AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’re the one acting like a psychopath. If anything, you scared her away.”
“Me? I don’t think so. I know my best friend and how she thinks and acts. You said or did something to make her not wanna be here.”
“Is that so?” I raise my brows. “You think you know that much about her?”
He narrows his eyes at me. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“She’s your friend for a reason, Kane.” I tap my temple. “Use your fucking brain.”
He’s seething, narrowing his gaze on me. “Stay. Away. From. Her.”
“And if I don’t?”
He sucks in a deep breath. “Then I’ll fuck you up. There is plenty of other pussy you can fuck in Eldorado. Keep your dick away from her.”
I resist the urge to laugh. If only he knew how much she was begging for it.
“You don’t know shit and have no idea what you’re talking about.” I clench my jaw as Kane pushes my temper over the edge. I’m ready to fight him right here and get it out of my system.
Kane is inches from me, but I refuse to back down.
“That right? So you know I went over Sunday morning and told her how I felt? And that I kissed her? And that she kissed me back and asked me not to stop?”
That last part makes my blood boil, and he smirks when he sees the vein in my forehead pop.
“Took you long enough to man up. Too bad I already—”
Before I can finish, we’re being pulled apart by our father.
He leans between us with the backs of our shirts in his grip and says between gritted teeth, “I’m gonna tell you this one fucking time. Stop fighting and resolve your damn issues. You’re making a scene during a family event, and I won’t tolerate it. Talk it out like brothers.”
I don’t dare push him when he’s pissed like this, especially when he’s dropping obscenities.
Mom walks up and looks back and forth between us. “Seriously? I thought we agreed there’d be no fightin’?”
“I didn’t agree to nothin’,” Kane says, and Mom glares at him.
“Go in the other room,” she demands. “Stay away from your brother.”
Kane rips himself from Dad’s hold and heads toward the desserts. Dad squeezes my shoulder hard. “Do not make me tell you two to stop it again. I will make sure you’re both on shit duty for the rest of the goddamn year.”
I narrow my eyes. “You wouldn’t…”
“Watch me,” he warns.
“Okay, okay.” I suck in a deep breath, and Dad finally releases me.
“They’re just as hardheaded as you,” Mom mutters as they walk off.
“Oh we were never that bad,” Dad tells her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and leaning in to kiss her on the cheek.
I sit down on the couch next to my sister, who smirks and shakes her head.
“Shut up,” I tell her.
“And you wonder why I’m the favorite child,” she mutters, flipping through pictures of horses on her phone.
“It’s because you’re a suck-up. Always have been.” I nudge her shoulder.
“You’ve already got one sibling pissed at you. Wanna make it two?”
I chuckle. “I think it’d be more fun if I did. So you fuckin’ Payton?” I glance over at him, who’s not so subtly watching Kaitlyn.
“God, you act like you’re thirteen still,” she throws back. “But to answer your nosy question. No.”
“You mean not yet,” I sing-song.
“Be quiet,” she tells me, then stands and goes to the dessert bar. This time, I follow her.
I pass Harper and Kenzie chatting, and they give me a goofy grin like they were busted talking shit. I’m tempted to sit down and join them just so I can hear what’s being said about me these days, but I decide to pass. The last thing I need is more drama.
I grab a few cookies, then make my way around the room and pretend nothing is weighing on me. After taking our annual family Thanksgiving photo, I head toward the front door. I’ve had enough socializing today.
When I’m home, I grab a beer from the fridge, kick off my boots, then sit on the couch. My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I take it out to see Hadleigh’s name.
Hadleigh: Sorry I missed today. Heard about the black eye.
I smirk. Of course she’s keeping up with what’s going on. I’m sure Harper’s filling her in on every little detail she hears.
Knox: Yeah, from who?
She sends me an eye roll emoji, though I already know the answer.
Hadleigh: I don’t want you two fighting because we went on a date. I was hoping if I didn’t show up today, things would settle down, and we could go back to normal.
This makes me laugh.
Knox: Normal? Don’t think so. Also we’ve been fighting our whole lives, so this is no different.
Hadleigh: This is different, and you know it. I can’t be the person who comes between you two.
