“Why?”
“You don’t have to do this, Em.”
“Duh. You’re my brother, and I love your dumb ass, so let’s just skip to the part where you tell me what happened?”
It wasn’t like I had anyone else to confide in. I lost everything I thought I wanted, everything I thought was un-fucking-touchable. No Kat. No Jasper. No Ashby family. No Ashby Organization. Nothing.
“Fine,” I moaned and told him the whole sordid story about kissing Kat and then fucking her, and all about falling for her.
“He found out and he wasn’t happy about it. Said he couldn’t trust me.”
“And you walked away?”
I nodded and Emmett whistled. “I’m surprised, even a little bit impressed.”
“Yeah well, don’t be,” I snorted. “When Kat found out she came to me and told me, again, that she loved me. Me, Em. She said she was in love with me, a gutter rat from the wrong side of the tracks.”
“Hey, that’s my brother you’re talking about.” He flashed a sympathetic grin and motioned for me to continue.
“I threw it back in her face. Told her to go back to her life because there was no us, no future for us.” Shook my head as those images played in my mind again. “She refused to cry, but I saw the tears. I made her fucking cry, man.”
“Of course you did, Terry. Kat has been in love with you for as long as I’ve known her, and yeah, some of that was just a crush or puppy love back in the day, but it’s been obvious from the start.”
It has? “Not to me.” And it didn’t matter anyway. “There you have it, the whole damn story. Now you can go away, please and thanks.”
I tried for a smile, but it felt wrong, strange to my facial muscles.
Emmett nodded, taking in all the details of everything I just told him because he was thoughtful like that. He was a guy who took his time to make decisions, to offer up advice. And he took his sweet goddamn time as I reached for the bottle of Jack on the table.
“I get why you walked away from Jasper and all, but I don’t get why you’d give up Kat right now when the path is clear for you guys to be together.”
I shook my head and waved my empty hand dismissively, taking another slow sip. “I screwed that up too, by throwing her love back in her face. Didn’t I say that part already?”
“You did, but it still doesn’t make a damn lick of sense. She loves you, and you love her, which all sounds like a good thing to me. You don’t have to work for her family to be with her. Would probably make things easier if you didn’t.”
“It’s all too fucked up now. It’s over for me. I’m done with the Ashby family. All of them.”
“Bullshit,” he snorted. “My advice is that you figure you which Ashby you want more, and then go make it right with Kat.” A smile flickered at the edges of his mouth, the smart ass.
“Yeah, maybe I should, but for now, I’m just gonna drink. I’m gonna get drunk as fuck and not give a fuck about anyone. Not even Kat.”
I planned to drink until I could get the image of Kat’s blue eyes, slick with tears, out of my mind. Or until my heart stopped aching. Whichever came first.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Kat
My phone pinged, but I had no interest in talking to anyone who wasn’t Terry.
Except for my best friend.
“Hey Maze, what’s up?” My voice sounded as tired as my body felt, as tired and as heavy as my heart.
“You okay, Kat?” Though I couldn’t see her face, her concern came through loud and clear. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”
I hated the worry in her voice, and I refused to share the tale of my heartbreak with Maisie while she was planning her wedding.
“I’m fine, just tired I guess.” I was distracted and hurt and goddammit, I was angry. Angry at Jasper for butting into my personal business and angry at Terry for breaking my heart.
“What’s up?” I said, attempting to put some sunshine into my question.
“Oh, right. Well I managed to get an appointment at Wicked Wedding Apparel in Mayhem because someone else’s wedding was postponed. Indefinitely. Makes ya wonder, huh?”
I laughed at the wince I heard come down the line.
“It happens, Maisie, and it’s no reflection on your own vows. Besides, I happen to know Virgil would just take you to the courthouse before he let you go. The man is going to fit his big ass body into a tux. Just for you.”
“He is pretty great, isn’t he?” The smile in her voice brought a smile to my face. Just because love didn’t work out for me, didn’t mean I wasn’t happy for Maisie and Virgil. They deserved this happiness, and I would help them get it any way I could.
“He’s all right, I mean as far as brothers go.”
Maisie laughed. “Right. The thing is that the appointment is for today. At five.” She groaned before I could even respond. “I know it’s totally last minute, but I told them to call with any opening, and I’ve been looking at their inventory online and it’s pretty badass.”
“I’ll be there, Maze.”
“You will? But Virgil said things are crazy busy at Emerald Isle.” I appreciated her worry, but Maisie already had too much on her plate.
“That’s Jasper’s problem. I’m at Black Stallion where I belong so my schedule can accommodate an impromptu wedding session.” Maybe focusing on the details of Maisie and Virgil’s wedding would ease my own heartbreak, if not erase it altogether.
“That sounds like a story I need to hear. Hang on a sec.” The sounds of the casino told me Maisie was still at work or maybe at work again, who could tell the difference these days? I took advantage of the moment of peace and slid behind the steering wheel of my car. Even
