“Samone, please. I need to make this right,” he pleaded. “Just meet me for lunch, or breakfast, or even a quick cup of coffee. Anything.”

“I don’t know, Alec. I mean, I would like to know why you hurt me, but I just don’t think it’s a good idea to see you.”

I cringed as I saw Emmett in my peripheral vision slide down to a sitting position against the wall of his bedroom. I didn’t know what their connection was, but I was filled with dread.

“Please, Samone. Please.”

“You wrecked me! You know that, right?” I hissed.

“I know,” he groaned. “I think about it all the time. You’ll never know how much I regret that, Samone.”

I sighed. “Fine, but just breakfast and you will explain yourself to me.”

“Thank you, baby. I love you.”

“You don’t get to call me that, or say you love me anymore.” I startled when I heard Emmett’s head smack back against the wall. “Just breakfast and your complete honesty. That’s it, Alec.”

“Okay. Sorry. I know. See you at Reveille the day after tomorrow, eight a.m.?”

“Fine. Whatever. Eight a.m.”

I hung up and dropped my phone onto Emmett’s bed. When I looked up I saw he was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, with his hands at his sides. He wouldn’t look at me.

“Emmett,” I whispered.

He just shook his head and held his hand up.

I wanted to see his eyes. I needed to see them. My throat felt like it was closing up, and my chest was tightening with heartache the longer he hid them from me. “Emmett,” I tried again.

“Just give me a damn minute Sam.”

His clipped tone and use of my name instead of Peach tore at my heart. We sat in a stifling silence for what felt like an eternity.

“Did you know?” he asked.

“Know what?”

“That he was my fucking brother?” he seethed.

His words were like a slap to my face. I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard. Alec and Emmett were brothers.

My stomach roiled and churned, weighed down by a ton of bricks. I nearly threw up as I ran to the bathroom down the hall. I grabbed the toilet seat and dry-heaved into the bowl as my gut twisted with pain.

I sank back onto the cold, tile floor. My mind was spinning as I attempted to rein in my thoughts. Why hadn’t I noticed the striking resemblances? Was this why he’d always felt so comfortable to me? So many things clicked in my head and began to make sense.

Although the subject of exes had come up before, the pain of losing Alec, and what he’d done was so raw, I dismissed the subject immediately whenever Emmett brought it up. I never even referred to Alec by his real name, just referring to him as the asshat. Then the realization he might even consider that I knew they were brothers hit me, and the sting of tears ran from my eyes, burning me with anger and devastation.

I heard his feet shuffle into the bathroom and looked up as he leaned against the doorway. His eyes were as bloodshot as mine felt.

“Sam, I need to know if you knew that Alec was my brother,” he demanded.

“Of course not! What kind of person do you think I am?”

His words cut at me.

“Damn it, I’m sorry! I just don’t know what to fucking think right now!”

He turned around and punched a hole in the hallway wall, then leaned his head against it. He pulled his hand out of the wall and plaster stained with his blood fell to the floor. He walked away, and like a punch to my gut, I heard each step as he descended the stairs. The front door slammed and his car roared to life then sped away.

I stood in Emmett’s room, packing my things into an overnight bag, when I heard the front door open and close hard. My heart pounded as the anticipation of the next moments swirled in my head. I looked up as Emmett walked into the doorway of his room. He leaned against the doorframe, staring at me.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“I’m just packing a few things for the drive back to Atlanta. I’m . . . going to stay with my parents for a few days.”

He huffed a breath. ”And see Alby right?”

I looked at him in confusion.

“Alby . . . it’s what I call him. Stands for his full name, Alec Byron Morris, and he calls me Emjay for Emmett James Walker. It’s just something we did as kids, and it stuck.

“Oh, that explains a lot. Well, yes, I’m going. I need answers. That’s all. He really hurt me, Emmett. I need to know why. I didn’t realize how hurt I still was until I heard his voice. I’m sorry, but I need this closure, and I deserve an explanation.”

“Yeah. I get it. But I don’t fucking like it. I don’t fucking like any of this! I hate that you and my brother were together. But I love you, Peach, and I need you with me. Just promise you’ll come back to me.”

I walked over and pulled his strong body into mine, wrapping my arms around him. I looked up into his eyes.

“Of course I’ll come back to you. Always.”

As he leaned down and kissed the top of my head, a small part of me wondered why I suddenly felt unsure of my answer.

I should have known Alec was too good of a person to leave things the way they were between us. I guess it was better in the long run, rather than running into him at some family gathering, and seeing him face-to-face.

As I drove away from Emmett’s house, I saw him in my rear view mirror, standing in his doorway looking broken and sad. Driving back to Georgia, I was confused and upset. I tapped my phone screen and called the girls, grateful my parents had insisted on the hands-free Bluetooth. I was having a hard enough time driving.

“Sam?” Alison answered.

“Hey,” I murmured.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“Is Tamron with you? Could you put me on speakerphone? I, umm, need to talk to y’all.”

“Yeah, she’s here. Hang on.” She muffled the phone or pulled it away then yelled, “Tamron! Sam’s on the phone, get in here. Something sounds really wrong with her.” Then her voice rang clear once again. “Okay, I’ve got you on speaker and, Tamron’s right here.”

“What’s going on, Sam?” Tamron asked.

“Alec called me,” I whispered.

“What the ever-loving fuck does he think he’s doing?” Tamron yelled.

“Sam, sweetie.” Alison paused. “Don’t worry about it. His guilty conscience is probably finally showing its worthless ass. I hope you told him to get bent.”

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t find the words. They were going to flip when they found out was going on, not to mention what I was doing.

“Sam. Why aren’t you saying anything? Come on. Tell us how you told him to fuck himself. It’ll be therapeutic for all of us.” I cringed at Tamron’s urging.

“Was that a horn honking? Are you in your car? Where are you going? Are you on your way over? Tamron, turn the coffee pot on. No, wait. It’s after four. Grab a bottle of merlot instead. We can celebrate her being able to tell his no-good ass off.”

They were making it hard to think. I took the next exit and pulled into a gas station. After putting my car in park, I leaned my head back against the headrest, and ran my hands down my face.

“I’m not on my way over, Alison. I’m on my way back to Atlanta.”

“What did she say?” Tamron screeched in the background.

“You heard me, Tam, I’m going back to Atlanta. And before you ask, yes, I’m going to see Alec.”

“Sam. Sam, Sam, Sam, Sam. Are you insane? You’re thinking crazy. Just get your ass back to Emmett’s house. He’s your future, not that shameless, heartless prick,” Alison fumed.

The tears streamed down my face. What was I doing? They were right. Emmett was my future. I loved him. I was happy with him. I sighed. “I just need answers. I deserve to know why Alec hurt me.”

“Oh, Sam. We know how bad he hurt you. But sometimes, you just gotta say screw it and don’t look back,” Tamron said.