“Tonight I’m cooking,” he decreed. “No phones. No answering the door. Just you and me.”
That sounded perfect. Only, I had one call I had to make before it was just me and Trey. And as I didn’t get to taste any of the dinner he prepared last night, I was also looking forward to him cooking again.
Trey was downstairs in his kitchen. Steaks were on the grill, red potatoes in the oven, and he was roasting green beans. I’d snuck up to his bedroom to make a call.
“You okay?”
I rolled my eyes to the ceiling and prayed for patience.
“No,” I answered.
“Where are you?”
I sighed at the worry in my brother’s voice.
“We need to talk.”
“Are you at Trey’s? I’ll come get you.”
Praying wasn’t working. My patience had slipped and so had my sympathy.
“Actually, you won’t come get me. And I’m not okay because you’re acting like an asshole.”
“Addy—”
“No, big brother. It’s your turn to listen and listen good. I know Mercy’s having a rough pregnancy. I can imagine that’s not doing good things for your peace of mind. I can also imagine how hard it is on her and that’s stressing you out. But you do not get to lash out at those around you. You don’t get to behave like an extreme prick to Trey. You don’t get to hurt my feelings and embarrass me.”
“Adalynn, you have no idea who Trey is.”
That ticked me off to a dangerous level.
“How dare you. I love you, Jason. But right now I’m so ashamed of you and Dad. So freaking ashamed, I don’t know what to do with how mad I am. You…you of all people are judging Trey. I assume you’re still talking about how many women he’s slept with. Which is none of your damn business—”
“It is when my baby sister is the latest in a long line of women who have warmed his bed.”
“So if Mercy’s dad was alive, would it be his business to judge you on all the women you’ve slept with?”
“Ad—”
“Just stop. I am not your baby sister. I’m just your sister. And I’m not some stupid twit who doesn’t know the way of the world. I do not care about Trey’s past and the longer you hold on to this and behave like you’re behaving, which to say is not like my loving brother, the more you’re gonna drive a wedge between us. And it bears repeating I’m absolutely ashamed of my family, something I never thought I’d be. Get. Over. It. And be the man I know you to be, not this jerk who’s stuck in his own past so he’s taking it out on those around him.”
That might have been too far, but in my anger, I didn’t care. “It’s crap, Jay. And you’re hurting me because you’re hurting Trey. His family treats him like he’s an outsider, his brother is horrible, and when I say that I can’t stress that enough. His dad is…I have no words for him, he’s just mean. And his mom is sweet but beaten down. He does not need this from you or Dad and I will not stand for it. This is your last warning. Get the fuck over it or stay the hell away from me.”
“Addy,” he scolded, and I knew why. I rarely cursed but I was so irate I didn’t care. “We’re your family.”
“You are. Though remember the part where I told you I was ashamed of you?”
“You’re seriously calling me to tell me you’ll pick him over me?”
Well, I hadn’t intended for the call to take that turn, though it seemed to.
“If you don’t stop, then yes. I’ll take his back over you and Dad.”
There was a long stretch of silence. I needed this conversation to be done so I could get back downstairs before Trey came looking for me. I also needed this done because my heart was breaking.
“Fuck,” he clipped.
“I see you get me. So we’re done.”
“We’re not,” he disagreed.
“We are, Jay. This isn’t a two-way chat so much as it’s me telling you, you’re gonna cut the crap or I’m gonna cut you out. That’s it. Please give Mercy my love.”
I ended the call, turned my phone on silent, tossed it on Trey’s dresser, and went in search of my man.
Either Jason would listen or he wouldn’t. If he didn’t, my heart would shatter but I wouldn’t back down.