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“What the hell?” I throw my hands up as I stalk toward her.
Her manicured brows knit as she presses her phone against her chest and mouths “What?”
“Don’t play dumb. You know what you did.”
“Dash, let me call you back . . .” She ends the call and slides her cell into her back pocket. “What’s wrong? Is Dad okay?”
“Why is Audrina here?”
Nicola’s expression turns ashen as she squints. “What?”
“You heard me.”
“Audrina’s here? As in . . . at the hospital?”
Exhaling, I hook my hands on my hips, jaw clenched.
I don’t have time for these little games.
“She’s in Dad’s room right now. Sitting on his bed. Holding his hand. Talking to him. How the hell did she know where he was?” I ask. “You called her after I specifically told you not to.”
Nicola pushes past me, striding back to the room as if she doesn’t believe me—which doesn’t bode well for my theory about Nic being the one who extended the invitation. Now that I think about it, Nic didn’t even have her phone until a few hours ago. Unless Audrina happened to be in the area, there’s no way she could’ve gotten here that fast.
I follow my sister back to the ICU, where she stops cold in the doorway.
She’s as shocked as I was a couple of minutes ago.
“Audrina,” she says, arms crossed as she walks into the room like she owns the place. “What are you doing here?”
Audrina glances up. “Nic. Hi. It’s been a while . . .”
“Did Burke invite you? I’m so confused.” Nicola turns to me, her hand splayed on her chest. “I swear it wasn’t me. You can look through my phone. I wouldn’t do that to you . . .”
My sister is famous for meddling, and a few minutes ago, this had her name written all over it, but for some reason, I’m inclined to believe her now.
Audrina uncrosses her long legs and clears her throat before rising and slinging her monogrammed bag over one shoulder.
“I know I’m not exactly welcomed in this family anymore,” she says, “but I wanted to say goodbye to Redmond while I still could.”
“You still haven’t answered me,” Nicola says. “Who invited you?”
“Audrina?” Burke’s voice from the hallway steals our collective attention. “What are you doing here?”
I don’t tell him he’s the third person to ask that question because I’m too busy wondering why he’s asking it at all . . .
If it wasn’t Nic and it sure as hell wasn’t me who invited her, it had to have been him.
My brother pushes between us and makes his way to our ex. From the corner of my eye, I spot Briar standing in the hallway, one hand gripping her opposite arm and her eyes fixed on the cream tile floor.
“Burke.” Audrina’s eyes light up when she sees him. “Hi.”
I steal another look at Briar. Despite the fact that this is beyond disrespectful to her, she doesn’t seem the least bit bothered.
“I wanted to see your father one last time.” Audrina places her hand on Burke’s arm. “I hope I’m not upsetting you by being here.”
I choke on a laugh.
Funny, she didn’t apologize to me a few minutes ago.
“No, it’s fine,” Burke says. His back is to all of us now, and I’m 99 percent sure Briar’s the furthest thing from his mind. “I’m glad you could make it.”
I’m sure he is . . .
“I’m just confused,” he continues. “How did you know we were here?”
Audrina’s eyes flick to the doorway, where Briar had been standing just moments ago—only now she’s gone.
CHAPTER THIRTY
BRIAR
Present Day
“This must be weird for you.” Nicola takes the seat beside me in the waiting room. She’s speaking slowly and softly, though frigidity remains in her cool green eyes.
While Burke was processing the fact that Audrina was standing before him, I got the urge to leave. Not because I wanted anyone to think I was upset but because I wanted to give him a moment alone with her, a moment where he didn’t have to worry about how his siblings would perceive the entire exchange with me watching.
Ten minutes passed before Nicola came out to check on me, though I can’t decide if she’s checking on me or digging for dirt.
“Are you upset?” Nicola asks, settling into her chair. She folds her arms. “Because you have every right to be. If Dash’s ex showed up here . . . I don’t know what I’d do, but it wouldn’t be pretty.”
“It’s fine,” I say.
From the corner of my eye, I spot Dorian making his way to the elevator. He glances in our direction, and our gazes lock for half a second before he continues.
“It’s fine?” She repeats my words as if they leave a salty taste on her tongue, and then she reaches for a copy of Town & Country magazine from the coffee table in front of us. “You must be a bigger person than me, then.”
