“We?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow.
“Yeah, well, I went over to see her before her date with Ben,” Quinn said. “Didn't intend on sticking around, but shit went down.”
“What kind of shit?”
“Her ex,” Ben said. “He stopped by and things got ugly. And now it's more than obvious that Quinn was right. She was being abused.”
I looked at my brother's face and noticed some swelling in his cheek. A cut straight across it looked fresh.
“Really ugly from the looks of it,” I muttered.
“Yeah, it got violent,” Quinn said. “And the cops came, Leo was arrested and well –”
“Well what?”
My brothers shared a look. I could tell there was something they weren't telling me still. Something they were hiding. Quinn started to speak, but Ben spoke up first and cut him off.
“We decided it would be in her best interest to stay here,” he said. “Leo is free on bail and he'd never think to come here. And if he did, well, there's three of us and only one of him.”
“Makes sense,” I said.
I waited for them to say something else, but they again, shared a look and then went on their way. Ben set out two extra plates on the table while Quinn put out more silverware and glasses. Neither of them was saying anything to one another, but there was most definitely a tension between them. “So, there's nothing else you want to tell me?” I asked as I walked into the dining room. “Nothing at all?”
Hailey's voice caught me off guard as she walked up behind me. She wrapped her arms around my waist, taking me by surprise.
“Cason, is it really okay if I stay here?” she asked. “Or will it bother you?”
After the other night, I wanted nothing more than for her to stay in our house. I turned and looked into her emerald eyes, pulling her in for a bear hug.
“Of course not,” I said. “I'm just curious why my brothers are acting so weird.”
Hailey didn't meet my gaze, but she looked toward them. “Guys, we should probably talk about what happened.”
“What happened?” I asked, staring down at her.
“Yeah, it's – well, it's awkward for all of us.”
“Sit down, Cason,” Bennett said.
I looked over at my brother. “Why?”
“Just sit down,” he said with a sigh. “We need to talk. All four of us.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - HAILEY
I stared down at my plate, a slab of ribs slathered in Driftwood's famous sauce, mashed potatoes and green beans. My stomach growled, but even though I was hungry, I didn't eat very much. I kept staring at my plate, however, as I tried to find a way to talk about what had happened and came up empty every time I tried.
Cason was out of the loop, and normally, I'd say what happened was none of his business. But I knew in my heart that me staying here would make it his business. Especially, in light of everything that was going on.
So, we'd told him.
“So, you three?” he asked, pointing at us as he spoke. “Are a thing now?”
“A thing?” Bennett asked, trying hard not to laugh. “I'm not sure what you'd call us, but yeah, the three of us – were intimate. And we're surprisingly cool with it.”
“You are?” Cason asked, this time staring at me his eyes wide and an unmistakable look of hurt lurking deep within them.
I shrugged. “I don't want to be thought of as a slut, but –”