Chapter 12 Andrew
“You don’t like being touched by strangers, “ Eden says, the look he shoots Nicki sharp enough to kill.
Unease radiates off Eden in waves, and Andrew hates being the cause of it.
If he’d known things were going to go public, he could’ve talked to Charlie and Eden beforehand.
He could have prepared them—prepared Eden especially.
His history with men is fraught enough that Andrew should’ve known he’d react so negatively, especially given Nicki’s size.
“I’m not a fucking stranger,” Nicki says beside him. “I’m his boyfriend.”
Where Charlie’s confusion is loud—his head cocked to the side as he studies Nicki and Andrew—Eden’s confusion is aggressive.
“I wasn’t fucking talking to you,” Eden snaps.
“If you were talking to Andrew, you were talking to me,” Nicholas says like the argumentative asshole he is.
“Nicki.”
Nicki doesn’t listen to him, instead glaring at Eden.
“Fuck you,” Eden snaps.
“Eden.”
Apparently Eden isn’t listening to him either, he and Nicholas engaging in some kind of stare down.
“Eden,” Charlie tries, but when he reaches out for Eden, his hand is slapped away.
“This is bullshit,” Eden yells.
He’s scared, Andrew realizes, watching the way Eden’s nails dig into his wrists as he looks at Nicki.
He thinks back to how distrustful Eden had been of Jason, his giant teddy bear of a brother, when he first met him.
Of how distrustful Eden is of most men given his history.
Eventually, Eden had warmed up to Jason, but it’d taken multiple meetings and seeing how loving and tender Jason is with Emerson before Eden stopped being afraid of him.
There’s nothing soft or gentle about Nicki, who is also bigger and stronger than Jason. He’s also covered in tattoos and has a resting bitch face to rival Eden’s.
“Maybe if we just all take a minute to calm down,” Andrew tries.
“I’m fucking calm,” Eden says, anything but.
Andrew’s eyes track the room, clocking everyone’s body language and expressions.
Jason, Emerson and Theo all look completely confused.
Alec looks one second away from joining Eden to face off with Nicholas.
It’s only Theo’s hand curling around Alec’s hip that seems to be keeping him in place.
There’s obvious confusion and distress in Charlie’s eyes, whether because Andrew’s been keeping something from him or because he’s worried about Eden is unclear. Probably both, knowing Charlie.
It’s Eden whose body language is the easiest to read—his fear palpable.
Andrew thinks back to the scared, angry version of Eden he’d first met all those months ago.
Thinks about how far he’s come in trusting, not just Charlie, but Andrew, too.
Eden isn’t just Charlie’s boyfriend, he’s Andrew’s little brother now, and the need to console him takes precedence over everything and everyone else.
“I need to talk to Eden,” Andrew says. “Privately.”
As expected, Jason and Theo start whispering, Alec moves off the couch closer to Charlie, and Emerson remains quiet as always.
“Don’t worry, Annie, we can keep a good eye on your boyfriend,” Charlie grins, slinging an arm around Alec’s shoulders.
The both of them are smiling at Nicki, which is really nothing but a recipe for trouble knowing them, but he’s more concerned with Eden right now.
Besides, Nicki is a big boy and he can handle himself.
“Behave,” Andrew whispers to Nicki.
“I don’t want to,” Nicki grunts.
“Please,” Andrew says, aware he’s all but throwing Nicki to the wolves by leaving him with Charlie and Alec. The nosy fuckers.
“Fine, but if they’re rude I’m going to be rude back,” Nicki says.
“I’m never rude,” Charlie gasps.
“You’re kind of accidentally rude sometimes,” Alec points out. “But you mean well so we love you.”
“I love you too, Ally.”
Nicki and Eden both look like they’d like to be anywhere else, but between the two, only one of them is a flight risk, so Andrew moves towards Eden and tugs him into his side, guiding him towards his bedroom.
No sooner has the bedroom door swung shut behind them then Eden starts to pace. “How did you two meet? Through Charlie or at work? When did you have time to meet someone, and have them become your boyfriend? Especially him.”
“Nicki isn’t as bad as he seems,” Andrew tries, earning him a reproachful glare.
“Does he have something over you? Or is he hurting you? Are you safe?”
The fact that that’s where Eden’s mind goes when a new man is involved makes Andrew impossibly sad, but he does his best to school his expression, knowing Eden well enough to know anything he perceives as pity right now will trigger his fight or flight response.
“I’m okay, Eden. I promise.”
“But this isn’t like you,” Eden says, sounding so young. With his hardened life experience and no nonsense personality, it’s often easy to forget how inexperienced he is in the way of family and being loved.
“I know.”
