Page 20 of Ten Hammers

I was just about to say that the pact was childish and stupid, but well. That part wasn’t childish or stupid.

“We all agreed that romance makes things messy and that none of us ever wanted to do anything to mess up our friendship with her,” Diesel adds.

Axel, on the sofa next to Cruz, says nothing, but his knee is bouncing and his jaw is working and that says a lot.

Fuck.

“We agreed that if we all couldn’t have her, none of us could,” I point out. “But we didn’t consider what she might want.”

No one is looking at me now.

“Are you two official?” Jack gets up from the loveseat and saunters over to me. “Is it a serious relationship?”

I don’t know how the fuck to answer that.

“No, it isn’t like that, but–”

“So you’re just fuck buddies?” Axel finally speaks and I kind of want to punch him in the mouth. He shakes his head. Gets to his feet.

“Axel–” Diesel begins.

Axel holds up his hand, palm out, as if to say don’t, man. He heads out the door to the back patio, letting it slam behind him.

We all flinch.

“Whatever you are, I assume this has been going on for a while,” Jack says after a long minute. “It wasn’t right of you to not divulge this information to us when we were offered the spin-off, Max.”

Now I really want to punch Jack in the mouth. What a massive load of steaming crap.

I jab a finger at him. “You wanted nothing to do with that spin-off, or being on TV anymore. So don’t give me that bullshit.”

“This thing between you and Win,” Mace begins. “Whatever it is. Which one of you initiated it?”

I remember last Thanksgiving. She had on these shorty-shorts and a pajama top so thin my mouth still waters when I remember. When I saw her in the kitchen, she was the only delectable thing I saw. It was either kiss her or starve.

There’s no point in lying now.

“I did.”

“Of-fucking-course,” he mutters under his breath.

“We unanimously agreed to turn down the spin-off because of the pact, Max,” Gavin says, stretching his legs into the empty space Jack left behind on the loveseat. He looks relaxed but his jaw is tight. “Because of all the reasons we made the pact.”

“Would it have made a difference, if you had known about me and Winnie? Would you have wanted to do the show, then?”

I wait on them to all say no, that of course they wouldn’t have, because that damn spin-off would’ve torn us apart.

But Jack shocks me when glares at me and fiercely says, “I would have at least wanted to tell Winnie about the opportunity. See what she thought.”

I hope that none of my brothers can see how hard his words hit, but I feel like an idiot.

I hadn’t ever considered that if given the chance, if I hadn’t pursued her first, would Winnie have even picked me at all? Would she have preferred Axel’s boy-next-door charm? I already know she likes his glasses because she’s complimented them enough times. Or maybe Gavin’s piercings are more her thing? Or would she have preferred Jack, because he’s always been the one who makes her laugh the most…?

“What opportunity?” a soft voice asks.

We all turn our heads to see Winnie, standing in the doorway, biting her bottom lip and studying each of us with her curious blue eyes.

Well, shit.

---