Page 126 of The Rebel

But was that still true?

Wasn’t I showing Rhett how much I loved this man?

“You love her.” Rhett was looking at him, like he’d repeated a statement in a language he didn’t understand. “This has nothing to do with love.” His gaze lowered to mine. “The quicker you realize that, Rowan, the better.” He hissed out a mouthful of air. “I’m leaving. I’m going back to LA right now.” He placed his hand on my arm. “And you’re coming with me.”

“Take your fucking hand off her right now!” Cooper blasted through the air.

“She’s my sister?—”

“I don’t give a fuck,” Cooper followed up with.

“I’d never hurt her,” Rhett said.

“I don’t believe a fucking word you say.”

Rhett’s hand dropped from my arm.

Oh God.

I needed to take a stance. More so than I’d already done. Something that would show Rhett that Cooper’s feelings weren’t one-sided.

That my feelings were just as strong as his, and my brother was going to have to learn to accept that.

I wasn’t going to abandon my man just because Rhett told me to.

My brother had put me in this situation. He was forcing me to choose a side.

And there wasn’t anything wrong with the one I was picking.

Now that Rhett’s hands were free but balled into fists, he snapped, “Rowan, let’s go.”

“I’m staying right here.” I hugged my stomach. “I’m not leaving Cooper.”

Rhett’s eyes didn’t widen; they narrowed. “You’re fucking kidding me, right? You’re going to stay here with this motherfucker who’s only going to use you and hurt you?—”

“Rhett, you need to stop speaking,” Cooper warned. “Right fucking now.”

“You don’t care about her,” Rhett barked. “I don’t give a shit what you say; it’s all a lie. You’re after one thing. I just hope to hell my sister realizes that before it’s too late?—”

“Stop!” I flattened my hand in the air. “Enough!”

These men knew nothing about one another. Everything at this point was just based on speculation, so there was no way Rhett knew what Cooper’s real intentions were.

But I was done hearing it.

“Rhett, listen to me,” I started. “You need to put all of this aside and remember why you’re here.” I let that statement sink in as much as it could. “This company needs your help. Cooper and I need your help. Can you please put your opinion aside and stay here in Lake Louise? We’ll all get some rest, and we’ll meet in the morning, and we’ll go to the land to figure out how to build this hotel.”

My brother laughed. It wasn’t the kind of chuckle I always heard from Cooper.

This sound was nefarious.

“You’re fucking delusional.” He walked over to where he’d left his suitcase, and he wrapped his fingers around the handle. “I’m going to ask you one more time. Are you coming with me?”

I stepped back until I felt Cooper’s body fully against mine. My fingers then reached for his, melding them together whilehe continued to press his palm over my stomach, stretching his hand as wide as it would go. “I’m staying right here.”

His look should have filled me with dread.

But it didn’t.

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