Unbroken (The Disclosure Series Book 2) (12 page)

“I could make you happy,” he offered quietly, a trace of desperation in his voice. “No secrets, no lies.”

He probably could, she thought to herself, if she’d let him. But sitting there, confronted with the possibility of losing one of her best friends, she still didn’t feel the least bit torn. Her heart knew what it wanted. It always had. And it wasn’t Jeremy.

She looked up at him, her eyes pleading. “Don’t make me choose between my relationship with Luke and our friendship, Jeremy. I don’t want to do that. You mean too much to me.”

“I won’t make you choose,” he said gently.

Relief washed over her. She didn’t want to lose her friend.

Jeremy set his beer down on the table and stood.

“Where are you going?”

He shrugged, emotion shining in his eyes. “I’m choosing for you, Embry.”

“You what?” She stood, looking up at him in question.

“I can’t be your back up anymore.”

“My backup?” Her throat tightened. What was he talking about?

He stared down at her, his jaw set. “I can’t be there for you when things are rough with him, which I can guarantee they will be again, and then have you brush me aside as soon as he charms his way back into your life. I can’t do it anymore.”

“But—I—” She took a deep breath and tried again. “You’re not my backup, Jer, you’re my friend.”

He swallowed thickly, his sad eyes trained on hers. “I’m having a hard time being your friend right now.”

His words knocked the air right out of her, an emotional punch to the gut. She sat back on the couch, staring at him in disbelief through the cloud of tears in her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Bree.” He sent her a long, pained look before turning away.

“Me too,” she said quietly.

She watched the door close behind him, and a sob broke free from her chest. It was all too much. The stress of school, trying to make things work with Luke, and now she was losing one of her closest friends. She hated how she’d left things with Jeremy. Hated that they’d had to have the conversation at all. She never wanted to see her friend hurt, especially not when she was the cause.

Brushing the tears away, she forced herself to calm and pulled herself together. There was no way she could meet Luke, Morgan and Brett. Not when she couldn’t even manage a happy face. Opening the group chat, she typed out a quick excuse about not feeling well and cancelled her plans.

He’s a liar.

Jeremy’s voice still hung heavy in the air around her. He hadn’t said anything she didn’t already know, but hearing it from someone else made her feel naked, vulnerable… exposed. It toyed with her, played tricks on her mind, brought out every uncertainty she had about giving her heart to him again.

Her phone rang in her hand, Luke’s number flashing on the screen. She had the overwhelming desire to ignore the call. Every feeling she’d struggled with over the past few weeks—doubt, confusion, mistrust—were now rushing back. It wasn’t Luke’s fault. Rationally, she knew that. But she wasn’t feeling very rational.

She answered on the last possible ring, knowing he wouldn’t give up. “Hey.”

“You all right?” The concern in his voice did nothing to soothe her.

She sighed heavily. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sick?”

“No. I just didn’t want to go out.” She mentally slapped herself, knowing she was being rude for no reason at all, but she couldn’t help it. Jeremy had just brought out all of her insecurities, eroding the fragile foundation that she and Luke had been working so hard to rebuild.

“What’s got you all salty?” he asked, innocently enough.

She frowned at the floor, burrowing deeper into the comfort of the couch. “Salty?”

“Yes, beautiful. Cranky. Pissed off. Not happy.”

She knew exactly what it meant. “Nothing, I’m fine.”

“That’s the second time you’ve said that in two minutes.”

“I just had a bad day.” It was a weak excuse and she knew it.

“Why don’t I come over and make it a bit better, then?” he suggested, carefully maneuvering around her bad mood.

“What makes you think you can?” she quipped.

“I just have a feeling.”

She pictured him standing in his kitchen, his handsome, cocky face grinning into the phone, and a small crack formed in her solid exterior. “I just kind of wanted to be alone,” she answered, a bit nicer this time.

“You’re making it hard for me to wine and dine you, sweetheart,” he joked, obviously trying to lighten things up.

“Try harder then,” she shot back.

“I need to up my game, huh?”

She smiled despite herself. “I guess so.”

His deep chuckle came through the phone. “You asked for it.”

“Asked for what?”

Silence.

“Hello?” She looked at the phone and saw that he’d disconnected.

Cocky bastard!

Embry was snuggled up on the couch, nursing a cup of tea and watching her go-to bad-day movie when a knock sounded on her door. She knew it was coming. There was no way Luke was going to just leave her alone after their exchange on the phone.

She felt her lips curl into a half smile. She was still upset, still unsure, but he was making it as hard as possible for her to push him away.

Pulling open the door, she found him standing in the hallway, holding up two big brown bags, a broad smile across his face. “I brought reinforcements.”

She stood aside to let him in. He dropped a kiss on her cheek as he walked by. Glancing toward the movie paused on the TV, he gave her a mock sad face.

“
Pretty Woman
? Ouch. It must’ve been a really bad day,” he teased.

She rolled her eyes and followed him as he walked into the kitchen.

“I didn’t know what kind of situation we were dealing with here.” He smiled sympathetically as he unpacked the bags, pulling things out one at a time. “So I got a bit of everything. Mac n’ cheese, obviously. Chubby hubby.” He set both containers on the counter. “Chicken soup. Cookies. Bagels, cream cheese.”

Embry raised an eyebrow. “Bagels and cream cheese?”