“I know I’m not really your brother, but I thought if you were seeing someone—”
“You’re my little brother Eden, in every way that matters.
” Closing the distance, Andrew pulls Eden into a hug, wrapping his arms around his much smaller frame and holding on tight when Eden begins to shake.
He doesn’t let go, even as the minutes tick by and Eden’s grip on his hoodie loosens.
Eventually his back starts to ache, but Andrew doesn’t move a muscle until Eden steps back, wiping at his running mascara with the back of his hand.
“I don’t like him. He’s a fucking asshole.”
“He is an asshole,” Andrew agrees, smiling at Eden. He doesn’t get a smile back, but he didn’t expect one. “But he’s other things, too.”
“And you really like him?” Eden asks, plucking at one of the friendship bracelets on his left wrist.
“I—” but Andrew stops, finding it impossible to lie so directly to Eden. Not after what he’s been through, not after how far they’ve come. “It’s complicated.”
“It’s not complicated, you’re supposed to like your boyfriend.”
“Do you always like Charlie?”
“Fuck off,” Eden snarks, the hint of a smile playing at the corner of his lips. “Charlie’s a pain in my ass but—but he’s my pain in the ass.”
“You like when he annoys you.”
“Yes,” Eden admits. “But don’t you dare tell him that.”
“I would never. A little humility would never hurt Charlie. He knows he’s our favorite.”
Eden nods, as if the acknowledgment of their shared love of Charlie soothes something in him.
“But Nicki—”
“He likes Nicholas,” Andrew corrects, clearing his throat. “From anyone besides me.”
“Nicholas,” Eden corrects. “How long have you been together?”
“It’s not like that exactly.”
“It’s complicated. It’s not like that exactly. What the fuck is going on, Andrew? You’re freaking me out. I don’t care how massively scary he is or how rich and famous. If he’s hurting you or coercing you somehow, I’ll fucking kill him.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“It might,” Eden says.
“Hey, it’s okay.”
Eden opens his mouth then closes it, angrily shoving his palms into his eyes.
“Eden.”
“We didn’t know what was going on,” Eden says behind his fists. “You were all over the gossip sites, and you weren’t answering your phone, and there were photos of you with some guy we’ve never seen. I didn’t know.” He drops his hands, unshed tears in them.
Swiftly, Andrew pulls him into another hug.
Since Eden got together with Charlie, and even before they were officially a thing, he and Eden got close.
He knows exactly how difficult it is for Eden to trust anyone, especially men.
At six foot six, with his handsome yet brooding features, chiseled muscles and a body covered in tattoos, Nicholas Whitmore is intimidating.
His appearance coupled with his less than positive reputation means that to a guy like Eden, he’s probably a walking red flag.
He kind of is a walking red flag, but Andrew is hard pressed to deny the sides of Nicholas he’s seen when no one else was looking are something he likes.
Not that it matters because this thing isn’t real, something Eden deserves to know.
“If I tell you something, can you keep it a secret,” Andrew asks into the top of his head, “even from Charlie?”
“You never keep anything from Charlie.” Eden steps out of the embrace to peer up at Andrew.
“I know. This is…different. There are extenuating circumstances, and I’m going to explain everything to him when I can.”
“But you can’t yet.”
“Exactly.”
“But you’re telling me, why?”
“I made a promise to you once,” Andrew reaches out to smooth Eden’s hair off his face. He really does love Eden just like one of his own. “I told you I’d never hurt you.”
“Everyone hurts people,” Eden shrugs.
“I fucked up and I’m sorry. I didn’t really think you guys would be this worried.”
Eden’s head snaps up. “Andrew.”
“I know, I just—” Andrew pauses, trying to measure his words but none of them sound just right, so he settles for the ugly, honest truth. “You’re all so busy, I thought it wouldn’t matter.”
The punch to his arm is unexpected, not hard but deserved.
“You fucking idiot,” Eden huffs. “We all love you.”
“I know you do, but—”
“No buts,” Eden interjects. “Stop acting like you’re replaceable. You’re not.”
“It’s not like that,” Andrew protests, except isn’t it? Isn’t that exactly how it is? The ugly, painful truth he’s spent so long trying to ignore.
“You’re not, Andrew.”
Andrew worries his hands together, tapping his left fingers across his right knuckles. Once in each direction, back and forth until he gets the courage to be honest.
“It’s not real.”
“What?”
“It’s just a favor, for Denise and Amanda, and I guess for Nicki. He needs a boyfriend for a little bit. It’s not real. None of it is real.”
“Well that explains everything.”
Smiling despite the stab of unease, Andrew forces himself to make eye contact.
“I know, right. He’d never date me.”