Relief floods through me."Really?"
"Really.We've got all the time in the world.No rush."
Tears prick my eyes again."Declan never cared about what I needed.Never asked.Never listened."
"I'm not Declan."
"I know.That's why I love you."
He kisses the top of my head."Someday though, when Warren's ready, when we're ready, I'd like that.More kids.A bigger family."
"Me too."
We’re silent for a while, just basking in the afterglow.But I have something to ask and I’ve been holding off doing so.Now seems like the perfect time to ask.”Can I ask you something?"
"Anything."
"Tell me about Emma.The full story.Not just what you've said before, but all of it."
He tenses, and I feel it immediately.
"You don't have to," I add quickly."If you're not ready.But I want to know.I want to understand."
He's quiet for a long time, long enough I think he's not going to answer.
Then he says, "She moved on with my brother.Liam was older than me by a few years.I always looked up to him.”
My heart shatters at the pain in his voice.As much as he likes to pretend it doesn’t affect him anymore, it does.His brother betrayed him and he’s never recovered from that.Then again, how does anyone ever recover from that type of betrayal?”Devin…” I whisper, unsure of what else to say.
"I don't know if they were cheating while we were together.They never confirmed it, but the timeline didn’t fit.It was fast, way too fast to be innocent.A week after Emma and I ended, they were together.That didn’t sit right with me.My gut’s always told me they were going behind my back together.”
"What did your family say?"
“Nothing.They didn't take sides.Mam said it was between me and Liam, that she loved us both.That I should just accept it."
Rage builds in my chest.Who the fuck does that?“They what?"
"Said I should be happy for them, that Liam deserved love too, that holding grudges wasn't healthy."
"That's bullshit."
“Yeah, it is.But I cut them off.I couldn’t watch them all play happy families while I was still raw.”
"Emma and Liam, did they play happy families?”
"Got engaged six months after Emma and I broke up.My mam called to invite me to the wedding.Said it was time to move past it, that family was more important than holding on to anger."
"What did you say?"
"Said I wouldn't go, that I couldn't watch my brother marry the woman I dated.That I wouldn't pretend everything was fine."
"Good.You shouldn't have to."
"My mam said that if I'd just accepted it, that if I’d have gone to the wedding and made peace, maybe they wouldn't have died."
Everything stops.My heart hammers loudly as rage unlike anything else hits me.What the fuck is wrong with his family?
"What?"My voice comes out strangled.
