“At least someone’s acknowledgin’ that point,” she said flatly.
“Lizzie, talk to me,” I said as I wrapped my hand ‘round hers. “Somethin’s on that pretty little mind of yours. There’s a storm brewin’ a mile wide behind your eyes. Let me in. Let one of us in.”
“I’m scared you’ll be upset with me,” she said.
“The fact that you can admit that tells me you’re stronger than I ever thought you could be. All I want is to make this better for ya. Someone’s gotta be your rock so you can be Katie’s.”
Lizzie sighed, and I squeezed her hand. I was trying to coax her into saying what I knew was true. I wanted her to think she was safe so I had the proof I needed to get the guys on my side before we confronted Katie. I was seconds away from it. I could feel it in my bones.
“Stop with the damn walls, Liz. You’ve had ‘em up for years,” I said.
“I want you guys,” Lizzie said breathlessly.
“Say it again,” I said. “Say it until you’re confident in it.”
“I want to be the girl you guys share,” she said.
“Why?” I asked. “Talk me through what’s happenin’ here. Make me understand ya. That’s all I’ve wanted.”
“I see the way you guys looked at her when we were in high school. And no matter what I did, I could never get ya to turn your heads my way. Then she left, and I needed y’all. I needed y’all to help me with my best friend movin’ away. Y’all were grievin’, too, and I wanted someone who understood that. Who understood me.”
“I understand you,” I said. “I did then, and I do now.”
“I’m sorry I lied to Katie,” she said as she shook her head. “I’m sorry I told her we all slept together before. But I did it to get her away from y’all so I could try to show you guys how right we all are for one another. You guys are rough ‘round the edges. Even Dylan, with his suit-wearin’ ass. Katie’s been away for so long, she hasn’t seen how you guys have changed. How y’all have grown. I’ve been here this whole time, yet y’all were pinin’ over some girl in New York who left us.”
“Why didn’t you say somethin’, Liz?” I asked.
“I like that. You callin’ me ‘Liz.’”
“Why go through all this? Katie’s your friend, right? All ya had to do was come to us and talk. That was it.”
“Jealousy makes ya do crazy things, I guess,” she said. “I’ve always been jealous of how Katie could turn y’all’s heads. I competed against her in all sorts of things; most home runs in softball, most miles run during cross-country, most cups of coffee drank throughout the day. Fuckin’ anythin’, you name it. We competed and made each other better. But no matter what I fuckin’ did, Wyatt, you guys always looked at her. Never me. No matter how similar I was to y’all and no matter how I changed, none of y’all looked my way. Not for a second.”
“I’m lookin’ now, Liz. Does that count for anythin’?” I asked.
“Dylan’s really been askin’ ‘bout me?” she asked.
“And I’m sure all the others will start once they know I talked to ya,” I said.
“I want you guys. Please. I only did all this because I care for y’all. I’ve watched ya build that damn resort up from nothin’. I’ve watched y’all take woman after woman into your arms, hopin’ I’d one day get the chance to show y’all how right we all are for each other. Just gimme that chance. Let me show you and Dylan and Caleb and Andrew how right we could all be.”
“I can arrange that, ya know. I can go back and talk with ‘em, and I know they’ll all be on board. But what happens then? You’re holed up here with Katie.”
“I’ll go home. I gotta get some more clothes anyway. All the stuff I got here is dirty, and Katie’s outta laundry detergent,” she said.
“Then pack up your stuff, and I’ll take ya back to your apartment.”
“Will you stay with me?” she asked.
“I gotta talk to my brothers, but if they’re all on board, I know they’re gonna come for ya. It’s how we operate. You know that.”
I watched her eyes cloud over with lust, and it made me wanna vomit.
“Gimme five minutes, and we can get outta here,” Lizzie said.
She started running around the room, gathering her things and throwing it all into a trash bag. That was what she was. Trash. What the fuck was wrong with this girl? Did she really think something like this would fly with all of us? She didn’t know shit about us if she thought we’d be okay with all this. But having her back turned to me gave me time to stop the recording, download it, and send it off to my brothers in a text message.
And they were gonna be pissed.