I briefly close my eyes. I hope not. As I open the back door, Reaper calls out my name, so I turn.
“Are you all right?” he asks, worry lining his tone.
I try to muster up a smile, but I’m not sure if it comes across as a grimace. “Yeah,” I reply in a cheerful voice, even though I feel anything but.
“We’re here for you,” he adds.
“Thanks,” I mutter, though I don’t deserve his kindness.
I stay in the computer room as long as I can, losing myself in games until the bustle of voices downstairs pulls me back to reality. The smell of roasted chicken wafts through the air, and my stomach growls faintly. Usually I’m a pig when it comes to food, but lately... apart from chocolate, I haven’t been able to stomach much at all.
There’s a knock at the door, and I turn to see Mercedez standing there. “Dinner’s nearly ready,” she says, her voice light.
“Thanks, but I think I might go to bed early. I’m not feeling so great.”
She frowns and goes to take a step toward me, but I shake my head firmly. A silent reminder: She’s not allowed in here.
“Can I come into your room later then? I don’t care if you’re sick,” she says, her tone shifting to something softer, almost coaxing.
My jaw clenches. “No, I told you. I like to sleep by myself.”
“I can make you feel better,” she coos, her voice dripping with seduction.
I’m trying my best not to be an asshole, but there’s only so many times I can say the wordno. “No, I don’t need that from you,” I reply, my tone sharper than I intended. The truth is, I don’t wantanythingfrom her.
Her lips press together into a thin line. She looks around before speaking again. “You know... I heard Ava on the phone earlier.”
I don’t say anything and wait for her to keep going because I have no idea what she’s going on about.
“She was on the phone with Milly, asking her to come to a barbecue.” The way she spits out Milly’s name, with utter disgust, makes my blood boil. Milly has been nothing but good to her. “Was that your idea?” she snaps.
“No,” I answer defensively, my voice firm. “The women are close to Milly. They miss her. She’s an important part of people’s lives here.” I don’t know what Mercedez expects from me. Just because she’s jealous doesn’t mean Milly is going to stop having friends and family. For Mercedez to think the world revolves around her is pathetic.
Her eyes narrow into a death stare, and I notice her fists clench at her sides. For a moment, I wonder—if I were standing closer, would she have slapped me again?
“You need to decide what’s more important to you,” she hisses, her voice low and venomous. “The club or Milly. Because if you don’t make me your ol’ lady, I’m going to tell Reaper everything.”
My world stops. Her words slam into me and my hands start to shake. “Get out!”
She yelps and dashes out, and I slam the door behind her, the sound reverberating through the walls.Fuck her!Every time I talk to her, I get whiplash. She goes from pretending everything is back to normal to threatening me. She realized she wasn’t getting her own way, so she had to resort to saying whatever it takes for her to be an ol’ lady.
I pace the room. How the hell do I choose between my brothers and Milly? I hate Mercedez for putting me in this position, but I’m just as angry at myself. I let my fling with her go on for too long, and now it’s come back to haunt me.
But what if I choose Milly and she doesn’t choose me? Or worse—what if I’m the reason Milly loses her relationship with her only close blood relative? Reaper is her family, and I can’t be the one to take that away from her.
I shouldn’t be the reason Milly loses her loved ones. I know she likes me, but I like her more. It physically hurts my chest that she’s not mine. I say I like her, but Mercedez has traumatized me. The way she’s acted—the jealousy, the manipulation—has left a bad taste in my mouth. As much as I hate to admit it, it’s made me scared to jump into any kind of relationship with the opposite sex.
And Milly? She deserves better. She deserves someone stable, someone who can give her the life she deserves. Someone like that other doctor. Reaper would approve of him too.
I hate that Milly and I are the casualties in all of this. My heart is tortured at the thought of her moving on, but maybe it’s for the best. Even though being with Mercedez will make me miserable—because I can’t deal with her malice and manipulation—if it means Milly will be happy, if it means she’ll keep her family and find a man who truly deserves her, then it’s the least I can do. Even if it’s to my own demise.
TWELVE
THE BARBECUE
Milly
Last nightat work was surprising. During my break, Edward asked me to lunch again. I went because he’s a friendly guy and is turning out to be a good friend. We chatted, and I couldn’t resist teasing him about how the nurses and patients practically have love hearts coming out of their eyes when they see him. It’s become my favorite form of entertainment—watching the young nurses turn beet red when they talk to him is hilarious.
