Trust In Me (Triplets book 2)

Chapter 23

"That's three!" Shay pushed her glass back toward Sullivan, who hadn't had a third one.

"No more," Sullivan said as she put the whisky decanter on the floor beside him.

"Nathan?" Sawyer demanded, leaning back into his chair. "You're no longer working for him, but you're still having dinner with him. That suggests a relationship of some sort."

"Does it? I think it's a little two-faced of you to judge Nate for dating so much when you do the exact thing. You always seem to have a new girl on your arm, and now you have Paloma. What's that all about?" Shay leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms.

"Are you in love with him?" Sawyer demanded.

Sullivan was watching his triplet sister closely. "Let's back up a minute." His eyes drilled into Shay as if trying to read her soul, making her nervous.

"You have now eluded twice to the idea that we didn't care when we should have. What are we missing?" Sullivan leaned forward, and Sawyer followed his lead as they both stared her down.

"Nothing that matters anymore," Shay shrugged again.

"But it did matter, and we missed it?" Sullivan asked, leaning wearily back in his chair.

Shay shrugged again, and both men considered her silently, realizing for the first time that her life hadn't been a bed of roses like they had thought.

"Was it bad?" Sawyer questioned as he watched her with concern.

Shay pursed her lips. "It was bad," she confirmed as thoughts of Brody chased their way through her mind. She pushed her glass once more toward Sullivan, who nodded and poured them all another drink.

"Did you get help from someone?" Sawyer's voice broke in concern, making Shay's eyes smart.

"Sure, I talked to a therapist a few years back, but all they do is tell you it's not your fault, blah, blah, blah. It helped a little." Shay sipped her drink this time, looking at the amber-colored liquid as if it held all the answers.

"What wasn't your fault?" Sullivan tried again, but Shay shook her head. She wouldn't tell them.

"Aren't you worried about Nathan Wright hurting you again?" Sawyer asked gently.

"No, therapy helped a little, but I think what will help the most is having a good man in my life who can teach me how good men treat women they value and respect. Until I experience that, I'll never fully understand the difference, no matter how many times a therapist behind a desk tells me." Shay drained her glass and set it down, and when Sullivan offered another, she declined.

"Tell us about Nathan?" Sawyer hadn't touched his drink.

Shay smiled at the thought of him. "He's kind and loyal. He's an obnoxious rule follower who has the strongest code of morals that I've ever experienced. Nate's an artist and a builder. He has a degree in engineering, which is what he really wants to do, but Wright Financial is the family business, so he trudges along, building on the side. He bought a building and fixed it up for all the tenants. They're all elderly, so he keeps the rent low. They love him."

"And so do you, by the sound of it," Sawyer smiled.

"What would you know about falling in love?" Shay snorted, embarrassed that he had seen through her.

Shay couldn't keep denying that she had fallen for Nathan Wright when everyone else could see that she had.

She watched her brother's smile fade as he reached for his glass and drained it. "More than you know."

"You're in love?" Shay was astounded at the thought.

"Yes, but she doesn't want me." Sawyer shrugged, but it was evident that he was hurting.

Shay couldn't help but wonder if a similar hurt lay in wait for her too.

"It's not Paloma?" Shay asked, looking from one brother to the other.

"No," Sawyer shook his head.

"As a woman, who wants very much to know that the man she is in love with loves her back, I don't think dating Paloma, even for convenience's sake, is the best way to prove yourself." Shay shook her head.

Although she knew Nate was going to go out with Danica, and while she was worried a little, she didn't doubt his interest in her because they were honest about it.

She did make Nate stutter, after all.

"It's more complicated than that," Sawyer leaned back in his seat and put his hands behind his head, closing his eyes.

"Promise us, you'll come to us if you need help," Sawyer abruptly leaned forward and looked at Shay with an intensity she had never seen before. "I'm sorry we weren't there for you when you needed us, but we're here now, and we want to be."

Shay nodded, fighting back tears.

"And I'm here if either one of you needs me," Shay returned. "However, I think Sully's got his love life pretty much figured out."

"I do, but it wasn't an easy road." Sullivan smiled.

"That's what Nate said last night. Nothing worth having is easy." Shay returned his smile through her tears.

"No, it's not," Sullivan agreed.

"Let's get drunk!" Sawyer sat up and reached for the bottle that Sullivan had sat on the table between them.

"I'll leave you two to do that. I'm going home." Sullivan stood.

"Phee has got you so whipped!" Sawyer hooted.

"Sully and Phee, sitting in a tree..." Shay started to sing, and Sawyer quickly joined her in mocking Sullivan. It was familiar footing, and the serious conversation was officially over.

Sullivan couldn't be baited as he placed his hand on Shay's shoulder and kissed her on the head. It was the first time he had ever done it, and it caught Shay off guard, but she managed to reach up and squeeze his hand before he stepped away.

"Don't drunk text me again!" Sullivan called over his shoulder as he left.

"Oh, we're drunk texting him, and maybe Pops too!" Sawyer snorted as he poured them both another round.

"Here's to love!" Sawyer lifted his glass and drank.

"Here's to good sex!" Shay toasted and watched as Sawyer started to choke.

"That's really gross, Shay, and a totally unnecessary thing for you to say!" He poured another drink.

Shay rolled her eyes. "Forgive me. I didn't know you were a prude!"

The rest of the evening was spent trying to one-up each other with only a little drunk texting involved.