Fallen Crest University (Fallen Crest High #5)(8)

Logan nudged the last poured shot my way. “Forget my ramblings. I’ll get over it. What do you say, Sam? It’s your time to celebrate. You got the family you wanted. Finally.”

I glanced at Mason and saw he was torn as well. Logan was jealous, like he’d said. They came from money, but that was the only benefit from their family. It was a broken home. Their dad abandoned them on more than one occasion. It was enough that Mason wasn’t saying a word right now, and I knew it was because he understood his brother’s pain. That hurt so much more, that both of them shared in their abandonment. And they felt I was abandoning them, too, even though they rationally knew I wasn’t.

I squared my shoulders back and grew firm inside. I took the shot and held it up, but I said to Logan, “You.” I looked at Mason. “You.” I skirted between both of them. “You two are my family. My mom left me. My dad left me. You two stuck around and held me up. You are the definition of family to me. No one else can even come close, and this stuff you’re talking about, how I finally have a loving family, is bullshit. You two were it for me for years. You two are it for me, no matter what. Drop the pity act, Logan, and enjoy the fact that Mama Malinda will start buying you Christmas gifts now because that’s the only thing changing. You both are in the family with me. They aren’t accepting only me. They’re accepting you two, too.” I leaned closer, making sure they were watching my eyes and could see the promise I held in there. “Deal with it. No one’s f*cking replacing the two of you.”

A look of pride came over Mason as Logan was fighting to hold back a grin, and Mark sighed in relief beside me. I held my glass up, and they raised theirs.

I said, “To f*cking family!”

Each of us downed our shots.

Logan grinned as he wagged a finger between Mason and me. He remarked, “In the literal sense for you two.”

No one commented.

The old Logan was back.

MASON

My brother was a dick.

After we took our shots and went back to the reception, I knew Logan got inside Sam’s head. This was David and Malinda’s day, but it was Sam’s too. She got a mom. She didn’t need to feel guilty about that, which is what Logan did. He should’ve let it go.

We weren’t being replaced.

Seeing him make a beeline for Heather Jax now, I knew this wasn’t going to end well. His hand was on her arm. He was looking down at her with a cocky smirk on his face and a look in his eyes like he was too cool for her.

Heather didn’t get pulled in by Logan’s tricks, but as her eyes darkened in lust, it was going to happen. She moved in closer. Her lip curved up in a seductive expression. She sucked in her breath, pronouncing her chest out more, and Logan’s gaze fell down, right where she wanted it to be. He wet his lips, and their eyes met again. I saw the look passing between the two.

They both knew where the night was headed. That was when I stepped in. Clasping the back of Logan’s neck, I grinned down at Heather. She jumped back. Her cheeks flushed, and she blinked up at me for a moment.

“Sam’s dancing.” I gave them both a knowing look.

Guilt flared in her eyes, and she looked down. “Oh, yeah. I should go say hi.”

“Yeah.”

Logan stiffened under my hand.

Fuck it.

I was getting the vibe that my brother didn’t care what he was doing. He was going to have his fun with Sam’s best friend. There was no point in keeping quiet. “You two are going to f*ck tonight.”

Logan remained under my hand and his nostrils flared, while Heather bit down on her lip and swung her gaze in Sam’s direction. Neither of them corrected me. She felt bad. Logan didn’t give a shit.

“Jax,” I drew her gaze back to me again, “I’m going to violate my brother code right now.”

Logan sucked in his breath.

I didn’t care. “Logan wants to pound you. He always has, but he’s held back for a few reasons. Sam’s family. It would hurt her friendship with you. He doesn’t love you. You’re not the long-haul girl for him. And the last reason is Channing. However, my brother is not in the right frame of mind. He’s not thinking clearly, and he’s not caring about the consequences right now.”

“Fuck off, Mason.” Logan ripped himself from my hold. “Who gave you the right to play god for us?”

“I don’t have the right, but this is going to hurt Sam.” I looked through the corner of my eye. Heather had stepped back from us. She was thinking, and she was seeing that I was right, but hell, she was in pain too. I saw it there. Channing hurt her.

I added to my brother, “You can’t hurt Sam and definitely not on this day.”

Logan expelled a ragged breath, and he raked a hand through his hair. His head tipped back, and he let out a, “Fuck.”

As if hearing him, even though I knew she couldn’t because of the deejay’s music, Sam turned in our direction. She wore a bright smile on her face, her eyes sparkling and her cheeks were red from laughing. She lifted a hand to wave at us, but saw our faces. It was like watching a sunset falling fast. The liveliness left her. The smile dimmed. Her eyes grew worried, and the redness turned pink as her hand dropped back to her side. Just like that, with one look at us, seeing the storm over all three of us, it was like we’d sucked the life from her.