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My heart is beating too hard, and my hands are shaking. I feel like the blood just drained from my body.

“Babe, relax.” Kai pulls me into a tight hug. “Your brothers are in London. They’re taking him to a club. You can’t have this reaction every time he’s out. You know he’d never cheat on you.”

His voice is soft but firm. Grounding. Because he knows me. He always did.

“Fuck, Sierra. Kai is right,” Ethan adds. „Nickolas is obsessed with you. I mean, you saw it earlier. The guy's ready to murder us for just standing near you. What are you so afraid of?” He takes my hand in his, squeezing it reassuringly.

“I don’t know,” I mumble, feeling ridiculous. “I’m not an insecure woman. I’m jealous because this is who I am, not because he gave me reasons. But I can’t help thinking about how I used to see him with a new girl at every party. And at the Annual Hockey Gala, I even met a puck bunny he had sex with a couple of months ago, and…”I trail off, sighing, not knowing how to explain why I feel this way.

“Ser,” Chris says gently from my office door, startling me, “Nick’d never do anything to hurt you.”

I whip my head around to find all the Hardy brothers standing there. Watching me.

“Great,” I mutter, “just what I needed. A breakdown for all of you to see. How embarrassing.”

I run my hand through my hair, frustration bubbling beneath my skin.

“It’s not embarrassing,” Noah says, stepping forward. He kisses my forehead and wraps an arm around me. “You’re our sister. And we’re here to support you with whatever you need.”

The rest of the boys settle on the couch, but he leans against my desk and gestures for me to take a seat on the chair next to him.

“We’ll be the first ones to kill Nick—brother or not—if he hurts you, Ser,” Ryan says evenly, his arms crossed and his expression unreadable. He’s now the ruthless businessman every competitor fears. “But I know my brother. And I’m convinced he’ll be a good husband for you.”

No, I can’t stay still. I shoot to my feet, pacing the room. My hands are flying as I try to put into words this panic spiral I have.

“It’s not that I don’t trust him. I just… I’m scared. What if he wakes up one day and realizes he wants his old life back? What if he didn’t have time to really think this through? This is all happening so fast…”

I stop behind my desk, facing them.

“I sound crazy, don't I?”

Ryan chuckles softly. “Not at all. But you never know for sure, Ser. A relationship requires a lot of sacrifices from both partners. You need to keep investing in love, respect, trust, patience, and help it grow in the beautiful love story our parents showed us over the years.” His smile is warm, tender, as he looks at me.

“Why don’t you have a relationship again?” I ask, deadpan.

“Because he likes too much to fuck a new woman every night,” Ethan reminds me.

“Oh, so he’s like the rest of you. Noted.”

I meet his gaze with a smirk, seeing a carbon copy of Nick staring back at me.

“Aaand the sass in back, ladies and gentlemen.” Kai grins, rising to his feet. “Let’s go. Thalia’s waiting for us at Maraboo.”

TWENTY-FOUR

Nick

The music is loud as hell and the place is packed, but I barely notice the crowd. I’m leaning against the bar, drink in hand, watching the whiskey swirl like it’s going to help my sour mood.

Liam appears next to me, casual as always, sipping his whiskey and raising an eyebrow. “You look tense. That drink not strong enough?”

I snort. “You could pour gasoline in it, wouldn't make a damn difference.”

He smiles faintly and turns to face the dance floor. “She’s fine, you know. She’s with Thalia and your brothers. Clubbing for her bachelorette party. Nothing wild.”

I clench my jaw. “Yeah. I know.”

“You mad?” he asks, studying me.