Page 131 of Dear Grumpy Boss

He put the book down and wiggled his fingers. “Surprise.”

Weston folded his arms over his chest. “You’re not welcome here.”

Since the threat of danger was gone, I ducked around Weston. “I think what Weston means is we didn’t know you’d be here tonight.”

“I meant what I said,” Weston intoned.

Miles flinched, and his pained expression wound its way around my gut. He and Weston had never been besties, but the distance between them was lined with spikes and guarded by bloodthirsty crocodiles. It seemed almost impossible to bridge.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Miles scooted to the edge of the couch. “I texted, but by your arctic welcome, I’m assuming it wasn’t read.” When Weston didn’t respond, he went on. “Look, I’ve been staying with Mom and Dad while my place is being renovated—”

Weston went rigid behind me. “What place?”

Miles cocked his head. “Uh, the townhouse I bought a year ago. I emailed you the listing. You even replied, ‘looks good.’ It needed a top-to-bottom reno, so it obviously didn’tlook good, but I assumed you were saying you saw the potential.” His brow pinched. “You don’t remember?”

I glanced back at Weston. His nostrils flared as he glared at his brother. Then he shook his head once.

“Ah, okay.” Miles nodded, his jaw rippling. “I sort of wondered why you never mentioned it again.”

I was torn, which was strange. I should have been on Weston’s side, not just because I adored him, but because of my history with Miles, but Miles’s turmoil and need to be seen by his big brother was palpable.

“None of that explains what you’re doing in my home.” Weston’s tone was dry and impatient.

Miles stood and kicked the duffel bag beside the couch. “I was hoping I could crash here. Like I said, I’ve been staying with Mom and Dad, but I can’t do it anymore. Dad’s been around a lot more than normal and all they do is fight.”

“That’s nothing new.” Weston was unimpressed.

“No, I know.” Miles cupped the back of his neck, glancing between the two of us. “Dad’s been bringing his girlfriend to the house. So that’s new.”

If Weston had been rigid before, he was solid now.

“What the fuck?” he uttered.

Miles nodded. “It’s like World War III in that house. I’ve had a lifetime of ignoring their fighting, but even I can’t disassociate my way out of our mother pounding on Dad’s bedroom door with a fireplace poker.”

“Christ. Did you try to stop her?”

Miles grimaced. “Nah. I learned when I was thirteen not to put myself between them.” He dragged his finger along the scar in his eyebrow. “That’s from me taking a hit from the wineglass meant for Dad.”

Weston made a strangled sound. “You never told me that,” he accused. “She threw a wineglass at him? How did I not know about this?”

The corner of Miles’s mouth hitched into a sardonic half smile. “You had the Levys, I had the Aldriches.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means you were able to escape the chaos that is our parents’ marriage, but I was left behind with them.” Miles toed his bag again. “They haven’t calmed down in their old age. If anything, they’ve lost the inhibitions of their youth. I won’t be surprised if they kill each other one of these days. It’ll be veryWar of the Roses. In the end, they’ll be lying in a pile of rubble, their hands around each other’s throats.”

Weston’s arms slipped around my shoulders, and he pulled my back to his chest. His body vibrated with tension. I wished I could take it away, but he and Miles needed to have this conversation. If Weston wanted me here as a buffer, I’d be that for him, but this had to be between the two of them.

“You should have told me about the glass,” Weston admonished. “How was I supposed to help you if I didn’t know?”

Miles gave him a steady glare. “I had four stitches and you didn’t ask what happened. Should I have given you a written account of the events? Is that what would have made you care?”

“I cared.”

Miles scoffed. “You showed it by disappearing.” He bent down and picked up his bag. “Whatever. I get that I’m in the way here. I’ll grab a hotel room.”

My heart ached for him. I had known they hadn’t come from a warm and fuzzy home, but it had never occurred to me Miles had been left behind to endure the very things Weston had been escaping. Had it occurred to Weston? It didn’t seem like it.

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