Page 125 of Claimed By The Other Brother

The vehemence in my voice surprises even me. Mark and Jeff exchange another glance.

"What did Miles do?" Mark asks quietly.

"You mean besides abandon Scarlett at the altar in front of fifty people?" I signal for another whiskey.

"He went to Florida after the wedding. Stayed there for a couple weeks."

"Family?" Jeff guesses.

"Partly. Our mother lives there." I accept the fresh drink from the server.

"But that's not all he did. He reconnected with an old girlfriend. Spent time with her while Scarlett was in Chicago picking up the pieces of her humiliation."

"Jesus Christ," Mark says.

"My mother told me. She slipped the information out and tried to backtrack, but I heard enough." The anger I've been carrying surfaces.

"It's typical. She's been covering for Miles his whole life. Making excuses. Justifying his behavior."

"That's fucked up," Jeff says bluntly.

"He told our mother he needed tomake sure there was no unfinished business before he could commit to Scarlett." I shake my head.

"This was after he'd already asked her to marry him. After they'd planned a wedding. After everything."

Mark leans back. "And now he wants her back?"

"Apparently. He's been calling her. Texting. Trying to visit."

"Has she responded?"

"Not the way he wants." I take another drink.

"He doesn't deserve her. He had his chance and he threw it away. Twice."

The conviction in my voice is unmistakable.

"So what are your intentions?" Mark asks.

"With Scarlett."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you just said she's your fire. You're gushing about her in a way we've never heard. You're clearly serious about this." Mark's gaze is direct.

"Are you ready to be more for her? Because if Miles finds out and this blows up, it's going to get messy."

I'm quiet for a moment, turning the glass in my hands.

The question isn't whether I want more. It's whether I'm capable of it. Whether I can be what she needs.

"I'm willing to be whatever she wants and needs me to be," I say finally.

The words hang in the air.

Jeff's eyebrows raise. "That's... significant."

"I know."