Page 6 of Remy

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I … well, Brad and I wanted to invite you to the wedding,” she tells me. Invite me to their wedding? Why the hell would I want to do that? Why the hell would he want me there? I watch her as she pulls the invitation from her purse, holding it out to me. At first, I just stared at it. I can’t seem to wrap my head around all this. Finally, I reach out and take it from her, flipping it in my hands.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why do you want me there, Tianna? Why do you want me at your wedding?” I see the tears in her eyes, and I know there’s something more going on with her.

“You mean a lot to me, Remy. It would mean everything to me if you were there.”

“To watch you marry another man?” She licks her lips and looks down at the floor. I step closer, placing my fingers under her chin to lift her face back up to me. “I want to be that man, Tianna. Don’t you get it?”

“I wish things were different, Remy. I do, but they aren’t. This is the way things have to be, Remy.”

“Why, Tianna? Why do they have to be like this?” I push her, needing her to tell me something, anything.

“There’s just so much you don’t know …” She trails off, looking away from me once more.

“Then tell me.” Now, she drags her gaze back to mine.

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I just can’t!” She snaps this time. She huffs out a breath and turns to leave, except I don’t let her. I grab her arm and jerk her back in front of me.

“You can. You just won’t. What the fuck does that bastard have over you, Tianna? What the hell is worth giving up your life to him?” Anger courses through my veins because I know there’s more she isn’t telling me.

“Nothing. There’s nothing. I love him, Remy.”

“You don’t fuckin’ love him! You love me!” I roar this time catching stares from the other guys. I run my hand over my face, trying to calm the rage inside of me. “Listen, whatever it is, I can help you, Tianna. You just have to let me.” She shakes her head, tears now streaming down her cheeks. She reaches up and quickly wipes them away before looking back at me.

“There’s nothing to help me with, Remy. I know this is asking a lot of you. I know this is probably selfish to ask you but you’re my best friend and always have been. It would really mean a lot to me if you were there,” she says. With that she leans in, pressing her lips to mine before turning and walking away. I watch her walk out the door before I let out a breath.

“What the hell was that about?” Hodge asks as I raise the invitation in my hand. He takes it and pulls it open before whistling. “She wants you to go?”

“Yeah. Said I was her only friend.”

“You’re really into some fucked up shit with that one,” he reminds me. I nod my head and snatch the invitation back before turning and heading to my room. Once inside, I sit on the edge of the bed, resting my head in my hands. Then I sit back and look at the card in my hand once more. I don’t want to tell her no. I don’t want to be there either, so what the hell do I do? I flip the invitation over and over in my hands as I let it all settle in.

What kind of sick world is this? A world that lets him, Brad, of all fucking people, have someone like Tianna? She should be mine. She should be here with me but there’s more to this story I don’t know yet. I want to find out, but at the same time, I don’t. I’m afraid of what I might find and how I might react.

I shove off the bed, tossing the envelope onto the dresser as I walk out of my room. Fuck this. I don’t need this shit right now. I head straight to the bar and grab some beers and a shot, tossing it back quickly. I pop the top off the bottle and head for the couch, where I drop down and drink. I watch the guys as they walk around doing their thing. Some look happy, others are justhere. It makes me wonder what’s going on with them. Are they as stressed out as me? Are they happy?

“You gonna say what has your balls in a bunch?” I look up when I hear Locke.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re holdin’ that beer bottle like it offended your ass,” he says, nodding toward the bottle in my hand. I look down, and he’s right. I’m strangling the fucking bottle. I loosen my grip and take a deep breath before he sits next to me. “What the hell is goin’ on?”

“Tianna came by a little while ago.”

“And?”

“And she invited me to her damn wedding, Locke. She fuckin’ invited me to watch her marry another man.”

“Are you fuckin’ kiddin’ me?”