Page 134 of Three Pucking Ex's Brothers

“Are you happy?” he says bitterly as he shuts the door.

“Excuse me?”

“You had your payback,” he says, shoving his hands in his pockets. I stand there, my heart in my throat, looking at him. At his tall, broad shoulders, his dark hair hanging in his eyes.

“You think that’s what this is?” I say, my voice shaking. “You think I did this to get back at you for whatyou did?”

I think back to Abby’s words. That Ishoulddo exactly what I did. But…is that why I did it?

No, I don’t think so.

I kissed Rush well before I sent that picture. And I felt that overwhelming energy between Freddie and me even before I kissed Rush. And Tommy…

I feel the tears festering as I think about my sweet, sweet Tommy Boy. I felt myself starting to heal with him in his truck when I opened up to him, well before I ever kissed him.

“I gotta hand it to you, Nora, I didn’t think you had this in you,” Brett says, sauntering toward the couch. “But you proved to me that you’re more cutthroat than I thought, which is why I’m going to pretend this never happened.”

“Pretend what never happened, Brett? That you cheated on me? That you told meover the phonewe were done? What was I supposed to think?”

He shakes his head. “And yet you never called to come get your stuff,” he says with a shrug. “You didn’t argue or fight with me. You just…went quiet. I assumed you needed a few days to cool off, and then you’d be back and we’d be having this conversation.”

“You assumed I would be back after you told me you were done, after you didn’t contact me for days.” I throw my hands up in theair. “I had to find out youleftthe state from Rush! You couldn’t even bother to call me?—”

“I was out of the state securing a deal!” he snaps. “A deal, I might add, that would be very beneficial to mygirlfriend.”

I stop, blinking at his words.

“Yeah, you’re listening now, right? When it comes down to money, you’ll listen because that’s what women like you care about, isn’t it? That’s why you wanted a baby. So I’d take care of you, and you wouldn’t have to work at that God-forsaken shop with that bitch and?—”

“I love my job!” I cut in. “If you knew anything about me, you would know that! And Abby is my best friend, she?—”

“I should come first!” he yells. “In my house, I am the provider, I come first!”

I stare at him, at the man I thought I once knew.

But I don’t know him at all. That much is clear.

And all at once, Freddie’s words rush back into my brain.

All he wanted was to provide. To give me what I wanted. Not money, not status, just…

Care. Love.

And Rush…his words dance in my brain as well.

He didn’t deserve you.

I didn’t believe those words until now.

“I can’t do this anymore, Brett,” I tell him, my voice solid and unwavering despite the fact that I’m shaking. “You had yourchance with me, and you screwed it up. I’m not interested in letting you break my heart a second time.”

I turn my back on him.

“You walk out that door, there is no going back, Nora. This is it. Everything you ever wanted walks out that door with you.”

I turn to look at him, tears in my eyes. “You have nothing I want, Brett. Not anymore.”

And with that I walk out of the door of the place that was once my home and dial Abby’s number. She picks up on the first ring.