“I hear a decision has been made. I’m no longer a part of this family?” His voice is filled with devastation as he fights back the unshed tears in his eyes.
“You didn’t leave us much choice. What was it mom always said?”
His expression is pained as he repeats the Dr. Maya Angelou quote we heard many times in our childhood.
“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”
He swipes angrily at the falling tears on his cheek. Killian hates to show weakness, but I know this is excruciating for him. Even though he did this to himself, it’s difficult to witness.
“I don’t know when you turned into a man who would betray his brothers. I never would’ve imagined it were possible, but here we are.”
Handing me a glass of whiskey, he says, “Can we talk for another minute before you disappear for the night?”
I nod as I follow him to the sofa and take a seat.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say. It’s not who I am, and I have to believe that deep down you both know that to be true. You’re the only one who knows what it was like when we were kids. I was fucked up then, and I guess I still am. I saw her as a threat, and I made the call I never should’ve made. When I changed my mind and realized what I was doing, it was too late. I never heard back from my contact, so I thought nothing would come of it.”
I lean my head down, staring into my drink, and watch the ice cubes as I try to push away the pain.
“Let’s just see how we all feel before we leave. We have a month before your fight. Emotions are still raw. I think we all need a moment to breathe.”
Glancing up, I spot Heather standing in the hallway and wonder how long she has been there and how much she heard.
“Are you coming, Knox?”
She is freshly showered with wet blonde hair hanging past her elbows without an ounce of makeup covering her natural face. I like her best this way. “I’ll be there in two minutes, Tesoro.”
After she turns and walks away, I glance at my brother. He looks rough—like at any moment he might break.
“Are you going to be okay?”
He stares at me, his eyes showing surprise.
“Do you care?”
I nod slowly.
“If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t have asked. You're my brother, Killian. Trusting you and caring about you are two very different things.”
Kill drags his hand down his face and sighs audibly.
“I’ll be fine. Go spend time with your girl. I’ve kept you from her for long enough.”
I toss back the rest of my drink and get up to put the glass in the sink.
“Knox.”
I turn to Killian, even though it’s hard to see him like this. He has always been the strongest man I know, but now he’s a broken shell of the man I knew. He didn’t just hurt us—he ruined everything, including himself.
“I swear, I thought I was protecting Carter. My mind got so clouded with focusing on that—I couldn’t see straight. I couldn’t see what was happening. I couldn’t allow myself to accept what I felt for her myself. It’s always been about protecting him.”
Running a hand through my hair, I say, “I know. Try to get some rest.”
Attempting to clear my mind of him, I walk to my bedroom. Heather deserves for me to be present.
When I walk in, all thoughts of Killian vanish as I see her sitting on the bed, hands under her ass, and her face in Carter’s hands as he kisses her.
“Fuckkk.” I groan as I move closer to the bed and he pulls away from her.
