Page 92 of Redemption

“Yes, yes. You all made it very clear how you felt about him.”

“Maybe we were harsh—” Graham admitted reluctantly.

“Not maybe.” I cut him off. “Definitely.”

“But he wasn’t the right guy for you.”

“And if he were?” I asked. “What if I met the right guy for me? Would you be supportive then?”

“This conversation seems a bit premature.”

Considering how I felt about Jackson, I wasn’t sure that it was, actually. But I didn’t mention that. For now, I wanted to get to know Jackson again on my terms. Without my brothers butting in.

“Unless…” He trailed off, and for a minute, I wondered if he suspected something between Jackson and me.

“Look,” I sighed. We were getting off track. “I called because I wanted to run something by you.”

I told Graham about the improvements Jackson had suggested, as well as my idea, and he seemed amenable. I was following my inner compass as Nate had suggested, and I trusted that I was headed in the right direction.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Imonitored Sloan’s movements from inside the villa as I went about my tasks. I was trying to give her some privacy, but I couldn’t keep my eyes off her. She was pacing the deck, her expressions animated and intense as she spoke to someone on FaceTime. I wondered who it was. She’d mentioned needing to check in with her brother. Was she talking to Nate? Jasper? Graham?

I worried about Sloan’s family’s response to our relationship. Sure, Nate liked me—as his bodyguard. Would he be okay with me dating Sloan? Would Graham? Or would he try to intervene like he had in the past?

I finished climbing the stairs but stopped when I spied a man standing outside Sloan’s apartment. I studied the man as he leaned against the wall and typed something on his phone. He reeked of money, from the bespoke suit to the impatience lining his face. He looked woefully out of place, almost comically so.

He couldn’t be much older than me, but despite any similarity in age, we were worlds apart. This guy looked like he’d stepped out of a boardroom or worked on Wall Street. While I’d been kicked out of the Navy and was trying to make ends meet as a bouncer.

My phone rang, and I glanced down to see my boss’s name from the club on the screen. He probably wanted to see if I could pick up a shift tonight, but I had plans with Sloan.

I silenced my phone, and when I looked up, Mr. Money was studying me.

“Can I help you?” I asked, thinking he must be lost. His suit had to cost more than a month of rent for this shithole.

“No.” The man went back to his phone.

I hated that Sloan was living here mostly alone. It wasn’t safe, and I’d been trying to figure out how to convince her to move in with me. If only it wouldn’t mean telling Greer about our relationship.

Sometimes it almost felt as if that ship had sailed—telling my sister about us. At first, there had been nothing to tell because Sloan and I had both been so busy lying to ourselves, pretending there was nothing between us. And then, after we’d started sneaking around, Sloan and I had wanted to see where things would go without the pressure of telling Greer.

Not to mention the fact that I was looking for more permanent jobs. Something with more long-term potential. With options for promotion and advancement.

If I wanted a future with Sloan—and I did—I needed to prove that I was worthy of her. That I could provide for her. That was something my dad had always hammered into me—the need to provide for your family. To take care of the people you loved.

Was this taking care of Sloan? Sneaking around? Making her hide our relationship? I sighed. I knew it wasn’t.

At the sound of footsteps on the stairs, I turned. Sloan emerged from the stairwell, then paused.

“Graham?” she asked, looking past me. Graham? She knew that guy? He was here for her? “What are you doing here?”

I glanced between them. How did she know him? Was he an ex?

“Nice to see you too. Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

Sloan’s skin paled. “Is everything okay?”

“I can’t come visit my sister and check in?”

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