“You married him? Sera, what were you thinking? Were you drunk?”
I flinch, overly aware of how everyone is staring at me.
Brady shoves his hands back through his hair. “You’re twenty-four years old, for Christ’s sake. When are you going to grow up and stop being so reckless?”
My jaw locks, and I tip my chin up, refusing to let him see how much his words hurt.
“Brady—” Elizabeth tries to soothe him.
“No.” He scowls at her. “This is insane. You’ve known him what? A week? How do you not see what he’s done?”
Liev goes rigid next to me. When he tries to pull his hand back, I grip him tighter. The bridge of my nose stings, and I blink rapidly to keep the moisture at bay.
“Whatexactlydo you think he’s done? Because as far as I can see, he’s been amazing. He’s been my friend. He’s done everything I needed him to do—and a lot I didn’t even know I wanted.” Liev squeezes my hand, but I can feel the anger vibrating through his body.
“That’s exactly my point,” Brady says, narrowing his eyes at Liev. If not for Elizabeth holding tight to his arm, I’m sure he’d have charged again. “She’s still not herself yet. She’s fragile. And you obviously have an agenda of some kind. Even if I haven’t figured it out yet?”
The veins in his temples throb. Other than when Elizabeth was taken, I don’t think I’ve ever seen my brother this angry. “What is it, Kovalyov? Figure out my sister is vulnerable? First you guilt her into getting you a job here, and then you got in her pants. Or was it all part of the same plan?”
One second Liev’s beside me, the next he’s got Brady by the collar, shoving him back against the table, so hard his back bows.
“I’ll kill you for talking about her like that.”
Speaking of looks I’ve never seen before…
Brady makes some sort of bucking move that partially breaks Liev’s hold.
“Stop it!” Elizabeth shouts. “You are both acting ridiculous.”
Brady’s eyes flash and, getting his hands free, shoves Liev back. “Get your fucking hands off me.”
With a heavy sigh, Callum wedges his arms between them, pulling Liev off with one hand and holding Brady back with the other. “Enough. Both of you.”
Liev steps back but doesn’t drop his glare. His body is taut with tension, fists clenched at his sides.
I grab his arm and squeeze. “It’s okay. Really. Please. Just stop.”
His eyes burn down into mine. “No,malyshka, it’s not okay.” His murderous gaze flicks up to meet my brother’s equally angry one. “No one is going to hurt you ever again.”
Brady straightens his shirt, face twisted in fury. “Hurt her? I’m trying to protect her—from you! From this bullshit life you’re dragging her into. She’s my sister—she deserves better than some criminal who?—”
“Brady!” My hurt at his words morphs into a cold anger. “You’re talking about me like I’m not standing right here. Regardless of what you think, I’m not stupid. You think I haven’t thought about what getting married means? News flash, I’m not a kid anymore. I walked into this marriage with my eyes wide open.”
I take a breath and even my tone. “I married Liev because I love him. Because he seesme—not some fragile little girl who needs saving. I’m never going to be the person I was before, Brady. And that’s not a bad thing. If you can’t come to terms with that, maybeyoushould be in therapy.”
Brady flinches. Regret flashes across his eyes for a brief moment before the anger surges back. “Love? Sera, you’re too young to even know what that is. I know it’s been hard for you since Aaron, but you can’t mistake someone being nice to you for their own reasons for love. You barely know him. This isn’t a fairy tale.”
“Brady, maybe we should—” Elizabeth coaxes.
Liev’s large palm covers my trembling hands, where I’ve clenched them in front of me. “I’m an adult and fully capable of making my own decisions. You can’t have it both ways. I can’tbe too young to be in love, but so old I shouldn’t make what you think are ‘reckless’ decisions.”
I swallow past the lump in my throat. “I made a mistake two years ago. I’ve admitted that and done everything I can to recover from it. But I’ve learned from it, too. I’m a stronger woman having gone through it, and Liev has helped me realize that.”
Brady runs a hand through his hair, exhaling hard. “Sera, I didn’t mean…Fuck. I just… You’re my sister. I’ve watched you go through hell. Aaron almost killed you. And now this? Marrying a guy like him? His entire life is violence. You deserve better.”
“That’s ironic coming from you.”
His head snaps back like I’ve slapped him. “What?”
