SULLY
My phone rings, and Emmett's name flashes across the screen. I almost let it go to voicemail. I'm halfway through making a protein shake, and my hands are covered in peanut butter. Emmett doesn't call unless it's important, he's a texter. I wipe my hands on my sweats and answer.
"Hey, Cap. What's up?"
My stomach drops when I hear his voice. I've known Emmett my entire life. I've heard him angry, frustrated, quiet, drunk, and in love. I've never heard him sound like this.
"What is it? What's happened? Is it Jo?"
"Jo's fine. Sully, you need to come here. Ember and Cassidy just turned up."
I pull the phone away from my ear and stare at it. "Wait ... what? Cassidy's there? Why?"
"The girls left their husbands."
"What the fuck? Both of them?"
"Yes."
No. There is no way my sister just walked out on Trevor unless something catastrophic happened. My hand curls into a fist as I start pacing my kitchen.
Trevor.
My brother-in-law.
The guy I trusted with my twin. The guy who stood in front of our family and promised to love her.
"I'm going to fucking kill him. What did he do?"
"It's what they both did."
"Both?" I grab my keys and shove my feet into my shoes. "Did they catch them cheating?"
"Yeah," Emmett answers.
"They're having some kind of midlife crisis?" I ask.
"I wish it was that simple.”
The way he says it stops me cold. "What happened?"
"It's fucked up, Sully. I don't know how the girls are ever going to process this."
I go still. "What did they do? Cap, tell me."
Emmett lets out a long breath. "Trevor and Kevin were cheating."
Fucking knew it.
"But another woman wasn't involved."
I still.
Another woman wasn't involved? My hand is already on the front door, but I don't move. "What do you mean another woman wasn't involved?"
"The girls found them together."
Together? "Oh." The word barely leaves my mouth. "Oh, fuck," I curse as I catch up.
"Yeah."
"No." I shake my head. "You mean together ... together?"
"Yeah."
Silence.
What the actual fuck? They were close. I mean, they were best friends. They worked together and they spent a stupid amount of time together. But this? Never. Not once did my mind go there.
"What do you say to that?" I mutter more to myself than Emmett. "How the fuck do you even process that?"
"Sully?"
"I've got nothing."
"I know."
I rake a hand through my hair. "I'm going to kill him."
"Me too.”
My chest burns with anger.
Trevor.
The man I trusted.
The man I welcomed into our family.
The man who promised he'd spend the rest of his life making my sister happy. He didn't just cheat on her. He blew her whole life apart.
"They didn't just destroy two marriages," Emmett says quietly. "They destroyed the business too."
Fuck.
I hadn't even thought about that. Everything the girls built revolved around those two. Everything was all tied together.
"What do they want to do?" I ask.
"We haven't got that far. I think they are in shock.”
"They can't go back there," I tell him.
"Agreed. They're not going back there."
I grab my keys.
"I'm coming," I tell him.
"Good, she needs you.”
I pull the apartment door open. "I should've protected her." The words are out before I can stop them.
"This isn't on you," Emmett says immediately. "This is on those two selfish fucking assholes."
I let out a slow breath. "I'm going to destroy them."
"I get it, and they will have their time, but right now your sister needs you breathing ... not bleeding."
I close my eyes for a second. "I’ll be there in fifteen."
I make it in ten.
The doorman waves me through without a word. The elevator ride feels like it takes an hour. By the time I reach Emmett's floor, I've repeated the same thing to myself over and over.
Don't lose your shit.
Cass doesn't need that.
She needs her brother.
Not my anger.
I knock, and the door opens almost immediately. Emmett looks as bad as he sounded. His jaw is tight, eyes flat. He looks like he's one wrong sentence away from punching through a wall.
"Where is she?"
He steps aside, and I walk in. Jo is in the kitchen pouring tequila into shot glasses. Ember is curled on one end of the couch. Cassidy's wrapped in a blanket at the other, staring at absolutely nothing. She looks up, and the second she sees me, everything falls apart.
"Cass." My voice comes out rough.
She doesn't say anything, she doesn't move, just looks at me. I know that look. It's the one that says if I ask whether she's okay, she'll tell me to get fucked. So, I don't. I cross the room and sit beside her and wrap my arm around her shoulders.
"I'm here," I tell her.
That's all it takes for her to breakdown. Her whole body folds into mine, and she starts crying so hard she can barely breathe. I just hold her and let her cry, because I’ve got her.
I may not be able to fix it, but I’ve got her.
I look over at Ember, and she looks broken too.
She's sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest, arms wrapped tightly around them.
Our eyes meet. I've known Ember almost as long as I've known Emmett, and I’ve never seen her this sad.
Jo appears beside us with the tequila bottle. "Anyone?" she asks, shaking the bottle. Cassidy silently holds out her glass, and Ember does the same.
Emmett drops into the armchair opposite us and leans forward, forearms resting on his knees. "So ... now what?" The question hangs in the air.
No one answers.
