I shook away the memory.
After that night, he didn’t stop himself anymore when it came to me. I never asked him why he changed his mind, scared he’d stop if I did.
But there was no more wondering when Caleb shared, “Months after you won the Super Bowl, I still tried my best to stay away from her and keep my word to you, but I couldn’t do it anymore. I had a taste of her that weekend, and there was no going back. I fucking cracked and took what’s always felt like mine to begin with. We snuck around behind your back, and for that, I’m truly sorry.”
My head wasn’t just whirling, it was losing all reliability. I could hardly keep up with what he was admitting. I wanted him to stop.
Right? Then why couldn’t I get my lips to move?
“But I’ll never apologize for loving her.”
Around and around my head twirled like I was suddenly a ballerina, performing for my brother and his best friend. Except, I wasn’t the one who stole the show.
It was Caleb once he announced…
“I want her to be my wife.”
Chapter 28
Caleb
This wasn’t how I imagined the truth would finally come out.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think a fucking tabloid magazine would spill a twisted version of our love story. I had no choice but to explain and try to reason with Jax, knowing in the end I might lose my best friend to the woman I couldn’t continue to live without.
At least, I was somewhat in control of the situation. Based off the article, he had every right to be furious with me, but I was ready to fight for Evie.
Even if it meant losing him in the process.
No matter what, Evie was mine. If I had to prove it to her in a hundred different ways, I would. In the meantime, man to man, her brother and I would deck it out. The time had come for the truth to prevail.
Regardless of the consequences.
“What?” Jax harshly questioned.
“You heard me. I already asked her to marry me.”
His eyes widened while Evie listened intently to what I was saying. “A couple weeks before her twenty-second birthday, I was going to give it all up for her, but I started questioning if it was right or wrong. I found myself at the bottom of a bottle of Jack and ended up at her apartment. Tessa was in her bed, and one thing led to another. However, I don’t remember a damn second of it. A month and a half later, Tessa showed up at my condo to tell me she was pregnant.” I paused to let my words sink in.
“And the only reason I married her was to keep my relationship with Evie from you. Tessa found out about Evie and me. She knew you were her brother, and she was going to tell you if I didn’t make her my wife. You’ve said it yourself several times, Jax. I was just trying to do the right thing by her. Except, it wasn’t the right thing for my child, but it was the right thing for Evie not to lose you to me.”
He stood there, contemplating what I had said before he asked, “How did she know about Evie and me?”
“I have no fucking idea.”
“Don’t try me, Caleb! Not right now!”
“Or what?” I countered, cocking my head to the side. “You’re going to punch me again? It’s not going to change our past. It doesn’t matter how many times you hit me. It won’t change anything! I’m done pretending like she isn’t my whole fucking world!”
He shoved me, and since I was expecting it, I didn’t budge, which further triggered the fury in his blood.
“How could you lie to me? I trusted you with everything! Including my baby sister!”
“Jax, enough!” Evie ordered, stepping in front of me. “I’m not a baby! I’ve never been a baby! I didn’t need Caleb’s protection then, and I don’t need it now! You need to back up and just stop. I’m not a child. I can make my own decisions. I understand you thought you were doing what’s best for me, but for one second, you never considered what I thought was best for me. You blame our father for not protecting me. Well, I blame you for overprotecting me. This could have been avoided. All these years of pain and lies, if you’d just let go of the image of me that you had in your mind.”
“What do you want from me, Evie? I didn’t have a family until I met you. You loved me unconditionally right from the start. You fought our own father so I could be in your life. What did you expect me to do? Huh? Just forget the fact you didn’t have anyone else but me?”