Chapter 37
ROWAN
I don’t think I’ve ever been this early for a shipment, but the thought of sitting in a car with Reggie for an hour made my stomach churn.
I really don’t want to lose Bella. But I’m not hurting my brother in the process. That grump might not deserve her after the way he’s behaved, yet I know him better than that. I know he doesn’t mean it. He’s protecting himself the only way he knows how.
I lean back against the wall just as his Range Rover pulls up. I stub out my cigarette with my boot before he slams the door shut. The situation with Bella caused me to pick back up the habit I quit after being shot. Stress and high emotions will do that to you, I guess. Or maybe, I’m just weak.
“Alright, bro, you’re late,” I tease, glancing at my watch.
“Well, I spent my morning trying to stop a kitten from scratching the shit out of my furniture.”
I blink at him. “A kitten?”
“Yes. I know I’ve lost my damn mind.”
“Is it cute?” I ask, though a sinking feeling twists in my gut. I know exactly why Reggie suddenly has a new pet.
“Very.”
I scratch the back of my neck, and silence stretches between us.
“Did Bella—”
He cuts me off with a raised hand. “She did. Not that it was required, seeing as I witnessed it. She fits you well.”
His tone is flat, too flat, and that alone gives his lie away.
“Stop pretending you don’t care, Reggie.”
He arches a brow. “Please tell me you’re not messing about with my fiancée just to prove a point that I like her.”
“What? No. Fuck. Me and Bels… I can’t explain it.”
He half-grins, but there’s no humor in it. “I know the feeling.”
This is not going how I expected.
“What are you trying to say?” I ask.
He crosses his arms over his chest, his stare unyielding.
“Last night, seeing your face in her—” He stops himself, jaw tightening. “It gave me a wake-up call.”
“Right…”
“I’m not going to stop whatever’s happening between the two of you.”
My heart starts hammering, waiting for the but.
“But I ain’t giving up on her either.”
I stare at him, trying to read the tone beneath his words. He’s calm—too calm.
That’s what makes it worse.
“You’re not giving up on her?” I repeat slowly. “You realize what you’re saying, right?”
He shrugs, like it’s the simplest thing in the world. “We’ve shared women before, Rowan.”
My jaw tightens. “This isn’t the same, and you know it.”
“I do,” he admits, lighting a cigarette. “That’s the problem.”
For a second, I just watch the smoke twist between us, like the ghost of every bad decision we’ve ever made.
“You think this is going to end well?” I ask quietly.
He smirks. “You started this, Rowan.”
And that’s the thing, he’s right. But this time feels different. It is different.
Because I don’t just want her for a night, or for the thrill of pissing off my twin.
I want her to stay.
I run a hand through my curls. “I don’t want to fight you over her.”
“Then don’t.” His voice is sharp now. “Let her decide. You’re both adults.”
“Right.” I force a laugh. “What? We’re going to do a competition for her?”
He takes a drag of his cigarette and exhales. “We’ve survived worse, Ro.”
“Not like this.”
He studies me then, really studies me. “Do you love her?”
The question hits me like a sucker punch.
I don’t answer right away, because saying it makes it real. And real means ruin. I’m not sure either of us knows what love is.
“I could,” I admit finally. “If I let myself.”
Reggie nods once, flicking ash to the ground. “Then we both have a problem.”
He turns and heads for the warehouse doors, his coat catching the wind.
And as I follow him, that sinking feeling settles deep in my gut.
Because this isn’t just about Bella anymore.
It’s about loyalty.
It’s about blood.
And I have no idea which one of us is going to bleed first.