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I follow him toward his room, even though I wasn’t invited, but he doesn’t stop me. “Flint?—”
“I’m really exhausted, Aspen,” he says shortly as I cross the threshold. “But I really appreciate you keeping Lily distracted. She didn’t need to see any of that.”
I close the door behind me as he flops into the tan armchair, rubbing his temples at the hairline. Uncertainly, I linger. A part of me wants to give him space, but another part forces me to stay.
“I’m a part of this, too,” I remind him. “And I’m in it with you guys, remember?”
He barely lifts his head to give me some semblance of a smile, but it’s weak and does nothing for me.
“They were scared,” I add. “They didn’t know how to handle Raya.”
“Of course they didn’t,” he snaps. “Pike’s too mild-mannered, and Caden’s too much of a hothead.”
I gulp back my impulse to defend them, knowing his emotions are running high, too. “They did their best in the moment,” I say. “And it could have turned out a lot worse.”
“I’m going to sit down with the sheriff and ensure that they stay away from us. Mike will keep them at bay.”
“Maybe that’s something one of us can handle,” I suggest softly, ambling closer to crouch at his legs. “It seems like you’ve got more than enough on your plate right now, Flint. I could talk to the sheriff. Or maybe Pike?”
He snorts humorlessly. “That’s putting it lightly. But if I ask Pike or Caden to do it, they’ll drop the ball.”
I fall back on my haunches and peer at him. “You really believe that?”
He tenses, his shoulders stiffening. “No. No, of course not,” he mutters. “I…” Drawing in a deep breath, he looks at me, biting on his lower lip. “I’m so used to cleaning up other people’s messes, I guess I’m just getting a little tired of it.”
“They didn’t make a mess,” I remind him. “They did nothing wrong.”
He exhales. “I know. I… I’m pissed at my brother,” he confesses, taking me aback. “He’s made a colossal mess of things at Sterling Group, I’m not even sure if I can fix it—and that’s on top of everything else that’s going wrong.”
My hands rest softly on his knees as I listen, and the words spill out of him, the weight of his stress pouring forward as if I’d opened a tap.
“My grandfather started this business eighty years ago, basically as a landlord. Now, Sterling Group has a net worth of twenty billion dollars.”
I swallow, the amount stunning me. It shouldn’t. Everyone knows about the Sterling Group, but all the same, it’s daunting.
He chuckles lightly. “You see? I’ve already lost you. You’re zoning out.”
“I’m not. I… I just can’t relate to any of that, I guess.”
His face shadows as if he realizes we’re worlds apart on some issues. “I’m being insensitive.”
I wave my head vehemently, rocking on my haunches with a small smile on my lips. “Not at all,” I promise. “My time in foster care was… educational. Not in the same way your boarding school was, of course, but it taught me things you would never learn in your high-end institutions.”
He cocks his head and studies me curiously. “Oh, yeah? Like what?”
“Like how important family and community are. I guess you don’t know what you don’t have until you have it… if that makes sense,” I titter, hoping I don’t sound foolish.
A sad smile touches his lips. “I get that,” he replies. “Our family wasn’t exactly close. In fact, when my father died, I felt a sense of relief. I had no idea how good I had it when he was alive and running the company.”
My head nods. “It was like that with my ex-fiancé. I thought it was so great finally having someone who cared for me, who loved me, and was always there at the end of a long day. I overlooked his flaws because it had to be better than being alone.” The shame of Sean sweeps over me. “But then I realized he wasn’t really family.”
Flint’s hand cups my face. “No. It doesn’t sound that way. Family, proper family, the ones who love you unconditionally, don’t hurt you. They don’t make you want to get out.”
He leans forward and captures my hands in his, bringing my fingers to his lips. “I’m talking too much,” he mumbles, dipping one of my fingers inside his full mouth. I shake my head, but he pulls me forward into a kiss.
“Shh,” he warns. “I don’t think we have much time before Lily wakes up, and I believe I owe you something I haven’t given you yet.”
Oh. Now he has me conflicted, wanting him and wanting him to tell me more. The dampness forming between my legs wins out, his brawny arms pulling me closer before I can even manufacture a protest.
