47
Trent
My palms are slick with sweat as I lift my hand and knock on Kade and Liv’s front door.
My head’s been spinning since I got off the phone with Aubrey last night. I miss her so fucking much it hurts. Hearing how wrecked she was when she told me Kade found out about us makes my chest cave in. All I want is to be with her—to wrap her up, shield her, fix this before it breaks her.
I understand why Kade’s mad. I do. I know this was never going to be easy, and I know I should be standing here with my head bowed, apologizing.
But I’m too fucking angry for that.
Angry that he blamed her. That he hurt her but I'm also angry at myself too. If I hadn't pushed her, she wouldn’t have gone to her mom’s looking for comfort after I walked out. Kade wouldn’t have found out like that. We could’ve done this differently.
Instead, I’m here. At my best friend’s house. Loaded with guilt and rage and ready to burn the fucking world to the ground if that’s what it takes to protect her.
I knock, once, twice. Then I shove my hands into my pockets, rocking back on my heels. My chest tightens, every second stretching thin and sharp.
The door opens.
Liv stands there, cautious but warm, like she already knows this is about to get ugly.
I force a small, uneasy smile. “Hey, Liv. Is Kade in?”
She bites her lip and glances over her shoulder. “I’m not sure this is a good time, Trent.”
I shake my head, keeping my voice steady even as my pulse pounds. “I don’t think there’s ever going to be a good time, but I need to talk to him.”
Liv exhales slowly, then steps aside. “Okay… come on in.”
I follow her down the hallway and into the kitchen. The moment Kade looks up, his entire expression hardens—into something cold and sharp. Something I’ve only ever seen aimed at other people.
Now it’s aimed at me.
I don’t look away. I’m just as angry as he is.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Kade snaps.
Before I can answer, Liv crosses the room and presses a quick kiss to his cheek. “You two need to talk,” she says gently. “At least hear him out.”
She disappears down the hallway, pausing just long enough to give me a small, sympathetic smile—her silent way of wishing me luck.
I nod once, then turn back to Kade.
He’s leaning against the counter, arms crossed tight over his chest, jaw clenched so hard I can see the muscle ticking. The air between us feels charged, like one wrong word will set it off.
“We need to talk,” I say, keeping my voice level.
“I’ve got nothing to say to you.”
“Well, that’s good then, because I’ve got plenty to say to you.”
His eyes narrow.
“You know this is killing Bree, right?” I add, my voice dropping.
“Don’t fucking come in here and talk to me about my sister like I don’t even know her.” He shoves off the counter and steps toward me, anger rolling off him in waves.
“She called me last night,” I say evenly, forcing myself to stay composed. “Crying her eyes out because she thinks you hate her.”
“Don’t fucking talk about her.” His jaw tightens, fists curling at his sides.
“Why not?” I shoot back, holding his glare. “She’s been a part of my life just as long as you have.”
“Yeah—and you crossed a fucking line.” He jabs a finger into my chest—not hard, but deliberate.
I barely flinch. “What do you want me to say, Kade?” Frustration bleeds into my voice. “You want me to say I’m sorry? Because I can’t.”
“Then why the fuck are you even here?”
“For Aubrey.” The words come out without hesitation. No apology. No regret.
He lets out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “You could’ve had anyone, man.” His eyes harden. “So why her?”
“Because I love her.” The words land heavy, irreversible. “This isn’t some game to me. I love her. I’m in love with her. And right now, she’s hurting, and I’m trying to do the right thing.”
Kade scoffs. “The right thing would’ve been telling me the truth when this first started.”
I nod once. “You’re right. And that’s on me, not her.”
His eyes sharpen. “She said you wanted to tell me. So why didn’t you?”
I drag a hand over my face. “It’s complicated.”
“Then uncomplicated it for me.”
Silence stretches between us, thick and charged, before I finally exhale. “I fucked up in the beginning.”
“How?”
“It’s not important.”
“It’s important to me.” There’s something dangerous in his tone now—raw, protective.
My jaw tightens. “I made a mistake. I denied what I felt for her. I pushed her away.” My voice drops. “I hurt her.”
“So what you’re telling me is that you hurt her before—and you’ve hurt her again now.”
“No.” I shake my head, heat flaring in my chest. “The only person hurting her right now is you.”
He steps into my space, chest nearly brushing mine. “Do you want me to hit you?” he growls. “Because I’m so fucking close.”
I don’t back up. I don’t blink. “Will it make you feel better? If it will—just do it.”
Kade breaks away, pacing the length of the kitchen, a hand dragging through his hair. His anger bleeds off him in restless movement, replaced by something that looks too much like pain.
It’s the look on his face that does it.
“I’m sorry,” I say quietly.
He stops short, spinning back toward me. “Thought you weren’t going to say that.”
“I’m sorry for hurting you. For lying to you.” I swallow. “But I’m not sorry about her. Never her.”
His jaw tightens, but his voice drops. “You could’ve talked to me. Told me you had feelings for her.”
“I couldn’t.” I exhale slowly. “That stupid fucking line—you don’t realize what you’ve got until it’s gone. It wasn’t until that moment that I understood how deep it really was. By then, it felt too late. I didn’t think there’d be another chance, so telling you felt pointless.”
He studies me, no longer pacing.
“When things started again,” I continue, “proving to her that I’d changed mattered more than anything else. Everything else had to wait—until she was ready.”
He huffs out a breath, shaking his head. “Annoyingly… I respect that.”
Something loosens in my chest, but I don’t let it show.
“You gotta talk to her, Kade.”
He looks away. “I can’t.”
“Then blame me,” I say firmly. “Not her. None of this is her fault.”
After a beat, he asks, “From what I heard at Mom’s… you and her aren’t together right now. Right?”
“Yeah.”
His brow furrows. “So why are you here defending her?”
“Because even if we aren’t together,” I say without hesitation, “she’ll always be mine to protect. She loves you. And she’s terrified you’re going to hate her forever.”
His shoulders sag, just slightly.
“She has always worried about your reaction the most,” I add quietly. “And right now, you’re acting exactly how she feared you would.”
Silence settles between us.
Finally, he mutters, “I’m gonna need some time.”
I nod. “I get that. For what it’s worth, I am sorry. You’ve been my best friend my whole life, and even though I’ll completely understand if you can’t forgive me for this, I selfishly hope that one day you do.”
I turn toward the door.
“Trent.”
I stop and turn back.
He exhales, rubbing the back of his neck. “I get it. You and her.” A reluctant huff of a laugh escapes him. “It makes sense. If I’m honest, there were always signs. I just ignored them.”
He meets my gaze. “You’re a good man. Coming here and defending her instead of yourself proves that. But you’ve always done that for her. Even when we were kids.”
“I’ll always fight for her.”
He nods slowly. “You really love her, don’t you?”
“Yeah.”
Another nod, more decisive this time.
“Give me some time. Let me get my head around all this,” he says. “Then we’ll figure out how to move forward. All of us.”
“Yeah, man.” I nod once. “Whatever you need.”
This time, I walk away—and I don’t look back. He needs time. And I understand that.
I move down the hallway and catch sight of Liv in the living room. She looks up, concern written all over her face. I offer her a small, grateful smile before stepping out the front door.
I don’t know if Kade and I will ever be the same after this. I hope we can find our way back eventually—but more than that, I just need him to make things right with Aubrey.
He can throw every ounce of his anger at me if he needs to. I deserve it.
But she needs her family.
She needs her brother.
And more than anything, I need her to be okay.