Chapter Twenty-Three
B rady
Brady inhaled deeply, holding Rex’s gaze. “You’re right. Jane isn’t one of my ‘play things.’” He added air quotes.
“You don’t do anything but play,” Rex barked. His voice echoed off the kitchen walls.
His temper flared. “The same could have been said of you before Anna.”
“That’s enough.” Jane waved her hands between them like she could magically create a barrier. “We’re all adults here.”
“I specifically told him to leave you alone,” Rex growled, gaze still on Brady. “He doesn’t do relationships. It’s a revolving door of women with him. What do you like to say?” His voice dripped with contempt. “‘Never the same one twice.’”
He flinched. Yes. He had said that. Owned it, even. It had been his spoken rule. No repeats. No confusion. Keep it easy, keep it simple. But standing here now, he saw it for what it really was.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to sleep with the same woman twice. It was that none of them were Jane. None of them could be. And if he couldn’t have her, he didn’t want anyone.
“Fuck you, Rex.” He’d had enough. He didn’t need his best friend to tear him down. He was plenty good at that on his own.
“Fuck me? Ha. Fuck you.” Rex launched at him, shoving Jane aside before cocking his fist and striking him on the jaw.
The connection caused his head to jerk back, something he was sure he’d feel later in his neck as well.
Pain seared through his jaw and his teeth clattered together.
Stars twinkled in his peripheral. He tasted copper on his tongue.
Fuck, Rex had a good right hook. Brady stepped back, clutching his jaw with one hand and his towel with the other.
The only way this situation could get any worse would be for his towel to fall and he stood there naked.
“Oh, my God.” Jane yelped, rushing to Brady’s side. “Are you okay?” She smoothed her fingers over his cheek and jaw. She swiped at his lip. “You’re bleeding.”
“I’m fine.” He licked at his bloody lip.
“God damn it.” Rex shook his hand out before pointing a finger at him with his other hand. “I thought we were friends. I trusted you.”
“You’re acting insane, Rex.” Jane turned to him and yelled. Her hands clenched at her sides, her body tensed everywhere. “You can’t come into my home and just start punching people because you don’t like or agree with the situation.”
“Stay out of it, Jane. You’ve always had a teenage crush on him. But you don’t know him like I do. He’s not in it for the long haul.”
“Teenage crush? What does that even mean?” Jane snapped. “I’m not a teenager. I’m an adult. I’m not staying out of it because it involves me and you can’t tell me what to do.”
“The hell I can’t. I’m your older brother.” Rex bit out. He turned his pointed finger on her. “In this situation, I know what’s best.”
She mock laughed. “I’m not even going to go there with you. You forget I know most of your secrets and bad decisions. So to say you know best is humorous. I’m two seconds from throwing you out of my house, Rexford.”
He turned to her, heaving breaths. “I appreciate you defending me but this is between Rex and I.”
“I’m not going to let him hit you, Brady.” Her fingers grazed his jaw. A line creased between her eyebrows. He wanted to rub it and smooth it away. He didn’t like to see her worried or angry or distressed.
“Princess, I’m fine.” He raised his eyebrows and glanced over her shoulder. “I mean he has a good right hook but I’m fine.”
Jane still stood in front of him, her green eyes scanning his face. Searching for damage. All she found was a split lip, a bruised jaw—and maybe the deeper bruising of his ego.
He hadn’t expected anything less from Rex. Hell, if he’d been in Rex’s shoes, he would have probably hit himself too.
“Can you give us a few minutes?” He smoothed his thumb over her bottom lip.
Rex growled. “Stop touching her.”
“Shut up.” She twisted her head to glare at her brother.
Rex muttered a curse and paced like a caged animal. He yanked the freezer drawer open and grabbed a gel ice pack, pressing it to his reddened knuckles. “Fuck.”
“Serves you right,” Jane muttered. Then she turned back to him. “I don’t want to leave you alone with my insane brother.”
“I can handle it. I need to. He and I—we’ve got to settle this.”
Her jaw tensed. “Fine, but I don’t like it.” She kissed his cheek, slow and deliberate. “I’ll be right down the hall. If I hear even one chair scrape the floor, Rexford, I will throw your ass out.” She pointed her finger at her brother. “Is that understood?”
Rex grunted. Jane gave him one last glance before she strolled out of the kitchen.
Brady exhaled. “She wanted to tell you. She hated sneaking around. That was on me.”
Rex crossed his arms over his chest. “Of course she did. Jane doesn’t lie or sneak around. But you? You didn’t want me to know because you knew I’d be pissed. Because knowing would mean you had to be accountable. You’d be held to a standard you’re not used to.”
“You’re right,” Brady admitted. “I asked for time. I wanted to make sure this was real. That she wanted this as much as I did before I blew up your world. If she didn’t...” He cleared his throat. “If she wasn’t all in, then I would have walked away. Quietly. You never would’ve known.”
Rex narrowed his eyes on him. “You talk like Jane is the one who would have walked away. Like you’re the one at risk.”
He met Rex’s gaze. “Because I am. I’ve never been this deep in anything, Rex. Not even our goddamn brewery. Yes, I’ve done and said things that have made me look like I wouldn’t take relationships seriously. I get it. But I’ve never been serious about anyone because none of them were her.”
Silence settled between them.
“She’s not a fling. She’s not a rebellion. She’s it.” His voice broke slightly. “And I know I should have come to you sooner. But I was afraid I’d lose both of you.”
“Jane is good down to her core. And she has crushed on you since I first brought you home. You can’t give her what she needs, Brady. And I don’t want to have to pick up the pieces of her heart afterwards. You need to leave her alone.”
“I can’t do that, Rex.”
“Can’t or won’t?” Rex slapped the ice pack on the counter, stepping forward. “There’s a difference.”
He didn’t flinch. “Does it matter?” He rested his hands on the countertop. “I can’t give her up. She’s my whole damn world.”
“You’re going to break her.”
“Honestly, it may be you who actually breaks her.” He straightened.
Rex stilled. “How’s that?”
Brady turned halfway, just enough to catch Rex in his peripheral. “She looks up to you. She wants you to be happy for her. For us. Taking this hard line? That is going to hurt her.”
“My only job as her brother is to protect her.” He stomped toward the front door.
“Protect her from what, Rex?” Brady barked. “She’s not a kid anymore.”
“From you, Brady,” he bit out, yanking the door open. “Protect her from you.”
The door slammed behind him, rattling the frame.
He stood still for a moment, the echoes of Rex’s anger lingering. He exhaled slowly. Rex had a point ... if he were the Brady of the past. But he wasn’t that man anymore.
Not since Jane.