“It doesn’t work for me.”
“I’m not asking for your permission. I’m asking for your understanding.”
“I can’t—” I back toward the door. “I can’t do this right now. I can’t be here.”
“Jake, wait—”
“No. You want to be with all three of them? Fine. That’s your choice. But don’t expect me to be okay with it. Don’t expect me to sit here and pretend my best friends didn’t betray me by going after my sister behind my back.”
I grab my bag. “I need space. I need time to process this. Please don’t call me. Please don’t text me.—Leave me alone.”
I walk out before anyone can stop me.
Chapter thirty-one
Chapter 31
Marco
The house feels wrong without Jake in it.
Two days since he walked out. Two days of Rachel pretending she’s fine while she slowly falls apart. Two days of Cole and Theo trying to fix what can’t be fixed with words alone.
I’m in my office reviewing the final paperwork on Ryan Williams’ case when I hear it. A sound so quiet I almost miss it—a muffled sob from somewhere upstairs.
Rachel.
Her bedroom door is cracked open when I arrive there. She’s sitting on the floor between the bed and the wall, knees pulled to her chest, face buried in her arms.
“Rachel.” I crouch beside her. “What happened?”
She doesn’t look up. “Nothing. I’m fine.”
“You’re on the floor crying. That’s not fine.”
“Jake called.” Her voice is thick, broken. “He’s not coming back until we figure out what the hell we’re doing. Those were his exact words.”
I sit down beside her, my back against the bed. The carpet is soft under me, and I can smell her shampoo—that familiar lavender that’s everywhere in this house now.
“He needs time,” I say. “That’s all.”
“He needs us to stop.” She lifts her head, and her green eyes are red-rimmed, devastated. “He needs me to choose one of you, or none of you, or something that makes sense to him. And I can’t—” Her voice cracks. “I can’t lose you. Any of you. But I can’t lose my brother either.”
“You won’t lose Jake. He’s angry, but he loves you more than he’s angry.”
“You don’t know that.” She swipes at her face. “What if he never forgives me? What if I destroyed your friendship? What if Tommy grows up without his uncle because I was selfish and—”
“Stop.” I catch her wrist gently. “You’re not selfish. You didn’t destroy anything.”
“I’m dating my brother’s three best friends, Marco. That’s the literal definition of complicated.”
“Complicated isn’t the same as wrong.”
She lets out a laugh that sounds more like a sob. “You’re supposed to be the logical one. The one who thinks everything through. Tell me this makes sense.”
“It doesn’t make sense.” I keep my voice steady, even though my chest is tight, watching her break down. “Nothing about this makes sense. But that doesn’t mean it’s not right.”
“How can something be right if it hurts everyone around us?”
