Chapter 14 #3
“Christy, Holden’s wife,” Jules recited.
“Christianna Thornbury Dupree, to be exact. Wife of Holden, mother of Liam and Maddie. Resilient, confident, a force to be reckoned with in the best way. A transplant from Wyoming, but you’d never know because she’s acclimated so well to life in the South.
An asthmatic who kicks butt at Spartan races.
She’s the athletic director here in Seddledowne, and her husband thinks she’s the most beautiful woman on earth. ”
“Facts.” My blond uncle grinned, his hands on Christy’s tiny hips.
“And that’s Holden,” Jules said. “District Attorney of Seddledowne, a reformed playboy who met his match when Christy walked in.” Everyone hooted at that. Jules leaned over and faux-whispered. “No worries, I won’t mention how Christy and Silas used to be a thing.”
Everyone laughed, except Holden.
“Oh, I like her,” Peyton said.
“I can’t believe you told her that.” Uncle Holden scowled. “Y’all need to let that die.”
“Never.” I grinned. “The only way I’d enjoy this more would be if my dad were here to act even more disgruntled than you.”
Ashton and Tally’s daughter, Emily, cried, “Do me next!”
“No,” Addie, Ford and Peyton’s youngest, jumped in front of her. “Me! Me!”
Jules grinned. “I’ll let Griffin pick.”
“Let me see.” I extended my arm and let it drift in lazy circles, like it had gone rogue. Then, suddenly, I made my arm stiff straight, my pointer finger aimed directly at… “Bronco.”
And that’s how it went. I’d point to someone, and Jules would recite their name and everything she knew about them. She didn’t get a single person wrong.
“Dang.” I turned to her. “Do you have a photographic memory?”
“I’m just good with faces.”
“I’d say.”
She glanced around. “I think the only people I missed were Theo and Liam.”
Like she was announcing their arrival, they sauntered in from the hallway that led to my dad’s childhood bedroom.
Theo shoved his black-rimmed glasses up his nose. “Hey, guys. We didn’t know you were here yet.” He walked over and offered Jules his hand. “I’m—”
“Theo,” Jules said with one decisive nod. “Ashton and Tally’s oldest. You love LEGOs, Star Trek, and pretty much everything geek. You speak fluent Klingon, you’re in love with Nova, Bowen’s ex—”
“I’m not in love with Nova.” Theo blanched.
Bowen snorted. “You absolutely are. And I don’t care.” As if to demonstrate how much he didn’t care, he pressed a kiss to the top of Maggie’s head.
But Theo, the tannest of the family, turned beet red anyway.
Jules finished her assessment, “And you’re working on an app called Recallio, which helps people recall things on the tip of their brain. Very cool, by the way.”
Theo didn’t acknowledge the compliment. He just dove behind Ashton, probably trying to hide in case she wasn’t done.
“She’s good,” Peyton said.
“She is good.” Liam stepped in front of us, his tone anything but impressed. More like suspicious and guarded. “Too good.”
Jules tensed next to me.
I put an arm around her. “Ignore him. He’s just butthurt that I moved out west and he can’t get over it.”
“Oh, I’m over it.” He looked Jules up and down slowly, like he was cataloging everything wrong with her.
What the…?
I was about to ask what his problem was when Jules’ hand shot out. “Hi, I’m Juliette.”
Liam crossed his arms and shoved his hands under his pits. “I know who you are.”
“Liam!” Holden said at the same time that Christy said, “Where are your manners?”
“Oh-kay.” I popped my neck, side to side.
Jules’ cheeks went pink and she tucked herself against my side.
Liam glared at me. “Can I talk to you outside?” His gaze cut from me to Jules and back again. “Alone?”
What the freak?
“Oh, yeah.” I cracked both thumb knuckles. “Let’s do that.” I pressed a soft kiss to Jules’ temple. “Be right back.” Then I strode to the front door.
I could practically feel Liam breathing down my neck.
“Uhh…” Cash chuckled. “I think I’ll go referee.”
“Me too,” Theo said.
“Me three,” Bowen echoed.
“Let us know if you need help,” Ford said.
I shoved the door open and stormed onto the grass. Then I whirled on my former best friend. “Bro, what is your problem, disrespecting my wife like that?”
Liam said nothing for a couple of seconds, like he was choosing his words carefully. He glanced at Cash, Theo, and Bowen. “I need you to give us some space.”
“Nah.” My jaw tightened. “Whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of them.”
“Fine,” Liam said. “If you want your dirty laundry aired in front of everyone, that’s your business.”
Cash winced.
“My dirty laundry?” I swore. “What are you talking about?”
Liam’s expression darkened even more, but there was worry in his eyes.
Yeah. He’s probably worried you’re going to beat him to a bloody pulp.
He ran his fingers over his lips as he thought. “How’d you meet Juliette?”
“They met at a modeling convention,” Theo said. “I told you that.”
“Shhh,” Liam snapped. “Y’all are allowed to listen, but this conversation is between Griff and me.”
“We met at a modeling convention,” I parroted. “Why?”
He lowered his voice as if discussing an actual threat. “How much do you know about her?”
“Enough. Why do you care?”
He said nothing. Just stared at me, expression troubled.
“Liam. Dude,” Bowen said. “Why are you being so cryptic?”
His eyes flashed to Bowen. “I have my reasons.”
“Oh.” I bristled. “So you get to interrogate me, but you don’t have to answer any questions in return.” He said nothing, so I went on. “Why do you think it’s any of your business anyway? You’ve done nothing but heckle me for the past two years.”
Again, he didn’t respond. Just watched me as if trying to pick apart my brain with the X-ray vision he didn’t have.
