Love Survives (Love's Suicide #2)(94)

Kat looked around the room at everyone who clearly loved her. She seemed conflicted. Then I saw that look I recognized too well. Before I could stop her she said what was on her mind. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what I did. I’m sorry for lying about my feelings. I’m sorry for hurting everyone in this room, especially Brooks. All of this could have been avoided if none of you ever loved me.” When she was finished she hauled ass upstairs.

“Are you going to go after her?” Branch asked me.

“She’s not mad at me. Just give her a second to calm down. This is a lot for her.”

“What about you?” He asked. “You have a freaking kid. What’s up with that?”

I looked over at my daughter. “Yeah, about that. Before you get all excited for me, I think you may want to know when she was conceived.”

It took him a second. “No way? You’ve got to be joking.”

“I’m not.”

“Who found who?” He wondered.

“She wrote me first. Then I wrote her back. Then I wrote some more. Then I moved to South Carolina.”

Branch held up his hand. “Okay, I get the gist.”

“I think you should go up and check on her.” My suggestion made Branch seem uncomfortable.

“Is she going to stab me with something?”

“Maybe.”

He whispered something to Melissa before heading for the stairs. “If she gives me a black eye I’m going to be pissed.”

“You deserve it,” I said before his body disappeared up the steps.

One way or another Kat was about to get a dose of Branch. They needed to have it out, once and for all. If he said something to piss her off I knew she could handle herself.





Chapter 46


Okay, I lied about being cool about Branch confronting her. After a few seconds I ran up the steps, standing outside of my bedroom door so I could hear what they were saying. I wanted to be there when she cut him to pieces for keeping us apart.

“Brooks is probably going to beat my ass for what I’m about to say to you, but I think it’s time you and I got some things out in the open.”

It was too soon to clench my fists together. I took a deep breath and remained calm.

“Fine. Say what’s on your mind. I know you’re dying to.” Her response was flip and short. I smiled thinking about the look on her face.

“Some things never change, do they, Katy?”

“What do you mean by that?” Oh yeah, she was defensive. It was about to get good.

“I mean your attitude when it comes to you being in the wrong.” Branch was testing her, that’s for sure. He knew what buttons to push.

“You just reminded me of why we aren’t together. You think the whole world revolves around you, like you should be worshipped.” Her words made me cover my mouth to prevent them from hearing me laugh.

“We aren’t together because you f*cked my brother the night before we were to be married, or have you forgotten that? I’m sure you haven’t because judging from my calculations that would have been the night you conceived that pretty little girl downstairs. I still can’t believe it. I can’t believe that you ran away and had his child without telling anyone. How could you do that? Did you do it to get back at me? You did, didn’t you? You wanted me to pay so badly that you cost my parents years without their only grandchild. Tell me I’m wrong. Give me some other reason why you couldn’t come home?”

Before I was able to go in there and attack my brother, I heard Kat defending us. “Don’t you dare act like you’re innocent. All of this is your fault, Branch. You kept us apart. You lied to me to make me think he never loved me. How could you do that to me? Why?”

“Because I wanted you for myself, that’s why. No matter what we were doing, he was always your favorite. I hated how you looked at him. We were supposed to be the same. You think I didn’t notice the way he always defended you? He promised me that we’d never fight, but yet he had to sneak behind my back when it came to you.”

He was being bitter about me sneaking to be with her, but I had every right to.

“Are you talking about our first kiss?” She asked.

“You’re damn right I am. He had to have more, even after we’d made a pact.”

“We were twelve you big idiot. How can you look at yourself in the mirror, knowing that you’re an adult and you act like a child?”

“Don’t judge me, Katy. Go judge Mr. Perfect downstairs that at any time could have stopped you the night you were together. He could have pushed you away and told you he felt nothing. He was in the wrong. It’s like you’re blind when it comes to him. I don’t even get why.”

“Don’t you dare turn this around. He’s the victim and you hate that. You can’t stand that you did all of this. You can’t stand that after all of it, he still got me. Let me just tell you something. I don’t care how long we were together, or what you did to try to make me happy. You could never be him, Branch. No matter how much you tried. You’re too different. You care about yourself while he puts himself last.”

I stopped laughing because her words confirmed it all. She wasn’t just telling him how she felt. She was driving the dagger into his chest. Kat wanted Branch to apologize, and it seemed like she wasn’t going to stop until he did.