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It feels good to finally get it all out in the open. This behavior has been going on for far too long, and it needs to stop.
“Come on, Bray,” I push. “I want some answers.” The already oppressive atmosphere in the truck turns suffocating. “What was the plan? Were you going to protect my virtue until I was forty? Or maybe you had a nice, arranged marriage in mind?”
His expression turns sour before he scoffs, “Now you’re just being ridiculous.”
“I’m not the one being absurd,” I shout. “You are.” Even though I’m not looking to drag his girlfriend into our argument, I swing in my seat until she comes into view. “I bet Sydney’s slept with whomever she wanted to, and no one attempted to stop her.” I might not know her well, but I could tell from the first time we met that she wasn’t a girl who put up with anyone telling her what to do.
Including my brother.
It’s one of the reasons I admire her so much. Sydney Daniels is her own person who knows her mind. And no one is going to change that.
Instead of answering, Sydney glances at my brother with an arched brow. Their gazes catch before he scowls. When she remains silent, most likely not wanting to take sides, I huff out an exhausted breath and go back to contemplating the landscape that flies by the window. It’s a relief when we reach the city limits and Brayden has to slow his speed. I need to get out of this truck and away from my brother before I wrap my fingers around his throat and throttle the life out of him.
An uncomfortable silence falls over us. When it becomes almost too much to bear, he shifts on his seat and mumbles, “You know I’m just trying to protect you, right?”
I huff out a breath. “I don’t need your protection. I need you to treat me like an adult and stay out of my personal business the same way I stay out of yours. If I end up making a mistake in a relationship, then it’s mine to make and learn from. You might find this hard to believe, but I’m not incompetent. I can take care of myself.”
“I never said you were.”
My brows rise. “Then why do you treat me like I am?”
“That’s not what I’m doing.”
My lips flatten as I cross my arms across my chest and go back to staring at the storefronts we’re rolling past. There’s no point in engaging in this conversation if he won’t own up to his behavior.
A few more miles pass by before he clears his throat. “After Dad died, you needed someone to look out for you. To make sure you were safe and taken care of. Don’t you think he would have wanted me to protect you the same way he always did?”
My shoulders slump under the heaviness of his words. Dad died when Brayden was just seventeen years old. It forced my brother to step in and fill his humongous shoes. I know that couldn’t have been easy for him.
“Yes, but he also wouldn’t have wanted you to stunt my growth and keep me from experiencing everything life has to offer.” Even though it’s harsh, I give him the unvarnished truth. “Whether you realize it or not, that’s what you’ve been doing.”
He blinks as his gaze stays pinned to the road. A mixture of grief and confusion fills his expression.
“You’re wrong,” he whispers thickly.
“No, I’m not.”
I’ve never been so happy to see Sutton Hall than when he swerves into the parking lot before rolling to a stop in front of the building. Without a word, I grab my bag, open the door, and jump out before slamming it shut. For just a moment, I pause and inhale a lungful of fresh air. It’s sad. Brayden and I have always been close. Especially after Dad’s death. But it’s a relief to escape his presence. I think we both need time to think about everything that’s happened and been said. Maybe then we can get together and talk.
As I stalk up the front walkway, the door to the driver’s side of the truck pops open and Brayden raises his voice. “That’s it? You’re going to walk away without hashing this out?”
Yup. That’s the plan. The ride back from the cabin was excruciating, and I’m mentally and emotionally drained. I don’t have anything else inside me to give.
“Elle!”
A prick of guilt wells up inside me and I spin around. “I’m done talking. I’m just...done.” Without waiting for a response, I swing toward the dorm.
“Come on, Elle. Don’t walk away like this. Just give me a few minutes—”
Once I reach the door, I pull out my key and jam it into the lock before slipping inside the building.
After what happened at the cabin, I have no idea if our relationship will ever be the same again.