He shrugged. “You New Yorkers love your bagels.” Snacks and comfort food piled up on her counter until Luke reached the bottom of the bag. Pulling out a small pink box, he handed it to her cautiously. “Pamprin?”

Embry’s mouth dropped open. She grabbed the box and threw it at him. “Seriously?”

He cupped her neck, pulling her against his chest as he let out a low chuckle.

“You’re a dick,” she mumbled against his shirt.

Loosening his grip, he let her wiggle out of his arms. Her bad mood was thawing as she inspected the goodies. He’d gone above and beyond, out of his way when she’d told him she wasn’t having a good day. It was nearly impossible to reconcile this Luke with the one who’d kept such harmful secrets.

“Oh, come on,” he insisted, coming up behind her and gripping her waist. “It was kind of brilliant.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’ve got balls. I’ll give you that much.”

“I think we covered that one already.” He bent to place a kiss on her neck, but she pulled out of his grasp avoiding the contact.

“I just wanted to make you smile, Embry,” he said, his voice laced with disappointment.

“I know,” she said, not trusting her own thoughts or feelings at the moment. “I’m not sure I feel like smiling right now.”

“Want to talk about it?” He gently trailed a finger down her face, his eyes filled with concern.

Embry shook her head and made her way back to the couch. She pressed play on the movie, buying herself more time, but she knew she’d have to open up eventually.

Luke busied himself putting away the rest of the groceries and left Embry to finish her movie. He’d planned to wait her out, until she grew restless and had to tell him what was bothering her, but he was getting antsy himself. They’d spoken all day through text, and she’d never given a single hint as to something being wrong. He couldn’t figure out what had changed.

He sat down beside her, grabbing the remote and turning off the TV. “All right. Enough.”

Her jade eyes shot to him. “What?”

“Tell me what’s going on.” He knew it was more than just a bad day.

Embry shook her head. “I don’t want to get into it.”

“Too bad,” he shot back. He had a lot to atone for, he knew that. But if this was going to work—the second time around—they had to play by the same rules, which meant she had to give him the truth as much as he had to give it to her. “We’re in this together, right? Good, bad or ugly. Just tell me the truth.”

“That’s funny, you demanding the truth,” she muttered.

Luke reared back as if he’d been slapped.
Ouch.
“Is that it, then? Did I piss you off somehow? Or did something else happen? Push me away all you want, Embry. I’m not going anywhere.”

She stared at him in steely silence.

“Fine,” he said, frustrated with the silent treatment. “I’ll save you the time. I lied. I fucked us up. I hurt you and ruined the best thing that ever happened to me.” He looked up, mentally tallying his fuck ups. “Did I miss anything?”

She flinched slightly but made no move to respond.

Rubbing a hand over his neck, Luke tried again. “Look, I’m sorry,” he said gently. “I know we’re not on solid ground yet, but I thought you were past being so angry with me. I can’t fix it if you won’t tell me what happened.”

He sat silently by, waiting for her to speak. When she finally did, her voice was quiet, meek. “I saw Jeremy today.”

Luke nodded. She saw Jeremy every day, that wasn’t anything new.

“He came over right before I was supposed to meet you.”

That got Luke’s attention. He clenched his fists in his lap at the thought of Jeremy being the cause of her bad mood.

“He…” She sighed heavily. “He told me he loves me.” Her sad eyes found Luke’s. “That he’s
in
love with me.”

Luke sucked in a deliberate breath, hoping to quiet the pounding in his ears. She was clearly hurting; the last thing she needed was his anger. “Do you—” he gritted his teeth, fighting to get the words out “—feel the same?”

She shook her head vehemently. “You know I don’t.”

He waited for her to continue.

“It’s just, he said some things…” She looked down, picking at the hem of her shirt. “Things about you. He’s bitter and jealous,” she said, “but what he said was true. You chose to hide things from me. Let me find out in the worst way possible.” She lifted her shoulder noncommittally. “He wanted the chance to make me happy. No secrets. No lies.”

Luke struggled to keep his face blank as anger seethed within him. “He got into your head.”

Embry nodded. “He reminded me of all of the hurt I’ve been pushing aside, all that I’ve been trying so hard to forget.”

Dickhead.

And he wanted to be mad at her, too, for letting her feelings be so easily manipulated, for even giving Jeremy the time of day, but he was the only person who deserved any blame in this. Embry was right; everything Jeremy had said was true.

“What else happened?” he asked, getting the feeling that she hadn’t given him the full story.

Her face crumpled then, and her bottom lip began to quiver. Her eyes, dry just a moment before, filled with tears.

“Hey,” he said, reaching out for her. “Come here.” He pulled her against his chest, wrapping her tightly in his arms. “Tell me what’s wrong,” he demanded gently.

“I… he…” she said between sobs. “He can’t be my friend anymore.”

Luke’s arms tightened around her as she fell apart. He whispered soothing words, her tears soaking his shirt. He wavered between wanting to drag Jeremy back here to make him apologize and being thankful that he was throwing in the towel. Loving Embry Jacobs and losing her had driven Luke into a week-long drinking binge. He understood and felt a small amount of sympathy for Jeremy.
Very
small.

When her crying calmed, she rested her head against his chest, her arms wrapped around him, and he thought for the hundredth time that he didn’t deserve her. He’d lied to her from the moment he met her. He let her fall for him, went as far as asking her to move in with him, all while keeping a huge secret—one that he knew would hurt her. Maybe Jeremy was right; maybe she was better off without him.