Brides and Brothers by Anneka R. Walker

Chapter 30

Camille

Camille laid her head back on the ratty couch pillow belonging to apartment 206 and set her legs on Daisha’s lap. “I should visit you more often,” she said. “I feel no obligation to clean any part of this room, and I can just relax.”

Daisha dug into her bowl of almonds. “I told you this would be the best place to chill in the afternoon.”

The apartment door opened, and Macey stormed into the room, the door thudding shut behind her. Without so much as a hello, she marched past them to her room. Two seconds later, they heard her yell, “I’m going to throw my lamp at his big head!”

Daisha choked on the almond in her mouth. She gagged it down and grabbed for her water bottle.

“Was that really Macey?” Camille asked, her feet swinging off Daisha’s lap to the floor.

Daisha stood. “It must be bad. Macey isn’t the type to throw lamps at people.” Before Camille could respond, Daisha darted into her roommates’ room with Camille following behind her.

They found Macey and Raina arguing in their room.

“I don’t believe it. You’re lying!” Raina marched past them and into the bathroom. Macey fumed past them too, right on Raina’s heels.

“You don’t have to believe me, but I trust Shondra,” Macey said. “We’ve had tons of classes together, and she wouldn’t make something like this up.”

Macey dropped her backpack off her shoulders and let it slam to the floor.

“You’re driving me crazy,” Raina said. “I trust Cade over this Shondra girl. I’m surprised you’d make Daegan your enemy because of some jealous girl’s ranting.” She started combing her natural curls with enough force to rip her hair out.

Macey whirled to face Daisha. “What do you think?”

Daisha put her hands in the air. “I have no idea what this is about. I’m simply the unofficial den mother trying to keep lamps from flying at big heads without warrant.”

“Oh, there’s warrant all right,” Macey replied. “Shondra said Daegan and Cade both asked her on a date.”

Camille groaned inwardly. Not again. Hadn’t Cade and Daegan learned their lesson the last time she’d talked to them?

“How can they both date the same woman?” Daisha asked, confused.

“Exactly,” Raina muttered. “Her tale is unraveling already.”

Macey rolled her eyes. “They were for different days. Daegan told me explicitly we were only dating each other until we figured out if things could work between us.”

Raina put her brush down. “Cade basically said the same thing to me, so why are you believing Shondra?”

Macey’s anger seemed to melt away, only to be replaced by hurt. “She wouldn’t lie to me. She moved in with her parents because her mom has a brain tumor. They live in the country now, out by the Petersons’ farm. They attend the same church. When I showed her a picture of Daegan and me on my phone, she freaked out and told me there was no way on earth she could let me date him. I asked her why, and she told me they had both asked her out last week and then ditched her. Daegan’s date with her was going to be last Friday night. She said she waited for an hour before Daegan called to cancel. Cade didn’t even bother canceling his date the following week. He just didn’t show.”

Realization hit Camille. This wasn’t a new situation. This was the old one finally surfacing.

A tear streaked down Macey’s cheek. She wiped at the moisture and managed to say, “I thought he was going to be the one.”

Camille stepped forward and put her arm around Macey, unsure whether she should reveal what she knew about the situation.

Raina shook her head, shock written on her features. “Are you sure, sure? I mean, it wasn’t a different Daegan and Cade?”

Macey glared at her through more tears.

Raina put her hand on her stomach. “I think I’m going to be sick.” She shut herself in the bathroom.

Daisha cleared her throat. “Did Daegan specifically say you were dating exclusively, or were you assuming it? I mean, I was assuming it, but you never know what guys could be thinking.”

Macey nodded. “The four of us are together at least three times a week and have been for a month. He holds my hand and kisses me goodnight. Last Friday night, when he ditched Shondra, we confessed our feelings for each other. Every night I don’t see him, he calls. What am I supposed to think? I feel used. How could he do this to me? I can’t excuse a guy who goes behind my back to date other women. I can’t let Raina excuse Cade either.”

A fresh batch of tears poured down Macey’s cheeks, and Camille pulled her into a tight hug. “Do you want me to beat them up?”

Raina opened the bathroom door, her eyes filled with tears of her own. “No, I want to be the one to beat them up.”

They took in Raina’s zero-muscle figure. Daisha said, “No offense, but those Peterson boys are made of rock. If you want revenge, you’d better think of something else.”

Macey nodded again. “I agree. We need to think of something. Revenge would make me happy.”

“I wasn’t being serious,” Daisha said with a short laugh. “What are you going to do, slash their tires?”

Wiping her eyes dry, Raina answered, “I can’t speak for Macey, but I’m willing to give Cade a second chance. He might have made a mistake in asking this woman out, but he never followed through with it, and neither did Daegan. Cade has been amazing in every other way. I don’t want to kill him, just hurt him a little. You know, teach him a lesson on how a woman deserves to be treated. After that, we’ll see how committed he really is to me.”

Macey’s eyes flashed with some emotion Camille couldn’t decipher. “Brilliant! I have an idea, and it’s so completely perfect!”

Not wanting to choose sides, Camille pointed to Daisha. “Maybe you should seek your den mother’s approval. Is there any blood involved?”

“Not unless you count internally,” Macey assured her. “Just a little prick to the hearts to prove their level of commitment.”

Camile winced. Things had finally felt like they were smoothing out for some of the couples. Why did this issue have to resurface? “Shouldn’t you try to talk things out first?” She stared at Daisha, begging with her eyes for Daisha to support her peaceful and very adultish method.

Daisha shook her head. “Sorry, Camille, but these guys have some serious growing up to do. Ladies, you have my stamp of approval. How can I help?”