“I’m not. What I feel for Drew is confusing as fuck, and I can’t explain it, but it’s genuine.”
“I want to believe that, but you haven’t been truthful with any of us.”
“Would it help if I said I wanted to be honest, but my hands were tied?”
She sighs. “I’m angry with you, but I know the way these assholes operate, and I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt for now.”
“It’s probably more than I deserve. I enrolled in yoga class purposely to meet you and Demi, but every interaction we’ve had has been genuine, and I never meant either of you any harm.”
“Just my brother.”
“I wasn’t told the truth. I’ve been manipulated by my own fucking father, and I still don’t know why.”
Pain and rage dart across her face. “Unfortunately, I’ve got some experience with manipulative asshole fathers. I’m sorry that’s happened to you too.”
“He’s used my brother to control me for the last fifteen years, and I’m tired of being his lackey. It was all for nothing anyway.” I lean back against the wall and wrap my arms around myself. I need to check in with Arlo. He’ll be home this week, and I want to find out how things went for him at HQ. I’m hoping he might have changed his mind, but it’s a tentative hope at best.
Abby is staring at me expectantly.
“I was trying to shield my brother from the world we live in. Dad promised if I did the things he asked of me he wouldn’t force my brother’s hand, but he lied, and I’m just so sick of all the bullshit.”
Sympathy splays across her face. “As someone who would do anything for her brother, I get it. I hope there’s some way to protect Arlo.”
“I fear it’s too late.” I push off the wall. “I am truly sorry for deceiving you, Abby. I’m sorry for all of it, but please believe me when I say how much I love you and Demi and your entire family. Spending Thanksgiving with you was the best day I’ve had in years, and none of it was fake.”
Her lips kick up. “We thought the joke was on Drew that day, but really the joke was on us.”
“Yeah, I’m so not touching that.”
“We’re all waiting on you two,” Baz says, materializing at the end of the hallway. “And if you don’t get your pretty asses in here stat, Manning and Salinger are going to rip one another apart and probably destroy your house in the process, Abby.”
Abby rolls her eyes. “I’d like to see them try.” She shakes her head. “Lord save us from alpha males.”
“Preach, girl.”
We share a smile, and I get the feeling things will be okay between us. I truly hope so at least. I’d hate to lose her friendship because I’ve come to value it highly.
Baz turns on his heel, and we run to catch up. When we enter Abby’s living room, Ares and Drew are all up in one another’s personal space, the former smirking, the latter snarling.
“I swear I can’t leave you alone for five seconds, D, and you’re causing trouble.”
“Just like when we were kids,” Charlie says, flashing us a grin.
“Back down,” I say, pushing my way in between the two hotheads. “What are you arguing about now?”
Kai chuckles. “You, what else?”
“Ares has just informed us of the connection between you two.” Xavier is grinning from his position on the couch alongside his husband.
“It’d be entertaining if I wasn’t tired as fuck and dying to see my kids,” Hunt drawls, stretching one arm out behind his husband on the couch.
I turn my ire on Ares. “Why would you go there?” I wave my hands in the air. “This will only distract us from the important things we need to discuss.”
“I’ve tried telling him that, but he never listens to me,” Knight Carter says, lifting his gaze from his cell.
“What’s the story?” Abby asks, curling into Kai’s lap on the other couch.
“The CliffsNotes version is our moms became best friends after their mutual marriages to powerful men, aka our dads. Ares was born four years before me, and his parents named him Blade. Mom had trouble conceiving, so she was overjoyed when I was born. I already mentioned how she’d picked the name Athena for her firstborn daughter when she was a little girl. Apparently, Blade was enamored with me as a baby and always wanting to hold me and feed me my bottle. Our moms swore it was true love, and they hatched a plan to marry us off to one another when we got older.”
