Fish: Are you sure?
Collette: I’ve never been surer of anything. Come now. I’ll be waiting.
I put my phone away and tune back into the meeting.What follows is the painful, honest conversation that needed to happen months ago. Jo tells Mom everything from the beginning. Mom listens without interruption, and when the boys try to cut in, she silences them with a look that could freeze water. Emmett offers to step down as captain, which makes Jo cry, and makes me want to punch Pierre myself. Pierre admits he doesn’t deserve the captaincy either after what he did. Apologies are exchanged. Hard truths are spoken. The slow, grinding work of a family trying to piece itself back together.
“I accept it, but I’m not ready to forget about what you did today. You scared me. What you did was so out of line, you could have killed him. Not only would you have destroyed my life, but you would have destroyed your own, especially after just getting engaged,” Jo tells Pierre.
Tears fill Pierre’s eyes. “I am so sorry. You’re right. What I did this morning was reckless. I’m ashamed of how I reacted. I’m sorry.”
“I forgive you. Both of you,” Emmett says.
“Can you give us time to get used to this?” Felix says, waving his hand at them.
“Build a bridge, Felix. They are together and probably will be for a long time. They love each other,” Harper tells him.
“I’m sorry that this has overshadowed your engagement,” Jo says to Issy.
“It’s all good. It’s not like it’s the first time Pierre has had controversy about weddings,” Issy jokes.
The joke is enough to break the tension as we all burst out laughing. It’s going to take a while to get over what happened today, but the hostility has been defused.
“I think Emmett and Jo should kiss, rub their love in your faces,” I tease, because someone needs to lighten this room, and it might as well be me.
“Yes.” Issy and Harper clap, while my brothers groan.
“You wanna?” Jo smirks at Emmett.
“Fuck it. I love you.” He grins as he pulls her to him and kisses the ever-loving shit out of her, much to the groans of my brothers and the squeals of the girls.
And that’s when there’s a knock at the door.Everyone looks at each other, nobody is expecting anyone else. The room has just exhaled for the first time in hours, and now there’s someone at the door, and my heart is hammering because I know exactly who it is.
“I’ll get it,” I say, standing.
I walk to the door and open it. Fish is standing in the hallway. Hoodie, jeans, hands in his pockets, looking like a man walking into a firing squad.
“Hey,” he says quietly.
“Hey. It’s going to be okay. Hold on,” I say quickly as I grab my necklace that holds my rings on it, take it off, and slip the rings on my finger. Now everything is right. “Come in.” I step aside, and he walks in.
The room goes still, Pierre straightens, Felix frowns, and Emmett and Jo look confused, all while Mom watches with careful eyes. Harper and Issy exchange a glance.
“What’s he doing here?” Pierre asks.
I close the door behind Fish and walk to the center of the room. My legs and hands are shaking. But I’m done hiding. I watched what the secret did to Jo and Emmett today. I watched my brother punch Emmett. I watched my sister’s love be turned into something ugly and shameful because it was hidden for too long. I’m not doing that to us.
“I thought while we’re all being honest,” I say, and my voice is steadier than I expected. “There’s something else.” I link hands with Justin.
“Fucking don’t,” Pierre warns.
“Collette ...” Jo starts.
“Justin and I are together, and we’re married,” I blurt it out, raising my hand and showing off my rings.
The silence that follows is the loudest thing I’ve ever heard.
Pierre blinks, his mouth is frozen open. Even Jo is shocked.
“You what?” Felix yells as he gets up, grabs Justin, and shoves him into the wall.