“True.”
“And we aren’t doing that stupid fist-bump thing either.”
“Nope.”
“So I’m just going to sit.” He fell into the armchair in front of my desk.
“Works for me.” My assistant had picked up salads and smoothies from one of my favorite places down the street. Jax was built the same way I was, so I could only assume he watched what he ate and hit the gym with the same dedication. I handed over the food, and we ate in our comfortable positions.
“How’s Titan?” Jax asked. “From what Dad has told me, she’s doing really well.”
“She is. She’s up and about, but she still has a lot of pain. We have a few more doctor’s appointments and treatments to do before she’s fully recovered.”
“Physical therapy?”
“No. Her limbs weren’t compromised.”
“That’s good.” He stabbed his fork into his salad and ate slowly, focusing on the conversation more than eating. “Dad said he’s never heard of someone recovering from a tragedy so well. He says it’s like she wasn’t shot at all…”
“She’s definitely a fighter.” No matter what the obstacle was, she conquered it. She could achieve anything she put her mind to because she didn’t accept defeat. I should have known that bullet wouldn’t kill her—because she wouldn’t allow it to. “It’s not the time for me to be proud of her…but I am.”
“And that badass woman is going to be my sister-in-law…pretty damn cool.” The second he mentioned our familial bond, things became tense. We hadn’t said more than a few words to each other in a decade. We’d lost so much time over something so stupid. My mother wouldn’t be happy about it if she knew.
I sipped my drink and avoided his gaze for a moment, feeling the awkwardness intensify. A silent conversation passed between us, but we knew it couldn’t stay silent much longer. It had to be addressed eventually. I didn’t blame Jax for what happened. He seemed to be stuck in the middle of it all. But the outcome of the war still ripped us apart.
He addressed it first. “I’m not sure where to begin…”
“It doesn’t matter where we start. We’re going to end at the same place.”
He placed his salad on the table beside him. “I never disliked Brett—”
“I know you didn’t.” Jax didn’t have hateful feelings toward anyone. He’d never been that way.
“I saw the things Dad did to him, but I never interfered. Then when you walked away, I didn’t know what to do. I’d always been close with Dad, and we were already doing business together. No matter what side I picked, I knew I would lose. I never anticipated it becoming a decade of war…”
“I didn’t either.”
“I’m sorry about a lot of things.” One ankle was positioned on the opposite knee, and he rested both arms on the armrests. His cuff links were visible, metal squares that reflected the light from the ceiling. He hadn’t shaved in a while, so a full beard covered the bottom portion of his face. He was two years younger than me, so we were both over thirty. But in my eyes, I always saw him as my younger brother—one who was naïve and innocent. “I’m sorry I didn’t stand beside Brett when I should have. I’m sorry I cut you out of my life just because Dad did. I’m sorry I let so much time pass.”
“You don’t need to apologize to me, Jax. I’m sorry too.”
“I do,” he said quietly. “I should have done the right thing.”
“The right thing wasn’t so simple. Brett is your family, but so is Dad. It was a complicated situation. I don’t hold it against you.”
He stared at me with a similar expression to my own. We looked so much alike, it was like staring at a mirror. His emotions were easy to read because I made the exact same expressions. “Why are you being so easy on me? We both know I don’t deserve it.”
Maybe I was being easy on him. I was harsh with my father because I expected more from my hero. But I viewed Jax in a completely different light. When I looked at him, I thought of our practice in little league. I thought about the dinosaur toys we would share. I thought about hooking up with girls from different schools at parties we didn’t belong at. “Because you’re my brother.”
12
Thorn
After I hugged Titan, I looked around the penthouse. There wasn’t a big, territorial man there, the guy who had resembled a bear more than a human lately. “Where’s Diesel?”
“At work.” She was in leggings and a loose sweater. When she walked to the bar and made me a drink, her movements were a little more graceful. Her strength was increasing every single time I saw her. She made me an Old Fashioned before she set it on the coffee table and took a seat. “Which makes me happy.”
I sat beside her and drank from the glass. “Thanks for the drink, but you don’t have to make me anything.”
“We always drink together when you’re over here. Why would that change?”
“Because you aren’t drinking.” I leaned back against the couch and rested my arm over the back.
“Well, I would be if I could…it’ll be a while before I’m allowed the luxury of alcohol.”
“Then I won’t either.” I pushed the glass away.
“Then what are we supposed to drink together?” she asked with a laugh. “Water?”
I grinned. “Yeah…that doesn’t seem like us.”
She got comfortable in the chair, her skin full of color unlike it was before. “So, what’s going on at Illuminance?”
As a friend, I would normally tell her about all the dirty shit I did with Autumn. When I shared my stories, it was never in a bragging manner, just a friend talking to another friend. She didn’t refrain from telling me about her sexual conquests either. I knew Diesel in a way he didn’t even realize.
But I didn’t mention anything to her. Something kept my mouth shut. I didn’t know what it
