“Fuck you, Beck. What gives you the right to sit here and act like you’re better than any one of us?” Greg growls at me, but makes the mistake of grabbing my shoulder to get my attention back on him.
I turn quicker than he expected and grab him by the front of his tee, pushing him back into the wall hard enough that I swear I hear the wall crack. “I gained that right the first time I had to stop her from swallowing a bottle of pills.” I shove off, pissed at myself for giving into him when he clearly wanted to bait me. “I’ve got a lot of anger built up about this Greg, and it really would be wise if you shut the fuck up. Now.” I pace the length of the room, my hands on my hips, and my breathing still coming rapidly.
“I think it’s time you cleared the air, Brother,” Coop says from the table. I look over and meet his eyes; he gives me a small nod, and the tension in my shoulders drops.
“Fuck!” I kick over one of the chairs before turning back and walking over to my seat. Greg, still clearly pissed, rights his chair, and sits. Axel keeps his gaze on me for a few seconds before taking his seat next to Greg. I laugh at the irony of those two on one side and me, alone, on the other. Coop clears his throat from his seat at the head of the table, and I take that as my signal to talk.
“This isn’t my place to tell you, and I feel like I’m betraying Dee by even opening my mouth.” The fight, all that anger, leaves in seconds, and I just feel… alone.
“It sure would make it a lot easier if we understood what the fuck that shit was all about,” Axel says in frustration.
“I don’t like my loyalties being questioned, Beck. And I damn sure don’t like being punched in the face. Melissa’s going to kick your ass, pregnant or not.”
“Honestly, you deserved that and more, Greg. I’ve kept my mouth shut out of respect for Dee, but mainly because I had it covered. I was there when she needed me, and I will continue to be there for her.” I turn my attention to Axel, taking a deep breath before addressing him. “First, I mean no disrespect, Ax, for what I’m about to say, so understand that and keep your temper in check.” He gives me a tight nod. Looking back over at Greg I continue. “Right before that shit went down in Izzy and Dee’s old townhouse, Dee and I started dating. It was new, so new that we didn’t even get to announce shit to anyone before that all went down. Then with Greg in the hospital, almost dying and shit, there wasn’t a good time. Izzy needed Axel, and Greg was healing. So, Dee was alone.”
“What the hell do you mean she was alone? She lived in my damn house! Izzy was there. I was there. She wasn’t alone!” Axel’s growl pretty much confirms what I thought. Of course, he’s defensive.
“I told you I didn’t mean any disrespect, Axel, and I mean it. But, even though she was right under your nose, you were so busy with Izzy that you didn’t see a thing. Think back, and I mean, really think. How many times would she sit in that little corner in your office that you gave her to work? How many nights would you catch her roaming around downstairs? Really think about what you couldn’t see, because your whole focus was Izzy. I’m not even faulting you there because Izzy needed you, but Dee needed someone, too.” I look down and gather my thoughts. I hate thinking back to those months. “She would call me every night, and I listened to her cry herself to sleep. Every single noise in your house terrified her. Then, I finally talked her into getting the apartment in Maddox’s complex, thinking she would be better off. I spent another few months never leaving her side.” I have to stop and clear the lump in my throat. Jesus, this is harder than I thought it would be.
“The first time she almost took her own life, she called me first. It gave me enough time to get there, and it took me almost a week to calm her down enough to get help. She only tried once after that, but she had me there. That happened a month before she pushed me away. She started seeing a therapist, and I kept a close eye on her. It’s taken almost a year for me to see the signs of life coming back into her. She hid it, but if you all would’ve taken a good look at her, you would’ve seen just how broken she was.” I look up to meet their eyes.
Coop has a look of understanding on his face that makes me think he wasn’t as clueless as I thought he had been. Axel’s face is clear of emotion, but I can see the shock in his eyes. When I finally meet Greg’s eyes, the raw pain that is washed over his features shocks me.
“I had no idea.” His voice even sounds flat.