Page 379 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 5
“Mr. Pruitt still would have found a way to get what he wanted from her,” James said. “You know that. You never could have prevented Brooklyn from hanging out with her dad one-on-one. And I’m sorry that the two of you got in a fight because of what Rob and I did. I truly am. And I’m sorry I wasn’t sober enough to make better choices back then. I’m sorry that you were worried I’d take my own life. I’m sorry I ever made you worry about that.”
Mason and Rob were quiet.
“All of you,” James said. “I’m sorry, guys. I was in a bad place. But I never meant to drag any of you down there with me. I didn’t realize I was doing that.”
I was surprised James brought that up. I was supposed to be apologizing to him for snapping at him the other night. Not the other way around.
I’m sure we’d all been worried about James hurting himself over the years. But I was done holding grudges. “You don’t have to apologize.” I tried to shake away that feeling in my stomach that talking about Brooklyn always stirred up. The guilt that had been eating me away for 16 years. I needed to forgive my friends. But I needed to forgive myself too. If I had any chance of giving Kennedy a life she deserved, I needed to let this go. It was time. Past time, really. Besides, I’d made Mrs. Alcaraz a new promise. And promises to the living were more important than promises to the dead. They had to be. Because I couldn’t keep going like this. I took a deep breath.
“I’m just really fucking sorry, guys,” I said. “For everything. And I don’t want there to be any resentment between us. I don’t want you to walk on eggshells around me or worry about me being okay. Because I am okay. I think I’m more okay right now than I’ve been since Brooklyn died.” I shook my head. “I just want all of us to be happy. You guys are my best friends.”
Tanner cleared his throat.
“All of you,” I said. “Can we just try to…move on from the past?”
“We all made a lot of mistakes,” Rob said. “I’m sorry too.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” I said.
“Does this mean you’re done with that fake smile bullshit you’ve been doing for the last 16 years?” Mason asked. “Because youmay have tricked mom with that, but you look insane when you do that.”
Wow, I’d thought I’d nailed the fake smile thing. “No more fake smiles necessary.”
Mason looked relieved.
“So you guys forgive me?” I asked. This conversation had been easier than I thought it would be.
Mason and Rob both nodded.
“Of course,” Mason said. “We weren’t looking for an apology. We just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
Rob nodded.
But James stared at me. “When you were worried about me, you had my back,” he said. “And I need to return the favor. Because despite everything you just said, I think we’re all still worried about you, Matt.”
“I don’t know,” Rob said. “He looks pretty happy to me.”
“I promise you,” I said. “I’m good. Better than good. I feel fucking fantastic.” For the first time in years I actually meant it. I was in a good place. I’d been lying to myself for years. Trying to put all this blame on myself when it came to Brooklyn. But I couldn’t go back in time. And if I’d learned anything from her, it was to never take any days for granted. She’d instilled that in me. She’d be horrified that I’d been wasting my life away. And it was like seeing Kennedy had jump started something in my heart. Iwas done being pissed and angry with everyone. I just wanted to be me again.
“Well, that was easy,” Rob said. “We kind of nailed this intervention thing, huh?” He started to stand up.
“Not so fast,” James said. “Matt, how on earth can you stand there and say you’re okay? Is dating Poppy a cry for help or something? I don’t agree with everything Penny said back there, because I know Brooklyn was a Pruitt and she wasn’t like the others. But Poppy? Seriously? She’s awful. She’s just as bad as Isabella. Is this some kind of cry for help?”
“It’s complicated,” I said.
“You know how the Pruitts operate,” James said. “Of all the people in this city, you had to choose her? Didn’t you learn anything from my mistakes? There is no out with those people.”
“We have a deal…”
“Don’t tell me you signed something,” James said.
“No, nothing like that.”
They all just stared at me.
“I think I can help explain,” Tanner said. “Matt and I will let you in on our secret, but you have to promise not to tell anyone. Everyone else in the city needs to believe the tabloids.”
Rob frowned, but all three of them nodded.
