“With Ridge, Karrie, Wes, and Trixie.”
“Ah,” Benny replied, his face neutral. “Funny how they all met because of the Delta makeover I planned and they’re all still together.”
“Oh yeah, that’s right. Well, Ridge and Karrie have been together since then, but Wes and Trixie only started dating a few months ago.”
Not wanting things to get awkward, I piped up and said, “Everything’s good between you all now, remember? Trixie wrote that retraction piece and you were just saying the other day how Ridge and his brothers helped you…”
Benny shifted and cut me off.
“I remember what I said, Em.”
“Sorry.”
“I hope you’re okay with my being here,” Brody said to my brother, moving up on the couch so he could look at us both. “I know there’s a history with you and Ridge … and Trixie … and Delta, but that all happened before I got here and before I met Emma. I hope you won’t hold your past experiences with my family against me. I know you’ve gone through a lot and from what I can see everyone is doing what they can to make amends.”
Benny nodded, indicating he was listening, but remained silent.
“I like your sister, Crush, and I want to get to know her better. If that’s going to be a problem for you, you’ll need to discuss that with Emma, because unless I hear differently from her, I’m in this one-hundred percent.”
Brody placed his glass on the end table and stood up.
“On that note … it’s late and I should get going. It was good seeing you again, man. Em, I’ll call you.”
“Let me walk you out,” I said, standing up and shooting a glare at my brother before walking Brody to the door. “You don’t have to leave…”
I turned to face him and almost lost my balance when Brody placed his arms on my biceps and kissed me senseless.
When my brain was truly scrambled, he broke away and grinned down at me.
“Sleep tight,” Brody said, before opening the door and slipping out.
I locked the door behind him and then dropped my forehead against the wood and sighed.
A moment later the sexy haze lifted, and I remembered my brother in the other room.
“What is wrong with you?” I asked as I stormed back into the living room.
“Nothing” Benny said as he stood and stretched.
“Why did you do that? Were you trying to embarrass me? I’m a grown woman, Ben, I don’t need you treating me like a kid.”
“I wasn’t trying to treat you like a kid, I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“What makes you think Brody’s gonna hurt me? We only agreed to be more than friends tonight…”
“I don’t want you to be heartbroken again, like after Johnny.”
“Johnny?” I asked, confused. “Johnny didn’t break my heart. I broke it off with him.”
“You did?”
“Yeah, we wanted different things and I knew he was in danger of getting his heart broken, so I ended things. Why did you think I was heartbroken?”
Benny shrugged.
“I don’t know, I was pretty out of it at the time, but I remember you being really sad.”
“Well, I was sad, but only because I felt bad about hurting him. I really like Johnny, but I don’t love him. Plus I was worried our friendship would be ruined once we broke up.”
“You guys seem okay…”
“We are,” I assured him. “And I appreciate you looking out for me, but I’ve got this, okay?”
Benny nodded, then grinned.
“You should have seen your face when I sat next to him on the couch.”
I rolled my eyes and said, “Go to bed.” But my heart was filled with love for my brother.
Eighteen
Brody
Want to go to a Delta party on Friday?
I shot Emma the text and then put my phone away and went to join my brothers. All of them … frat and by blood.
It was build day, so we were all up bright and early wearing work clothes and ready to make a difference for a deserving family.
I went over to where Ridge, Wes, and Papi were working on the frame and picked up some work gloves. They were laughing at something Papi said and already beginning to sweat as the day became hotter.
“Brody, you gotta hear this. Tell him, Papi,” Wes said, while Ridge just shook his head.
“We were just reminiscing about when we joined Delta back in the day. Ridge, Crush, Javi, Trap, and I were all in the same group of pledges. Javi and I knew each other from back home, but I’d never hung out with guys like Crush and Ridge before,” Papi said, a grin on his face. “Ridge was all upper crust, a total rich fucker with his hundred-dollar haircut and this confidence that just oozed out of him. Then you had Crush, who acted like he was the one who’d changed his mind about going to the seminary and came to U of M. He was totally wildin’ out … always ready to party.”
Papi laughed and shook his head.
“Anyway, there was one party where the pledges … us … had to be on clean-up duty, DDs, and basically errand boys for the brothers … whatever they wanted. So, there was this one brother, Isaiah, who was kind of an ass, and he was running Trap ragged. He had Trap bringing him drinks, ordering pizza, even going up to girls and asking them if they’d be down with going up to Isaiah’s room for a quick blow job. Dude was on a power trip. We all felt bad for Trap, cause out of all the brothers, being assigned to Isaiah was the worst, so Crush had this idea to put castor oil in his beer. Cabrón spent the rest of the night on the toilet.”
I chuckled and said, “I’m glad we don’t have any brothers like that in Delta now.”
“Man, I fucking miss that asshole sometimes,” Papi said fondly.
“Isaiah?” Wes asked.
Papi shook his head and said, “Crush.”
“You should call him,” I said, glancing over at him. “He’s been doing really well. I guess he’s gone back to work and even a few classes. I’m sure he misses you guys. I mean, I know I would if I wasn’t hanging out at the frat anymore.”
