“How do you think he knew about your dad’s affair?”
She sighed. “I spoke to him yesterday, and we had it out. He admitted everything. Apparently my father had confided in Collin all those years ago when it happened. They were aware that I’d gone to stay with you at school, so Collin knew that I’d shared it with you. He just never brought it up to me, and even after I told my mother everything, neither of us spoke to Collin about it. He was away at school during that time. I thought Iwas protecting him by not telling him what happened, and he’d known all along and never said a word.”
I nodded. “He knew the whole fucking time and then used it against you when he was angry.”
“Yeah. How messed up is that?”
“And that bullshit about me going home with Megan Wilson that night. Did he own up to that lie, too?”
She nodded as she ran her fingers over the blades of grass beside the blanket. “Yep. He said that he was angry about what had happened with Emerson, and he felt like everyone was against him at the time.”
I laughed. “He fucked his fiancée’s maid of honor a few weeks before their wedding, and he’s mad that everyone is upset about it?”
“I know.” She shrugged. “He said that he wasn’t in a good place, and he’d been really hungover that following day when he’d said those things to me, and basically, he wanted someone on his side. And obviously, the best way to assure that was to put a wedge between us.”
“And during the two years that followed, when we didn’t speak, all based on lies that he told, he didn’t think about telling you the truth?”
“Well, I mean, he handled the sale of Wrax and then pretended that he was trying to find him for me. So my brother is clearly more manipulative than I could have even imagined. I don’t know him. Maybe I never have. What does that say about me?”
“Listen, Emerson is one of the smartest people I know, and she was manipulated by him as well. He’s clearly very good at pretending to be someone and something that he’s not.” I couldn’t hold that against Wren. Hell, even I wouldn’t have thought the dude capable of this.
“Yeah. I have come to learn that you can love someone and not like them at the same time. My brother is a selfish narcissist. He’s not going to change, and I’m going to have boundaries with him moving forward.”
“I think that’s wise,” I said before taking the last bite of my sandwich.
“I guess our wild night really bit us in the ass, huh?” she said, but her laugh was forced. “I told you it would mess everything up if we went there.”
“I don’t think us spending the night together messed everything up. That was all your brother’s doing.”
She popped a few chips in her mouth and thought it over. “True. And you’re my best friend, Axel. I know my actions almost cost us everything, so I’m here to repair our relationship in any way you are willing to.”
“I’m glad you’re back in my life, but we both know that you’re not staying, so there’s no sense complicating things,” I said, and she let out a loud sigh and nodded. “Let’s focus on our friendship. It’s where it all started, right?”
“In a heartbeat,” she whispered, her eyes wet with emotion as she blinked a few times.
“Always. And I need to know that you trust me again, Wren. Because that’s more important than anything. More important than intimacy, or sex, or any of that bullshit. Our friendship is deeper than all of that, and you need to know that you can say whatever the fuck you want to me, and you will always be safe with me.”
“I do know that, Axel.” She placed a hand on her heart. “I just got lost for a little while.”
“It’s all right. We found our way back to one another, and we’re going to be just fine.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.” I leaned back on my elbows and stretched out my legs.
“Did you really wait a year before you had sex?” She chuckled, but her cheeks pinked, which told me she was nervous. “I mean, I know how much you enjoy sex. I had to hear all about it through your entire hormonal teenage years and beyond.”
I balled up my napkin and tossed it at her. “You used to love talking about sex. I was like your sex ed teacher when we were growing up. Telling you all my little tricks and secrets.”
She burst into a full-bodied laugh. “I was a late bloomer, no doubt about it. Of course I had to live vicariously through my playboy bestie’s escapades.”
“Happy to oblige.”
“So… are you going to answer the question?” she pressed.
“Yeah, Wren. I waited a year. Then I got drunk and forced myself out of my slump with a tourist who was just looking for a good time,” I admitted, because I’d always been able to say anything to her.
“That’s a long time to go without.”