Okay. He was just ticking me off now. “My wife is inside, probably worrying herself sick, wondering what this is all about,” I said. “You need to either piss or get off the pot.”
He glanced at Theo, Bowen, and Cash, like he couldn’t say anything in front of them.
I held up my hands, exhaling through my nose. “Fine. Guys, can you give us a minute?”
“Sure,” Cash said. “Boys.” He tipped his head toward the porch.
As they walked away, Theo called, “Don’t kill him, Griff.”
“I make no promises.”
Once they were out of earshot, I thought Liam would spill it. Nope. He shifted from foot to foot like he still didn’t want to say whatever was eating at him.
“Look.” I pointed at his chest. “I’m sorry your coach won’t play you, or Sariah Morgandale won’t go out with you, or whatever else is up your butt—but you don’t get to take it out on my wife.
You hear me?” Mean? Yes. But at this point, I needed him to crack.
Just blow up at me, and we’d settle it here on the front lawn.
But he didn’t.
In fact, he looked like he’d rather be anywhere else than standing here having this conversation with me. “I’m not taking anything out on anyone. And I’m not trying to hurt you. I’m trying to protect you.”
“Protect me? Are you serious?” A laugh came out sharp. “All you do is take verbal jabs at me on the daily.”
His jaw locked. “Because I love you, you idiot.” His voice shook. “I miss you, and I’m gutted that you left.”
I blinked, stunned. We never said that kind of stuff to each other. We were Dupree men, raised castrating bulls and roping calves. We didn’t gush about our feelings.
Not gonna lie, it softened me.
Until he hissed, “And I’m sorry if this hurts to hear, but it’s obvious that this woman either scammed you or scrambled your brain with her disturbingly beautiful face. Those are the only two scenarios where you end up married after three days.”
He might as well have called me a fool. I was used to his insults. But insulting Juliette? Nuh uh. He didn’t get to do that.
“Disturbingly beautiful face?” I growled.
“Dude.” He jammed his hand at the house. “It has to be one of the best faces on the literal planet,” he said, like being that pretty made Juliette a professional con artist.
He was in the NFL and had dated some really beautiful women. So I knew what he was really saying. Why would she want to marry you unless she was getting something more out of it?
It was the same thing I’d been asking myself since I met her. The idea that Jules was using me made my head swim and my chest go hollow. Because the truth was, I loved her. Man, I loved her. But it didn’t make sense why she’d love me back.
My gaze cut to the living room window. Juliette was watching—her face a wreck of fear and something else entirely. Something that looked like love. For me.
She loved me. She did. Whether I understood it or not.
And just like that, I saw red. Liam was jealous, and he was trying to tear us apart.
“I’m sorry you can’t understand it,” I spat.
“And you can’t handle seeing me happy without you.
” The way he crumpled at that should’ve been my cue to stop.
But I couldn’t. What was it about this place—these people!
—that I went right back to being the worst version of myself?
But I was in it now, and I couldn’t find the brake.
It felt good. So I continued, spewing every hateful thing I’d bottled up for two years.
“But you, of all people, don’t get to stand here and question my wife and expect me to play along.
So if you’re done insulting the two of us, I’d like to go back inside now.
” I didn’t wait for his go-ahead. It wasn’t actually negotiable.
With how I felt, I shouldn’t be anywhere near him.
As I turned to leave, he caught me by the arm. “She’s not who you think she is.” His voice had gone quiet in a way that was harder to dismiss than the shouting.
I wrenched my arm free and stepped back. “What does that mean?”
“Just…you need to do a little digging. She’s not telling you the truth.”
“About what?” I asked, low and brusque, so Bowen and my cousins couldn’t hear. “That she was a foster kid? That her name is actually Julie Skinner? That the backstory the world thinks is true was concocted by DayGlow? I know all of that.”
I thought he’d look shocked or regretful. But he shook his head like he already knew all of that. “No. It’s way bigger. I’m telling you there are things you don’t know about her.”
“How would you know what I know?”
“Because I know you.” There were tears in his eyes. “And if you knew the whole truth, you wouldn’t want anything to do with her.”
My heart was scaling the inside of my throat. What was happening right now? “Then, please.” I threw my hands out like every word from his mouth wasn’t slicing me up. “Enlighten me.”
“I…I…can’t.” He tugged at his hair. “You just… You need to do some digging of your own.”
I felt like I was going to puke. Jules’ random comment from earlier burst through my mind. Darn. Morally gray characters are my favorite.
Was my wife morally gray?
Stop.
Hold on to what you know. You’ve felt Jules’ goodness since minute one. He’s projecting his hurt. That’s all this is.
“What Jules and I have is special, and I’m not screwing it up for you.
Just know this—when you bring your wife home to meet the family for the first time, I won’t act like a complete tool.
I’ll welcome her with open arms. Not that you deserve it.
” I leaned closer, jaw clamped. “Jealousy doesn’t look good on you, cuz. ” I turned and strode away.
“I’m not jealous,” Liam called. “I care about you, Griff. I know I’ve been a jerk, but I’m not your enemy. You’re making a mistake, okay?”
I wouldn’t believe it. I couldn’t. Marrying Jules had felt right in a way nothing else ever had. Backpedaling now would be turning my back on those feelings.
“Stay away from me, Liam,” I threatened. “And stay away from my wife!”
Knees shaking with every stride, I kept walking toward Jules and away from my cousin.
Even with all the shots we took at each other, I’d always believed our relationship would be repaired at some point. But now?
There was no way I was forgiving Liam. Not today.
Not ever.
Cash, Theo, and Bowen watched in silence as I flew up the porch stairs, ripped the screen door open, and disappeared inside.