Chapter 20
20
S elena blinked, disoriented. She sat up, not recognizing the room. Where the hell was she? The room was devoid of anything personal. A hotel? It wasn't Katie's house. It didn't smell like incense and French toast. For some reason, Katie's house always smelled like French toast.
She slipped from the bed. Her eyes felt fat and puffy when she touched them. Then she remembered.
The crying. A lot of crying.
That brought last night into focus. Rian. She was at Rian's apartment. She'd started crying on the way home and remembered falling asleep. God, did he carry her inside? How embarrassing.
She crept out of the room. Rian stood in his kitchen, shirtless and in a pair of dark gray sweatpants. A tattoo across his back surprised her. It looked like words curling across his back like a snake.
“Good morning,” she said.
He snapped his head around. “Good morning to you.” He held up the frying pan. “Eggs?”
“Sure. Thanks. ”
The other bedroom door opened. Cathal came out also wearing sweatpants but with a shirt with I Love NYC across the front. Odd.
His hand was wrapped.
“What happened? I don't remember you hurting your hand last night.”
His lips were grim. “I hurt it on a hard-headed man.”
“You hit Brogan?” A pang of guilt flooded her.
“Yes.” He didn't pause but walked into the kitchen and pulled out two bottles of water from Rian's fridge, one for himself and one for her. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I'm all cried out for the next decade. I'm sorry. You guys really didn't have to do all this for me.” If she had the ability, she'd start up the waterworks again judging by the sickening feeling still hovering in her chest. “Have you talked to him since we left the restaurant?”
Both men looked at each other and then back at her. “I'm glad you didn't wake up last night. He stopped by.”
“Where was I?”
“Asleep in my bed.” Rian seemed amused. “A fact that peeved him to put it mildly. He took a cab after downing most of a bottle of that rare Jameson whiskey. For a man his size, you'd think he could hold his liquor a little better.”
“The sot,” Cathal mumbled.
Selena walked across the almost empty condo. Calling him a minimalist was the best description. White marble floors. Black furniture. Chrome kitchen.
She sat on a stool at the counter while Rian plated her eggs. She didn't know what to expect, but from such a renowned chef, her eggs looked plain.
“Did he say anything?” She didn't know what he might say. He'd already declared his business more important than her. Her nose began to tingle, signaling the threat of more tears. Sometimes it sucked to be a woman.
“He said plenty. After forcing us to listen to a few rounds of Whiskey in a Jar. I swear that man can't sing to save his life.” Cathal sat down beside her. “He's hurting pretty badly about now, I suspect.” He set his arm around her shoulders. “You have to know he didn't mean what he said.”
She wanted to, really, but it hit too close to home. She wasn't worth it. He'd said the words be it he knew what she'd meant when she quit or not. He made her worst nightmare come to life.
“He thought them. The fact he would have said them or not doesn't change.” She looked at Cathal. “If you didn't think he meant them, then why did you hit him?”
“Oh, he deserved the hit for saying it, be it he made up shit at the moment or not. You scared the daylights out of him when he thought you were breaking things off. Could you not see that? He can school his features, throw on a mask that lets him boss everyone around. But when you said that to him—” Cathal shook his head and took a long drink of water.
Rian leaned on the counter. His eyes weren't blue like his brothers’. They were an interesting shade of hazel, blue-green. “What Cathal and I both noticed last night was the last time Brogan let that much emotion breakthrough was when Ma passed. You have his heart, Selena, be it the man knows his own mind or not.”
She pushed the eggs around on her plate. “So, you both think I should forgive him? Pretend he didn't mean it when he told me I wasn't worth more than his business to him?”
“Hell no!” Cathal shook his head. “That man needs to come to you. He has some serious groveling to do to get his head out of his own arse. He will. ”
Her lips twitched, wanting to smile, which seemed wrong. “I think the saying is to get his foot out of his mouth.”
“No. The man can't see daylight he's so concerned about himself.”
“I think he's concerned for you. And Rian. He feels this huge responsibility to make sure you are both successful.” And she'd never do anything to jeopardize it. That's why she'd quit. Because she wanted Brogan more than that job.
And he'd chosen his job.
His brothers.
He'd chosen his brothers over her. She squeezed her eyes shut. Why didn't she see that last night? Brogan hadn't chosen the restaurant or even himself. She looked at the two men staring at her. She twisted the cap of her water bottle off. “I know he misunderstood what I meant, but I think he meant what he said.”
“No—” They both spoke at the same time.
She held up her hand. “He said that some things were more important. To him, you two are his world. He might have lashed out with how he said it, but the meaning was true. In that one moment, forced to make a decision, he chose you both over me.”
They looked at each other as it dawned on them, too. Rian shook his head. “I'm sorry. We would have never put that choice to him. We keep telling him he doesn't have to take care of us, but he won't listen.”
The pain lessened. Granted, she wasn't happy at what he'd said, but she understood it. Because she knew what was in his heart. He'd been the provider for so long. That was a hard habit to break.
“I don't blame him. ”
Cathal opened his mouth to speak, but she covered his hand with her own.
“No. I've been involved with your brother for what, a month give or take? A month. I love him, although I've never had the opportunity to tell him. But, when it comes down to it, it's been a month. In Brogan's thinking, when he thought he had to choose between running the business the way he thought best and taking care of you both, or me, he chose you. I wouldn't want to be with a man that'd turn his back on his family after seeing a woman for a month.”
Rian ran a hand over his face. “You're a jewel, Selena. I swear, if Brogan screws this up with you, I'll kill him myself. You have to be the sweetest woman I've had the pleasure of meeting, aside from my own Ma. You deserve someone far better than my brother, but if you'll have him, I'll know he's taken care of.”
She'd found a family she didn't even realize she'd craved. She leaned over and hugged Cathal before rising and hugging Rian.
“I'm afraid I'm not that sweet. I still owe him some serious payback for hiding me in the bathroom.”