Page 1 of Dark Truth

Emily

“Are you ready to open it, Emily?” Dylan’s voice above me broke the peaceful quiet I’d wrapped myself in. “It might wreak havoc, but you have me. I’m here with you.”

Where you belong, I thought to myself. I snuggled closer for a moment longer, and then I pulled away. I wasn’t a weak schoolgirl who needed a man to hold my hand through life. I did need a partner who would be there with me, though. I took a deep breath, sat up straight, and looked up into the most beautiful gray eyes I’d ever seen.

“I am. Let’s see what Mister High and Mighty has in store now.” I took the envelope from him, no bigger than a birthday card, and not too thick, and let my feet slide to the floor. I’d changed when I came home earlier, a pair of black shorts and a long white t-shirt.

I stared down at my turquoise blue toenails and held my breath. I had to do this the same way I’d rip a Band-Aid off, quickly and with no emotion. I inhaled, stuck my finger in the gap in the flap, and ripped it open. I took out the contents, and found two pages of typed paper. It was the thick kind my family used in their business operations, and I could see the words Thompson Resorts running through the grain.

Handwritten on cheap printer paper would have been warmer than this cold communication, but it was Trent. I wasn’t even surprised to see his name signed at the bottom of page two, the same as he’d sign any business communication. I looked over at Dylan with doubt, but brought page one to the front to start to read.

“Dear Emily,” I read aloud, “I hope you open this letter, because I’ve been a real jerk and need to apologize.”

My words stuttered to a halt, and I glanced over at Dylan, my eyes narrowed. “A trick, you think?”

“I … don’t know, Emily. You know your brother better than I do.” He pulled me to him, and I cuddled into his side. The worst of it was over now. I needed his warmth to calm the surge of adrenaline that had rushed through me.

I’d expected another gut-wrenching letter, and my stomach was still in a defensive knot. Trent was either sorry, or he was trying a new tactic. I didn’t trust this one bit.

“What else does he say?” Dylan asked, his chin on the top of my head.

“Um, he says he talked with his wife about it all, and that she nearly tore his head off. I don’t doubt that, but why a letter? Why didn’t she call me after this revelation?”

“Did she know?” he asked, his fingers on my shoulder.

“She must have; how else would he have explained blackballing me from the family?” I turned my head enough to look up at him and found our lips pressed together instead.

That made me giggle, and I kissed him properly before I turned back to the paper. “I’ve watched the children you used to take care of … ah, I get it—they need a babysitter.”

“Maybe not, sweetheart, give it a chance.” He nudged me a little, and I read on.

“The kids all miss their aunt, the wives miss their friend.” That made me pause and snort with laughter. “The wives miss their friend? They missed me so much they forgot my birthday?”

“Emily…” Dylan dragged out my name, and I sighed.

“I know, I know. Let’s see, oh right. Your mother and our father miss you. I have to admit, even I miss you. It’s strange not having you around to kick me into gear when I need it.” Another sigh. “Again, it’s about how they feel. Not what they’ve put me through.”

I’d let the paper fall to my lap and stared up at the ceiling. “They haven’t learned.”

“They’re starting to, though, Emily. Writing that must have taken a lot for a man like Trent. Well, the man as I’ve experienced him, and you’ve explained him to me.”

“He’s not the most, um, gallant of men, no.” My brother could be a self-righteous asshole of the highest order, actually.

“Give them all a chance.”

I didn’t want to, though. Trent hadn’t even given me a chance to explain the situation. Although, to be fair, I hadn’t really sought out a chance to do that. I’d avoided him. I shouldn’t have, but I knew even then that Dylan was important to me, and well, now I knew that I loved him. I wanted this to work, and Trent was a threat to that. I didn’t want to let him back into my life. Not if he was going to go off and do something like this again.

“Maybe he’s seen the error of his ways?” Even I could hear the doubt in Dylan’s voice and looked up at him, a little miffed.

“Why are you defending him so much? The man tried to keep you out of the business here.” I stared at him and saw his face twist a little.

“It’s not easy for me, you know? As you said, he gave me hell too. He’s your brother, and family is important. I never had brothers or sisters, and it was probably best I didn’t. When I was a kid, though, I always wanted a brother. Someone to play with when I was lonely.”

“Are you really buying this then?” I waved the paper to show what I meant.

“I don’t know, Emily.” He sighed and shifted to sit up on the sofa. “I don’t trust him for a minute, but like I said, you know him best. Would he try to play some trick on you like that?”

“He would,” I said without a second of doubt. I’d grown up with him, and the man he was around Jessi wasn’t the same man he was around his family. He could be ruthless, mean, and downright dirty when he wanted to be; not with Jessi.