“I should kick your fucking ass,” Aiden added.
“Godfuckingdamnit,” Mason muttered, running his hands through his hair.
“I know. I know,” I said wishing I could have a do-over.
Mason shook his head. “Jesus Christ, Gabe,” he huffed. “If Shane finds out how you’ve taken that girl for granted, she’s going to gut you and stick your head on a stake as a reminder to men everywhere.”
“While Denise is busy mopping up your blood and guts off the floor,” Aiden chimed in.
They weren’t necessarily wrong. And it’s not like I didn’t deserve it. I was just at a loss.
When I told Justice that I didn’t love her the way she loved me, it was true. But that was because there’s no way she could possibly love me as much as I loved her. I loved her within days of meeting her. It took her a whole goddamn year to even let me kiss her.
I loved her so much; I monopolized every minute we had together by being inside her. I didn’t want to see a movie when I was with her. I didn’t want to go to dinner. I didn’t want to share her with my family.
I just wanted to be inside her for as long as the time I had with her would allow. I didn’t need the outside world when I was with her. I didn’twantit. So, no, I didn’t love her the way she loved me. I loved her much, much more.
But before I could explain what I had meant, she had shut down. Right before my eyes, Justice had closed herself off, and I knew she wouldn’t have been opened to hear anything I had to say after that.
I was fucking this up because I’ve never had to fight for Justice. She’s always been there for me. She has always waited for me and has given herself to me with no resistance whatsoever.
Sure, it took me a year to convince her to be more than just my friend, but once she gave herself over to me, she’d always been there. I didn’t know how to fight for her because I’ve never had to fight for anyone before in my life. Not like this.
“I don’t need the ‘I told you so’s,” I growled. “I needadvice. Real advice.”
“Dude,” Aiden began, “I don’t think anything short of complete honesty and begging will get you out of this mess.”
“The problem is she doesn’t know you love her, have always loved her, and that you married her because you wanted to, right?” Mason asked, rhetorically. “So, we just have to figure out how to convince her that you really do love her while keeping her from divorcing your idiotic ass.”
I looked over a Michael and he just sighed. “What?”
He shook his head. “Like I told you the other day,” he smirked. “How am I the only one in this family without any experience with women, but I’m smarter by half when dealing with them?”
Mason side-eyed him. “Oh, well…by all means, Master, please tell us the answer to all problems female,” he quipped wryly.
Michael chuckled. “You can try to beat me down with your sarcasm all you want, Mase,” he said. “But if memory serves me correctly, I’m the one who help you clean up that mess with Shane. And, if my memory still serves me correctly, I’m also the one who convinced Denise to ignore all of Aiden’s crazy ways.”
I laughed. There was nothing to dobutlaugh, because Michael was right. “He’s got you guys there.”
“It’s because my mind hasn’t been addled by love or sexual cravings,” Michael explained in his best analytical manner. “I’m still able to think clearly.”
Aiden sighed. “Fuck,” he muttered. “The kid might have a point.”
Mason didn’t respond. He just reached out gesturing for Michael to take the stage.
God, I loved my brothers.
“Here’s what you’re going to do, Gabe,” he began, no nonsense. “You’re going to let her divorce you-”
“What?!”
“What the fuck?!”
“Are you high?!”
Mason’s shock was evident. Aiden’s irritation was showing. And I had to ask if he was high, because that was the only reason I could think of, for him to say something so fucking stupid.
“Simmer down you goddamn cavemen,” Michael laughed.
