Lost the Handle (Nashville Assassins: Next Generation #8)

Chapter 34

Chapter

Thirty-Four

Emery

“Why are you walking funny?”

I look up from my phone, which I was checking for verification from Yvette that she’s spoken to Ava. She’s at the ER today and isn’t expected back till this evening. Once Quinn fucked the hell out of me and came so damn hard he went cross-eyed, he cleaned me up and told me he’d be home late. I’m sure I’ll hear from him before that. I know once Yvette tells Ava about my offer, she’ll call Quinn right away.

I’m unsure how he’ll react to my interfering, but I fucked up once, and I don’t make the same mistake twice.

I glance down at myself and then back to where my sister is giving me a weird look. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“You’re walking like you just got rammed by a giant.”

I mean, she’s not far off the mark. Quinn is a giant, compared to me.

“Emery!” she giggles, her face flushed, and is she glowing? My sister is a gorgeous girl. Long, slick brown hair to her waist, cherubic cheeks, and naturally heart-shaped lips. She’s taller than me, built like a model, and is that flour on her nose? I know she’s being trained to make cupcakes with my aunt, but why did she ask me to come over if she was busy?

I snort as I wipe her nose clean. She giggles again as she bats my hand away, and I ask, “What?”

“You’re walking funny.”

“I am not!”

“You are. All bowlegged. Wait? Did you get railed? Who? OMG! Did you and Quinn hook up?”

I purse my lips. “Can I plead the Fifth?”

Her eyes widen, her mouth parting before she shrieks, “No shit! What? When?”

My face warms. “Last night, this morning, and ugh, Stella… It was everything I wanted.”

“Damn it!” she pulls out her phone, and then she’s counting on her fingers. “For real, you couldn’t have hooked up tomorrow? I had $500 bucks on y’all getting back together on day ten. It’s only day nine.”

I bring in my brows. “What?”

She shows me a group text, and when I see the name of the group— The betting group for when Quinn and Emery fuck —I glare at my sister. “Seriously?”

“What? It was easy money. Or so I thought.”

I stare in disbelief at the phone as I click the members of the chat. The usual suspects: her, my brothers, Quinn’s brothers and sisters. Each one picked a date. These assholes.

“Well, at least you didn’t lose on day one, like Asher projected.”

Stella snorts. “I know. Everyone gave him shit. But damn, I think Posey won.”

She goes to grab her phone, but I shake my head. “No way! You promise me right now, right here, that you won’t tell anyone.”

Her brows knit. “Why?”

“Because we’re working out the details,” I explain, before I recount how it all went down last night.

“So, he broke it off with her after dinner?” she asks since I left that part out on purpose.

I press my lips together. “He’s doing that today.”

“Emery Elaine! You slept with him when he’s engaged!”

My cheeks flush, but I feel no remorse. “Yes. He’s mine, Stella!”

She gawks at me. “You know better than that. If you give the milk for free, what’s going to make him leave her?”

“Because he loves me.”

“Emery,” she chides. “I don’t like this.”

I shrug. “It’s all good. I promise. He’s leaving her. He is.”

“What if he doesn’t have any intention of doing that? What if this is his way to get back at you for breaking his heart?”

I gawk at my sister, hating that I hadn’t thought of that. I’m always ten steps ahead of everyone, but…no, I didn’t think that, because he wouldn’t do that. “Stella, be real. It’s Quinn. He isn’t vindictive like that.”

Her eyes bore into mine. “I don’t know, Emery. It makes me nervous.”

It makes me nervous too, but I don’t admit that. “I trust him.”

“I get that, but it’s all just messy.”

“So fucking messy. But I’m not worried. He told me he loves me.”

“I hope so, or you’ll be broken over him once more. I doubt you’ll go to damn California this time, probably go to Belize or something farther. Live on the beach.”

She’s not wrong, but I ignore that thought. I’m not going anywhere without Quinn. “He loves me, Stel.”

“Well, duh. He always has.”

“Yeah. So, believe me. He’s leaving her today.”

As she shakes her head, I bite into my cheek. I wait for the shame, but I feel none, and I think it’s because I know the truth. He never loved Ava, never wanted anything to do with her. He was just repaying someone he thought was a friend. Well, fuck that. I’ll pay the chick off and be done with the whole charade. I want to tell my sister everything I know, and I ordinarily would. We’re close, Stella and I, but I don’t want to tell her this. As much as he thinks he’ll look bad for what he did, I’m the reason he did, and that makes me the scum of the earth.

It’s better no one knows the truth.

“I hope you’re right.”

“He doesn’t love her,” I confirm, and I meet her surprised gaze. “He hasn’t even slept with her.”

