My heart was scaling the inside of my throat. What was happening right now? “Then, please.” I threw my hands out like every word from his mouth wasn’t slicing me up. “Enlighten me.”
“I…I…can’t.” He tugged at his hair. “You just… You need to do some digging of your own.”
I felt like I was going to puke. Jules’ random comment from earlier burst through my mind.Darn. Morally gray characters are my favorite.
Was my wife morally gray?
Stop.
Hold on to what you know. You’ve felt Jules’ goodness since minute one. He’s projecting his hurt. That’s all this is.
“What Jules and I have is special, and I’m not screwing it up for you. Just know this—when you bring your wife home to meet the family for the first time, I won’t act like a complete tool. I’ll welcome her with open arms. Not that you deserve it.” I leaned closer, jaw clamped. “Jealousy doesn’t look good on you, cuz.” I turned and strode away.
“I’m not jealous,” Liam called. “I care about you, Griff. I know I’ve been a jerk, but I’m not your enemy. You’re making a mistake, okay?”
I wouldn’t believe it. I couldn’t. Marrying Jules had felt right in a way nothing else ever had. Backpedaling now would be turning my back on those feelings.
“Stay away from me, Liam,” I threatened. “And stay away from my wife!”
Knees shaking with every stride, I kept walking toward Jules and away from my cousin.
Even with all the shots we took at each other, I’d alwaysbelieved our relationship would be repaired at some point. But now?
There was no way I was forgiving Liam. Not today.
Not ever.
Cash, Theo, and Bowen watched in silence as I flew up the porch stairs, ripped the screen door open, and disappeared inside.
Chapter Fifteen
JULIETTE
From elation at being folded into a family to heartbreak watching a brother-in-law I barely knew grieve a woman I’d never meet. We made daily trips to the hospital. When evening came, everyone—minus whoever stayed with James—migrated to one of the Duprees’ houses for dinner.
After the meal, the guys played “touch” football, though someone always walked away with a bloody lip or a ripped shirt. While they tried not to maim each other, the women claimed the fire pit. From the first night, Peyton and I huddled together. She confessed that one of her dreams was to start her own beauty line. We swapped ideas on what she might try if she ever worked up the nerve to do it.
James was released from the hospital two days before Sage’s funeral. That morning, with the help of Silas and Griffin, he wobbled from the car to the house. He plopped into the La-Z-Boy, where he sat for hours, bloodshot eyes fixed on nothing, as if his tether to the world had quietly snapped.
Sage’s parents stopped by for dinner. When the meal was over, Griffin, Maggie, Bowen, Sophie, and I curled upon the couches, trying to get James to engage in a conversation. No such luck.
Standing beside the dining room table, Scott, Sage’s dad, bounced a fussy Willow in his arms.
“He’s not even acknowledging her,” Heidi whispered across the table to Lemon.
Scott shook his head. “It’s like a cow rejecting her calf.”
“He’s just…broken right now,” Lemon said. “That’s all.”
Silas looped an arm around her shoulders and rested his cheek against her hair. The Duprees were everything Griffin said they were. The way they loved their spouses was something I’d invented in my head as a child, not knowing if it was real.
“He’ll be okay,” Silas said. “He just needs some time.”
“Until then…” Heidi stood and shoved her chair in. “Maybe we should take Willow home with us.”
James said nothing, but a tear slipped down his cheek. He wiped it on his sleeve.
All day, Sage’s mom had brought up this idea with a longing in her voice. I understood the heartbreak she felt at losing her only child. If I’d had someone to cling to after losing my mom, I would have. But…
