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My gut clenched, aware of the feeling. Hurting her was killing me too.
But it had nothing on loving her.
I thought my brother might leave after what he said, but he put no distance between us. He stood there, and I thought he actually would hit me. Thatcher put a hand on Bru’s shoulder. “You should go take a walk, kid. You’re coming in real hot right now.”
So, I wasn’t the only one to notice. I got it. He and Red were friends, but this was intense. As far as I knew, he and Red hadn’t spoken in years, old friends but nothing that warranted this kind of aggression.
The kid blinked, blanched. It was as if he was in some kind of haze, and once he got out of it, he rubbed his face.
He pivoted then, stalking away, and I had nearly a dozen eyes studying me.
“You guys are talking about Fawn.” There was no question in my sister’s statement, and it was obvious considering what the kid said. Sloane’s arms folded. “Seriously? Did you do something else to her?”
Again, I wouldn’t be talking to her about this, but it turned out I didn’t have to. She ended up shaking her head at me, then running after Bru. Bow followed her since she went wherever my sister did.
Dorian pointed at me. “Don’t go far. We need to talk.”
I supposed he would want to do that, make me face some shit.
Cursing, I threaded my fingers on top of my head. Dorian headed in the same direction as his girlfriend, and when Wells and Thatcher stayed, I averted my gaze once more.
“What’s going on between you and Fawn, Wolf?” Wells asked, and the question wasn’t foreign. The pair of them had been all questions when Fawn propositioned me for sex, but I shut them down just like I would now.
I picked up my bricks, passing them and finishing the job I started. I ignored the generalized pain the labor caused my body but was hard-pressed to do the same for the ache in my center. That shit lingered. This thing with Fawn wasn’t just killing me. It was destroying me piece by piece.
Nerve by nerve.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Bru
“I’m an idiot, aren’t I?”
I turned my head to see Fawn, her body stretched out beside me. I’d found her lying on our bedroom floor about an hour ago and joined her.
How did this all become such a mess?
I’d been trying to give Fawn space since I’d found her crying in our room about two days ago. It hadn’t been obvious crying, and she’d attempted to hide it. She’d missed dinner, and I’d come to check on her.
Only to find her in tears.
I sighed after her question, aware the only idiot in this room was me. I was the one who had told her to talk to Wolf.
I thought he…
Well, I didn’t know what I thought now. I just knew my brother had been acting weird and him having feelings for Fawn seemed like the only way to justify his recent actions. He wasn’t acting like himself and him getting too involved with his fake girlfriend seemed like the only answer.
All he did was hurt her.
I felt like I didn’t even know my brother and definitely couldn’t look at him right now. I even refused to go camping with him and the other guys. It came up about getting a trip in before Christmas in a few days, but I stayed behind.
I think Sloane did the same in an act of solidarity. Word of what happened between Wolf and Fawn traveled quick through our ranks. At least, when it came to us kids. I think we all weren’t trying to bring any drama in front of our parents during the holidays, and with Sloane staying behind, Bow did too. Dorian tried, but my sister convinced him out of it. Something about her wanting him to have fun with his friends.
Basically, shit had hit the fan around here, and as much as I wanted to blame Wolf for his stupidity, I had to take some ownership of what had happened. Had I not convinced Fawn to go talk to Wolf, what had ended up happening wouldn’t have happened. My brother clearly didn’t love her. If he did, he wouldn’t have treated her the way he had.
My cheek touched the carpet, my fingers laced on my chest. Fawn stared up at the ceiling, the glow of our fireplace flicking warmth across her cheeks. All I could think was how much of an idiot my brother truly was and how much I was for subjecting her to him. I swallowed. “You’re not. I’m the one who suggested you go to him.”
Honestly, my brother’s feelings were only part of the reason I’d pushed Fawn in his direction. Of course, I cared about my brother and wanted the best for him. Idiot or not, I thought he was getting in his own way, so when Fawn had come to talk to me, I’d guided her to approach him, but that was only because I thought I’d picked up on something on her end too. I thought maybe what they’d had started physical and shifted into something else. That they had both gotten in over their heads and whatever they’d had turned into something more.