Cassidy wipes at her face with the back of her hand. "I'm not going back." Her voice is steady. "I can’t look at him. I'm not listening to whatever bullshit excuse he's already rehearsing." She shakes her head. "I'm done."
"You don't have to go back," I tell her.
"Good." She nods once. "Because I won't."
Emmett looks across at both women. "You can stay here for as long as you need."
Ember finally speaks. "We can't impose on you and Jo."
"You're not imposing," Jo says. "You're family."
Ember's chin trembles as she tries to hold herself together, then gives the smallest nod before throwing back another shot.
My phone buzzes.
Trevor.
I stare at his name for a second before opening the message.
Trevor: Is Cassidy with you? She's not answering her phone. Please, man. I need to talk to her.
He needs to talk to her? Fuck that after what he just did. My thumbs move before I even think.
Sully: Leave her alone.
His reply comes almost instantly.
Trevor: Please. I know I hurt her.
I laugh.
Sully: Hurt her? She doesn't have a fucking paper cut you can kiss better. You cheated on her. You destroyed her. Don't ever contact me again.
I turn my phone off.
Fuck him.
Movement catches my eye as Ember slowly gets to her feet. Every movement looks like it hurts. "I think I need to lie down."
"Me too," Cassidy mumbles. "Too much tequila."
Jo immediately stands. "Come on. I'll show you the rooms."
The girls disappear down the hallway and the apartment falls quiet. Emmett gets up and walks to the fridge. He grabs two beers and hands me one. We crack them open at the same time, and for a long while neither of us says anything.
I let out a slow breath. "Did you have any idea?"
He looks at me like I'm crazy. "Fuck no." He takes a swig of his beer. "You?"
I shake my head. "No." I stare at the beer bottle in my hand. "How did we miss it?"
Emmett watches me for a second. "You seriously going to do that to yourself?"
"What?"
"Go back through every memory looking for signs."
I don't answer him because I've already started.
Every barbecue.
Every away weekend.
Every birthday.
Every time Trevor said he was with Kevin.
Every time Trevor canceled because he was helping Kevin.
Every ...
"Don't." Emmett's voice cuts through my thoughts. "You'll drive yourself insane."
“Imagine what the girls are thinking though,” I tell him. He nods. “They will be going back through everything, dissecting their marriages. I don’t understand. How could they?”
Jo walks back into the living room, looking exhausted, and takes a seat with Emmett, curling up beside him. “They’re settled.”
“Thanks, babe.”
"I can't even imagine what they are going through. I’m devastated for them,” she says.
Emmett reaches over and kisses the side of her head.
She leans into him for a second before straightening again.
"They've got nothing," she says. "They left with gym bags.
I'll go out tomorrow and get them some basics. "
"You're the best." He gives her a totally besotted look.
She bumps his shoulder. "I know.” Then her smile fades. "What about Pierre and Issy's wedding?"
Neither of us answers straight away.
"I don't like leaving them here for ten days," I say.
“Shit,” Emmett says.
Jo gives him a look. "I'm calling Issy and asking if they can come. There’s plenty of room on the plane.”
"Jo ..."
"No. I’m not leaving them here,” she says, already with her phone in her hand. "They deserve to get away from all of this."
I shake my head. “Do you think a wedding is the best place for them?”
Jo stills. “You don’t think it’s a good idea?”
“Babe, I appreciate it, but it's your brother's wedding."
"So?" She shrugs.
He grabs her hand. “I think you are a thoughtful person, and while I think being on a tropical island would be good for them, maybe not at a wedding.”
“But we can’t leave them behind,” she says.
“Maybe we could send them somewhere?” I add.
“Yeah,” Emmett agrees, “but let’s talk to them in the morning, see what they want to do.”
“Okay,” she says, leaning over and giving him a kiss. “I’m just going to head over to Collette’s for some last-minute wedding stuff. You okay?” she asks.
“Yeah, we’re good.”
She gives me a wave and walks out of the apartment to her sisters at the end of the hall.
“She’s a good woman, you got lucky,” I tell him, slightly jealous.
“I did do good.” He smirks, looking at me as he sips his beer. “What about you, any women on the horizon?” he questions.
I have a reputation, but only because I am searching for the one. You’re not going to find her in a puck bunny. True.
“I think I’m ready to settle down,” I confess, which surprises him.
“Yeah?”
I nod. “Not sure how many years I’ve got left in the game and I guess …” I shrug. “I thought maybe I would have had a kid by now.”
“Really?”
I frown. “Hey, dickhead, don’t be like that. I’m being vulnerable, you’re supposed to be my safe space,” I tease him.
“You’re right, sorry.” He smirks.
Asshole.
“Ember said her and Kevin were trying for a baby.” I still. “I’m going to assume Cass and Trevor were, too. Those two never do anything without each other.”
Fuck. I had no idea. Cass never said anything, and I thought we spoke about everything. “Guess it’s lucky neither are pregnant then.”
Emmett raises his beer to that.