“I can still make it,” Avery grumbled.
If I wanted to.
Spencer kicked up his feet on the sofa. “I’m sure most of the flights are delayed due to the weather, even private jets. Text Dane. I’m sure he’ll wait for you.”
Marcus tugged off his tie. “Or you could catch a commercial flight later.”
Assholes were yanking his chain, but Avery joined them, knocking Spencer’s feet off the couch and settling in for the brother bash.
“Is this another fucking intervention?” He glanced at Nick. “You got anything to add?”
“Nah, this is their show. I’m just here for the entertainment.” Nick took the last open chair, stretched out his legs, and steepled his fingers over his stomach. “But first, let me give you a brief rundown of the events from Saturday night, according to the police.
“As I mentioned that night, they had issued a warrant for an arrest. What they weren’t saying was that they’d picked up Chase for more questioning, and he offered new informationthat led to a search warrant for Giselle’s home, business, and vehicles. It seems they discovered rope, duct tape, zip ties, and chloroform in a hidden compartment in her catering van.”
“Jesus Christ.” Avery’s whole body shuddered, and a cold sweat coated his skin as he relived the moment he’d looked up to see Giselle holding a gun on Jo. The thought of how close she’d come to death made him want to puke…and fucking hurt someone.
“But she’s safe now,” Nick reminded him.
“Admit it,” Marcus persisted. “You care about Jo, and you miss her.”
Avery rubbed a hand over his face to scrub away the memories. “Yeah.”
Spencer nodded approvingly, like the teacher measuring the student. “Then you know you screwed up.”
“Yes, I fucked up.” Avery set his fingers in motion, waiting for the constructive part of this intervention.Thump, thump, thump, thump.
“And you fell in love with her.”
That was where Avery balked. “I’ve never fucking been in love.” He drove his fingers through his hair and blew out a long breath. “How the fuck am I supposed to know if that’s what I feel?”
Marcus scoffed. “If you’d spent more than five minutes with a woman, you might.”
Avery flipped him off. “I’m serious. How did you know you loved Charlotte?”
A volley of questions came at him, one after another from Marcus and Spencer, like a pitching machine on crack.
“Do you think about her all the time?”
“Do you miss her when she’s not with you?”
“Do you physically ache when you’re not with her?”
“Besides the physical, do you want to be with her all the time?”
Yes, yes, yes, and yes.
“Does the idea of her being with someone else make you insanely jealous?”
“Does it make you hurt so bad you think you’re dying?”
Fuck, he hadn’t even thought of Jo moving on to someone else. The idea of her having been with Murdick had been bad enough, and that was over and in the past. Imagining her with a lover now was like a punch to the gut.
“Do you love the way she smiles?”
“The way she laughs?”
“The way she smells?”
