Chapter 20
I must be honest, I didn’t think it would work, all four of us sharing the one bed. But this damned bed is huge. I look at the small clock on the nightstand by the bed and it’s after nine. Devon, wearing nothing but a pair of boxer briefs has almost his entire body wrapped around a sleeping Rhyann. Her bright red hair fanned out over her shoulder, cascading like a crimson waterfall over my brother’s big arm as the two sleep soundly. The only person missing is Tate.
I sigh and leave the two to sleep. We had a late night, talking in the dark about everything and nothing at the same time. We reminisced about mine and Dev’s sister, and how each of us had special memories of her, and how she wouldn’t be surprised how our night ended. It was hard, at times, to listen to Rhyann and Tate recall some of the most personal moments they shared with our sister, but it was almost like she was there with us all. When my brother laughed, Devon sounded a little more like the kid he was before Gemma was taken from us.
I find Tate alone, sitting at the lacquered, black baby grand nestled on a small carpeted platform under the spiral staircase.
“Who puts a fucking piano in a hotel suite?” Tate laughs when I round the corner.
“Some rich fucks with more money than sense.” I laugh back. “Coffee?”
“Already called for room service,” Tate says with a bright smile.
I slide onto the matching bench beside my best friend. “Sweet,” I say with a smile. We just sit there for a few awkward moments before Tate clears his throat.
“So, um,” he starts. None of us really discussed anything that happened last night. We didn’t even question the four of us sharing a bed. We just rode the wave of delicious euphoria that comes along with accepting some sort of unspoken happy ending.
“So, you and Dev?” I ask before he can try to awkwardly bring up the subject.
“What do you mean?”
I smirk at my best friend. “I know the I was just fucked good and hard look when I see it, and you both wore it last night.”
Tate laughs, “You act like we didn’t catch you and Rhyann in the act.” His features grow somber. “But yeah. Does it bother you?”
A pang of sadness stabs my heart. “Fuck no, man. You’re my best friend, he’s my twin brother. I couldn’t be happier for the two of you.” Tate smiles and nudges me in the shoulder with his. “But, just so we’re clear, I draw the line with men and with doing shit to my sibling.”
Tate makes a choking sound. I know the whole sibling thing is a sore subject with him and Rhyann right now. “You think I’m a sick fuck?” he asks sadly.
“Dude, she’s not your sister, right?” I ask.
Tate shakes his head. “No, but what I did when I thought she was…” his words trail off, a dark cloud roaming over his features.
“Like you said, you were prepared to carry that dark secret with you,” I assure him. “But now that you know she isn’t, now what?”
Tate gnaws on his lower lip a bit. “I don’t know. I don’t want to fight you over her. I know she loves Dev and he loves her,” he sighs. “But I fucking love her too, Li.”
“You know she told me she’s in love with the three of us, too.”
His brows lift as he looks at me, shock and hope replacing that dark cloud. “She loves me?”
I laugh, punching him on the arm. “You fucking idiot, I think she loved you before she even knew what love was.”
“Oh,” he breathes out as there’s a knock on the door.
“That must be room service,” I say, getting up to answer the door, leaving Tate to mull over what I just said.
When I open the door, it isn’t a hotel service member I find, but an angelic looking blonde haired debutant, pushing her way past the door and myself.
“Tate, baby!” Aubree exclaims when she makes her way across the threshold. “Do you know the strings daddy had to pull to find out where you were?”
God, I hate this girl and her overstepping father.
“Aubree what the fuck are you doing here?” Tate asks, standing from his place at the piano and rushing to her. “You need to go.”
“No,” she pouts, digging her heels into the carpet when Tate moves to push her toward the door. “Daddy and I went back to the hospital to see you after you called me yesterday. They refused to tell us anything, except that you checked out yesterday morning. I’ve been worried sick.”
“Aubree, how did you find out where we are?” I ask, inserting myself into their conversation.
She looks over at me, disdain written all over her features. “Daddy had to pull some strings and promise to make a huge donation to some stupid widows fund.” She looks back at Tate. “Can you believe the police department tried to keep us apart? You’re going to be my husband, we need to be together.”
I’m pretty sure I was standing next to my best friend when he broke things off with her over the phone yesterday. Sure, it was a douchebag move for him to do it over the phone, but it was the best course considering the circumstances.
