Page 50 of Consummation

“I’ll go in the kitchen and slip out when you and Kat head into the dining room.”

“No. That’s stupid.” I sigh. “Why don’t you just say hi to her—you can congratulate her on the kumquat.”

We move to the front door together, my head spinning. I’ve never been kicked so fucking hard in the teeth by Jonas in my entire life. What the fuck just happened? I feel like I’m walking through molasses with cement blocks strapped to my ankles as I trudge to the front door. I smile at the violinist and cellist as I pass them on my way to the front door, but my smile is a façade. I seriously can’t breathe.

When I reach the door with Jonas a few feet behind me, I take a deep breath, gathering myself. I’m gonna give Kat an amazing gift tonight—a truly once-in-a-lifetime gift—and then I’m gonna tell her I love her. And that’s a pretty big fucking deal. I just need to shake off what Jonas said—the man’s clearly pussy-whipped beyond anything I could have fathomed. I just need to shake it off.

I exhale and open my front door, my heart pounding at the thought of seeing Kat after this past long, torturous week apart. This is gonna be an epic night for both of us. A new beginning. But when I swing open the door, it’s not Kat—it’s the male version of her,holding a motorcycle helmet in his arm and dressed in a black leather jacket, a pair of dark jeans, and anRx BanditsT-shirt.

The male version of Kat puts out his hand. “Sir J.W. Faraday, I presume?”

I shake the guy’s hand.

“Hey, Josh.” The guy smiles. “I’m Dax, Kat’s brother?”

“Oh.” I clear my throat. “Yeah. Hey, Dax. Kat’s told me a lot about you. Glad to finally meet you.”

Dax peeks behind me into the house. “Wow. Violin and cello. Oh, hey, do you mind if I get the musicians’ contact info? I’m recording an album next week and I could totally use violin and cello on a couple of my songs.”

“Uh. Sure. Yeah. Come on in.” I open the door wide and Dax bounds into my house like he owns the place. “So where’s Kat?” I ask.

“Oh.” Dax turns around. “Sorry. I got so excited about the violin and cello, I forgot why I’m here. Kat asked me to give you this.”

He hands me a sealed envelope and my heart instantly drops into my toes.

Shit.

Kat’s not coming.

I look at Jonas and he looks as crestfallen as I feel.

Kat sent her baby brother to hand me a “Dear John” letter? Is she reallythatheartless? Yes, she is, unfortunately, and I’ve always known it—deep down inside, I’ve always known this day was coming. Maybe that’s why I’ve been holding back all this time with Kat—because I knew deep down in my bones this thing with her was just too good to last—that she’d eventually slip past my borders with a bomb strapped to her chest and blow me to fucking bits.

“Uh. This is my brother, Jonas,” I manage to say, my cheeks hot.

“Hey, Dax,” Jonas says, shaking Dax’s hand. “Nice T-shirt. Rx Bandits is my all-time favorite band.”

“Hey, mine, too. Ever seen ’em live?”

“Yup. Lots of times. Best live band ever.”

I’m literally shaking. I feel like crying like a pussy-ass little bitch, but I swallow it down.

“So it’s okay if I talk to your musicians real quick?” Dax says.

“Go ahead,” I say, my throat tight. I call over to the violinist and cellist. “Hey, ladies, you can stop playing. It’s not my girlfriend.”

The music ceases.

“Well, are you gonna open the card?” Jonas asks.

I swallow hard. Part of me doesn’t want to open the envelope. If Kat’s decided she’s done with me—even though she’s carrying my goddamned kid—I’m not gonna bounce back any time soon. In fact, I’m gonna be in a world of fucking hurt for the rest of my fucking life, to be honest. Visions of Kat dragging my kid to baseball games with her new boyfriend flood me—images of Kat fucking another man while my baby’s fast asleep in a crib in the other room. Fuck me. Based on the way I handled the whole thing with Emma, I can’t even begin to imagine the human pile of rubble I’m about to become after I read this note. I absent-mindedly touch my left bicep and instantly feel an avalanche of anticipatory regret. Oh my God. I can’t believe I got a fucking girlfriend tattoo mere days before my girlfriend decided to break up with me. Oh, irony of ironies—please, God, no. I shake my head at my own stupidity. Kat warned me, didn’t she? “Johnny Depp had to change ‘Winona Forever’ to ‘Wino Forever,’” Kat told me way back when. “Don’t do it.” But did I listen to her? Fuck no—of course, not.Dumbshit.

“Josh,” Jonas says emphatically, drawing me out of my rambling thoughts. “Open the fucking envelope.”

I stare at Jonas dumbly.

“Open it, for fuck’s sake.”

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