She scrunches up her face. “You believe him?”

Why did I say anything? “Yes,” I say, urging her with my eyes to trust me.

Her eyes search mine, and I can tell she’s not so sure. “You know he slept with one of the waitresses at Brooks House.” I can’t help but glare, even if it isn’t my sister’s fault. She’s a manager at our family’s restaurant, so I know she’s telling the truth. I just don’t know why he’d choose someone there. Then again, I doubt he was in his right mind. “She didn’t know I knew him and told me it was the worst lay of her life. Said he wouldn’t even kiss her, didn’t care if she got off, fucked her, and left.”

I shouldn’t be pleased by that.

But I am.

“He told me.” I pause then. “I mean, not specifics, but that he had hooked up with a few people.”

She nods slowly. “Does he know you haven’t been with anyone?”

“Yeah,” I admit, wringing my fingers. “I told him.”

“I hope you’re not being na?ve.”

“I’m not,” I promise. “Truly.”

“He should be fucking lucky you love him.”

I smile. “I think you mean I should be lucky.”

“No,” she snaps, her eyes a bit on the harsh side. She takes a step toward me, cupping my cheeks in her hands. Like I said, we’re close, but we aren’t hold-each-other’s-faces close. She let me sleep with her when I was younger and would get scared over the murder shows I’d watch, but she’s never looked at me like this. So much love, tenderness, and wild protectiveness in her eyes. Her voice is quiet as she says, “I will kill him dead if he hurts you, Emery Elaine. I let you run once. I won’t again. Not now, not ever. So, you better be damn sure that you believe him.”

My heart swells as a tightness burns in the middle of my chest. I swallow thickly, and for the first time, I’m scared of what my sister is capable of. “I do.”

She nods but doesn’t let me go. “You deserve the world, Emery. You are vicious and strong and a downright force to be reckoned with. You ran because you felt like you weren’t good enough for him. But Emery, you are better than anyone on this earth, including me. Remember that, and don’t let him make you feel anything less than your worth.”

When tears fall over her bottom lashes, I gape at her. Stella doesn’t cry. I reach up, cupping her hands with mine. “Stella, I promise. He loves me, and he doesn’t make me feel anything but cherished. I hurt him.”

“I don’t care.” She gives me a shaky nod. “Don’t forget.”

“I won’t,” I promise, staring into her eyes. “Are you okay? Did Wes do something to hurt you?”

She scoffs at that, and pure satisfaction fills her gaze. “Please, that man worships me.” She’s not wrong. Wes McMillan treats her like a damn queen. He is my brother’s best friend and somehow got past him to get to my sister. Or really, he got past me. I wasn’t the nicest to him. But he took me in stride, and now I love him.

Because of how much he loves my sister.

“He did do something.”

She threads her fingers through mine and drags me toward their bedroom. “Stella, slow down! I want to see the changes.”

“Later,” she throws over her shoulder at me as she drags me through the house. It upsets me that I don’t even have a chance to take in all the renovations they’ve done, though Stella has sent me photo after photo of the new white cabinets and marble accents. She’s going for a modern country feel but in a drunk wine way.

Yeah, make that make sense for me. I’m gifted, and I still don’t know what the hell she is talking about. No amount of Pinterest boards helps.

When we enter her bright-pink bedroom, I snort since I can’t imagine Wes in here on a daily basis. He’s so rugged and big; it’s comical to think of him lying in a pink bed. But then, he’d sleep anywhere Stella is. “Wow, this is really pink, Stel.”

She grins back at me. “Right? Very Barbie chic.”

I gag. We’ve always been dark and light, the two of us, but God, I love her. She drags me into the bathroom, and then she points to the counter. I glance over from where I am taking in the stark-white bathroom to the spot she is pointing at.

Where three sticks lie.

Three pregnancy tests.

Three positive pregnancy tests.

My jaw drops, and then I’m looking back at my older sister, who is also my best friend. Don’t get me wrong. I was excited for Aiden and Shelli when I found out about Fitz and Roman, surprised when I met Alexis, but I have never felt like this before. It’s like my heart has exploded into a million butterflies in my chest.

My best friend is pregnant.

My eyes lock with Stella’s, and overwhelming love and excitement course through me. I squeal and she screams before we’re a tangled mess of limbs. I hug her tightly as we sway back and forth, and she cries on my shoulder.

I pull away from her. “You’re going to be a mom!”

She sobs. “And you’re going to be an aunt. Like, for real. Like, there for my baby because you aren’t leaving me, you hear me?”

Now, I’m sobbing. We crash back together as we sway back and forth again.

All while I ignore the knot in my stomach.

Don’t let me down, Quinn.

Not like I did you.