Unbreak My Heart (Unbreak My Heart #1)(52)

“Oh, I’m pretty sure you know why I’m here.”

“Kate,” I replied, dropping back down onto the couch.

“What the f*ck is going on, Shane? This seems low, even for you.”

“What the f*ck does that mean?”

“You’ve never been crazy about Kate—we’ve all seen that. So why the hell did you sleep with her?”

“We were drunk,” I sputtered.

“Try again. You’re not eighteen, and you weren’t at a frat party.”

“I don’t see how this is any of your business.”

“Well, see, that’s the thing.” Alex sat forward and rested his elbows against his knees. “Bram and I have been watching out for sis since she was eight years old. We’ve patched her up and defended her honor more times than you could count. Hell, we almost went to jail for her when that little f*cker of a foster kid tried to rape her—”

“What?” I shouted, coming off the couch.

“Oh calm down, idiot. He didn’t get far, and that was years ago.”

“When?”

“Well, let’s see…she was about twelve, I think. Long before you came around.”

“Christ.”

“We’re getting off topic,” Alex said with a shake of his head.

“Why the f*ck would no one ever tell me that?” I asked, furious.

“What the hell is it to you? Up until about nine months ago, you didn’t care if Kate dropped dead in the middle of the street.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“No, that’s the truth,” he shot back, his fists clenching. “Oh, I know all about that shit when we were kids—you hanging out with Kate, taking what you wanted from her and giving nothing back. Hell, we all saw that. But Kate is Kate, and she begged us not to step in. For some unknown reason she continued to trust blindly even after what that little shit had done years before…and for that you f*cked her right the hell over, didn’t you?”

“It wasn’t like that,” I argued, my face heating.

“Oh, it was exactly like that. You didn’t want sweet Kate. She wasn’t cool enough for you. Hot enough for you. Whatever, man, that was your deal. But you strung her along for years before she finally got rid of you…but she didn’t, not really.”

I crushed the beer can in my hand, making beer pour out all over the floor.

“Oh, no. You had to twist the knife a little farther, right? Had to have your last coup de grace. So instead of walking the f*ck away, you went for her best friend. Hell, her only friend back then. The one that finally made her feel cool. The only girl she’d ever met who took her at face value and didn’t see anything wrong with her.”

“I fell in love with her!” I hissed. “What the f*ck was I supposed to do, just drop Rachel because Kate didn’t like it?”

“Yes,” he answered simply, taking the breath from my lungs. “You should have never started that shit in the first place, but hey, we were all young and stupid once, right? It’s the shit you’ve done since then that makes you a f*cking loser.”

“I haven’t done anything to Kate. What the f*ck are you talking about?”

“You have no idea.” He shook his head and leaned back against the chair, staring at the ceiling. “Jesus, I didn’t realize you were that stupid.”

“Stop calling me stupid before I beat your ass.”

“You can try, jarhead. Not sure you’d succeed.”

“Get the f*ck out of my house. I don’t have to deal with this shit.”

“Oh, I’m not done.” Alex’s body never moved from his relaxed position on the chair even though mine was practically vibrating with suppressed anger.

“I’m done,” I announced.

“Did you know that Kate practically lived with Rachel while you were on deployment?” he asked conversationally.

“What?”

“Yeah, the moment you stepped foot out the door, Rachel was calling Katie to come over and help her.”

“No she wasn’t.” I tried to remember the phone calls and emails from Rachel on my previous deployments, but they’d already started to fade from my memory.

“Yeah, man, she was,” Alex said softly. “Rachel wasn’t good at being alone, you know? Not sure if you’re oblivious or she just hid that shit really well, but Rachel—she was a good girl, don’t get me wrong—but she used Kate for years.”

“You’re wrong,” I argued, shaking my head.

“I’m right, man, and if you think back, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. Kate moved here for Rachel. She could do her job anywhere, so why wouldn’t she stay in Oregon with her family? She set things aside, and moved things around, and was at your wife’s side for years while you were off on deployment after deployment. She didn’t keep a boyfriend beyond a month or two because they saw that shit and either couldn’t deal or tried to talk to Kate about it and she dropped them. She practically raised your kids, man.”

“Oh my God.”

“Don’t get me wrong, Kate loved it.” He sighed tiredly and shook his head. “She’d do anything for her friends, and she fell in love with Sage the first moment she saw her. Hell, I think she was the first one to ever even hold Gavin. She loves those kids, and if I asked her, I think she’d say that she wouldn’t change one minute of the last nine years. Which is crazy f*cked up because when you were home? She lost all that. See, Rachel didn’t need her anymore. She had you, right?”