strands to stand on end. “Maybe it doesn’t have to be me or you. Maybe we can both have her.”
Maybe we can both have her.
A miniscule sliver of hope shot through me before I squashed it. The idea was preposterous. Wasn’t it? Brothers didn’t just go around sharing the same woman. At least, not outside of pornos.
Still, there was something about the suggestion that didn’t feel as wrong as it should. “What, exactly, does that mean?”
“It means, if you want to fuck Thea, then you should fuck her.”
A gasp sounded from behind us, and I spun to find Thea watching us, her beautiful brown eyes wide with shock.
Oh, god. My gut twisted with frustration and shame. She hadn’t heard the rest of the conversation. I knew she hadn’t. She’d just heard that one sentence, and now she assumed the worst. For the second time tonight.
“Thea,” Leo said, desperation dripping from his voice.
She shook her head as she started to back away from him like he was a vampire preparing to sink his fangs into her throat. He moved toward her, but she held both hands up, and he halted.
“You stay the fuck away from me, Leo Sharpe.”
“I’m sorry, Thea. Let me explain.”
“No. I’m done.” She spun and began walking away, her held head high.
Leo turned to me, and for the second time in my life, a feeling of certainty washed over me. My big brother needed me, and somehow, I had to fix this.
“I’m leaving,” I called out, the words spilling out of my mouth before I could stop them.
Thea froze and twisted back to face me. “What does that mean?”
In spite of myself, I hesitated. Could I really go through with this? Could I leave my family? My home? Could I leave Thea?
I steeled my spine. Yes, I could do it, because I had to. It was the best thing for everyone. That’s why I’d been planning my escape for years.
“I’m leaving Moss Harbor, and I’m not coming back.”
She slowly moved toward me, as though she wasn’t even aware that her feet were carrying her closer. “When?”
“Tomorrow,” I lied. Except, it didn’t need to be a lie. Everything was in order. Maybe tonight was the sign I’d been waiting for. It was time to go.
Thea stopped a few feet from where I stood, her lush mouth pulled into a tight frown. “Why?”
I slammed my emotionless mask into place. This would be easier for her if she went back to fully hating me. “Why do you think? My life here is a shitshow. Leo and I will never be okay, my dad is an asshole, and Hayle couldn’t care less about my presence, or lack thereof.”
Knowing I had to take it one, agonizing step further, I practically choked as I said, “And don’t even get me started on sweet little Thea. You fucked me, then immediately jumped into bed with Leo. Hell, I bet you can’t wait to get your hooks into Hayle as well. Then, you’ll get to boast to the whole world that you’ve bagged the entire trio of Sharpe brothers. Congratu-fucking-lations.”
“Tristin.” Leo hissed my name, and the glower on his face told me he was two seconds away from punching my damn lights out. Which I would totally deserve, by the way.
But Thea didn’t give him the chance. She bridged the small gap between us to glare up at me. “You make me sick. You have a family ready and waiting to embrace you, flaws and all. But, instead of giving them—giving us—a chance, you’d rather drown in your own self-pity. You refuse to see that there’s goodness, that there’s love, all around you.” Her pretty mouth reshaped into a mocking sneer. “Ice water must run through your veins, because you, Tristin Sharpe, are heartless.”
Then, she yanked off her shiny high heels and began running toward the parking lot. I stared after her, my throat thick with shame. No one had ever seen through me like she did, and no words had ever pierced my skin like those just had.
“What the fuck, Tin?” Leo growled. “Are you really leav—”
A scream rang out, and I watched in horror as a car slammed into Thea. A sickening sense of déjà vu hurtled through me as her body sailed through the air, and I was flying toward her before I even made a conscious decision to run. Though I could hear Leo’s steps on the asphalt behind me, I made it to her first.
Her crumpled body looked like something out