Bittersweet Catastrophe (Second Chances #2.5) (16 page)

“Just answer the question.” My expression softened. “Do you love her?”

Brett released a heavy sign and slowly nodded with a shrug. “You know I do.”

“Then do me this one favor. For her. If you ever truly loved her, and I believe that you do because you wear your fucking heart on your sleeve for everyone to see, then talk to her.
Please
.” I paused, choosing my words wisely. “Otherwise, we might both end up losing her.”

Brett sat back, lacing his hands behind his neck, and stared up at the ceiling. His breaths were slow and measured, and I knew I’d finally broken through to him. “Fine, but if I do this for you, you need to stop giving me dirty looks every time I come within ten feet of her. She’s one of my best friends, and just because I can’t have her doesn’t mean I love her any less.”

“I think I can manage that,” I answered genuinely. “As long as you stop drooling like a damn bitch in heat whenever you’re around her. I mean seriously, dude, she’s my wife. It’s getting kinda weird.”

It was. It really was.

“Oh, come on, don’t you think you’re exaggerating a bit?”

Stretching back in my chair, I folded my arms across my chest and, with an eyebrow raised, gave him a look that clearly showed I wasn’t amused.

Brett threw his head back laughing, but conceded. “All right, all right. I think I can handle toning it down a smidge.” He finished scarfing down his breakfast and set the dishes in the sink. “Why don’t you grab a shower, and I’ll drop you off at the restaurant to pick up your Jeep before we meet up at your place.” He started to walk past me, but stopped short and turned back with his nose wrinkling in disgust. “On second thought, maybe I should just take you out back and hose you off.”

I laughed. Considering the amount I drank last night, I must’ve smelled like death. “That bad?”

“Bro, I don’t think tomato juice would even help at this point, and that’s saying something.”

“Glad I can always count on you to be brutally honest with me.” I squeezed his shoulder and started making my way back to the spare bedroom, but not before I caught him noticeably cringing out of my periphery.

“Oh, and while we’re at it, let’s burn the bed sheets, too.”

I huffed out a laugh.
Dick.

Standing there, staring at the same blue door that I’d passed through so many times before, I felt my heart begin to thunder violently in my chest. Fuck, this was bad. I couldn’t even bring myself to enter my own house. We’d been pacing out there for nearly ten minutes, and as I replayed everything I’d planned on saying to Liberty, suddenly none of it seemed right. There were no words that could ever erase the look of sheer pain that came across her face when I walked out that door, and that image continued to flash through my mind like a broken record.

“You gotta face the music sometime, man.” Brett sighed, flicking paint chips off the porch railing.

Easier said than done.
I drew in a long, healing breath and turned the handle. The house was dark, daylight just barely peeking in through the blinds, and apart from the soft whimpers coming from the end of the hall, the place appeared to be empty. I set my keys and wallet down on the end table and motioned for Brett to come in. He did so…hesistantly.

I rapped my knuckles lightly against the bedroom door, and the whimpers suddenly came to a brief halt. Feet shuffled on the other side, and when Maddie appeared through the thin slit of the door, I noticed her eyes were bloodshot and listless. Her gaze fell back on Liberty, and I peeked in, only to find that she was lying on the bed with her back to me, trembling. Maddie stepped out, quietly shutting the door behind her, and the sudden change in her demeanor was evident. She wasn’t happy with me. In fact, she looked downright pissed.

“Has she been like this all night?” I asked, knowing I wouldn’t like the answer.

“Yeah, no thanks to you!” she shouted just above a whisper. “How could you say those things to her, Shayne? She’s been nothing but over the moon since she found out about the twins, and then you had to go fuck things up!”

“I know, and I’m going to fix it.”

“Yeah, well, you better.” Her anger began to dissipate, and tears pooled in her eyes. “I’ve never seen her like this. She hasn’t stopped crying or calling out for you since I got here. Honestly, I think she’s more upset that you never came home last night.”

I nodded, hit with the realization that, by staying away, I was only hurting Liberty more. Now more than ever, she needed my love and support, and instead of hearing her out and trying to understand the choice she had made, I went running for the hills like a fucking coward.

I had to make this right…but not before making one last attempt to change her mind.

Brett sidled up beside me, and I nudged his shoulder, letting him know it was okay for him to enter the bedroom. Maddie turned to me, eyes growing wide. “Um, did I miss something, or did you just let Brett into your bedroom? With your pregnant wife.
Alone
.”

I let out a soft chuckle because the look on Maddie’s face said it all. I must’ve lost my damn mind to think that this was a good idea, but I was a desperate man, running on borrowed time. If he couldn’t convince Liberty to go ahead with treatment now, no one could. I was simply out of options. “I’m hoping he can get through to her because I sure as hell couldn’t.” I shook my head, unwillingly to accept the inevitable. “I don’t know what else to do, Maddie. I can’t lose her. I can’t. ”

Maddie smiled a sad smile and reached up, brushing her hand against my cheek. “You’re a good man, Shayne, and no one knows that better than her. I’m not going to say that I agree with her decision, but as a mother, I can see where she’s coming from. Those babies mean everything to her, and she’ll fight for them until she takes her last breath.”

“I just hope that doesn’t happen sooner rather than later. I’ve only had her for two years, Maddie. Two years isn’t enough.”

“She’s not going anywhere. She’ll fight this. I know she will.” She kissed my cheek and turned to leave. “You gotta have faith.”

