is in, we might as well be taking this car to a damn funeral.

Expecting Andi to snap back at Jon, I’m surprised when she just nods her head in agreement.

Maybe now Anthony can see why I didn’t want anyone to know. We’ve had fights in the group before, but this is unlike any other.

“What are you thinking about?” I ask Dave after watching his brow furrow constantly for the first ten minutes of the trip back.

If we’re going to be able to move past this shit, we have to start somewhere.

Full of curiosity, Dave looks up at me. “Do you ever wonder if jellyfish get sad because there aren’t any peanut butter fish?”

I snort, and Anthony chuckles. Leave it to Dave to have such a concern.

It doesn’t ease the tension though.

Jon still stares out the window, his frown growing deeper with each passing mile.

Cooper looks lost, but not about the group issues. If I had to guess, he’s actually sad to be leaving the vacation behind. Either he got a hold of a girl he didn’t want to walk away from, or he’s concerned about his next STD panel. With that guy, you never know.

Andi, spine like a steel rod, closes her eyes, but it’s the calming breaths she’s taking that concerns me. They’re labored and don’t seem to be doing what she’s wanting.

Taking her hand in mind, I try to comfort her as best I can. Without opening her eyes, her lips twitch with a sad smile, but she grips my hand back.

The hour-long drive takes nearly two after spending a ridiculous amount of time in traffic. With only one way in and one way out of Galveston, traffic is horrendous during the summer months. Today is no exception.

Anthony’s eyes find mine more than once. Filled with concern and what seems like apprehension, I do my best, without words, to assure him that no matter what happens between everyone else, we’re together. Having his phone number would be easier because I could shoot off a text to him, but I don’t. Winking at him while no one is looking is the best I can do.

After what seems like days, the limo comes to a stop in front of Andi’s apartment building.

“I’ll call you later,” I whisper to her before she climbs out.

Jon follows her, and even though I know I should stop him, I don’t. They need to work through this stuff, but today, while everything is raw, and the pain is at its peak probably isn’t the best.

“Let me help you,” Jon snaps.

“Fuck off,” Andi hisses back. “You’ve done enough already.”

“Andi.” Her name on my brother’s lips sounds apologetic, but he doesn’t continue.

A second later he’s bending down and looking into the car. “Anthony, can you help her? She won’t let me, and she has a ton of shit.”

I would’ve thought he’d ask Cooper or Dave, but Anthony’s closest to the door. I refuse to look at it as a peace offering because my brother is too petty for that. If anything, he’s just ready to get away from Andi and Anthony is the quickest way to make that happen.

“Sure, man.” Tony climbs out, and I don’t miss the sneer my brother aims at his back when he walks around to the trunk.

Unlike Jon, Andi doesn’t refuse Anthony’s help. After a few minutes of Jon glaring at me like I’m the one who ruined his world, my guy climbs back inside.

The silence continues as the driver makes his way across town. Anthony is next to be dropped off, and his pleading eyes find mine before he opens the door.

“See you later?”

“Yeah,” I respond, refusing to let the burn of Jon’s gaze on the side of my head stop me from speaking to him. “Give me a few days.”

With his back to Jon, Anthony mouths love you before climbing out to grab his suitcase from the trunk.

“I’ll get your truck to you later, man,” Dave offers.

“Thanks,” Anthony says. Glad someone was thinking about his vehicle because I had forgotten that he’d driven to Dave’s house for the pre-party.

Regret swims in my gut when the car pulls away from the curb. When my eyes find my brother’s, I hate that I didn’t climb out of the car behind Anthony. I know we’re dropping Cooper off next, and that means we’ll head to Dave’s, where my brother and I will be forced to ride home with all of this drama between us.

Cooper is quiet when he exits the car, only assuring the guys he’ll see them later in the week for beers at the Tavern before he grabs his suitcase and disappears down the long sidewalk to his apartment.

“Are we going to talk about it?” Dave asks when the car lurches forward.

“Nothing to talk about,” Jon grunts as he turns his eyes back outside of the tinted glass window.

“Like hell,” Dave argues before turning to look in my direction. “I told you this shit was going to happen when he found out.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Jon roars at his best friend. “You knew about this, too?”

Dave’s brow furrows as if he’s thinking he can lie his way out of this, even after he all but confessed to knowing.

“Don’t be pissed at me, man,” Dave begins. “Can’t you see that they’re head over heels for each other?”

“All I see is betrayal,” Jon mutters, fists clenching and opening repeatedly.

“No one betrayed you,” I whisper, pain from the look on his face making me extremely sad.

“Look what you made me do,” Jon seethes.

“Made you?” Dave interrupts. “Dude? You did what you did last night before you even knew about them.”

“But you knew, didn’t you?”

“Who am I to stand between two people in love?” Dave is so sure in his words, I wonder if he knew how strong mine and Anthony’s feelings were for each other before we did.

“True love?” Jon spits. “All of my friends are dogs, you included Dave. Not a damn one of you are good enough for my brother.”

I snort. His double standard for me is well out of place. I don’t harass every woman he hooks up with all the while worried about someone breaking his heart.

“Anthony isn’t a dog,” Dave says in my guy’s defense. “Have you ever seen him going after anyone? Making dirty comments. He’s had plenty of opportunity with all the chicks that have been coming around the last several weeks.”

“No,” Jon snaps. “I was beginning to think he was ga—”

“Exactly,” Dave agrees. “The dude is gay. Can you honestly blame him for falling for your brother? Joey is sexy as hell. I’ve even thought about batting for the other team.”

“What?” Jon glares at his friend.

“Okay,” Dave says with a chuckle. “Not really, but you need to hear him out.”

Dave’s eyes shoot out the window, and his cheeks begin to turn red. I want to ask him what the hell he’s talking about, but my focus is on my jerk of a brother right now.

Jon gives a derisive huff before turning his eyes back outside.

“You’re so pissed,” I begin, “that you can’t even hear what other people are saying to you. If you’d listen, you’d know that every argument you’re attempting is invalid. It’s not my fault that you fucked things up with Andi last night or this morning, whenever the mistake happened.”

Refusing to even acknowledge my words, Jon continues to stare out the window. He’s acting like a damn ten year old who hasn’t gotten his way, but that’s not going to keep me from saying my piece.

“Anthony and I met before Dave brought him to the bar,” I explain again. “The attraction was instant, so intense that we kissed. I tried to keep my distance. The last thing I wanted was what is going on right now, so we fought it, and like many couples who have this insane need for each other, we failed at every attempt. We didn’t hook up to hurt you or anyone in the group.”

Jon’s body relaxes infinitesimally, but he still won’t look at me.

“I love him,” I whisper. “I want you to be happy for me.”

Anger and hurt grows in my gut when he once again refuses to look at me.

“And the other part,” I say after taking a deep breath. “You know better than to treat Andi the way you did this morning. She’s not some side chick or a quick piece of ass.”

“I know,” he concedes, his voice equally as disappointed as mine.

The car slows to a stop, and I realize that I won’t have to spend an awkward ride with my brother because we’re in front of our house.

Climbing out, I give Dave’s hand a quick squeeze. It’s a thank you of sorts for defending Anthony to my brother.

Jon climbs out behind me and pulls my suitcase from the trunk, and before I can thank him, his big, strong arms are wrapping me in a hug.

“I love him,” I repeat into his shoulder. I feel him nod against my head, but he doesn’t acknowledge my words.

“I’m going to ride back to Dave’s to grab my truck,” he says as he walks back around to climb inside.

“Are we okay?” I ask his back.

“Not yet,” he mutters before closing the door and letting the limo carry him away.