guarded look, Lexi pokes her head into the room. “Hey.” She tiptoes in cautiously.
I clear my throat. “Hey.”
“I figured you might need this to take your pain meds?” She hands me a glass of water before taking a seat at the foot of the mattress.
My fingers wrap around the glass. “Yeah.” She sits patiently as I ease onto an elbow to pop my pills then collapse back into the bed.
There’s a challenge in Alexia’s eyes when they swing to me. “So, I’m gonna cut to the chase here. What are you gonna do about Iris?”
I jerk a brow up. Cannon’s wife can be painfully blunt when she needs to be.
“I can’t deal with my feelings for Iris right now.” I stubbornly fold my arms over my chest.
“Oh, it’s like that?” She jerks a brow up to match mine. Cannon stands silently just past her shoulder, expression threatening like a constipated bodyguard.
I sink deeper into the bedding. “Yeah, Lexi. It’s like that.”
She glares at me for a second then pulls out her phone. She taps around a bit. She clears her throat. “List of reasons why Iris Merlini is the best damn human being. Number one—She’s fucking beautiful. Even first thing in the morning when she’s got pillow lines on her cheeks and drool on her chin and breadcrumbs on her forehead, the woman is perfection. Number three—She’s scrappy. Just like me. When life kicks her in the lady balls, she might fall down for a second but she will stand up and she will fight back with all she’s got. Number eight—She’s loyal, she’s dependable, she’s trustworthy. We all need someone like her in our corner. Number six—She’s quiet but observant. She notices everything about me, even the things I’m trying to hide from myself. She makes me face my dark side, improve myself. Number who-the-hell’s-counting-anymore—She has a fantastic ass and she loves when I eat it.”
Cannon clears his throat uncomfortably.
Lexi looks at me with a hiked eyebrow. “I’m gonna just skip over a few of these here in the middle. To preserve what’s left of your dignity.” Her eyes drop back to the screen. “So, in conclusion, these are just a few of the reasons I’m in love with Iris Merlini. She’s a queen. And all you people who are judging her can go suck each other’s dicks.”
Shit, I wrote that? On the internet? How fried was my brain last night?
“Those assholes were slamming her,” I say in my own defence. “They were telling lies about her. She doesn’t deserve that. I had to step in with the truth.”
“Well, how about you go say those things to her in person? Because she’s hurting. She probably thinks you agree with all those nasty opinions that are going around.” Lexi puts a hand on my shoulder. “I love you, Jude. You’re the annoying younger brother I never wanted yet somehow got stuck with.” That causes me to chuckle. “And Iris? Me and Iris have never gone halfsies on a penis but she is my sister-wife in every way that counts. And if you don’t get off your sorry ass and go fix this mess—”
“What, Alexia? What?” I say defensively as I emotionally brace myself for the threat.
My sister-in-law heaves a sigh. “If you don’t go fix this mess, you will be as miserable as you are now, every day for the rest of your god-forsaken life. Because Iris Merlini is one of a kind. And you know that.”
She’s right. I’ve been through enough average women to know a goddess when I see one and Iris is otherworldly.
Cannon narrows his eyes at me. “You. Love. Her. Jude.” Each word is like a well-deserved slap to the back of the skull. “Kirk is the villain here. Iris is as much his victim as you are. So get your head out of your ass and go claim her. Before you lose her for good.”
Fuck. Fuck, they’re right.
I’ve been so angry at the situation, that I never stopped and asked myself the most crucial question; if I had to do it all over again, would I?
If I saw Iris in danger and I knew that inevitably, the outcome of protecting her would be the end of my football career, would I charge in there with the fire of a thousand motherfucking suns to defend her?
The answer is yes.
Always, yes.
I’d lay down my whole, entire life to protect her.
…I love her.
I’ve been trying to avoid this truth. But I can’t avoid it anymore. Now that my