“Hey.”
Cord hooked his thumb over his shoulder. “You eat already? I was gonna heat up the tenderloin. I could make you a plate.”
“No, I’m good. Thanks.”
Jonah expected his brother to leave. He didn’t. Cord glanced around the shop, seemingly stalling. Jonah rested his hip on the workbench, staring at his brother.
“What’s going on, Cord?”
He dragged his hand over his head, grasping the back of his neck. “So, you and Roxanne are really over, huh?”
He sighed and remained quiet. What was he supposed to say?I pushed her away because she got too close. And I broke her fucking heart in the process.The pain of leaving her in tears was a deep wound he wouldn’t soon forget.
“Guessing you don’t wanna talk about it.”
Again, he said nothing.
“It’s too bad things didn’t work out. You two? It was good.” It wasn’t good. It was fucking great. She was the best thing that’d ever happened to Jonah.
“You deserve that, you know?” Cord tightened his lips in a stressed smile, which didn’t quite reach his eyes. “You gave up a lot for us, Jay. All of us.”
He sighed. “I didn’t give up anything. We’re family.”
Cord was shaking his head before Jonah even finished his sentence. “No, don’t do that. You were eighteen. That’s a kid.” Cord swallowed hard and cleared his throat. “You were just a kid, Jay. And I know I wasn’t easy, not by a fucking long shot. Bitter little prick, and you took that on. You took us all on. So yeah, you gave up a lot.”
Cord scanned the workshop. “You’re different with her.” He lifted his gaze to Jonah’s. “You were happy, and you deserve that.”
Jonah had no response. Hehadbeen happy with her. Roxanne had been a game changer he never saw coming.
“Does the breakup got anything to do with me?”
Jonah furrowed his brows, turning to Cord. His brother shrugged, grabbing a tool from the bench and tapping it against his palm.
“‘Cause of what I asked her to do?”
It had everything to do with that subject, but Cord wasn’t to blame. The honeymoon phase would’ve only lasted so long before he’d be forced to give her everything. It probably would’ve been harder to end things had their relationship gone on longer. As it stood, he quickly found out life without Roxanne was gut-wrenching.
“No.” Jonah gripped the edge of the workbench in a tight squeeze. “You should know better than anybody. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out.”
“Yeah, but you guys were different.”
Were they? Jonah sucked in a breath, ready to end any and all conversation about Roxanne. It was rare for him to have a heart-to-heart with Cord, and he appreciated the concern. But there was nothing left to say. Much like Roxanne, he couldn’t be completely honest with Cord. The weight of this secret was one he’d have to carry alone.
The loud knocking on the door had Jonah jerking his head and scowling. The force was enough to shake the hinges of the old door. He straightened and walked two steps when it flew open, and he halted, taking in the two men entering.
What the …
His workshop rarely had visitors, and when it did, it was by appointment only.
“We were in the neighborhood and thought we’d stop by.” Bogs grinned, glancing around the workshop. He whistled and turned to Jonah. “Now this is a fucking sweet setup, man.”
Jonah eyed Bogs and T, who stood a few feet behind him. “In the neighborhood, huh?”
Bogs smirked, shrugging. “Close enough.”
Cord subtly moved a step closer to Jonah. He’d heard of the Garrison brothers but hadn’t met them formally. If Jonah had to guess, after the accident with Roxanne, Cord was probably hoping he’d never run into them.
“This your brother?” Bogs said, pointing to Cord, whose face paled.