God, let her be right.
Faith was about all I had left.

After she let herself out, I slid down the wall opposite of our bedroom, feeling bleak and utterly defeated. Minutes had passed, and Liberty’s heavy sobs picked up again, causing the fractures in my heart to spread like wildfire. Hearing the pain behind her relentless cries brought on a whole new wave of guilt and self-loathing. I never should have left her the way I had last night. It was a dick move, and I knew it. The irony of it all was that she was right. If anyone was being selfish here, it was me. I was the one asking her to take a risk; to put her body through hell in order to save her life, while possibly giving up the two lives she carried inside of her. What I had yet to realize until now was that Liberty didn’t just consider herself a mother-to-be. She was already a mother to our children, and by asking her to go under the knife and pump her body full of harmful toxins, I was virtually stripping her of that title. That was the look she had given me as I walked out on her
. Jesus, how had I not seen it before?

As I sat there, stewing in remorse, all I really wanted to do was bust down that door and take her straight into my arms where she belonged. The fact that Brett was the one in there consoling her and not me had every muscle in my body tensed up. I was about two seconds away from going into Hulk mode when I heard Brett’s voice carrying through the door.

“Liberty, that guy out there is crazy about you. Trust me. I should know. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be sitting here beside you on your bed as we speak.”

A soft laugh escaped her, and just that one simple sound gave me the tiniest sliver of hope. I could almost feel the cracks in my heart mending already.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” She laughed again, hiccupping through her tears. “But why does he have to be so black and white about this? It’s not like I’ve jumped into frigid waters without dipping my toes in first. I’ve thought about the pros and cons, and I understand the risk I’m taking. There are no guarantees either way, but my main concern is keeping my babies safe until they are born. I’d never be able to forgive myself if anything happened to them, and for some reason, Shayne just doesn’t get that.”

“Liberty, the thing you need to understand about guys is that we have a one track mind. We see the here and now. We’re not thinking what’s going to happen ten years down the road. We think about as far as the next meal we can sink our teeth into and the next pussy we can sink our dick into.”

Liberty gasped, and I could just imagine the look of horror on her face. “Um, if he’s thinking about sticking his dick somewhere else, then I think I have an even bigger problem here, Brett!”

Jesus Christ.
Motherfucker was sinking this ship before it was even afloat, and I had to remind myself why I sent him in there in the first place.

“Okay, bad example.” He paused, filling the space between us with silence, and led me to wonder what the hell was happening on the other side of that wall. “Look, I get where he’s coming from. I do. He sees you and only you. Until those babies are born, it’ll only be you. He might never change his mind on the matter, but I guarantee that the day he holds those babies in his arms, it’ll be a whole different story. You gotta trust me on this.”

“Why? Why should I trust you? He’s my husband, for God’s sake, not you!”

“Because if I was in his position, I would have done the exact same thing. I would have gotten down on my fucking knees, begged you to get treatment now, and worried about the consequences later.” He sniffled softly, and the mattress springs squeaked as he shifted his weight. “I love you. I know this isn’t the best time to be pouring my heart out to you, but I do. I’ve always loved you, and that’s never going to change. But you need to realize that… Nothing is more important than having you in my life, Liberty. Nothing.”

She began to whimper again, but by then, I had heard enough. I stormed outside, flinging the screen door wide open, and slammed my fist against the house. I did this over and over again until the knuckles that were already bruised and scabbed over from hitting Hunter the night before had split open, leaving me with fresh wounds. The siding on the house didn’t look much better, cracked and smeared with my blood. It was a much-needed release that left me feeling physically and emotionally drained.

Brett had taken the words right out of my mouth.
Nothing is more important than having you in my life, Liberty. Nothing.
I only wished that I had been the one to tell her that.

I was grateful when he finally stepped outside, but the look on his face wasn’t promising. His eyes were glassed over and his jaw clenched tight, letting me know things hadn’t gone as well as I had hoped. He looked down at my hand, head nodding as though he was in agreement with the pain I’d inflicted on myself.

“Did it help?” He nodded down, and I followed his gaze.
Shit, I really did a number on my hand.

“For about thirty seconds, until the adrenaline wore off, and I realized nothing’s changed.” I admitted, shaking my head. “How’d it go in there?”

“You mean to tell me you weren’t eavesdropping?” He tilted his head, the corner of his mouth lifting too. It was obvious I had.

“I heard bits and pieces, but that was enough for me. I know she’s not changing her mind, and to be honest…” I took a deep breath, surprised to hear myself saying this out loud. “She shouldn’t have to.”

“You need to talk to her, Shayne. I think it’d mean a lot to her if she heard that coming straight from her husband. She’s hating every second of this just as much as you are, but instead of jumping down her throat and telling her the choice she’s making is wrong, why don’t you try to show your support for all of things she’s doing right…like putting her family first?” He shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “This isn’t easy for her. I’m not trying to say it’s any easier for you, but you gotta meet her halfway, man”

He tugged his keys out of his pocket and headed toward his truck. Just as he was pulling out of the driveway, he glanced back at the house, and even from a distance, I could see the twinge of pain in his eyes. For a brief moment, I empathized with him, knowing the thoughts that must’ve been flooding his mind. Fuck this not being easy on me and Liberty…this wasn’t easy for any of us. And it was only going to get harder as time went on.