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puzzled but I can’t put my finger on it. She’s a therapist so I knew this pyscho babble was going to happen. “No, baby girl, I think Donovan Pierce manipulated you into this.”
    Shock goes through me and I sit up. “How can you say that? I was right there with him, I participated.”
    She shakes her head. “Did you even find yourself attracted to him? No you didn’t. I think you were drunk and he used that against you. Donovan is a very sneaky fellow. I’ve kept my eye on him here and there. I think he never let go of what Courtney did with Annabella. I think this is his payback. And he used you to get it.” She nods to herself like I’m not even there.
    What’s important here for me is that I participated with him. I didn’t push him away and I didn’t try to fight him off. I must have led him on and I must have had some sort of feelings for him, that’s the only way to explain this.
    Donovan wouldn’t do all that to hurt his brother. He wouldn’t have thought that long and hard about it. Van is a decent man himself. Why would he wait five years to get back at Court? That doesn’t make any sense.
    “I thank you for that Mom, but I think the blame is all on me. I did this to my family and now I have to live with myself.” I climb off the couch and look down at her. “Do you think you could ever forgive me? I know Court never will. I just hope this doesn’t scar Asher too much.”
    Mom stands up and cups my cheeks. “I know you don’t want to believe this but I don’t think this is all your fault. Yeah, you shouldn’t have been talking to Donovan behind Courtney’s back and you shouldn’t have gone to that bar with him. But the afterward, it doesn’t sound like you had much say in it.”
    I shake my head. “I did though. I could have run the other way screaming and I didn’t. I ruined our families.

 
    Two
     
    Royal
     
    I look down on Rachel and I feel nothing but pain. My heart breaks over and over again. The tears flow down her face and she can’t seem to stop screaming. I kneel on the floor with her in my arms but it doesn’t seem to make it any better. Pierce is the only thing that will make it better.
    Asher would too but she doesn’t want him to see her like this. I don’t blame her. I hurt all over again thinking about it. And I wonder when I was no longer enough to soothe her. Used to be she’d run right for me when she was in pain. I’m twelve minutes older and I take my big brother duties very seriously.
    Over the years I’ve gotten used to women crying in my arms. Rachel’s been doing it her whole life and sometimes Wesley will wake up from a nightmare about her Trey. Those times I can handle. I know Wesley loves me and I know she loved Trey. He passed way to early and that scars anyone involved. I’ve been asked if it makes me jealous and the truth is I could never be jealous of him. Wesley loves deeply and she wouldn’t be Wesley if she didn’t mourn the loss of Trey. I wouldn’t take her any other way. Her ghosts make her who she is now.
    My strong beautiful Duchess.
    “Are you going to tell me what happened?” I whisper into Rachel’s hair. It’s like Pierce died or something and I know that’s not true because Channing said he’s alive and at home. I couldn’t get a straight answer from him about what happened. Though I know the lines have been drawn. Sides have been chosen and my wedding isn’t going to be a nice quiet affair.
    Rachel shakes in my arms holding back sobs. Mom said she was fine when she got here. It’s like it hit her all at once and she can’t keep the pain inside. It wants out of her but there’s no way to purge it. She’ll be forever stuck with it.
    I sit on the floor with my beloved sister for long minutes. I wait it out because I know she’ll cry herself to sleep. I don’t think her dreams will help but she refuses to take anything to calm her down.
    When she finally does fall into a fitful sleep I lift her off the floor gently