Bad Seed

“Why?” I asked again.

“It was the right thing to do, Michael.”

Josh’s self-righteous attitude only pissed me off even more. I turned away, unable to look at him for another second. This man was supposed to be my brother, and yet, he went out of his way to ruin the first real relationship I’d had in years. All because he dated her first.

“You just couldn’t stand it, could you?” I asked.

“What?” Josh frowned.

“That she was actually moving on,” I snapped. “That she found someone who really wanted to be with her. You couldn’t stand the fact that she was happy with me, so you had to ruin

it.”

“You ruined it all by yourself,” Josh said, his eyes flashing. “The second you decided to lie to her.”

I glared at him. He was right, at least partially. If I’d told Julie everything from the very beginning, then none of this would have happened.

“That doesn’t explain why you tried to get back with her,” I said. “Or why you bashed me to do it.”

“I never tried to get back with her,” Josh said. He was angry now. His face was flushed a deep red. “That bitch lied to you.”

“Watch your fucking mouth.”

My eyes narrowed as I clenched my fists at my sides. I’d been thinking about punching my brother for days and, now, he was within swinging distance.

“We can’t let her come between us,” Josh said. “You and me, We’re brothers, Michael. This girl means nothing compared to that. You can’t let your feelings for her cloud what’s really important. She lied to you. You lied to her. Just cut her loose and move on. There’s no reason you and I should be fighting over her. She’s not worth it. Any of it.”

“Get out.” My voice was low and dangerous.

“What?” Josh blinked. “You aren’t serious.”

“You and I were never that close to begin with,” I said firmly. “And if you ever call Julie a bitch in front of me again, I won’t be responsible for what I do to you.”

“Michael…” Josh began, but my glare must have shut him up.

“Get out,” I said again.

Josh sighed and got to his feet. He took a few steps toward the door, but before he made it, he turned back around to face me.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Josh said. “Julie Black isn’t worth your time, Michael.”

I didn’t say anything. I just glared until he walked through the front door. My fists were still clenched at my sides when I heard his engine rev. It wasn’t until I was sure he was gone that I finally relaxed.

I grabbed my phone and dialed Julie’s number without thinking. She was the only person I wanted to talk to. She was the only person who would understand my anger at Josh. But she didn’t pick up.

I felt alone and defeated as I laid my phone back down on the couch. Julie was spending time with her family. She didn’t want to hear from me. She probably didn’t even want to see me. And now, I’d lost my brother, too.

It was as if I couldn’t win. Nothing was going right. Later that night, I thought about calling Julie again. I even managed to convince myself that she would pick up this time, but I didn’t take the chance. Instead, I curled into a ball on my couch and fell asleep.

CHAPTER 27

JULIE

The sun woke me the next morning but, seconds later, the sound of toddler squeals filled my ears. I rolled onto my side just in time for my bedroom door to burst open. Layla sprung inside and bounced on my bed, landing heavily on my stomach.

“Ouch.” I laughed. “Be careful with Aunt Julie. I’m fragile.”

“It’s Kissmas!” Layla said. “Santa came!”