Chapter 51 Wolfe
FIFTY-ONE
WOLFE
Mark charges at us, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone that mad. I knew he and Steph would be annoyed, but this is different. He looks like he’d murder me if he could.
“A word?” he says through his teeth.
I gesture for him to lead the way, and he stalks off.
I follow him through the kitchen and out back, Archangel with me.
“She told me she found you two in bed together, and that’s why you broke up. She said you’re not even gay, that you just let him get him off because you couldn’t go without for a week at a time. It destroyed her so much that it took until she met me before she could even touch another guy.”
I just start laughing. The story is even more wild than I could have predicted.
“This isn’t funny. It’s fine that you’re gay, but leading her on and then trying to say you let Wilder blow you because it’s better than you actually cheating is despicable.”
I scrub a hand over my face. “I don’t even know where to start.”
“Start with a fucking apology. Not that anything you can do will repair the damage of rubbing your years-long affair in her face at her wedding.”
I laugh harder, holding a hand over my mouth.
“You two are unbelievable.”
“He never cheated on her,” Archangel says when I don’t defend myself. “We never touched each other until last year. We were only friends.”
“Stop lying. Just tell the fucking truth. She is your sister. You owe her that much.”
“I’m not lying.”
I wrap my arm around Archangel’s back. “We don’t owe him an explanation. He can believe his wife. I don’t care. It doesn’t affect me.”
“Because you two know how guilty you are.”
“My sister is a liar.” Archangel glances at me, making sure I won’t stop him.
But I’d never get in the way of how he wants to deal with his family.
He gets in Mark’s face. “Like we already told you, she cheated on Wolfe with about half of the hockey team before you. Wolfe walked in on her with Kozlovsky.”
Doubt sparks in Mark’s eyes as he looks between us. “I don’t believe you,” but I can hear the doubt in his voice. Cracks are forming in Steph’s narrative.
“How else would I know Kozlovsky has a little shamrock tattoo on his ass?” I tell him flatly, crossing my arms.
Both of them look at me. I’d never told Archangel the detail. I think his shock drives my point home even more.
“She told me she’s only slept with the two of us.”
Archangel and I both laugh. I can’t even help it. Mark’s lip curls. He flips from fuming to embarrassed to maybe even doubt. Our laughing isn’t helping. I elbow Archangel, and we both collect ourselves.
“Sorry to break it to you. There are very few guys on your team she hasn’t fucked,” Archangel says when he recovers.
“I just don’t know how to process this. She couldn’t even look at hockey players after Wolfe. I had to work to convince her to go on a date with me.”
“I don’t know why she lied, but she was a puck bunny,” Archangel says carefully, probably sensing Mark is either going to kill us or his sister. “And how else would Wolfe know about Kozlovsky’s tattoo?”
“Why would she make that up? She wasn’t claiming virginity!” Mark looks like he’s about to have a mental breakdown.
“Buddy,” I say, feeling more sympathy than anger for the guy.
Tears well up in Mark’s eyes, and he lifts his fists.
“You still want to hit me?” I hold my arms out by my sides.
He doesn’t come at me, and it’s a tense few sections before he speaks. “No.”
“I’m really sorry to have to be the one to tell you that stuff, but it’s the truth.”
He hesitates, then his stance sags in defeat. “No, I believe you. You’ve got nothing to hide, why would you lie? I guess I’ve just been blind. She made herself out to be the victim.” He holds out his hand for me to shake. “Thank you for letting me know who I really married.
I cringe but take his hand. “I wish we could have figured this out sooner.”
“Me too.” He turns back to the building but doesn’t go inside. “What the fuck do I even do? I’m married now.”
“Annulment is an option,” Archangel says, and I elbow him again.
We should probably leave Mark to work stuff out on his own.
“I guess so.” He sighs, then says, “Good luck with the draft next month.”
“Good luck to you, too.”
We stay out back when Mark goes inside, reeling.
“No wonder he hated me.” I lean against the brick wall. “I would have wanted to hit me, too. I’d kill someone if they did that to you.”
“I’ll give it to her. That’s a great fucking story.”
“No shit. Bet she didn’t think we’d ever date when she told it so no way of it getting out.” I shake my head.
“Atticus,” a voice calls.
My entire body recoils and locks up just at the one word.
My mom comes around the building. “I tried to get into the wedding to see you, but they wouldn’t let me in.”
“Leave,” Archangel says. “You have no right to show up here.”
“I need to talk to him, and he won’t answer my calls.”
“And I won’t ever answer your calls,” I find my voice.
“Your stepfather died. I have no one,” she says anyway.
Everything in me recoils, and I want to vomit. “He’s not my fucking stepfather, and you’re nothing more than the woman who carried me. Don’t fucking contact me again.”
“But Atticus, I am being evicted. I have nowhere to go,” she pleads, and she looks fucking awful.
But I have no sympathy left. I hate her.
“Not my fucking problem.”
She lunges at me, trying to grab my shirt. I jump back, not wanting her to even touch me.
Archangel gets between us, shoving her, sending her stumbling back. “Get the fuck away from him.”
“That’s assault!” she screams.
“I think the cameras will say different, but if you want to contact my lawyer, you can.” He gets out his wallet and throws a card at her. It might be the hottest ‘grew up rich’ thing he’s ever done. “Now fucking leave before I have you arrested for trespassing.”
Archangel puts his hand on my lower back, and helps me inside, makes sure the door is locked, then wraps his arms around me. I lean into him.
“Why can’t she just leave me alone?”
“I don’t know.”
He holds me for a while, letting me lose it. He doesn’t try to pull away or even question how much time I need. He helps me get my nervous system regulated and my heart rate down like he used to. How did I not know I was in love with him all this time? It still blows me away.
I get it together and we go back to the party.
Mark comes over and orders shots, which completely surprises me. “We have to drink to your engagement.”
“Where’s my sister?” Archangel asks.
Mark shrugs. “She’s not real happy with me.”
Archangel and I side-eye each other, but Mark doesn’t offer any more information.
“Wait,” Archangel stops us before we can take the shot. “Did you get your ring too? You said they were matching.”
“I did.”
He holds out his hand.
I reach into my inner jacket pocket and get the box. “Why?”
“I want you to wear it too.”
“Are you going to ask me?” I smile, setting the box in his palm.
“Should I get down on my knee?”
“No, I just want to hear you say it.” A part of me wants to know he wants this as badly as I do.
His cheeks pull and his dimples come out, and there is no hesitation.“Will you do me the honor of being my husband?” Archangel holds out the ring.
The way my heart reacts to his words. I lift my hand, allowing him to slide the ring home.
He’s my home.
I grab his face, needing to kiss him.
“I should have been gay. I want someone to ask me,” Mark says with a laugh when we break apart.
“There’s still time,” Archangel teases. “I got this one to join the other team.”
“He doesn’t mean with him,” I clarify to Mark. “Dating one of his sister’s exes is enough. And I don’t share.”
Archangel laughs.
Mark holds up his hands. “Not my type.”
But he’s lying because Archangel and his sister honestly look really similar.
We take the shots, and Mark congratulates us again before returning to his friends.
“We both have rings on, so you know what that means?” I say into his ear.
“What?”
“I get any of your holes whenever I want them, and I need your mouth.”
He groans. “Where?”
“Ready to head back to our room, fiancé?”
Archangel lights up at the word. “Only if you promise to say that again.”
“I promise.”