Page 114 of Filthy Twisted Devil

I can’t lie to her anymore. I just have to tell her the truth and hope we can weather it.

“Yes,” I whisper. “I think I’ve loved him for a long time now. I was just lying to myself about it.”

Brinley nods. “That’s what I thought. Well, I gotta say, I think you could do a lot better. But at least one good thing has come out of this mess.”

“What?”

She squeezes my hands. “My brother is the only man on this planet who can make you my sister for real.”

There’s no stopping the tears then. I break into messy, snotty, ugly sobs. Brinley pulls me into a hug, and it only takes a few minutes before my shoulder is wet, too.

“Are we both crying?” I choke out.

“Yes,” she sobs. “I’m getting it all out pre-wedding. I refuse to be a bride who cries.”

“It’s okay. I might cry for you, though.”

We pull apart and Brinley grabs a tissue box from the coffee table. She rips a huge wad out and hands them to me before wiping her own tears.

“For the record,” she says, “If Luke hurts you, I’ll kill him myself. But if you’re happy with him, then I wouldn’t dream of taking that from you.”

“I know,” I whisper. “And I appreciate it.”

She folds me into another hug. “Just don’t forget about your best friend. You were mine first, Eden Locke.”

49

LUKE

My shoulders ache as I drag the heavy log back behind the shed. I’d like to think my daily workouts have made me pretty strong. I might not bench as much as Beau, but I’m no slouch in the weightroom. If anyone asked, I’d put my strength stats pretty high.

Not anymore. I know now that I’m weak and pathetic. Every muscle in my body feels like Jell-O. I’ve been humbled by a pile of logs.

A few days ago, Eden frowned at the log pile twenty feet from the barn. She said they weren’t aesthetic for wedding photos and took a mental note to make Jasper move them. Either she forgot to ask him, or he never got around to it. So I’ve made it my job. I found a spot a hundred yards away, behind a shed where no guests would see. Then I dug up a pair of work gloves from a box in the garage and got to hauling.

It’s not the first task I’ve completed today. I’ve spent the whole day working my way down Eden’s to-do list, which I took a photo of before we left the barn. Last night, I helped her hang lights and assemble tables. James, Nate, and Ryan joined us eventually, silently accepting whatever task Eden handed to them. Almost everything was finished by the time everyone disbanded for dinner. There were only a few tasks left, which I finished up myself this morning.

Now, it’s log time.

Sweat drips down my back as I drag the log over to its final resting place. It thuds on the ground as I drop it. My shoulder muscle burns, a reminder that I’m way overworking it. I wipe the back of my hand across my forehead, probably getting dirt all over my face. Right now, I couldn’t care less.

I haven’t heard from Eden since we went to our separate rooms last night. I assume she’s making peace with Brinley, but I have no idea how it’s going. All I know is that the future of my relationship hangs in the balance. If Brinley can’t accept us, Eden will dump me.

The irony that Brinley and Beau kept their relationship secret for the same reason doesn’t escape me.

I trudge back toward the wood pile, ready to haul another log. I’ve hauled five logs already, but it doesn’t look like the pile’s getting any smaller. If anything, it might have grown. As I get closer to the farmhouse, I hear a familiar voice drifting through the screen door.

“—don’t care if you like it, that’s how it is.”

I freeze. Brinley sounds worked up about something. Is she talking to Eden now? Fuck, has that conversation gone off the rails already?

It’s not a conversation I was invited to. I have no right to listen in on it. Regardless, I find myself drifting closer to the house. If Brinley’s with Eden, then my whole future rides on what she’s saying. If she approves, then my real relationship can finally start. If she doesn’t, Eden might never talk to me again. Fuck, I have to know what’s happening.

“That man had no right to lie to us,” a deep male voice says. I’m almost positive it’s Wade. I move closer to the house, stopping right by the porch so I can hear better.

“If he lied to you, it’s because he’s more loyal to Eden than he is to you,” Brinley snaps. “You can’t fault him for that.”

“A dishonest man doesn’t deserve our sister.” That’s Jasper talking, I think. “They faked the whole thing. That’s just messed up.”