I nod as I try to wipe my tears away.
She takes a seat in the armchair. "Joelle. Pierre. Felix. Collette. We are family, or we are supposed to be, and families don’t act like this.”
No one says anything.
"Now." Mom folds her hands. "Someone explain to me what is going on. From the beginning."
I take a breath and tell her everything. Mom listens without interruption, and when the boys try to interrupt, she glares at them. When I finish, she's quiet for a long moment.
"You love him?" she asks.
"Yes."
She looks at Emmett. "And you love her?"
"Yes, ma'am."
She nods, then looks over at Pierre and Felix. “He loves your sister.”
“So, he lied to us. He’s our captain. We’re supposed to trust him.”
“Then I’ll step down as captain,” Emmett says.
The room falls silent.
“Excuse me?” Pierre asks.
“You’re right. I’m the captain. I set the boundaries for the team, and this was a clear one, do not mess with a teammate’s sister, and I crossed that boundary. I understand the team has lost trust in me, and I can’t very well continue being captain.”
“Emmett …”
He shakes his head. “I pass the captaincy onto you, Pierre, as alternate, and Felix, you will pick up alternate.”
“No, that’s not right. They don’t get to be rewarded,” I argue.
My brothers are silent.
“In good faith, I cannot continue, and for the welfare of the team, I think it’s best.”
“No.” I shake my head.
“It’s going to be okay,” he reassures me. “If it means we can be together, then I’m fine with it.”
I burst into tears. This is not fair.
“I don’t deserve the captaincy either,” Pierre says. I look at my brother through tear-soaked lashes. “I crossed a line, too. I punched out a teammate.”
“You nearly killed your teammate,” I yell at him.
“I know, Jo, I know. I’ve never been so angry before. I blacked out. That’s not an excuse, okay. But of all the people to fuck me over like that, I never expected it to be you,” he says to Emmett.
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“This isn’t about him. You don’t owe him an apology, he owes you one,” I say, defending my man.
“We both owe you an apology,” Felix says.
“We do.” Pierre sighs. “I’m sorry, Cap, for punching you.”
