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“And that’s not the worst of it.” I close my eyes. “She’s dating someone…and it looks serious.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah, fuck. I walked in on them.Together.” I stagger a breath. It feels like a knife is being twisted into my lungs as I choke out the words.
“Oh shit,” Hayden mutters.
I grind my teeth. “Maybe she’s better off with him. Better off not knowing. What the fuck good is the truth to her now anyway?”
“The truth is worth everything, Jay. Don’t rob her of that too.” Hayden sucks in a breath. “There isn’t a single person in this world who could love her the way you do. You gave up everything for her.
“And from what you told me about how fucked up her childhood was, and how she’d never truly been loved before? If she knew there was someone out there who’d never given up, who loved her completely…who would do anything for her, don’t you think it would mean everything to her to know that?”
He hits me where it hurts. Because he’s right. Frank may be a good guy—I truly have no fucking idea—but there isn’t a person in this world who loves her as much as I do. And if nothing else, Cat needs to know that I’ve been fighting for over a decade to come back to her. Even if she chooses to walk away—to be with someone else—I love her enough to let her do that.
“So what do I do? She fucking hates me. She thought I was going in there to gloat about her grandfather’s stroke.”
Hayden laughs, making my skin prickle. What the fuck is funny about this?Of all the reactions I could have anticipated, this was the last.
“Jay, you aren’t exactly known for being everyone’s favorite,” he says.
“Fuck, I woulda called Garreth if I wanted my balls handed to me,” I grumble, scrubbing a hand over my face.
“My point,” Hayden says with a chuckle, “is that she hated you the first time, but you still won her over. And you’ve won over plenty of people since. Be yourself. Your cocky but charming self. She’ll remember who you are. Who she fell in love with. Just beyou.”
Be me. That’s his advice. “I should have called Garreth.”
“Garreth would put a hit out on anyone he thought hurt you,” my brother reminds me, his voice full of far too much humor for that kind of comment. “So unless you have a death wish for whoever she’s dating, I’d suggest you keep him out of it.”
“I wouldn’t hate that…” I grouse.
Hayden laughs again. “No, I’m sure you wouldn’t. But don’t you want a level playing field? Can’t exactly compete with a dead guy.”
He’s right, even if the idea of Frank dead after he touched Cat isn’t the least appealing thought. I lean my head back and stare at the ceiling. “Be myself.”
“Yes. I’ll see you at dinner. I have to finish this meeting. You going to be okay?”
“I’ll be fine.” I close my eyes and let out a breath. “Hayden?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
“It’s what brothers are for,” he says, and then he disconnects the call. That response seals the deal. I walked away so she would never have to choose between her future and her family’s. So that she would always have her brothers. And in doing that, I found mine.
6
I MISS YOU, I’M SORRY BY GRACIE ABRAMS
Cat
Iwalk into Sophie’s house to the sound of her children screaming about things I can’t quite make out. Daphne has escaped from the madness in the kitchen and waddles toward me with her arms extended. I scoop her up and snuggle into her soft skin. With each stroke of her hair, my heart rate settles a little more. And for the first time since Jay walked into my office and upended my life today, I feel like I can take a full breath. I’ve tried calling Cynthia at least a dozen times, but she has yet to call me back. I need to know what the fuck Jay was talking about when he said he’s my new boss.
I enter the chaotic kitchen and bite my lip to keep from laughing. Sophie is covered in some type of—sauce? Gravy? Baby puke? What is that?
Her son Declan is talking to an audience that is not listening to anything he’s saying. Her oldest daughter Delilah is holding baby Dara, and Dexter is trying like hell to keep from laughing while he wipes at the substance dripping down Sophie’s chest and arms.
“What’s that smell?” I mutter.
