I shake my head. “But holy shit… thank you. All of you. You’re real brothers. I don’t deserve you idiots.”
They immediately group-hug me.
I hate it.
I also kind of love it.
When they finally let go, I step away from the noise, from the cameras, from the chaos we just unleashed.
The truth settles into my bones.
Annabelle wasn’t lying.
She wasn’t choosing Mark.
She was fighting for me.
And I ghosted her. I hurt her. I did the exact thing I swore I’d never do.
My chest aches.
I whisper, “I’m getting her back.”
Dex hears me and yells louder than the entire audience, “HELL YEAH YOU ARE!”
The cameras catch it. The crowd cheers.
Dex immediately turns to the nearest camera and announces, “You’re welcome, Nashville!” while flexing like he’s filming a fitness ad.
Colby leans into another lens and purrs, “Don’t forget to like and subscribe, babes!”
Eli bows theatrically and shouts, “Tip your truth-tellers!” and Gabriel lifts both arms, proclaiming, “Justice has been served!”
I stare at them. “Where’s the dinner we were supposedly having?”
Dex answers without missing a beat. “Thiswasdinner. Nourishment for the soul.”
Gabriel grabs his keys. "Seriously, all this emotional cardio worked up one hell of an appetite. I'm friggin starving. Let’s go get somerealfood!”
And for the first time in a week, I feel alive.
Something sparks in me.
A starting gun.
It’s time to win her back.
One way or another.
Chapter nineteen
Annabelle
My phone rings at 6:58 p.m. Two minutes before whatever fresh hell the universe has scheduled for me tonight.
I’m on the couch in pajamas that have seen better years, double-fisting a bowl of popcorn and a mug of tea like a woman trying to rebuild her life from the inside out.
Shari’s name flashes across the screen.
