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Now I understand why he was keeping it a secret.
22
Harbor
“Are you fucking serious, Noah?”
I slam the door, but it has a soft close mechanism, so I get no satisfaction from it. Lark is still standing in the entry like she’s not sure what to do. I’m not sure what to do either, except I know I’m about to kick my little brothers’ ass.
Noah stands, tossing his napkin to the table and stretching his arms in front of him like he’s somehow going to stop me from coming for him full speed ahead. “Slow down, bro. Let me explain.”
I don’t know why I even entertain the idea, but I stand in the living room ready to tear him apart. The words rush from his mouth, “Trish and I showed up and noticed you weren’t around.” He glances at the couch and then at me again. “One thing led to another. The food was getting cold, so we decided to do you a favor.”
My anger reaches my head, which feels like it’s going to explode when I see the couch cushions are not how I left them.Little fucker.
The blonde still sitting at the table sets her fork down but stays seated. Since she doesn’t appear to have any pants on, I understand why.Fuck.
I just wanted it to be special. I don’t care about the food. I got it in case she was hungry. I care about everything else being ruined. The long-stemmed roses are all over the coffee table and floor by the couch instead of being in the box with the bow how I left them.At least the other box is still wrapped.
I turn back to catch a glimpse of Lark, who seems perfectly content to stay out of the fray. I do my best to apologize silently. This is not how tonight should have been. I wanted her to have romance without being over-the-top hearts and flowers. Lark’s not that girl, but I got to thinking that maybe she never wanted it because she’d never received flowers from a guy before. I’m guessing no guy has allowed her to raise the bar of what she expects out of a boyfriend.
Trish asks, “You didn’t do this for our date, Noah?”
My brother kneels beside her. I hadn’t noticed he was only in his boxer briefs with a T-shirt thrown over him.
You know what?Fuck this.I go to Lark, cup her face, and whisper, “We can go to a hotel.”
Clasping her hands around my wrists, she whispers, “We don’t need to spend the money.”
“Money doesn’t matter.”
Her body bristles, though she’d lie if I asked her. With her eyes set on mine, her gaze starts to distance herself.Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.Money is determined to mess with us—it not mattering in my life and mattering too much in hers.
She swallows, but it’s heard under the murmurs of Noah trying to make this right with Trish.
It might be too late for me to do the same with my girlfriend. Lark’s eyes leave mine, stretching over my shoulder. When her gaze returns to me, she says, “We can hang out in your room or go back to mine.” She doesn’t sound upset, which is a relief.
Picking up her backpack, I lead her to my room, open the door, and set her bag inside. She walks in and now I’m the one who’s swallowing hard. The blinds are already open when she crosses the room and stands in front of the large window that frames downtown Beacon. It’s the same view from the living room, but it’s much quieter in here.
“Let me deal with my brother, and I’ll be back in.”
“Don’t be too hard on him, Harbor. I never needed any of that.”
I told her I loved her a week after meeting her. I’d never said that to another girl I was dating. But I’d also never felt so cared for before by anyone other than my family. Her love, her care was different than all the other girls. I didn’t hear about it. I felt it, making me fall fast and hard for Lark.
But hearing how she cares for my family, specifically the brother who is currently on my shit list, while sacrificing her needs . . . She might have just convinced me to fuck her as requested, like she’s not a virgin. After that, I’ll give her the world if she’ll let me.
I kiss her and then close the door behind me.
My brother and Trish are in the other bedroom. I can hear their muffled voices and the sounds of an argument. When he walks out, fully dressed, I say, “I need to speak with you privately.”
“We’ll do it another time, Harbor.”
“No, we’re going to have this out now.”
Rolling his eyes, he leans into the room, and tells her he’ll be a minute. I walk to the window, trying to find the only place we can have this conversation that’s not between the two bedrooms. Keeping my voice down, I say, “This is fucked up, Noah, and you know it,” as soon as he reaches me.
He crosses his arms over his chest, matching mine. I expect an argument, but that’s not what I get. “I’m sorry.” He runs a hand through his hair as if you couldn’t tell we were already brothers by our eyes and hair color. Give him a year or two and we’ll also be the same size in height and build, or if the fucker is lucky, he’ll be taller. “I wasn’t thinking about you.” He turns toward the bedroom as if to make sure Trish can’t hear him. Lowering his voice, he adds, “I wasn’t thinking at all.”