“Last time I talked to him he was pretty pissed and adamant he didn’t want anything to do with any of us,” Papi replied.
“Well, time has passed and after rehab and everything I think there’s a chance he could have changed his mind. Emma says he’s doing a lot better, but not quite back to his old self. I don’t know if he ever will be, but I bet he’d like to know you’re thinking of him … Maybe he’ll even want to hang out.”
Papi looked hopeful when he said, “Okay, I’ll try again. I always felt bad about the way things went down and hated losing him. One day he was living in the room next door to mine and the next he was gone.”
Ridge didn’t say anything, just kept focused on what he was doing, and I knew it was because he still felt bad about the part he played in Crush’s dismissal. He may be our president now, but back then he was the sergeant at arms, and it had been his job to protect the frat and that’s what he did.
“I didn’t mean it like that, Ridge,” Papi said, when he caught Ridge’s squared shoulders. “I remember how it all played out and I also remember you being the one to help his sister get him into rehab. You and Crush may not have been best buds, but you were brothers, and I know what that means to you.”
Before Ridge could respond, Trap came walking over.
“Hey, bro, sorry I’m late. Where do you need me?”
Trap was notoriously late.
I was about to tell him to go help the guys getting the insulation when Ridge looked over his shoulder and asked, “Everything good with you and Mina?”
Ermina, or Mina, was Karrie’s best friend and former roommate. She and Trap had started hanging out around the same time Ridge and Karrie had, but theirs had always been a loose kind of relationship.
Not looking very happy about Ridge’s question, Trap pursed his lips and said, “Nah, that shit’s over.” Then glanced back at me and raised his eyebrows.
�
��Insulation,” I said, pointing over toward one of the trucks.
Trap lifted his chin and walked away.
“What’s that all about?” Papi asked.
“Apparently, although Mina thought their relationship was exclusive, Trap did not, so Karrie’s been getting a lot of late-night calls. It’s probably better that it’s over between them,” Ridge said.
“Mina’s back on the market?” Papi asked, his eyebrows lifting as he let out a low whistle. “She’s one hot little Latina.”
“Jesus, Papi, they barely broke up … and she was dating a brother. You can’t add her to your lineup of women,” Ridge complained.
Papi looked offended, even though we all knew that since his girlfriend had cheated on him and they’d broken things off, his bedroom had become like the local deli counter … take a number.
“I guess that’s up to the lady in question, not you,” Papi replied.
“Come on, Hector,” Ridge said evenly. “She’s also Karrie’s best friend. The last thing I need is another brother playing with her emotions.”
Papi shrugged and went back to work, but I could tell he was pissed at my brother.
“Maybe we should invite Crush to come to the party on Friday night,” I suggested, trying to break the sudden tension.
“I don’t know,” Wes replied. “Since he’s on the wagon and all, would it be a good idea for him to come to a frat party with booze everywhere?”
Hmmm, he had a point. Still, I couldn’t help but think bringing Crush back in the fold was something everyone needed. Including Crush.
Nineteen
Emma
“So, what was up with the tool in the Tesla?”
I looked up from the ledger I was trying to decipher to see Johnny leaning against the door.
I sighed.
“Brody’s not a tool.”
“Brody,” Johnny scoffed. “With a name like he had a predisposition to be a tool.”
“Jealousy’s not a good look on you,” I replied, before looking back down, hoping he’d get the hint and go away.
“And what if I am? Jealous?” Johnny asked, pushing off the door and walking toward me.
“What do you want me to say, Johnny?” I asked, not liking the way my stomach ached in response to the unexpected confrontation.
“Tell me why you’re willing to give that guy a shot. Is it because he has money? Because he drives a car that costs more than my garage? Do you have some secret billionaire boyfriend fantasy I don’t know about?”
“Don’t be an asshole.”
Johnny shoved his hands in his jeans pockets and shrugged. His dark hair was in disarray, probably from him running his hands through it, and there was a smudge of grease on his chin. He was just as, if not more, handsome as Brody, but in a rugged kind of way.
“I’m not trying to be, I’m simply trying to understand. I love you, Emma. I want to spend my life with you and do everything in my power to make you happy.”
Fuck, I thought, my eyes filling with tears.
“Johnny, we’ve been over this,” I said softly, my tone pleading.
“Yeah, but that was before. You said you weren’t interested in anything serious, that you wanted to focus on school and putting in your community hours. But, obviously that’s changed … I just want you to know where I stand. That I still want you.”
I stood up, my heart aching for him, and moved to stand before him.
“My feelings for you haven’t changed either, Johnny. I’m sorry. I can’t be what you want.”
“But…”
I shook my head and placed my hand on his cheek.
“I’ll always love you as a friend, Johnny, but that’s all that can ever be between us. I don’t know what’s going on between Brody and I yet, we’re simply trying to figure it out,” I said, dropping my hand when he flinched. “If it’s easier for you I’ll make sure he doesn’t come by here, or I can start looking for another job. I don’t want to hurt you, Johnny.”
