Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 97994 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 490(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97994 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 490(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
I delete Bailey’s most recent message, block her contact, and send a text to my sister.
Aaron: You around?
Sutton: Yes, why??
Aaron: I need advice.
Sutton: Okay, give me like, 5 minutes
Waiting feels like a goddamn eternity, and I barely last the entire five before calling her, pacing my kitchen while I wait for her to pick up the video call.
“You look terrible,” she says by way of greeting when she picks up, her shower curtain in the background.
“Gee, thanks.”
Sutton squints at me through the screen, setting herself on her toilet; she often does this to hide from her kids so she has peace and quiet.
“What happened?”
I rake a hand through my hair. “Nothing.”
Her eyebrow lifts.
“Okay—lots of things.”
She nods slowly. “So… where do you want to start? ’Cause last time we spoke, you were having a friend over? Did that not go well?”
“No, it’s great. It’s been great. That’s part of the problem.”
My sister is quiet a few seconds. “Hmm. How is it a problem? You’re a commitment kind of guy; I’ve never known you to shy away from a relationship.”
I blow out a puff of air. Tip my head back and stare at the ceiling. Christ, where do I start? How do I explain this to my sister? Sutton is almost always on my side—she’s my ride or die, loyal to a fault. This may be the one time she is not.
Not after she learns my motive for dating Juliette.
“First, I should tell you the reason Bailey and I split.”
Pause. “Okay…”
“She cheated.”
Sutton inhales a small gasp. “That bitch.”
Despite everything, I huff out a short laugh. I walk to the living room and plop down on the couch, falling back against the cushions.
“Well.” I close my eyes, stealing a few seconds before telling her the full truth. “It gets better. Or worse, depending on how you look at it.”
Her eyes narrow. “Do I even want to hear this?”
“Way worse.”
“Oh jeez…” My sister braces herself. “Just tell me. Who did she cheat with?”
A long stretch of silence.
“Declan Kennedy,” I confess.
There’s a full two-second delay before Sutton explodes.
“Are you fucking kidding me! That scum bag, he’s supposed to be loyal!” She stands, pacing around her primary bathroom, back and forth in front of her double vanity. “I’m going to burn that piece of shit’s condo down.”
“Please, don’t commit arson,” I mutter.
She ignores me, still pacing. “You break bro code on a teammate? Trash. Garbage I say!”
“Well, there’s more.”
Sutton stares into the camera. “How can there be more?”
“The woman I’m seeing…”
“Yeah, what about her?”
“She’s Declan’s sister.”
My sister blinks.
Blinks again.
And again.
“What are you telling me?” She leans closer to the camera. “Did you know this when you slept with her?”
I hesitate.
“Aaron Bishop, your answer right now better be no.”
“I slept with her after I found out.” I don’t bother sugar coating it. Sutton respects facts, no matter how harsh they might be. “That same night, as a matter-of-fact. I was pissed off and humiliated and looking for a diversion. I hadn’t wanted to come home and be alone.”
“Holy crap.” She breathes. “So. Wait. Does Juliette know?”
“No, but Declan knows I’m sleeping with her.”
Sleeping with her. Makes it sound so crude—as if I don’t give a shit about her actual feelings.
“How does he feel about it?”
“He hates me.”
“He hates you?” Sutton shouts. “Fuck that guy! He has no right to hate you; you’re the wronged party here.”
Right.
Those were my initial thoughts on it, too.
“Pause. I have a question.” My sister goes back to the toilet and takes a seat. “If you knew Juliette’s brother was a horrible friend, why would you mess with that family?”
I wait her out, letting the puzzle solve itself. Watching as she does the mental gymnastics, moving the pieces around. Timelines. Motivation.
“Aaron?”
“What?”
“Is this some sick revenge plot?” She laughs as if I’m about to tell her no, it’s not a revenge plot and this is all a coincidence.
I shrug. “It was.”
The disappointment on my sister’s face is a look I haven’t seen since I borrowed her car without permission, then drove it into a snowbank during a storm.
“You were going to break her heart on purpose?” she asks.
“Yeah.”
“Why? To hurt her brother?” Sutton sounds disgusted.
Why lie? “Yes.”
“How is that working out for you?” she sneers.
“Horribly.”
“You are an idiot,” she says, shaking her head.
“I know.”
“No, Aaron, you don’t. This is a fucking disaster.”
Why is she cursing so damn much? Sutton swears, sure—but this? This is rapid-fire, sailor-level fury. It’s throwing me off.
“Listen, I didn’t think that far ahead,” I snap. “I was pissed. They humiliated me. I wanted leverage.”
Sutton watches me through the camera.
She is so unimpressed…
Clicks her tongue. “Men and their stupid pride.”
I rub a hand over my face. “If you met this woman, you would kill me.” I pause. “She’s… Juliette is…”
My sister waits for me to finish my sentence.
Doesn’t rescue me.
“Juliette is beautiful inside and out.” Truly. “When she looks at me, Sutton, it’s so full of…”