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“How long?” Austin grits through his clenched jaw. “How fucking long have you been going behind my back and taking advantage of my sister?”
“That’s not—” I rush in.
“HOW FUCKING LONG?”
“Austin,” Mom says, trying to calm the situation as tears stream down my face, feeling my whole world burning to ashes at my feet.
Izaac takes a hesitant step toward him, the guilt so obvious on his face. “Since your mom’s birthday,” he admits, not wanting to sugarcoat anything and giving it to him straight. “A little over a month.”
Austin’s gaze swings to me, and the look he gives me almost drops me to my knees. The betrayal in his eyes is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before, the hurt, the guilt, the heartbreak. “Austin,” I breathe. “I—”
He looks back at Izaac, shaking his head. “Nearly twenty-five fucking years, and the only thing I’ve ever asked of you was to never touch her,” he says, the heaviness in his tone breaking me. “You’re fucking dead to me.”
And with that, Austin turns on his heel and stalks out of my childhood room, leaving me a fucking mess as I fall into my mother’s arms.
32
ASPEN
My brother has always been my greatest supporter, my best friend, and the biggest pain in my ass, and now, he feels like nothing more than a cold stranger.
I’m out of options.
The day he stormed out of my childhood bedroom, I ran after him. I tried talking to him, gripping on to his arm and begging him to hear me out like a child, but he shook me off, got into his car, and drove away. I’ve tried calling. Texting. Hitting him up on social media, until he finally got sick of it and blocked me. It’s been almost two weeks of radio silence, and not just from him. Izaac has been just as cold. Refusing to see me until he’s mended things with Austin, and sure, that’s commendable, but what about me? What about the way I hurt? Does that not matter to either of them?
God, I’ve never felt more alone than I have over the past two weeks. They’re assholes. I know Izaac never officially admitted that he was in love with me, but I know he is. So how can he just shut me out like that?
Fuck, it hurts, but that’s always been his specialty.
Pulling up outside Austin’s door, I prepare myself for a world of hurt. If he’s not taking my calls and refuses to hear me out, then he leaves me no choice. I need to make this right.
My brother is one of my favorite people in the world, and while I hate that my betrayal is eating him up, he surely must have seen it coming or at least considered it as a possibility over the years.
I’ve been in love with Izaac for so damn long, how could he not have seen it coming? And I don’t just mean a stupid little crush. No, this is the whole shebang. The soul-shattering, breath-taking, all-or-nothing type of love that forever alters the way you view life. It brings your priorities into perspective, and now that I know what it’s like to have just a glimpse of that overwhelming happiness, I’m not about to let it slip through my fingers. And if that means Austin will need to suffer, then so be it. If he loves and values me in the way he says he does, then he’d want this for me. He’d want me to experience the greatest love this world can offer.
Letting out a heavy sigh, I get out of my car and stare up at Austin’s home. It’s not quite as extravagant as Izaac’s place, but it’s definitely nothing to turn your nose up at either. Austin has worked his ass off since finishing college and has proudly given himself everything he’s ever wanted while fighting Mom and Dad tooth and nail, refusing their constant need to offer him the world. He set out for independence, and that’s exactly what he’s built for himself.
I make my way toward the door of a house that’s always felt like home for me, despite the rare occasions I’ve actually stayed here. Nerves settle in the pit of my stomach, and before I get a chance to chicken out, I lift my fist and rap against the hardwood door.
I wait a minute, and as it quickly turns into two, I grit my teeth.
That asshole is ignoring me.
His car is parked in the driveway, and judging from the way his stupid doorbell camera lights up, he knows it’s me standing out here.
I knock on the door again, this time taking a page out of Izaac’s book. “I’m not going anywhere until you hear me out,” I call through the door. “I love you, Austin, and whether you want to hear that or not, I don’t care. You’re my big brother, and I’m not just going to let you shut me out. You’re too important to me, so if you want me to get lost, you’re gonna have to answer the door and hear me out first.”
I’m not going to lie, I really didn’t think this through before I jumped in my car and drove over here. Hell, I didn’t even know if he was going to be home. I took a shot in the dark, and thankfully, I was right. Though, had he not been here, that wouldn’t have stopped me from searching every other place he’s ever been, starting with the restaurant.
I get no response and let out a heavy sigh, wondering just how hard it would be to scale the side of the house and break through one of the upstairs windows. I’m not stupid enough to bother wasting time with the downstairs windows. He locks them up like Fort Knox, but upstairs, he’s a little more relaxed.
It’s not going to be easy, but I think I could pull some epic Black Widow moves and get my ass inside.
Stepping back, I lift my gaze to the top story of Austin’s home, scanning over all of the windows. When Izaac had to wait at my door, he had the patience of a saint, but I don’t possess that quality. If I can just find something to climb up on, then I can—
The familiar sound of the door unlocking from inside cuts through my break-in plan, and my back stiffens. Holy shit. I didn’t expect him to actually come to the door, let alone think about what’s supposed to happen once I actually get to talk to him. I was just going to wing it, but perhaps I need some kind of game plan. Though, I suppose it’s a little too late for that now.
The door swings open, and I go to step forward, only I pause, finding Becs standing before me.
