"What the fuck is going on here?" I demanded, not sure who I was asking.
Hawk answered, his tone dry as dust. "Your brother came to win back Parker." Hawk's eyes snapped to Parker, whose face was granite, all laughter extinguished.
"Get out," Parker snapped at Tyler. "I don't want you here."
"You're still my wife," Tyler started, trying to shake off Hawk's grip on the back of his neck. Hawk's fingers tightened in an almost imperceptible squeeze. Tyler yelped and went still.
"Unfortunately," Griffen cut in, "until she can get you to sign the papers, she is your wife. But this is my house and you're not welcome here. Go back wherever you came from, and if you need to communicate with Parker, do it through her attorney."
"He doesn't have anywhere else to go," I interjected. I didn't see a reason to hide the situation from anyone. "My mother cut him off." Looking at Parker, taking in her wide eyes, I explained, "She texted me early yesterday, begging me to rush home. She said it was an emergency."
If I thought that was going to soften Parker, I was wrong. Understanding brightened her eyes, but her grim expression didn't yield.
"Shut up, you ass," Tyler hissed at me. "Mom didn't mean it, anyway. Once Parker forgives me, she'll let me come home."
I shook my head in disbelief. "How deluded are you, man? Mom doesn't want you to win Parker back. She wants you to leave us all alone, to get a job and show her you can support yourself and act like an adult. Then, maybe, she'll let you under her roof again. You harassing Parker is the last thing Mom wants."
"Claudia cut him off?" Parker asked. "What does that mean?"
"It means she kicked him out of all her properties. Changed the locks, alerted security, everything. She also cut off his credit card and access to her accounts."
"Oh my god," Parker breathed. "Is she–"
I knew what Parker was going to ask. "She's doing as well as she can be, given the situation."
Parker let out a breath, her gaze moving back to Tyler. I hated seeing them in the same room together, hated that she was still pissed at me. It had taken the long trip home for me to realize how badly I'd fucked up.
I hadn't meant to. For once, I'd had only good intentions. I'd known I should wake her and tell her I was leaving, but it had been so early and I'd kept her up most of the night.
I'd decided to let her sleep. In my guest room, I'd grabbed the duffel I'd never really unpacked, tossed in my toiletries bag, and left for the airport to catch my flight, thinking I'd be back before dinner.
Things had been so perfect between us, I'd taken her for granted. Since I realized she'd blocked me I'd been imagining her waking alone, probably convinced that I'd used her for sex and taken off. I knew she had far too much pride to ask Griffen where I was, and he wouldn't have thought to tell her.
We were both idiots.
I should have left her a note or woken her up, and she should know better than to think I'd ever use her and walk away.
"You need to leave Sawyers Bend, Tyler," Parker said. "I'm sorry Claudia cut you off, but you can't stay here."
Feet sounded on the main stairs opposite the front door. Royal, Griffen, and Parker turned to see their cousin Bryce coming down the stairs, a wide, welcoming smile on his too handsome face. The guy looked like the crown prince of the country club, all golden blond hair, blue eyes and too many white teeth.
As if unaware of the tension in the room, he strode forward, hand outstretched. Hawk dropped his grip from Tyler's neck with a bemused expression, as if waiting to see what would happen next. Tyler took Bryce's hand, shaking it firmly, leaning in to pat Bryce on the back. "Good to see you again!" he said, with hearty cheer.
Bryce stepped back and scanned the room, his shit-eating grin stretching from ear to ear. "You decided to come home? Try to work things out with the wife?"
"He was just leaving," Griffen cut in, his glare divided between Tyler and Bryce.
Bryce turned the full force of his smile on Griffen. "Are you sure about that, cousin? I couldn't help but overhear your disagreement from upstairs, and I think you might want to consult Harvey before you toss your brother-in-law out on his ear."
Everyone froze.
Who was Harvey?
"What do you know?" Griffen demanded.
Bryce shrugged one shoulder and tossed his blond locks off his forehead. "Just a hunch."
Griffen slashed a sharp glance at Hawk. "Can you hold him until I talk to Harvey?"
