I wanted to scream.
“Do you two know each other?” Xander’s voice cut through my spiral, sharp and perceptive.
I forced myself to look at him. At Xander, not Dex. “We met briefly. Last night. At the bar.” I could hear the tightness in my voice. The distortion of truth that edged towards a lie.
“Ran into each other,” Dex added, his voice rough. “Small world apparently.”
The tension was so thick I could barely breathe through it. Everyone was looking between us, clearly sensing something was wrong but not understanding what.
“Well,” Trace said carefully, “Dex, this is Leigh. Leigh, this is Dex. He’s been part of our family since we were kids.”
“Practically another brother,” Gage added, smiling like he wasn’t twisting a knife in my gut.
Brother.
Practically their brother.
The man I’d kissed against a wall last night. The man whose hands had been in my hair, whose mouth had been on my neck. The man I’d wanted so desperately I’d said yes without hesitation.
Was practically their brother.
I was going to be sick.
“Nice to officially meet you,” I managed, my voice ice.
He nodded, jaw tight, and didn’t say anything.
The conversation tried to resume, but it was stilted now. Awkward. Everyone could feel the wrongness between us, even if they didn’t understand it.
Dex positioned himself on the far side of the room, as far from me as he could get while still being in the same space. But I could feel him there. Could feel the weight of his presence, his guilt, his regret.
I tried to focus on the brothers. On Blake telling me about the gallery, on Cade asking if I’d teach him photography, on Delaney’s warmth. But every cell in my body was aware of him.
After what felt like an eternity, Xander drifted over to where Dex stood. I watched them from the corner of my eye, saw Xander say something low that I couldn’t hear, saw Dex’s jaw tighten further.
They stepped outside, and part of me wanted to follow. To hear what they were saying. To know if Dex was telling him everything.
But I stayed where I was, pretending to listen to Blake talk about art exhibitions, while my mind screamed.
When they came back in, Dex looked even more tense. Xander’s eyes found mine briefly, something unreadable in his expression, before he rejoined the group.
I excused myself to the bathroom, needing a moment to breathe. To process. To figure out how to survive this.
In the mirror, I looked pale. Shaken. The exact opposite of how I wanted to appear on the day I met my brothers for the first time.
Get it together, I told myself. You can fall apart later. Right now, you smile and pretend everything is fine.
When I came back out, Dex was making his excuses. Something about work at the garage, things he needed to finish.
He left without looking at me. Without saying goodbye to anyone, really. Just disappeared like he couldn’t get out fast enough.
The relief was immediate and overwhelming.
But so was something else. Something I didn’t want to name.
The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur. More conversation, more laughter, plans being made for future gatherings. A family dinner on Friday. An invitation to visit the ranch. Blake insisting I come by the gallery next week.
They wanted me here.Reallywanted me. I should have been happy.
