Page 40 of The Biggest Sacrifice

He laughs, catching my arm and twisting it behind my back. Again, memories flash through my mind. It’s like lightning, each flash showing a different picture of time with my men years ago. With JT. All this talk of loss and Cash pushing it on me is stirring up all kinds of shit.

“Get off me! What the fuck are you doing here?”

He’s still laughing but lets go of my arm so I can face him head on now. “I needed to borrow some sugar. I heard Farrah’s house was the sweetest on the block but she didn’t answer the door, so I had to come here.”

I narrow my eyes on him. “Didn’t I tell you to keep her name out of your mouth?”

He waves his hand around. “You say a lot of stuff, Casanova. I don’t listen to any of it.” He walks to my front door. “Come on, let me in. I need a drink.”

Shaking my head at the nerve of this guy, I follow him to the door. I unlock it and let us both in, flipping on the lights as I go. “Kitchen is over there. You know how to work a sink, I hope. Get some water if you’re thirsty, then leave.”

I toss my keys on the entryway table, kicking off my sneakers, and I hear my fridge open. Turning, I see him grab a beer, close the fridge, then rattle around in the drawer for an opener.

“Come on, new guy, you can’t open a twist off?”

He stops rummaging around and I watch as he lays the bottle cap on the counter and slams it with his hand, popping the top off.

“You chip my counter tops and I’m going to chip your teeth.”

He laughs. This fucking guy laughs at me, but it doesn’t irk me so much as it used to. For some reason, it’s almost comforting, if I dare use that word and Cash in the same sentence. He leans against the counter and takes a long pull from the bottle.

“Okay. Spill it.”

I narrow my eyes and walk into the kitchen, taking a beer from the fridge for myself. Popping the cap, I move to the sink and lean against it so we’re facing each other.

“I’m not telling you shit.”

“Yes, you are. Where were you tonight?”

Drowning almost half my beer in one take, I return his stare. I’m going to need the beer to keep me calm if this guy keeps up with his questions. Turning away from him, I walk into the living room, though I know he’s going to follow me.

“Who are you, my mother?”

“Don’t encourage me to make a momma joke right now.”

I raise a brow and shake my head, trying to hide the smile that wants to break out. I don’t want to like Cash, but he makes it kind of hard to hate him.

“You know better than to say anything about Janet. I’ll cut you off from her food supply.”

His eyes twinkle and his jaw ticks. “So. Many. Jokes.”

“Fuck you, bro.” I bark a laugh and when his smirk pulls into a huge broad smile that stretches across his face, I have to ask. “What now?”

“You called me bro.” He sniffles and wipes at his eyes. “I knew you loved me. Deep down, I knew it was all just a show. You just didn’t want your twin to get jealous, right? I get it. We can keep it our own little secret, Tommy.” He winks at me.

“I fucking can’t with you.” I walk away, shaking my head. “So unbelievably ridiculous. You’re as bad as Billy. Stop hanging out with him.” I turn and point at him. “And don’t ever call me Tommy.”

He follows me into the living room and we both sit on the couch, throwing our legs up onto the table in front. I’m not too sure when hanging out with Cash alone became okay, but I have to trust my gut on this. I have to find it deep within myself that what he says is said with complete transparency. There’s no reason for him to lie to me. I see how he looks at Farrah, but it’s coming from a place of friendship.

It’s something I haven’t given her, so of course she’d look outside the circle. She and Billy have always had a great relationship and I think it’s because he’s a non-threat to her, while still being similar to me. With the two of us, she got the best of both worlds.

Well, she didn’t get the best of anything with me. I wasn’t the best of me, so how could I give her that?

“Come on, bro,” he emphasizes the word, “tell me how it went.”

“Why are you concerned with my love life?”

His amusement dances across his face. “You’ve got no love life. But I’m going to help you get one.”

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