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My brother glances at me, offering me a nod to make the call we promised we’d do if she ever returned. I leave them to talk and head into the kitchen to call the hospital. Regan needs therapy. I’m not sure what kind, but I explain that she’s a danger, and they confirm they’re on their way.
When I get back to the living room, I witness the exchange. Regan’s given Elian the details for Adam Davenport, while she’s holding onto a flash drive I’m almost certain is empty. But she doesn’t know it, and she’s not asked to check it. Maybe she knows there’s no video on there. Perhaps she’s only here to see Elian.
A few moments of silence is as heavy as an anvil dropping on a wooden table. When the buzzer goes once more, I know who it is. As the men walk into the living room to get Regan, we’re witness to expletives and cursing coming from her mouth that make me think of the goddamned Exorcist movie.
“You really know how to pick them,” I tell Elian as he shuts the door, leaving us alone. He doesn’t smile, but I don’t expect him to. Losing Arabella must’ve hurt him a lot more than I have ever seen him.
“When we were back in Miami and Lacey cheated, I moved on. I was convinced I’d never love again,” he tells me as he pours us both a drink. We settle in, and when Elian sets the bottle of bourbon on the table, I realize we’re in for a late night.
“You love Arabella?”
He looks up at my question, his gaze locked on mine before he nods. “I didn’t think it was possible. Now that I have Adam’s location, I wonder if I should go to her with the details and see if she wants to talk to him.”
“What did she say to you when you went to explain everything?” I ask before swallowing back a mouthful of amber liquid.
“Basically, she was angrier that I didn’t tell her about my deal with her mother. It seems as if she knew about her dad’s illegal dealings.” He sits back, resting his head on the back of the couch, and I watch as he closes his eyes.
“Do you love her?” I ask again because I want to hear his words. I know my brother, and he’s probably just avoiding the question because he does in fact love her, but he needs to admit it. If he can’t, then it’s pointless.
Silence hangs in the air amongst us. The tension radiating from him is stifling. I want so much to see him happy. He deserves it, but with his stubborn personality and Arabella being hurt by his actions, it seems almost impossible.
“I want so badly to bend her over my desk and fuck her senseless,” he tells me, but he doesn’t look up. I can’t help but grin at him. One thing I’ve learned over the years about Elian Donati is that he uses sex as his way to communicate. “I made love to her, at the cabin.”
“What?” This has me sitting up in my seat, shock rattling through me.
This time, he does look at me, a small smirk playing on his mouth. “Yeah,” he says before swallowing his drink and reaching for the bottle to pour another one. “I fucking love her. As stupid as it sounds, I do.”
“It’s not stupid.”
“It is. It’s too soon, and now there may not even be a chance.” He shakes his head as he pours before setting the open bottle down, nudging it toward me in offering. “I love her.”
“Then fight for her.”
“She needs space,” he informs me before knocking back another drink, and I grab the bottle, knowing I’m going to have to keep up with him tonight because that’s what we do. We may not be blood, but he’s my brother, and I will not let him drown his sorrows on his own.
“Then fight tomorrow, or the next day. Don’t let this slip you by.”
“Are you wanting me married off to a girl who’s barely nineteen so you can go running around with bikers?” His question stills me, but when I glance at him, I find him grinning. “Asshole. I know you’re going to go, and I wish you luck. Just don’t be a stranger,” he tells me, lifting his glass in a cheers toward me.
“You know I can never leave your ass completely.” I chuckle. “What would you do without me?” Shrugging, I knock back my drink before pushing to my feet. Time for the hard stuff. I grab the Patron and set it between us with shot glasses. “How about a goodbye drinking night with your brother?”
With a laugh, Elian nods, sitting on the edge of the sofa, and he joins me in the first of many shots tonight. I’ll have to say goodbye to Arabella soon as well. And that’s not something I’m looking forward to. Because if my brother’s asshole ways are anything to go by, she’ll probably kick his ass to the curb someday.
