“Let me get this straight. You kept her quiet byfuckingher in our bed?”
His eyes almost bulge out of his head.
“Yes, she told me,” I snap.
“It wasn’t like that.”
“What was it like then? Explain how you got naked with my brother’s wife, in our bed.”
He runs a hand down his face. Dark circles frame his eyes, and his skin holds a greyness it never has before.
“Darra used to bring Lottie over with the nanny, so I could see my daughter. The nanny would take her swimming.”
I let out a bark. “So, you and Darra got down and dirty while your daughter went swimming with the nanny? The lousy parent award goes to…”
Zach frowns, and I let out a hollow laugh. “You literally just said, Darra brought Lottie over so you could spend time with her? Get your facts straight, Zach.” I stare at the man I once lived with, shared my life with. “Actually, don’t bother. The pair of you make me sick. Thank God, Lottie has Elijah.”
Stomach acid rises, burning the back of my throat.
Whatever Zach sees on my face hardens him.
“Don’t be such a bitch. You act all high and mighty, Kat. But it’s not like you were ever around. Once you started working with your dad, there was no time for me. You became obsessed.”
“I may have been caught up in my job, but at least I was faithful,” I spit.
“In body maybe, but were you ever faithful in your mind? As I said in my letter. It was always him, the perfect Jaxson Lockwood. Did you think I didn’t know it was him you were imagining every time you let me fuck you?”
“You’re delusional,” I hiss.
“Am I? I’d hoped that when you let me be your plus-one, you’d see me as more, but I was only ever the safe option. Admit it. You were married to your job. I was the handy partner who was there to have dinner ready on the table and to keep your bed warm. Not that you ever wanted that.”
“I…”
Zach shakes his head sadly. “The thing is, I know you aren’t frigid, Kat. I knew that years before we got together. I came home and heard you and Jax going at it, in his bed, when you thought we were all away. It was a risky move by both of you.”
He sighs.
“Do you know how hard it is living with someone, and knowing you can’t take them to those heights, however hard you try? That every time you try to make love to them, they’re wishing it was somebody else moving above them.”
I avert my gaze and swallow repeatedly.
“Why?” I ask quietly.
“Why what? Why did I lie? Why did I help Darra?”
“All of it,” I say, my eyes finally meeting his.
“Jealousy. I’d fancied you for ages, but Eli warned me off. He and Jax got closer over the years, leaving me on the outside looking in. Both handsome, successful, ready to take on the world, then there was me.” He expels a loud breath. “When I found out about you and Jax, I was pissed. How did he get to have you when I was told you were off limits?”
“But Darra? I’m one thing, but your best friend’s girlfriend?”
He squeezes his temples as he grimaces. “Darra kind of just happened. I did try to do the right thing by Lottie. As for Darra, she knew how I felt about you and promised to help me if I stayed quiet.”
“You overheard what Jax said to me.”
It’s not a question, as I already know the answer.
“I did. It was perfect.”
