Chapter 20
twenty
. . .
Wick
The morning sun cast a warm glow over my condo bedroom. I should have been content after the intense night I’d shared with Marco and Meghan. But unease twisted in my gut as I reached for my ringing phone.
“You home?” Emmett’s voice crackled through the line.
“Yeah, I’m home.” My mouth was dry, and I fought the urge to glance at the rumpled sheets beside me.
“Good. I’m on the elevator. Dial 9-1-1 now. You’re going to need it.”
The line went dead, and I bolted upright. Emmett’s ominous words could only mean one thing—he knew. Dread washed over me as I pictured his face, the betrayal in his eyes. He was like a brother to me, and I’d violated that bond in the most unforgivable way.
Beside me, Meghan stirred, her hair spread across the pillow. She was breathtaking. My gaze drifted to the tantalizing curve of her bare shoulder, and I ached to reach out and trace the spray of freckles that dusted her skin .
But this wasn’t just about sex. It was about the connection we’d forged, the way she’d allowed me to see the real Meghan. The one who collected magnets from every city she visited. The one who devoured romance novels with the same fervor she poured into her charity work.
Marco had slung his arm across her waist, his fingers splayed over her ribcage. Even in sleep, his expression held a hint of the mischievous grin that had drawn me in—the same smile that had disarmed Meghan. With him, we’d both found the freedom to shed our masks and revel in the intoxicating intimacy of being truly seen.
A sharp rap at the door jolted me from my reverie. I slipped from the bed, pulling on sweatpants.
Emmett’s stormy gaze met mine the moment I opened the door, and I braced myself for the onslaught of his fury. But the anguish in his expression stopped me cold. This went beyond anger—this was the face of a man who’d had his world shattered.
“I’m gonna fucking kill you.” His voice cracked, and he thrust a crumpled tabloid at my chest. The garish headline leered up at me:
PRICE HEIRESS IN SCANDALOUS LOVE TRIANGLE WITH ADVERTISING EXEC AND brOTHER’S BEST FRIEND.
Bile rose in my throat as I took in the grainy photos of Meghan sandwiched between Marco and me in the booth at Eclipse.
Emmett brushed past me into the condo. “I’m going to need you to tell me what the fuck is going on right now, Wick.”
I’d never seen him so angry before, so utterly betrayed. It cut me to the core, knowing I was the one who’d put that look on his face. My tongue was thick and clumsy as I struggled to find the right words. “Will you just come in and sit down?”
“Are you fucking my sister?”
“Just sit the fuck down so we can talk.”
He stood there staring daggers at me until he finally blew out a breath and stalked over to the couch. I followed him into the living room, taking a seat at the other end of the sectional so I could look my best friend in the eye for this conversation.
“Well? Are you fucking my sister?”
“Emmett, I...” I cleared my throat. “It’s not what you think.”
“I don’t even know what to fucking think! Last I heard, you were fucking Marco!”
I braced my hands on my knees and licked my dry lips. “I am. I’m with them both.”
Emmett’s nostrils flared. “Are you fucking kidding me right now? You playing out some twisted threesome fantasy?”
I recoiled as if he’d slapped me. Is that really what he thought this was? “This isn’t some casual hookup or kinky experiment.” I bit out, my own anger rising to the surface. “I get why you’re angry. I do. But the three of us, we’ve got something solid going on. Something that could go the distance if we see it through, you know?”
He glared at me, but I forged on, the words pouring out of me in a desperate rush. “I know it’s not conventional. I’m not asking you to understand, Emmett. I’m not even asking you to accept it. But I am asking you to trust me. To trust that I would never do anything to hurt Meghan, or you. That this, what the three of us have...it’s the most real and honest thing I’ve ever known.”
“Something solid? All you know how to do anymore is one- night stands. You really expect me to believe that you’ve suddenly turned over a new leaf?”
I forced myself to meet his eyes, hoping he could see my sincerity, hear it in my words. “I love her, man. I’m in love with Meghan.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? I had to read about this in some fucking tabloid.”
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly. “I was waiting for the right time to tell you. I never meant to hurt you, or to betray your trust. But I can’t walk away from this, from them. I won’t give them up, not even for you.”
He stared at me, his expression unreadable. Then, slowly, he shook his head.
“Emmett.”
Both of our heads whipped in the direction of my bedroom where Meghan stood in the doorway wearing nothing but my t-shirt. Marco collided with her back when she halted abruptly, muttering a curse under his breath.
“Jesus, Meghan! Put some fucking clothes on!” Emmett snapped.
“Oh, get over it, you prude.” She strolled into the living room, Marco hot on her heels. They both cuddled up on the couch next to me as Emmett looked on in…horror? Fascination? As though we were monkeys in a zoo.
“This is a horrible?—”
“I’m going to stop you right there,” Meghan said to her brother. “I’m not ten years old anymore, Emmett. I can make my own decisions. We are happy . Don’t you want that for us?”
“Of course I do, but?—”
“No buts, Em. It’s no one’s business but ours. ”
He studied us for another moment before he looked to me and asked, “How long?”
“Things took a turn at the wedding,” I said. “But I think you know I’ve cared about her for a lot longer than that.”
Emmett’s eyes took on a faraway look, like he was re-evaluating years of shared memories. Eventually he turned back to me and jabbed a warning finger. “I will bury you if you hurt her. If she sheds a single tear over you, I will end you. Brother or not.”
He stood up and left as abruptly as he had arrived, leaving the three of us reeling.