Page 26 of Shattered Illusions

Sorry I believed a douchebag over you.

Sorry I’ve been a complete ass-wipe for the past three fucking years.

Sorry I haven’t been able to see past my own jealousy and pride so we could actually talk about this.

He scrubbed his hands roughly over his face and growled. What a clusterfuck. “Look, Roxanne...”

A hand settled on his arm.

“Enough, Joe,” Alex said in a soft voice, her eyes brimming with tears. “Please, just stop.”

Great. Quinn was going to kill him for making his wife cry.

Alex removed her hand and walked across the living room to Roxie. She wrapped her friend in a tight embrace, whispering something he couldn’t make out.

After a couple of murmurs, Roxie nodded and hugged Alex back. Her eyes darted around the living room, but she refused to meet his gaze. He couldn’t blame her. Not at all.Fuck.

“Holy shit, man,” Quinn said on an exhale. He moved to stand behind Roxie, placing his hands on her shoulders. “You guys can’t go on like this. You need to figure your shit out. If not for what’s left of your friendship, then at least for me and Alex. Because we can’t go on like this, either.” He pinned Joe with a steel gaze. “Stop being a fucking dick to Roxie, okay? You need to ease up.” He dropped a kiss to the top of Roxie’s head, then murmured, “Ease up on him, too.”

Joe shook his head, wanting to kick himself. “It’s not her fault, man.”

Roxie’s head whipped up, shock and disbelief on her face.

“You were right, Rox. Iamthe world’s biggest asshole.” He didn’t think her green eyes could get any wider, but they did. God, he really was a dumb-fuck.

Heat crawled over his face. How the hell did you apologize for being a horrible human being? He cleared his dry throat. “I should have just talked to you about it straight away. I should have believed in you. But I didn’t. I took the word of some cheating asshole. And then I was stupid and mean and a complete asshole. I’m sorry, Roxanne.”

The room was silent. Roxie simply stared at him with her mouth hanging open, a look of doubt still coloring her features.

Glancing at both Quinn and Alex, they had matching looks of shock. Nodding to them, he asked, “Would you guys mind giving me and Roxie a moment?”

“Of course,” Alex said, heading back to the kitchen without hesitating.

Quinn remained in place. The muscles in his jaw twitched as he glared at Joe.

“Please,” Joe begged. He had to make this right with Roxie. He had to. But not in front of an audience.

Instead of answering him, Quinn squeezed Roxie’s shoulders. “You okay alone with him? Or do you want me to stay?”

Fuuuck.

The thought of Roxie being afraid of him tore at his heart. But this was his own damn fault. He’d make things right with her. Somehow...

She squared her shoulders and turned to Quinn. “I’ll be fine. But thank you.”

Quinn dropped a kiss on her forehead and joined Alex in the kitchen.

Without a word, Roxie crossed the room and took a seat on one end of the couch. She crossed her legs and folded her arms over her chest. Tilting her head ever so slightly, she said, “Well?”

Damn. She wasn’t going to make this easy. Not that he fucking deserved easy.

His pulse kicked up, and his mouth gaped a few times. He truly didn’t know where to begin. As his apprehension mounted, he blurted, “I fucked up.”

He cringed.You’ve got to do better than that.

More. He owed this woman more of an explanation than that, more honesty, more... everything.

“He told me that you knew he was married and that you were fine with it. I... I believed him. Like an idiot.”

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