A Matter of Heart (Fate, #2)

“Remember,” Kellan continues, “Jonah and Callie aren’t Connected like we are. So, his feelings are absolutely understandable.”


I sigh and bend down to get my flip-flops. “Fine. Then he can be mad at me all he likes, but I won’t let him blame you.”

“He is my twin brother, C. I don’t need anyone defending me when it comes to Jonah. Not even you. I’ve had nineteen years of knowing how to handle him. And besides,” he murmurs, “defending me will only make things worse for your case. If I have to take the hit for this, then so be it.”

A nuclear bomb is set off in the living room and I swear that people all over the globe are marveling at the mushroom cloud forming over the tiny island of Kauai. Any previous arguments I’ve witnessed between these two—granted, mostly held within their heads, but still!—haven’t prepared me in any way for what’s currently going on. Any traces of the famously calm Whitecombs have vanished as they launch themselves into a series of vicious insults, accusations, and opinions I never thought them capable of.

I can’t even keep any of their words in my head. It’s just so unbelievably crazy. These two, they are the most in-control people I know. I am the emotional one. I am the one prone to losing my shit. Not them, never them.

And yet, here they are, doing so. And it’s all because of me.

For gods’ sakes, Chloe, DO SOMETHING! Caleb hollers at me. I lurch forward, right in between them and scream myself, “ENOUGH!”

They both cease yelling, nearly out of breath; but their eyes are on each other, not me.

“I am going to talk to my fiancée right now,” Jonah snarls to his brother, “so get the hell out of here.”

“You better calm down,” Kellan snarls right back, “or I swear I will grab her right now and leave until you can get yourself under control. Do you hear me?”

“How dare—”

“I dare,” Kellan hisses, “because, lest you forget, I’m Connected to her, too. And I will not stand for you doing anything to hurt her.”

Jonah stares at him, shaking because he’s so angry, but he finally nods, just once. Kellan continues, “I won’t leave the house, but I will leave the room.” Then he looks at me and says, “Remember what we talked about,” before stalking to one of the bedrooms.

I turn to Jonah. “I cannot believe you two were talking to one another like that! Maybe we—”

“What did he mean,” Jonah grates out, “by remember what we talked about?”

“That,” I inform him, digging my heels in, “was a conversation between me and Kellan, not us and you. I need you to calm—”

“What did he mean, Chloe?”

I should tell him that his brother stupidly tried to get me to see things from his point of view, but I can see the accusations in his eyes, and it enflames me. And since I’m never as mature as Jonah is, I snap, “Maybe he was reminding me how awesome sex is with him and how I shouldn’t put up with you screaming at me!”

His eyes narrow so much I wonder if he can actually see me. “Hilarious.”

“What do you want me to say, Jonah? You already have your mind made up about my guilt.” Before he can respond, I plow on, “You had me fooled. You did this whole super-mature bit of I trust you and I love you and I may not like it, but I understand. You,” I point at him, “are such a LIAR!”

His cheeks are blotchy under his golden tan. “I am not the one who lied.”

“HOW DID I LIE?”

He takes a huge breath, still trembling. “You came here—”

“How is that a lie, Jonah? I left you a note about it, for crying out loud! If I really was plotting to do all the things you have in your mind with your brother, I wouldn’t have bothered leaving a note.”

A couple of steps bring him closer to me. “You knew I wouldn’t see it for hours.”

“It’s not like I could’ve called. Everyone turns their phones off during Council sessions!”

He pauses, biting his lower lip. So I keep at it. “And, it wasn’t like I knew about this house here before, Jonah. Should I remind you that you were the one who asked him to come over and take me to lunch? How was I supposed to know that you apparently can dictate where I am allowed to eat at!”

“Don’t put words in my mouth, Chloe. This has nothing to do with that!”

But I am way beyond reason right now, despite Caleb’s attempts to rein me in. “You want to point fingers? Then let’s point fingers. How about when you and Callie were conveniently making out in your backyard?”

He blinks at me, clearly taken aback by the shift in our argument. “What in the hell does that have to do with this? We—we’re past that, aren’t we?”

Maybe it was true earlier today, but now it feels very relevant. “You think you can just sit high above me, on your mighty high horse, judging me when it comes to your brother. But you are not blameless yourself!”

“That happened over a year ago.” He’s back to shaking, he’s so angry. “You were practically having sex with my brother a little over a week ago!”

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