I sip at my coffee, ignoring the burn as it goes down, and my brain replays Sorrow’s wounded expression as she left. Oh, she wanted to go. I have no doubt about that. That’s why I didn’t push her to stay, but she wanted to go for all the wrong reasons.
Or maybe they seem wrong to me. She plans to leave as soon as the house is ready to go on the market. And then what happens to us? I don’t plan on leaving Tempest. I have Katy, my parents, not to mention the job I love, along with the guys I consider brothers. I have no clue what Sorrow does with her life now. Does she have a house, a job, and people she loves and cares about, and is unwilling to leave behind?
The whole thing is a mess, and that’s not even thinking about the fallout with my parents that’s bound to happen.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Aiden asks as he walks in and takes the seat on the opposite side of my desk.
“Not sure they’re worth that right now.”
“This have something to do with a certain dark-haired girl?”
I glare at him, but he sips his drink, his eyes sparkling with mirth.
“A lot has happened in the last few days. Forgive me if I can’t find the humor in it.”
He sighs and leans forward, placing his mug on the desk. “Alright, I get that. Tell me what I’ve missed. If you’re working through shit—well, two heads are better than one.”
I sigh and lean back, filling him in on what went down last night, not hiding how close we came to crossing a line I’m not sure either of us could come back from.
“You’re in love with her.”
“I know. Marcus told me.”
He laughs at that before shaking his head. “How did you not figure it out yourself?”
“Because nothing is ever simple. I feel a lot toward Sorrow, and not all of it good.”
“Because of Alec?”
“Yeah. Because of Alec. When I’m with her, I forget all about him. What kind of brother does that make me?”
“One that’s still alive. I’m not trying to be a dick here, but Alec is gone. He’s not coming back. You and Sorrow are here. If you can’t figure this out between you, then you need to be prepared for her to figure it out with someone else.”
I rub my hands over my face, feeling so fucking tired. “I slept in my car last night, parked outside her hotel room. I heard her leave, and I just had to follow her. I needed her to be safe,” I admit.
He doesn’t rib me for it. He looks at me, waiting for me to continue.
“She’s leaving soon.”
“So ask her to stay. And before you say it’s not that easy, don’t forget who my woman is and what she left behind to come live here.”
“Matilda is happier here than she ever was in Hollywood. I’m not sure this town could ever be Sorrow’s happy place. People want her out as much as she wants to be gone.”
“You’re Jake fucking Bannerman. If anyone can turn people’s thoughts and perceptions around, it’s you. Alec was your brother, so if you can find a way to move past this, then so can everyone fucking else.”
I tap my fingers on the edge of my desk, wondering if he’s right. Are people that fickle?
The door opens, and Marcus pokes his head in. “You got a visitor.”
Judging from the look on his face, I can already guess who it is.
“Want me to bring her back here?”
“Nah. I’ll come out.”
Marcus nods as I stand and brace myself for what’s about to come.
I head out and see some of my guys hovering, not because they’re nosy bastards, but because they want to make sure I’m okay.
