“Well, Dad, I’m glad you made it here in one piece. I wasn’t sure your beat up truck was going to make it through a two-hour trip,” Jared joked to break the silence. We all let out a laugh as I listened to the two of them make digs at each other about the mysterious truck Jared said made it through The Cold War, World War One and Two, and Vietnam. Basically, it was old.
“Zerro,” James greeted Zerro, seeing him before I did as he walked into the living room. He was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a white V-neck T. He looked fuckable. It had to be my emotions or something because I was contemplating taking him in the back room to blow off some of my nerves.
“James,” Zerro greeted back in typical male fashion. Men were weird. How was stating their first name to someone considered a greeting?
“I hope you’re treating my daughter well.” Darkness descended on us, and my insides screamed for me to say something. After all, it was the first time he had ever laid claim to me.
“As good as a Queen should be treated.” I didn’t have to look at Zerro to know there was a dark look on his face. He didn’t like people assuming he treated me like dirt. He didn’t like anyone thinking shit about him.
“Good. I came here to talk to Bree and it’s what I would like to do right now if it’s okay with all of you,” James said commanding all the attention. It was strange how the energy in the room changed. It didn’t feel as if it was filled with testosterone, but more so with respect.
Jared and Zerro nodded their heads at the same time. “Yeah, I was just going to get Jared to watch a movie,” Zerro said, his eyes zeroing in on Jared. There was a look exchanged between the two that had me wondering—were they actually watching a movie or doing recon to figure out what Mack was up to?
Even though I wanted to say something, I didn’t. Instead, I let them walk away leaving me with a man who I was supposed to call my father.
“Here,” James said, reaching into the front pocket of his jacket. He pulled out a white piece of paper folded many times. He extended his hand to give it to me, but I paused for a moment. What was he giving me?
“What is it?”
“A letter from your mother. She gave it to me on the rare occasion I ever saw you after her death. She told me you were okay and I wasn’t to go out looking for you. She said if you wanted to know about me, you would come to me.”
He may have been able to hide it from others, but the hurt in his voice told me my mother’s words had hurt him to the core.
“Have you read it?” I asked, taking the note from him. I didn’t know if I wanted to open it here and read it.
“No, I haven’t. It’s addressed to you, and I wasn’t going to overstep my boundaries.” At least he was honest. The paper was a nice kind, the kind you would write official letters on and shit.
I unfolded it like a present on Christmas morning. I wanted—no, needed to read this note. If anything, I knew it held some type of answer.
Dearest Bree,
It saddens me deeply you won’t see this letter until well after I am gone. As I lay here beside you watching you sleep, I write this with tears streaming down my cheeks. My heart is breaking for the pain I know I will cause when you finally discover my biggest kept secret. I truly hope this letter finds you in good times. Please know I never meant to hurt you in any way. I kept this secret in order to protect you.
I grew up loving two people, but the love I had for each was quite different. Falling for John was easy. He was alluring and charming, but it wasn’t the kind of love I felt for James... his brother. James made me fall without even realizing it. So, if I wanted to stop it, I never had the chance. He was simply mesmerizing. Looking back now, I know I should have chosen James from the very beginning, but the love I had for John felt as if it was good enough.
John was my safe place when I needed to hide, so I stayed with him and we started our life together. Those were our best years. Those were the years when I still knew him. He always had dreams to become a police officer, and when he finally graduated from the academy, he became a different person. Little by little, it was like something changed inside of him. He became more and more wrapped around his cases. His choices changed, and his beliefs became more about his career. He stopped giving me the love and respect I deserved. I was put on the back burner, and my complaints went unnoticed. If they were noticed, it was with a fist. The bruises eventually faded, slowly taking the love I had for him with them.
This ultimately pushed me into James's arms. He was always there, witnessing the changes in his brother, as well. I felt as if I had lost my husband. In all honesty, at this point, he was already dead to me. When James lost his wife, I was there for him, and through this, we reconnected. What started as two friends being there for each other turned into something more. We became one. The magnetic pull we always had for each other came back even stronger. We knew it wasn't right, but the heart wants what the heart wants, and our hearts wanted each other.