“I’m so fucking sorry for what I said about your parents, man,” he chokes out, his voice breaking. Then, inexplicably, Carter shakes his head and turns away from me—shoulders shaking as he starts to cry.
My throat goes dry.
Shit.
Emotion burns behind my eyes, too. Yeah, that one hurt. It was probably the one thing he could have said to me that would have done any damage. I know that he said it out of pure anger. It was the only weapon in his arsenal that he had to use against me when I hurt him the worst way I knew how. I’m devastated that those words left his mouth, but strangely, I forgave him the moment they did.
Seeing shame this thick on Forker is not a common sight. It wounds me. The deep kind of hurt that makes my chest ache.. I have never been able to take care of my brothers at home, but I pride myself on taking care of them here. He’s my brother. Blood or no blood. I don’t want him to spew venomous shit like that at me oranyof the guys again, but he needs to know that forgiveness exists, too. He needs to understand that I believehe can change for the better. He won’t put in the work if he thinks he’s a lost cause.
I clear my throat and finally bridge the distance we’ve created between us. I pull out the chair beside him, dropping myself intoit. He won’t look at me, even when I softly say his name. He shakes his head, trying to get a handle on the tears.
I wipe my own with a sweep of the hand and slap him on the shoulder. “Hey. I forgive you, man. I know you didn’t mean it.”
“I didn’t.” His voice breaks, his back still to me. “I swear, man. I didn’t. I’m so sorry.”
“I know,” I say, shaking him gently. I blink my tears away, clearing my throat. “I didn’t mean to hurt you either, buddy. Sometimes, things happen. Sometimes, we say shit we can’t take back. But I do forgive you for it, and I am more than aware that you would have never said it if I didn’t hurt that girl that you’ve been protecting since you were kids.”
“Boss, I’m not the judge and the jury on who she can fall in love with.”
He finally turns to me, his cheeks wet. Hearing him acknowledge that she loves me feels like he just took a pickaxe and wielded it between my ribs. The impact is so deep that the edge pierces through my body and into my soul.
“And even though you won’t outright say it because you’re a little bitch, I can’t decide who you fall in love with either.”
I roll my eyes, falling back in my seat, ripping my hand from his shoulder. This fucking guy. He’s impossible.
A stunned laugh bubbles up through my throat. The dude is unhinged, but he sure knows how to smooth over tense moments. One moment, he has me in tears, the next in stitches.
“I have tried to put her on the right path her whole life,” he continues, wiping his face. “Since day one, I have been that girl’s biggest cheerleader. I made it to every volleyball game in high school, even when I had my own shit with hockey. I packed her lunches. My dad was too busy and my mom had better things to do. I love my parents, but it was Ari and I who raised each other.”
I dip my chin, bringing my beer to my lips. I know. I’ve never doubted his love for his sister or why he’s so protective. I get it. He’s the brother I’ve always wanted to be.
“The idea of someone breaking her heart makes me want to curl up and die, Boss. I’ve patched that heart up so many times until she finally decided she won’t give it out again. Started going for losers, so that she’d hurt them before they hurt her. So that she never got too attached.”
I swallow. The rooftop floods my memories. She is so good at putting on an act. She’s so good at pretending she’s fine, even when her past haunts her the same way it does the rest of us.
“The one thing she has done right. The one thing she did with her whole heart. Theonerisk she took, which ended up being the best thing for her, and I shit on her for it. I hit you for it.”
I’m stunned to hear him put me under the ‘things done right’ category.
“Ariana is…complicated. She makes stupid choices when it comes to her love life, even when she overthinks it to death. She didn’t overthink it with you. For once, she went after what she wanted. She went with her gut.”
“Forker—”
He holds up a hand.
“If there is anyone worthy of my baby sister.” He takes a big breath in and meets my eyes with a soft, sincere expression before he dips his chin, as if in defeat. “It's Declan.”
I blink in surprise.
He flashes me a lazy smile. “It’syou,Boss.”
Idiot.What an absolute fucking idiot.
I would die for this guy.
I grin at his stupidity, and he grins right back. We’ve mended it, I think.
“I appreciate that, but it’s done now.”