“Aubree, we are over. I told you that yesterday,” Tate reminds her. He has his hands on her shoulders, all but shoving her to the door. “You need to go.”
“You didn’t mean that,” she cries, but no tears fall from her lashes. My mom used to call those crocodile tears. For the life of me I can’t remember why they’re called that, but that’s what my mom called them whenever one of my siblings or I tried that on her. “You had a concussion or something.” she sniffles, keeping up the theatrics.
“No, I didn’t,” Tate replies matter of factly. “I was stabbed in the side, not hit in the head.”
I open the door and ask one of the officers outside to escort our visitor out to her car.
“Tate, do something,” She says pleading with her now ex fiance.
“If she doesn’t have a car with her, will you call an Uber for her?” Tate asks the waiting police officer. He nods quietly and moves to take the girl’s hand.
“Tate, don’t do this,” she pleads more as the officer guides her to the door.
“We’re over Aubree. I’m sorry if you have trouble accepting it, but I can’t do this with you anymore.” Tate says flatly before returning to his spot at the piano.
“You’re making the biggest mistake of your life Tate Crawford,” Aubree says vehemently. “Do you know how many men would kill to marry me?”
“Good, then you’ll have no problem replacing him,” I say with my friendliest smile as I close the door on her and the officer. “God, I hate that bitch.” I sigh and rest my back against the closed door.
“I don’t know what I was thinking, getting involved with her,” Tate admits sadly.
“She’s the exact opposite of our princess,” I smirk.
“Yeah, she is.” Tate laughs.
A minute later there’s another knock on the door, and this time it is room service. They set the dining table with the same smorgasbord of food as yesterday and leave quietly. I debate going upstairs and waking the two sleeping beauties for breakfast, but it’s been a while since I’ve had time with my best friend without other people around. Sure, my brother and I share everything, even our best friend, but it’s a rare occasion when either of us have one on one time with each other. So, we just talk. We talk about our ideas for the night club and how Dev and I would love to make our home security business grow. We talked about how we can’t wait to see Rhyann grow in her own right as the head of the company her grandfather left her, and how we all have bright futures. What we don’t discuss is how we are going to make a future work with the one woman we are all equally in love with, or how someone is trying to kidnap her, putting us where we are right now.
Devon comes running down the stairs punching his legs into a pair of jeans just as Tate and I are finishing our coffee. “Li, we gotta fucking go,” my brother says catching his breath.
“Dude, you’re acting like there’s a fire in the building,” I tell my brother.
“Maybe because there is. Where’s your phone?” he asks looking at me and Tate.
I look at Tate questioningly. “I left mine at the apartment after,” he points to the stitches in his side. “You know.”
“Mines in the bedroom down here, why?” I start for the bedroom while my brother puts the rest of his clothes on. “Holy fuck!” I shout, grabbing my boots from the floor and shoving them on as I walk out of the room.
“What’s going on?” Tate looks from me to Devon.
“The club,” I gasp. “Someone set it on fire last night. It’s gone.”
Tate walks over to Devon, taking his phone and reading the same text I got.
Adrian: Wake up you fools and call me!
Adrian: Your club went up in flames last night. Call me NOW!
“I’m coming with you,” Tate says, his face red and contorted with anger.
“Like hell you are,” Devon says standing in front of him.
“Why the hell not?” Tate retorts, getting in my brother’s face. I’ve seen the two of them fight in the past, watched them go toe to toe over the littlest things. They may be best friends, and no lovers I guess. But they’re both hot headed alphas who don’t take kindly to being second in command.
“Um, maybe because you’re recovering from a stab wound,” Rhyann interjects from the top of the stairs. The angel on our shoulder whispering common sense and good advice into our ears. “Plus, I’d be alone, with no panties, and no one to talk to besides the two male police officers outside that door.”
There’s a fuck no, from Tate, a growl from Devon at the same time as I say, “That’s not gonna happen.” Aubree just smirks as though we gave her the exact responses she was looking for. That’s when I notice that she’s completely naked at the top of the stairs, no oversized shirt, and no sheet hiding her perfect body.
“I’m staying, but fucking call me when you get there,” Tate says without hesitation. Devon and I nod and head for the door. Tate grabs my brother’s wrist as he passes, “And be careful. Both of you.” We nod once more before heading out.