I rolled my eyes. “Is there a right way to punch someone?”
“Yeah. Look me in the eyes. Tell me to fuck off. Then punch me.” He chuckled.
“Okay, let’s just get inside and go see Dad.” I unbuckled myself once he’d pulled in front of Rosewood’s, our favorite steakhouse in town.
When we stepped inside, our father waved us over. He was on his feet and wrapping me in a hug the second I walked over.
“Hey, sweetheart. I missed you.”
“Missed you, too,” I said over the large lump that had formed in my throat. It was so difficult to be angry at the people I loved.
I was beyond furious with him for what he’d done to Wrax. But I also loved him.
The two could both be true, right?
Even though they had me feeling so conflicted.
Dad and Collin did that half-hug thing that men do, and we all took our seats.
We weren’t seated more than two minutes before our father started questioning me about my training. Thankfully the server came over and took our orders, and I asked Collin about his trip to Hawaii in hopes of changing the subject.
He filled us in on how much they enjoyed it, and how they were now considering getting married in Kauai.
Our food was brought out, and I could feel our father watching me. He wanted answers, and he was growingimpatient. He gave my brother a curt nod about his wedding plans and turned his attention to me.
“Have you given any more thought to the horse that Coach Sharky sent you the info about?” Dad cut into his steak and popped a piece in his mouth.
I thought it was odd that no one had mentioned the fact that my mother wasn’t here. Even with the pending divorce, this was the first time that it was just the three of us at a restaurant. This was an event that all four of us would normally attend together.
Yet neither of them mentioned her.
“No. I have zero thoughts about that idea, since I was able to get Wrax back, and I’ll be competing with him in July.” I stared at our father as he set his fork down, and his gaze hardened.
He turned to my brother. “I thought you didn’t sell him to someone in the goddamn horse world. This is why you do things yourself if you want them done correctly.”
My eyes widened as my heart thudded against my chest.
“What are you talking about?” I hissed, looking between Collin and our father.
Collin blew out a breath. “Can we just have a night without any bullshit. Just a family dinner that doesn’t revolve around Dad’s mistress or Wren’s fucking competitions?”
“Nice try on the deflection,” I said. “This isn’t bullshit, Collin. It’s about telling me what Dad is talking about.”
Our father looked surprised that I didn’t appear to have a clue about what had actually happened.
“Dad asked me to sell Wrax quickly. He didn’t want you to have a choice about getting a new horse. He doesn’t trust Wrax anymore, and frankly, neither do I.”
I chuckled. “That’s rich, coming from either of you.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Collin asked.
“It means you’re not trustworthy. You both lie a little too easily for me,” I said, wiping my mouth with my napkin and thencrossing my arms over my chest. My appetite was suddenly gone as I processed what I was hearing.
“You know what, Wren, it must be easy to sit up on that high horse of yours and judge everyone else,” Collin said with an anger that he’d never directed at me before.
“Kind of hard to sit up on my high horse when you sold him from under me,” I snapped at him. “And then you lied about looking for him. You texted me yesterday that you had a lead. Why?”
“I was trying to make you feel better. I figured you’d eventually let it go.”
