Unbreakable(52)

I need him in my life. I’ll always need him.

Sully stands as I enter the cottage, but I’ve already decided that he’s not getting his say. He’s said enough.

“Not one word,” I snap at him. “You don’t know the extent of the damage that you’ve caused tonight.”

“That I’ve caused? You’re kidding me, right? He should never have touched you,” Sully snaps. “I trusted him to look out for you, and this is the shit he pulls?”

I close the door behind me and cross my arms.

“You’re my brother, Sully, but you need to realize that Will is not. He’s my friend. And I think we could’ve been much more, but you’ve totally destroyed any chance of that happening.”

Sully opens his mouth to speak, but I hold up a hand.

“Do you have any idea how happy I’ve been with Will these past few days? He’s been there for me through Mom and Dad’s divorce. He was there through all of my bullshit with school and my homesickness. He’s always been there for me, Sully.”

He doesn’t respond, so I continue. “That guy you hate so much right now? He was always looking out for me, long before anything ever happened between us.”

I turn to Lilly, who’s sitting on the couch, watching us.

“And don’t think I don’t realize what you’ve been up to. Will told me everything, and you’re nothing but a sneaky little liar. You never slept with Will. He turned you down time and time again. I’ve had just about enough of your shit, Lilly. I forgave you for going behind my back once, but I won’t do it twice. If that’s your idea of friendship, count me out. You can find a ride home as soon as possible because I’m not staying here if you stay. Be gone by lunchtime tomorrow.”

Lilly has the good sense to look down at the floor and keep her mouth shut. A smart move, because I’m two steps away from completely snapping.

Exhaustion weighs me down as I climb the stairs. I feel everyone’s gazes on me, but I can’t even muster up the energy to care. I go into my room, change into my pajamas, and sit down on the bed. What am I supposed to do now?

A soft knock sounds at the door. Violet peeks into the room. “Em? Can I come in?”

“Are you alone?”

Violet nods. “Peyton is downstairs reading Lilly the riot act, so I thought I’d sneak up here while I could.”

She closes the door behind her and walks over toward the bed. The sweet expression of concern and worry on her face tips me over the edge, and I crack. Pulling my knees up to my chest, I don’t bother to fight the tears rolling down my face.

“Oh, Em.” She sits next to me and pulls me into a warm hug.

After a few minutes of crying, I finally pull myself together enough to talk. Vi hands me a tissue, and I wipe off my face. I’m a notoriously ugly crier, so I’m sure I look like total shit.

“What happened?” she asks softly.

“I don’t even know where to begin,” I say, wiping at my eyes.

“Wherever you like.”

“I guess I developed a bit of a crush on Will over the past few months. I never told you guys because I thought it was just a silly phase. That it was probably because my relationship with Aidan was going down in flames, you know? But when we got up here, I realized pretty quickly that Will was attracted to me, too.”

Violet raises her eyebrows. “Did you ever suspect he might be attracted to you before this?”

“No. Will’s never even flirted with me. I mean, we joked around like good friends, but it was never anything like what happened over the past few days. We just kept having all of these sparks jumping between us. Eventually…” I sigh. “Things got intense, and we ended up sleeping together. It happened right before you guys got here. Like ten minutes before, no joke.”

Her eyes grow round. “I knew something was up with you. You weren’t acting like yourself. Damn, Em.”

“We tried to act normal around each other with everyone here. Like friends would, you know? We agreed we wouldn’t tell anyone.”

“Obviously that didn’t go so well,” she says, brushing a strand of hair away from my face.

I wipe my eyes with the back of my hands and shake my head. “Lilly’s constant hanging on Will drove me crazy, Vi. He was explaining how she’d lied about sleeping with him when Sully came in and saw us together. Will’s hand was on my face, and I’m sure we looked intimate. Then… well, you saw what happened. Sully freaked.”

“It was scary to see Sully so angry,” she says. “I’ve never seen him like that before.”

My tears threaten again. “I know. I thought he was bad when he threatened Aiden, but he was worse with Will because they’re friends. And I feel so guilty, Vi. Will told me that Sully would never forgive him if he found out. But deep down, I never really believed that. They’re so close, and they’ve been friends for years. To see him treat Will like that…”

Violet sighs. “Em, Sully still believes he has to protect you from everything, including men. I don’t think that instinct will ever go away.”

“He doesn’t have to protect me from Will.”

“True, but he probably figured Will saw himself as a big brother to you, too. Not like a boyfriend. Plus, you know how guys are about dating each other’s sisters.”