He sighed and closed his eyes, before opening them back up and saying, “I don’t want you to find another job. You belong here … you and Crush. And I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, so I’ll stop bringing up my feelings for you. You already know what they are anyway.”
Johnny let out a sharp laugh.
“I’ll try to be nice to the…” at my glare he cleared his throat and said, “to Brody.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, because I seriously didn’t want to keep hurting him. “I’m going to stop working here eventually anyway … once I get an internship. I can speed that up by looking now.”
He moved one of his hands to my shoulder and said, “Yeah, I’m sure. I’ll be okay … I’m a big boy.”
I searched his face and trusted the honesty I saw there.
“Now get back to work. I’m sorry I bothered you.”
“You didn’t,” I argued, but he simply gave me a sad smile and turned to leave.
I waited until he was gone and then went back to the desk with a heavy heart.
I picked up my phone and saw I had a missed text from Brody.
I knew he and the Deltas were doing their Habitat for Humanity build today and had been hoping to swing by later and lend a hand.
When I saw Brody was asking me to go to a party at Delta house that weekend, I put the phone back down and then cradled my head in my hands.
What am I doing? Do I really want to hang out with a guy who belongs to the same organization that messed Benny up? Could I hang out with those people?
I thought about Benny and what he’d been like when he was a part of Delta, and I thought of Brody now. Realizing they were nothing alike, and therefore I couldn’t blame Benny’s behavior on the fraternity, I dropped my hands and picked up my phone.
We’d been over all of this a million times. Everyone had come to terms with what happened and accepted their roles in it, so it wasn’t fair for me to keep stumbling every time I thought of Delta.
I wasn’t the kind of person who cared about frat parties, social standing, or purchasing the latest eyeshadow pallet, but I wasn’t short-sighted enough to think I couldn’t find common ground with the people who did.
I just needed to be open to the experience and give them a chance.
After all, the fraternity was a big part of Brody’s life. Not only was he a member, but his brothers were as well.
And it wasn’t as if I didn’t know some of the other brothers. I’d met them through Benny when he was a Delta and had always gotten along with them.
I wondered how Benny would feel about me going and if I should discuss it with him first, then decided against it. As I said, we had already been round and round on this subject countless times and I felt like he was in a good place as far that part of his life went.
My phone beeped, indicating I’d received another text.
Are you still coming to the build? Do you think Crush would want to come with you? The guys would love to see him.
Hmmm, it looked like Brody and I were on the same wavelength. Maybe this was the perfect way to bring Benny the closure he needed and make sure he was on board with me and Brody, even if it meant Delta was thrown in the mix.
Twenty
Brody
We’d taken a break for lunch and I’d had the opportunity to chat with the couple we were building the house with. As part of the program, they help with the building, and it was really cool to get the opportunity to get to know them.
They were so grateful and thankful for our help. It was truly a humbling experience.
After being back at it for a few hours, I heard a commotion and looked up from what I was doing to see Crush and Emma walking over to Ridge at the front of the house.
The excitement and joy I felt at seeing her surprised me so much that it took me a minute before I could walk over and greet her.
Once I’d collected myself I hurried over and pulled her in for a quick hug.
“Hey, you guys made it,” I murmured, enjoy
ing the smell of her when I inhaled.
I was sure we all smelled like sweat and sawdust, but Emma smelled fresh and amazing.
Yeah … I have it bad.
“How’s it going?” she asked when we separated.
“Really good,” I replied.
“Ho-ly shit … the man, the myth, the legend!”
We all turned to see Javi coming over, his arm outstretched to clap Crush on the back.
“It’s good to see you, brother, how you been?” Javi asked and I watched as the nerves on Crush’s face morphed to pleasure.
“Great,” Crush replied, but before he could say more, Papi shouted, “Crush … my man! Your ears must of been burning.”
“You talkin’ shit about me?” Crush asked, but he was grinning when Papi pulled him in for a bro hug.
“Just reminiscing on the good old days,” Papi replied. “You here to help?”
When Crush nodded, Papi said, “Awesome, come with me.”
Crush glanced at Emma and shrugged, before joining Papi and walking off to join the build.
“That’s a good sign, right?” I asked Em as we watched them talking animatedly to each other.
“Yeah … he wasn’t sure what to expect, neither of us were, but I think this is even better than he could have hoped. I’m sure in the back of his mind he was worried he’d be rejected.”
I placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and said, “If I even thought that was a possibility, I wouldn’t have suggested it.”
Emma’s smile was sweet and sincere when she replied, “I know.”
I took her hand and we walked out of the house and a few feet away from the construction site.
“How’re you doing?” I asked, wrapping my arms around her waist so I could hold her close.
I couldn’t stop touching her.
“Better now,” she replied, her fingers flexing on my hips.
“Yeah?” I asked, grinning as I leaned in.
Emma bit her lower lip and nodded in response, then tilted her head back and offered her lips to me.
Frat House Confessions: Brody Page 7
