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“What the fuck are you doing?” Cauldron said in a quiet voice.
“I said I need to talk to you.”
“And this can’t wait thirty minutes?” Cauldron snapped.
“I thought it would be better to talk to you both anyway.”
“Oh good,” Cauldron said. “Why don’t you have some of my steak, then?”
Grave drew the plate toward himself and took a bite.
Cauldron shook his head. “Such a jackass.”
Brothers.
“I saw Elise today,” Grave said. “Stopped by her place.”
“Why?” I asked, knowing it must have been torture for her.
“Why?” Grave asked. “I thought that would be obvious…”
“Nothing is obvious when it comes to you, Grave,” Cauldron said.
“I told her I didn’t want to fuck up my life the way Cauldron has.”
“Thanks,” Cauldron said coldly.
Grave ignored him. “I told her I loved her.”
I smiled. “That’s great.”
“You needed to ruin our dinner to tell us that?” Cauldron asked incredulously. “Because you told a woman you loved her?”
Grave turned to him. “Am I cockblocking you or something? You weren’t going to get laid anyway.”
I slid my foot up Cauldron’s pant leg. “Actually, he was…”
Both men turned to me.
“And still is,” I said. “Don’t worry.”
A slight smile moved on to Cauldron’s lips. Now he looked like a different man, relaxing in his chair, bringing the wine to his mouth for a drink. “The floor is yours, Grave.”
Grave looked at me again. “I want to be with her, but I have to walk away from everything before I do. It’s a hard decision. It’s been my entire life. Not sure who I would be without it.”
“You accept her children, then?” I asked.
“She said we don’t need to rush into that,” he said. “And she said I didn’t need to be a stepfather if I didn’t want to. Could be their friend instead.”
“That sounds nice,” I said.
“I can’t be in a relationship with her when I have the constant threat of doom hanging over my head. It’s not just her safety I’m worried about. It’s her kids, too. I’d kill myself if something happened to any of them.” Grave looked at neither of us as he spoke, almost talking to himself.
“This doesn’t sound like a dilemma,” Cauldron said. “You already know what you want to do—but you don’t want to do it.”
Grave sank into his chair and looked at his brother. “I suppose.”
“It’s not that bad.” Now it seemed like I wasn’t there. It was just the two of them talking. “I sold the business this morning. I got far more than the asking price. It’s hard to walk away from that part of your identity—but it’s worth it.” His eyes flicked to me and lingered for a moment.
