“Fine?”
I bit my lip.
“Downstairs from your place, the last time we met up, we had a brief chat. He’s…”
It was our business and no one else’s. But recognizing how much Cole was doing for us, he had a right to know what was going on.
“He’s pissed. His ex broke up with him about six months ago, and I tried to stay away. But we hooked up.”
“And are you and his ex going to be serious?”
“No, no way.”
It’s possible.
“No way as in, it was a one-time thing or no way as in, you think it can’t work out?”
I would have killed to know what sort of experience Cole was asking from.
“The latter.”
He stood up.
“I’m getting Steele,” he said. “We need to nip this in the bud before it drives you apart.”
“But—”
“Brock,” Cole admonished. “My club got fucked over because my brother and I had different viewpoints on how I felt about a certain woman. It took us over a year for us to reconcile our differences, and many people died because of our division. Look around at everyone here. Do you want to be responsible for one of their deaths because you and Steele didn’t hash out your differences?”
For someone that usually seemed calm, warm, and confident, there was a bit of desperation to Cole’s voice, almost like he was overly determined not to let history repeat itself.
“No, I don’t,” I said.
“Then I’m bringing Steele over here, and we will get this shit taken care of by whatever means necessary.”
And sure enough, Cole did exactly as he said he would, pulling Steele away from the group chat, leaving Mason and Zack with the two girls, and bringing him over to me. I wouldn’t say Steele looked angry, but he wasn’t exactly thrilled with what was going on, either. It had the vibe of a father mediating between two warring brothers.
But as long as Cole acted like a dad over two kids, we couldn’t ever resolve our issues. I had to take ownership of this spot. I had to grow up and handle it on my own.
“Steele,” I said. “We gotta talk.”
Cole was still near us, but he took a couple of steps back.
“What is there to talk about?” Steele said. “It seems to me everyone made their choice. Tara chose you over me, and you chose Tara over me.”
“Woah, easy,” I said. The tension was rising, threatening to strain my words with anger, but I kept a steady tone. “I didn’t choose anyone over anyone. This isn’t an either-or spot. C’mon, man, you’re my brother.”
Steele wasn’t having it, though. His grim expression was like that of a doctor telling a patient’s spouse the patient would not live. It felt final, inevitable.
I refused to let it be.
“You know I dated her, right?” Steele said. “For two damn years. For two long fucking years. How would you feel if I started dating Rachel?”
I bit my lip.
“Like shit, and I won’t lie, I don’t blame you for feeling the way you do. But Steele…she wasn’t into you.”
His eyes flared with anger. Cole cleared his throat and took a step forward.
