Or what she was to all of them. What she was toSilas.
Her stomach churned more violently when Silas’s face softened with obvious affection at the mere mention of Evangeline’s name. Silas, who so rarely softened around anyone. This was a Silas that Hayley had waited for, had fought for. She’d despaired of him ever looking that way about her.
“She’s Drake’s wife. I thought you knew that. You’d like her. She’s a complete sweetheart. Has all the guys wrapped around her finger. And she cooks like a dream.”
To add insult to injury, Silasgroanedhis appreciation.
“Everyone eats until we make ourselves sick any time she makes dinner for us. It’s quite a madhouse,” he added with a chuckle.
Drake’s wife. Okay, was that really supposed to make her feel betterwhen Silas obviously had so much affection, and God only knew what else, for her? Jealousy sucked. Evangeline was probably a wonderful person. Certainly all Silas’s brothers liked her well enough. No, theylovedher. That much was obvious. Yeah, Drake’s wife was probably gorgeous too. And had apparently enslaved the entire male population with her culinary expertise. But the simple truth was, Hayley had no desire to ever meet the other woman. Especially if it meant watching the rest of the men fawn all over her all night. An entire day or night or occasion for Hayley to have shoved in her face all the ways she didn’t measure up? After such a promising start to the day, Hayley was calling it. Today officially sucked. While Silas was off spending the day with the epitome of perfection, Hayley was relegated to being foisted off on whichever poor brother drew the short end of the stick and had to pick her up from school.
God, could this get any more embarrassing? She felt like an elementary kid being collected from the bus stop by an annoyed older sibling.
She swallowed hard, doing everything in her power to maintain her composure and not allow Silas to see the disappointment and dismay on her face or hear it in her voice.
“So you’re spending the day with her, then,” she said lightly.
She’d give anything to be able to rub her throat, but she left her hand in her lap, determined not to let Silas see the insecurity that was eating her alive.
Silas shot her a quick glance. “Yeah. Sorry, princess. It’s not my usual day for my lunch date with her, but something came up and she’s priority over everyone, Drake included, so I don’t have a choice.”
Hayley nodded and then fixed her gaze out her window, careful to keep her expression neutral.
It’s not my usual day for my lunch date with her.
Usual lunch date? As in a regular occurrence? Obviously it was. Suddenly Hayley was thinking back over her time with Silas, searchingfor a window of time when Silas would have been with Evangeline and not her. She almost didn’t suppress the breath she wanted to blow out in frustration. Three days a week her classes went beyond normal lunch hours. Was that what he was doing while she was in school? Having his date with Evangeline?
Priority overeveryone? What the hell did that mean?
It means she’s more important than you, dumbass.
It meant Evangeline wouldalwaystake priority over Hayley. Could she live with being second on the list of priorities of the man she loved with all her heart? For that matter, was she even second? Or third?
No. No way. But what choice did she have? Over her dead body would she ever be one of those women to throw out an ultimatum.Herorme. Yeah, yeah. That always worked out so well for everyone involved. Not. Then there was the fact that she was just too cowardly to stand there and watch as Silasdidn’tchoose her.
And, well, Hayley knew in the deepest part of her heart that Silas would never choose her over his brothers.OrEvangeline. So she needed to decide if she could accept that, live with it, and if she couldn’t, then she needed to get out before she was completely destroyed. Before her confidence and sense of self-worth were whittled away to nothing, before shebecamenothing.
She breathed a sigh of relief when they pulled up in front of the school. Hayley immediately opened her door, prepared to hop out, when Silas caught her hand. She leaned back in and rolled her eyes.
“There’s no need to walk me in. Besides, you’ll be late for your day with Evangeline,” she said, her voice cracking just a bit.
“There is every need,” he bit out. “Do you forget that little punk-ass shithead who can’t take no for an answer still attends this academy with you?”
She sighed in exasperation. “As if he’ll ever mess with me again after Maddox got finished with him.”
And then before he could press her, she slipped from his grasp, hopped quickly from the car and then opened the back and grabbed her violin. She even managed a cheerful wave as she hurried toward the school before Silas decided to get out and punish her for her blatant disobedience right there in front of the entire city.
***
She was running late, having gotten out of practice fifteen minutes after the class was usually over, but she couldn’t bring herself to hurry out and then apologize for her tardiness. They weren’t even supposed to be responsible for her today.
And then an unwelcome, completely fucked-up thought came to mind. No, not fucked-up, justfucked. Because it was a very good point. If Silas wasn’t even supposed to be with Evangeline today and something came up thatrequiredsomeone to be with her, then why couldn’t one of thethreemen picking Hayley up go babysit Evangeline for the day? Unless Silas was only too happy to volunteer his time and services.
So what if she was Drake’s wife? Not like having a thing for another man’s wife was anything new or uncommon. So what if Silas worked with and for Drake? Again, nothing new about being in love with your brother’s wife either.
This was beyond fucked up. She’d be damned if she’d sleep in a bed where Silas was secretly fantasizing about another woman. Oh God. She placed a palm to her stomach as it lurched. Was he imagining she was Evangeline when they made love?
“Stop the hysterical train, Hayley,” she muttered in disgust. “Reaching much?”
