“Sammy would fucking kill me. We’re firmly Team Starling, Little Sis.”
“It’s about time,” I say quietly.
“I’ve always been on your team.”
Scoffing, I shake my head. “We both know that’s not true. You’re team psycho club through and through. But I’d like to think that you’d at least take a pause before you did something really fucked up to me now.”
“You’re the fucking biggest psycho of us all, sis. I don’t think even Sebastian would be stupid enough to cross you now,” Evan says on a laugh, nudging my shoulder with his as we pass the bottle of champagne between us.
Rolling my eyes, I sigh. “I’m sorry for causing a scene. This is yours and Sammy’s day, and I shouldn’t have let my drama overshadow that.”
“Your drama is all of our drama. If you hadn’t come into our lives, this day wouldn’t be happening. I’d never have met Sammy if you hadn’t become friends with her. I’d probably be married to some Stepford wife, who’d hate me but be happy to spend my money and spread her legs for me. My dad would be alone and miserable. Clay might still have married January, but he’d never have cared enough about her to find out about her abusive parents. Hunter would never have met Bunny, and Sebastian would have fallen into the darkness without you to bring him back to the light. We fucked you up, but you saved us all, Starling. You’re the reason all of us found our happy ever afters. Even without Sammy, I’d be on Team Starling, because you’re the heart of us, Little Sis.”
Tears fill my eyes, threatening to spill, but I blink them away, not wanting to cry.
“God, I hate you so much, Big Brother,” I lie, shuffling closer to him and resting my head on his shoulder.
“Hate you too, Little Sister.”
EIGHT
SEBASTIAN
The entire housefalls silent as my wife calls her stepdad an asshole, calling out all of our behavior and the role all of us, including her mom, Cassidy, played in the ruination of her and Cassidy’s relationship. Starling isn’t pulling any punches, and I don’t know why that makes my dick hard.
She’s angry. I already knew that from listening in on her therapy sessions, but now everyone knows it, including Elizabeth, Sammy’s mom, Dawn, the house manager, and everyone else that’s in the vicinity.
Silently, we all watch as Starling storms from the house with a bottle of champagne in her hand and heads for the beach. Since we moved into our house, she goes to the beach when she’s sad or angry or frustrated. She ran away from me across the sand like it’s her escape.
When I move to follow her, Evan puts his hand out and stops me. “I’ll go.”
“She’s my wife,” I growl.
“She’s my sister,” he reminds me. “If you go, you’ll end up in a fight, and you guys seem like you’re in a better place right now. Let me deal with this. Okay.”
Reluctantly agreeing, I watch my friend go to comfort my wife, hating it when, after a couple of minutes, she leans into him, resting her head on his shoulder. Even though he’s her brother, and I know they have nothing but platonic feelings toward each other, anger starts to build inside of me, growing hotter with every moment that passes, as she continues to allow him to comfort her.
Unwilling to stay away any longer, I make my way to the beach, forcing my steps to remain casual, my body language relaxed. The moment I’m beside them, I take a seat to her right, lifting her off the ground and into my lap, separating her from Evan and claiming her.
“Are you okay?” I ask?
“No,” she admits, surprising me.
“Do you want to go home?”
“Yes, but this isn’t about me. I am going to get really fucking drunk though, and you’ll probably need to carry me home later.”
“Okay, Little Bird, I’ll carry you home,” I say, laughing softly.
Nodding, she pushes out of my lap, climbing effortlessly to her feet, the bottle of champagne still held tightly in her hand. “I need to go and help Sammy get ready.”
“Give me five minutes, I need to go and help her with something first,” Evan says, bounding to his feet and brushing the sand from his shorts.
Pushing to my own feet, I wait until Evan walks away, then collar Starling’s throat, forcing her to look at me. “Shall I take you home?”
“No,” she says, trying to shake her head, but restricted by my hand around her neck.
“I don’t want you to be upset, and I’ll throw you over my shoulder and take you out of here if I think spending this much time with Cassidy and Harry is going to affect you,” I warn.
