Page 88 of Broken Butterfly
“But first, I need to preface that with this,” I say, taking off my gloves and showing him my engagement ring. Trevor’s blue eyes flare and he takes my hand. “We haven’t told anyone yet, with the exception of Ryder’s family, so I ask that you keep it quiet for now.”
Trevor turns the ring back and forth and looks directly at me. “Ryder is one lucky man. Congratulations, Elizabeth. I really mean that. You deserve a happy-ever-after.”
“Wow, okay. That was very sweet. Thank you. We’re going to tell Fallon later, and then we’ll wait until we get back from Seattle to tell the rest of the guys.”
“You’re worried about how Jayson is going to react?”
“Yes.”
“Need backup?”
I lean forward and consider the man in front of me. Trevor and I met by freak coincidence on the beach a few months ago. I would never have imagined how intricately involved he would become with my life in such a short amount of time. He’s Fallon’s half-brother. He and my best girl friend slept together. He became a good friend to me. He seems to be at the right place at the right time when some bad shit went down, like at Fallon’s frat party or at Meredith’s dorm. Trevor stands up for me. Why? Did those Fate bitches put him in my path for a reason?
“Hey, Elizabeth? You with me?”
I blink back to him. “Sorry. Random thoughts.” I skip over the mentioning of Jayson and plow forward. “The favor I want to ask you concerns Fallon.”
And there’s the Montgomery scowl, just like his half-brother. “What has the little prick done now?”
“It’s nothing that Fallon has done. It’s more what I want you to do.”
“And what would that be?”
“Talk to him. Really sit down and have a rational conversation with him. I know you don’t think it, but the two of you need each other. He needs his older brother as much as you need him in your life. You both have more in common than you realize.”
Trevor scoffs at my statement. “Not possible, wildcat. The only thing we have in common is…” He looks up at me suddenly, a glimmer of panic in his eyes before he wipes it away and gulps down his scalding hot chocolate. I wait him out, wondering what he was about to say.
“Like I said, we don’t have anything in common,” he finishes.
“Do you know what happened to him when he was just a kid. How much he suffered? What he went through?” I tell him, my ire rising at the thought of the abuse Fallon endured at the hands of his parents. “You may have a preconception that your brother is a spoiled, rich kid who got everything while you got nothing, but I promise you, if you knew the truth, you would be ashamed of yourself.”
“Elizabeth, what aren’t you telling me? Did something bad happen to Fallon?”
“You’re the third person in my life who I’m going to tell it’s not my secret to share. You need to be the bigger man and reach out to him. Talk to him. Open the door for him to walk through; be a part of his life. He won’t come gently, but I swear to you that you won’t regret it.”
Trevor rubs his hands together then scrubs them down his face. He stares at me for a long time to the point I start to feel uncomfortable under his intense scrutiny. He thickly swallows as he tries to open his mouth to say something. “Alright. I promise I will try. But, Elizabeth, there’s something you should know first. Fallon and I—”
“Hey, sweetheart.” Ryder kisses the top of my head. “What’s up, Trevor?”
A look of panic flits across Trevor’s face when he sees Ryder and Fallon at our table, then his look turns hard when Fallon glares at him.
Fallon sits down beside me and stares at his brother. “Why the fuck are you here? It’s like you have Elizabeth tracked on your own personal GPS. You keep popping up every-fucking-where.”
“Stop being such a dick. Elizabeth invited me. But I’ll be leaving now.”
Ryder tries to calm things between the two of them. “Stick around.”
“I’ve got a research paper to finish. Elizabeth, always a pleasure. Oh, and congratulations, man,” he says to Ryder, shaking his hand.
“I’m assuming she told you,” Ryder replies to Trevor which has Fallon looking at me with a raised brow.
“She did. I’m happy for the both of you. I’ll catch you tomorrow at class, wildcat.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Fallon frowns at Trevor.
Trevor bumps Fallon’s shoulder, and I catch his hushed, “Can you follow me out? I need to talk to you about something.” For once Fallon doesn’t argue, and he follows Trevor out the door.
“I consider that progress,” I tell Ryder. “Hey, your girl needs some lovin’. She missed you today.” I point to my lips. He grins into the kiss and I sigh happily.
