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A gasp comes from somewhere behind him. We both turn our attention toward the sound. My girl is standing at the edge of the room, looking like she’s just seen a ghost. “When did you become this person?” Her whispered question is directed at the man in front of me.
“Hailey—” He goes to talk, but she cuts him off. Damn, she’s good at that. I’m going to need to teach her a lesson on interrupting people when they’re trying to speak. Either that or every time I’m trying to have a conversation with the girl, I’ll have to fill her mouth with my dick so she can’t interrupt.
“Derek never touched me, Bentley. He never even looked at me in any other way than as a sister back then. How could you think such a thing? How could you think that man is anything but good?”
She’s just as horrified by the accusation as I am. And the fact that she’s defending me, only makes me love her that much more.
“I saw you two together. I didn’t know what had happened. I knew you were crazy in love with him, and I figured he took advantage of the situation.”
“You figured wrong!” she shrieks. “Why didn’t you ask me, Bentley? Now, I know who I get it from.” I’m not sure what she’s talking about, but if it’s about making wrongful assumptions about situations, then yeah, she definitely can do that. Like the one she made tonight about me and the sweet butts.
“Because I knew you’d lie for him, Hailey. You loved him. Of course, you’d say whatever was needed to protect him.”
“You are so wrong, Bentley.” She shakes her head, looking horrified. “You are not the brother I once knew. I don’t know who you are anymore. Accusing an innocent, loving man of horrid things, lying to me and trying to control my every move, threatening to kill the guy you once considered your best friend and was, is, our family. Wait…” She suddenly pauses, looking as if some kind of light bulb clicked on. “When you said you kept him from seeing me… Oh my God. Did you do something to stop him from visiting me, Bentley?” Her eyes are wide and searching. She turns to me, and I know she finds the truth the moment she sees my face.
“Oh my God! You did. What the hell has happened to you?” She shakes her head. “If Mom and Dad knew how you’ve been behaving, they’d be rolling over in their graves. How could you do that? You knew how much he meant to me. You knew I needed him and how much I was hurting. Every time he canceled on a trip, and I cried on the phone to you, you painted him as a jerk for not making the effort, yet you were the reason he didn’t come. Did you threaten him like you just did?” She looks from him to me. “Did he threaten you?”
I don’t want to lie to her, but I know the truth is going to break her. She loves Bentley, and this is going to hurt. Thankfully, I don’t have to be the one to break her heart.
“Yes, Hailey, but I only did it because—”
“No, Bentley! I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want to hear your sorry-ass excuses for why you lied to me and not only betrayed me but betrayed your best friend. The man who gave up his life and moved in with us when Mom and Dad died. The man who picked up the pieces and glued us back together. Who helped us get through the hardest times of our lives. I don’t care what you say. You may be a man of the law now, but you are not a good man. I’m done with you, Bentley. I’m moving the fuck out, and I’m done.” She storms right past him and right into my arms, and the man behind her looks like his world has just shattered.
“Baby.” I hug her tight, wanting to offer her comfort but needing to fix this. “You may hate what he did, but you shouldn’t fault him for it.” I lift her chin to look at me. “He loves you more than life itself. He was scared and was the one left in charge with protecting you from here on out. He was doing what he thought was right. He may have been wrong to make the assumptions about us, but he wasn’t wrong for wanting to protect you.”
It’s the reason I never beat his ass for his accusations because I knew they were coming from a good place: fear and love.
“He wasn’t wrong for wanting his sister to be with someone who’s not carrying so much baggage around. He just went about protecting you the wrong way.”
She’s shaking her head. The tears streaming down her cheeks are making my damn heart ache.
“He loves you, baby. We both do. And he’s scared for your future. He’s a first-time parent, babe,” I tease, trying to lighten the moment and ease some of the tension in the room. “And you didn’t come with an instruction manual. But what he and I both need to realize,” I say, wiping the tears from her cheeks and staring into her beautiful eyes, “is that you’re a woman now. A wise one at that. And it’s time for you to make your own decisions and to learn from your own mistakes. The only thing I can guarantee is that I’m not a mistake.”
