Page 51 of Clubs

Breathing out slowly, Brooke took another gulp from the bottle. “I know. But I really want to kill somebody right now. And better the pimp than my sister. But I could. I could take her out myself.”

Emory fought the laugh that built in his chest. There was no stopping the smile though. “Brooke, I know you’re upset about what this is doing to Declan, but we’re going to get through it. It’s gonna be fine. Whatever Ria did, we’ll fix it. As soon as we’ve cleared Declan’s name, we’ll fix it.”

“That’s not what I’m mad about.” Again, Brooke lifted the bottle and took a swig. “I’m mad because she’s mean. She was right, but she’s fucking mean.”

Leaning against the bar behind him, Emory frowned. “What’d she do?”

Now, instead of Declan, it was Brooke who eased out a deep breath. “Just told the truth, I guess. She wasn’t wrong. None of it was wrong. Just mean.”

Emory’s frown deepened. While he had never been on the receiving end of Ria’s mouth, he’d seen her dish out plenty. “What did she say, Brooke?”

“I called her a junkie.” Brooke hung her head between her shoulders. “That wasn’t nice. I shouldn’t have done that. It’s a sensitive topic, you know? I should’ve handled it better. I should’ve done better. I should know better with her.”

That much had been established. “What did she say, Brooke?”

“That if I lose Declan, it’s my fault.” She couldn’t meet his gaze anymore. Her eyes were stuck to the tabletop. “That I’m fat. Ugly, too, I think. Implied it, at least. That she doesn’t know why Declan ever fucked me to begin with. And, I mean, neither do I.” She laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Said that I don’t deserve him. He’s gonna leave me one day. She’s surprised he’s lasted as long as he has. And, I mean, she’s right.”

Looking up again, tears staining her cheeks, she sniffled. “I’m ruining it. I’m fucking it up. He deserves better than me. He deserves somebody who’s put together, and good, and not me. And prettier. I mean, have you looked at that man? He’s… And I’m…” She gestured over herself. “It’s the bond. That’s the only reason he stays. I’m not enough for him, and we all know it. Everybody who looks at us together knows it.”

Emory’s frown deepened. “That’s not true, Brooke.”

And it wasn’t. She was full of shit if she thought that Declan was out of her league. Was Brooke on the heavier side? Yeah. And that was one among many things that Declan loved about her. She had a stomach, thick thighs, and massive hips that he adored. That he often told Emory how much he adored, despite Emory’s lack of care for the subject.

The emotional unavailability, that was a problem. But her appearance? That was just a low blow Ria threw because Brooke tossed one out first.

“Yeah, it is,” Brooke slurred, dropping her head to the counter. “I’m not good enough for him. I can’t even tell him how much he means to me. He’s going to get sick of me. And he’ll leave. He’ll leave just like everybody leaves.”

If only she were being this vulnerable with Declan instead of Emory.

Not a huge fan of emotional professions himself, Emory summoned up the willpower to walk around the bar and sit beside her. He put his hand on her back and patted a few times. It probably looked like a mother trying to burp a child, but he did his best. “He’s crazy about you, Brooke. And I promise, your body is not a problem for him.”

Peering up at him, face smashed by her hand from the awkward angle, she said, “Really?”

“Really. Declan’s never been into small girls.” Another awkward pat on her back. “He likes a challenge. He’s a big dude. Small girl wouldn’t put up enough of a fight for him.”

Brooke laughed, then hiccupped. Her face screwed up in disgust. “Gross. Baby barf.”

Emory was sure she would be having some full-blow, adult barfs later. “You gotta open up to him though. I know you had to do a lot of things you wish you hadn’t to survive. I get it.” Given the way Emory was raised, the homophobic parents who had abandoned him, Emory understood. At least to some degree. “We’ve all got trauma. It’s going to interact with our relationships. But that’s our responsibility. It’s not theirs. The only way to make this better, the only way to make your relationship with him stronger is if you open up, Brooke.”

“It’s… It’s hard.” Brooke murmured, eyes falling shut.

“It is. But you’ve done a lot harder.”

All Brooke said was, “Mm.”

Grunting his annoyance, Emory shook her shoulder. “Come on. Let me help you back to Declan’s place.”

“Uh-uh,” Brooke said.

“Fine. The office then.”

Brooke waved him off. “Too far.”

“Well, you can’t just sleep on the counter.”

“Yes, I can!” she yelled, her eyes still shut.

Someone in the back of the bar yelled, “Yeah, she can!” A chorus of laughter followed.

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