Page 50 of My Ex-Fiance's Best Men
“He’s got a pretty big following, though,” she replies. “Crystal and Georgina have weighed in, as well. Not in your favor.”
“The online world is just that. Online. Mostly make-believe. We’re here, in the real world, making the most of every day we get to spend together. They’re out there, projecting all of their insecurities onto a screen. If your family and Matthew desire a war, all we’re doing is showing them that they can’t beat us.”
She exhales sharply. “This has turned into such a hot mess.”
“For them, maybe. Not for us,” I reassure her. “Phoebe, you’re finally coming into your own, standing up for yourself in ways you couldn’t before. You can’t deny that.”
“No, I cannot.” She allows herself a broad smile. “It did feel good saying all those things to Matthew earlier. And the way I clapped back at my mom and my sister during that godawful dinner.”
“You’re empowered. But it’syourpower that’s coming through, babe. Not ours. All we do is encourage you, helping to bring out the best in you. It’s always been there. It’s the people around you—the people who were supposed to protect and nurture that in you—who chose to suppress it, to keep you down so they could manipulate you. And I’m deeply sorry things turned out the way they did.”
“I hear what you’re saying, and I thank you. But had it not been for the three of you, maybe I would’ve heeded my mother’s advice and gone crawling back to Matthew. Three months’ worth of weight loss prescriptions later, I could’ve dropped those pounds, and I probably would’ve married him anyway.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. But you’re strong, Phoebe. You didn’t cave to his previous pressure on the matter. They keep mistaking your kindness and softness for weakness, but it’s not.”
“Either way, I don’t regret asking you to come to Hawaii with me.”
“Good, I’m glad. Let me make one thing clear, though.”
I sit up and turn to face her. She remains still, iced tea glass clutched in her hands, watching me with wide, curious, sparkling eyes while the breeze brushes through her long, honey-blonde hair.
“Your family is waging a war against you. And so is Matthew. August, Theo, and I will not sit on the sidelines or let anything happen to you. We will fight them, tooth and nail, making sureyou get everything you deserve. Don’t forget, the court of public opinion can be very powerful.”
Phoebe lets out a heavy sigh, her chest dropping slowly. I find myself briefly hypnotized by the round plumpness of her breasts, my fingers itching for a handful, my lips tingling, yearning to taste her again.
“Hence why Theo filmed that moment with Matthew, why he posted it online,” she concludes with a slight nod.
“Yes. We need to document everything they do and say. We need to make sure the whole world knows they’re trying to keep you down. Of course, that means our relationship needs to be public, subject to scrutiny, but?—”
“It’s the twenty-first century. Polyamory isn’t the weirdest thing on the menu anymore,” Phoebe reminds me, roses blooming red in her tanned cheeks as she chuckles.
“We roll with the punches,” I reply. “This whole thing started online with your video, didn’t it?”
She closes her eyes for a moment. “It sure did.”
“So we play the story out on social media, making sure the rest of the world knows precisely the kind of people we’re dealing with.” I lean forward. “Think about it, Phoebe. You were hurt, emotionally abused, humiliated by your fiancé, and ultimately dumped in a public forum. You found comfort in our arms, and we are more than happy to see it through. But the world is watching. They see you, they see us.”
“Minding our own business.”
“Precisely. They also see Matthew. Your sister. Georgina and whoever else wants to throw rocks at our wheels. I say let them. Let them make all the fuss, let them show their true faces.”
Phoebe sighs again. There’s a lot of pain festering inside her, along with genuine heartache and disappointment. “I just never expected my own family to do what they did, what they’re trying to do.”
“I know. And I can’t even begin to imagine what it must feel like. August and I have a complicated relationship with our father, too, but the dysfunction is nowhere near what you’re dealing with,” I reply, wishing I could wipe it all away for her. “You’re not alone anymore, though.”
“You keep saying that.” A smile tests her lips.
“Because I mean it. And I’ll keep saying it until you truly register it. I can tell you’re ready to stand up on your own against what’s coming. But just remember that you don’t have to. We’re standing right there with you. So, if your mother, your sister, if Matthew wants a war, they’ve got one.”
Phoebe sets the glass down and reaches out, one hand locked on the back of my neck as she pulls me into a long, heartfelt kiss. It’s as if her very soul is filling me with everything she carries. The fear, the desire, the excitement, the pain. It’s all in there, echoing outward and reaching my heart.
“Thank you,” she whispers softly against my lips. “Thank you for being you.”
“Hey!” Theo shouts from the pool’s edge. “Don’t leave us out!”
He rushes over, water dripping down his body as he smiles, eagerness shining in his blue eyes. Behind him, August catches up, Phoebe laughing as he sits on the edge of her lounger.
“I wouldn’t dream of leaving anyone out,” she says.
