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“Of the soon-to-be wife at my rehearsal dinner?!” she whisper-hisses, her gaze shifting back over her shoulder before pulling me further off to the side. “You are ridiculous. You know that? The only reason I’m subjecting myself to this is because of you. All of this—” She gestures wildly around her. “—is for you.”
“Well, I appreciate your dedication to the cause. Maybe I should have you screw him on the dance floor just for good measure.”
Her palm collides with my cheek, the resulting sting of her slap severing the last of my control, plummeting me into madness.
“I wish I never met you,” she seethes.
Something inside me fucking snaps.
I lunge forward, pinning her back against the wall of the building as my hands come to rest along either side of her head. “Fuck you, Daph.”
“That’s it. Show me exactly how little you care.” My palm plants itself over top her mouth, effectively silencing her as she attempts to wiggle free of my hold.
“You think my life wouldn’t be easier without all this? My world used to make sense. Wins, losses, risks, rewards. It had order. And then you came along.” The grip I have against her mouth loosens, shifting instead to cradle her chin. “You embedded yourself so deep inside my brain, breeding a chaos you ensured only you could cure. I have sacrificed for you, bled for you… I have killed for you. And you want to accuse me of not caring? You’re my undoing, demon.”
Releasing her chin, I push off the wall to slowly place some space between us. “I have never wished for a world where I don’t know your name… but I’d sell my soul for one where I’ve never hurt you.”
Daph’s head falls into her hands, her fingers frantically working to swipe at the tears attempting to flow freely down her face.
“It’s all you ever do, though, Nicky. Can’t you see that? From the stupid less than three comments, to denying me time and time again. Hell, you’ll tattoo another woman’s lips on your body, but I can’t even get you to entertain a conversation about where we stand? How many times do I need you to show me I don’t matter before I take the hint?”
***
NOW
DAPHNE
Nicky rushes forward, fisting the fabric at the side of his shirt and ripping upward, exposing the tattoo in question.
“You see this?” He gestures to it before gripping hold of my hand and pressing it to the ink. “You want to know whose lips these are? You should know. You stare at them every morning when you look in the fucking mirror.”
Time seems to slow, the sounds of the world fading around us as my eyes snap up to his. “What?”
“The night Tommy put you in the hospital,” he explains. “You were all hopped up on pain meds when I climbed into bed with you. You were complaining I didn’t smell like me, so I took off the shirt I had borrowed from Mav.” He reaches to my face, his thumb gently tugging at the cushion of my lower lip. “That motherfucker had split your lip. It opened back up while we were lying in bed talking, but you wouldn’t let me clean up the blood. You kissed my side as you were falling asleep.”
They’re mine. The lips I’ve spent the last four years obsessing over, plaguing my mind with jealousy, belong to me.
“You think you don’t matter to me?” Nicky releases the side of his shirt to cradle my face with both hands. The fabric falls, covering the hand I refuse to remove from the space I now know to be mine. “The only moments I even bother to commit to memory are the ones where we were together. They play on an endless loop inside my mind, keeping me sane ‘til I can see you again.”
He presses his forehead to mine, our mouths inches apart when he begins to speak once more.
“Daph, I—”
“Whoa!” a man’s voice calls out, causing us to break apart. The large muscular body spins off to the side, narrowly missing us as he carefully lowers the woman he has slung over his shoulder to her feet.
The blonde whips around, revealing herself to be my best friend, her eyes widening when she takes notice of me.
“Daphne.” Jonsie lunges for me, pulling me in for a hug. “What the fuck, Daph?! I’ve been calling you nonstop. Why haven’t you answered me?”
Because I’m married to your brother, but I can’t tell you yet and I’d rather chew my left arm off than lie to you.
With a quick swipe to my eyes, I ensure I’ve removed all traces of any tears before forcing a small smile in place. “I’m sorry, boo. I’ve been busy. Speaking of, we really need to get inside and get this rolling.” I shimmy my shoulders, managing to wiggle free of her hold before making my way toward the door.
“Daph, wait.” She attempts to reach for me once more, though I’m able to evade her. “Later, okay? I promise. We gotta get inside before Mom goes nuclear.” My gaze shifts over her shoulder, first to Mav then moving to a distraught-looking Nicky. The sight of him in the wake of his confession thoroughly fucks with my head as I begin to analyze every interaction we’ve ever had over the last seventeen years with new eyes.
“Nicky!” I call out to him. “Get home safe.” I spin to retreat inside the hotel, worried I'll run straight back into his arms and blow this entire plan to hell if I don’t.
CHAPTER 43