I look up over her shoulder and meet another set of glistening eyes. “I will never hurt her. I love her with all my heart and only want what’s best for her. I know I’m no Prince Charming, Bent, and I do have some shit in my past, but I won’t bring that to our future. The only thing I want to bring to her future is happiness. I want you to trust me when I say my intentions are good, Bentley. Because when it comes to this incredible woman…” I look back down at the girl of my dreams, my heart giving me a good thump. “I know she’s one in a million. I know I’d be the luckiest man on the planet if she agreed to be mine till death do us part. And I’d be the sorriest man alive in a world not worth living in if I ever hurt her. So please, brother.” I swallow hard. “Trust when I say she’s safe with me and that I’ll protect this heart of hers.”
“Oh, Derek!” Hailey reaches up onto her toes and plants her lips to mine. I hold her to me, kissing her like my life depends on it. I kiss her like I’m sealing the vow I just made to her. I kiss her like a man kisses a woman to let her know that this is it. This is the moment, and there’s no going back. Not for me. And as far as I’m concerned, not for her.
I pull back, allowing us both to catch our breaths, and I take in my beautiful girl. Her eyes are twinkling with love and lust, and it’s the prettiest she’s ever looked.
“I love you,” she whispers. “I love you so much that the thought of not being with you is more terrifying than death to me. You’re my home, Derek. You’re the one who brought me out of that miserable fog and made the sun shine in my world again. You’re the one who always picked up the phone and listened when I felt lost and alone. You’ve shown me what true love is. And I can’t thank you enough.”
She turns and looks toward her brother. “I love you, too, Bentley, and that will never change. You’re all I have left as far as relatives go, but I don’t just love you because you’re my brother, I love you because you’re my best friend. The guy who sacrificed so much to take care of me and make it to where I didn’t have to go live in a group home after Mom and Dad died. You have always done everything you can to make sure I felt loved, safe, and protected, and I appreciate that more than you will ever know, but this…what you did with Derek was wrong. But…” She shakes her head. “I forgive you for it. Derek is right. You only meant well, and I know that.”
“Hailey.” He reaches for her and pulls her from me, tucking her into his chest and wrapping her in a hug. “I’m so sorry. I’m so damn sorry. I’ve been such an asshole for so long and have been so blind and jaded by work, and so fucking screwed up in the head. I messed up. With both of you.” He looks up at me. “I messed up so damn bad that I don’t blame you if you can never forgive me, but I hope like hell one day you’ll be able to. I hope one day I’ll earn both of your trust again, and that you’ll call me a friend again, Derek.”
Now I have fucking tears in my eyes. Dammit. Why does shit have to be so damn heavy sometimes? I’m ready to put all of this behind us. I’m ready for the fucking rain clouds to go away and the sun to permanently come out. I need my girl smiling, and I need to see one on my brother’s face too.
“I never stopped, man,” I tell him. “I mean…I may have called you a few choice words from time to time, but I never gave up hope that one day this shit would be behind us. You have been and will always be my family. Both of you. I just hope that with your permission, I’ll actually get to call you a brother. Because I want to ask this sister of yours if she’ll be my wife.”
Hailey lets out another gasp, her smile so wide and bright it’s blinding. Damn, I love this girl.
“Hell fucking yeah, you have my blessing.” I look up, and Bentley’s smile is just as wide. They really are alike. Two stubborn hotheads who can make all the horrible shit in the world fade away with their love and acceptance.
I reach for my girl and pull her from his arms. “What do you say, baby? You gonna put me out of my misery and say you’ll be mine, or are you going to make me get down on my knees and grovel? I want you, baby. For life. You’re it for me, and I sure as hell hope that I’m it for you.”
Her sly little grin makes me think my girl is gonna give me a run for my money. And hell, I’ll be sprintin’ after her sexy ass.
“Considering the fact that I’ve always been the one chasing you around, I think you should get down on your knees and beg, but since we’ve got company right now, I don’t think it’s an appropriate time for that.”
