I feel a lump in my throat as I add, “And we can’t let her down again. We need to prove we’ve changed.”
“Which is such an easy task,” Nash chimes in sarcastically.
“It could be,” North argues, looking at nothing, but his eyes are searching like he’s thinking hard about something. “Okay, forget every man for himself. This isn’t working. Or is it for any of you?”
Nash shakes his head, and I follow suit.
It hasn’t worked at all.
“We have to work together to get her back, help each other change, and be better for her. She makes me want to be better, and I guess the same goes for you two?” Both of us nod again. “Okay, then we should sit down, make a plan, and think about what must be done to show her how much we care to make her believe.”
“North,” Nash starts, tilting his head. “Listen, man, I’m all for that idea because God knows I need some help, but what is the goal here?”
“Did you listen to him?” I ask, feeling irritated. “The goal is for her to see that we changed, that we care, that she’s not alone anymore.”
“Yes, but then, what? Is the goal for us all to be her friends?”
“Fuck no,” comes from North and me at the same time, and we exchange a glance.
Fuck, Nash has a fucking point.
“See? We should figure out our shit first before we fuck up even more.” Nash nods.
“She said she was falling forallof us,” I mumble, letting my hand glide over the couch to ground me, but it’s nothing like Sloan’s silken hair.
“But does that mean she wants to be with all of us? Did she say so?” North asks, and when I look up at him again, he’s cocking a brow at me.
“Not directly, but it was pretty much implied.” I shrug. “I told her she was good for all of us, that she already changed so much in us, and she was afraid to hurt us because she couldn’t choose.”
Right before I fucked her.
Asshole.
“Would she need to, though?” Nash asks. “Would it hurt you guys if she was with all of us? I can only speak for myself, and I’ve never had a relationship, so it may be easier for me since I won’t compare it to what it’ssupposed to be,” he says the last part with distaste in his tone. “Maybe I’m strange, but I would absolutely be willing to share her if that meant I could have her.”
“What happened with being pissed at me for sleeping withyourgirl?” I question, unconvinced he’s that easygoing about this.
“Sorry that I needed some time to get used to the thought.” There is more than a little sarcasm in his tone. “I mean, you’re my brothers, and we’re hanging around each other all the fucking time. It’s not like things would change much. She would just join in.”
“Join in? Boy, you’ve no idea, and it shows.” North mocks, shaking his head.
And again, North acts like he’s better than the rest of us.
Which is one of the reasons we’re in this mess.
“Stop fucking treating him like he’s five. He’s not Lio, for fuck’s sake.” My voice rises, and I stand. Nash looks at me with wide eyes, and I feel a pang of hurt in my chest.
Fuck, we’re treating him like that all the time, aren’t we?
“I’m not,” North hisses out, but Nash just shrugs.
“You are, both of you,”
That stung. But he’s probably right. I never thought about it.
“Well, okay, if you feel like that, I’m sorry. I—” North starts, but Nash makes a buzzer noise.
“Bzzzt… every apology that has anifor abutin it isn’t a real apology.” I glance at North and then back at Nash, who continues, “Pretty girl told me that, so let’s practice on eachother before we head out to apologize some more to her so we have less chance of fucking it upagain.”
