Page 64 of By His Side

I stood, not wanting to look like I was taking Darien’s brother’s arrival too casually. Despite what I’d said to Darien, I knew the way I approached this meeting would be crucial for the future. If I lost my temper… If I handled things the wrong way, it would make things far more difficult for Darien and I didn’t want him to have to take sides.

It was probably too much to hope I could be friends with Hayden, but I’d settle for civility. I had to meet him halfway to achieve that, though, which meant not letting myself get triggered. Even if he called me a murdering bastard, I needed to remember Darien and smile for his sake. I hoped Hayden would feel the same to a degree.

Quiet conversation preceded the kitchen door opening and the three men stepping inside. Darien had already warned me his brother looked nothing like him, explaining that Hayden had been adopted, so it didn’t come as a surprise that he had dark hair and gray eyes, where Darien was fair with blue eyes.

Darien cleared his throat, his body language awkward. “Felix, this is Hayden and Levi.” He waved a hand my way. “This is Felix.”

Levi immediately stepped forward and held out his hand. I accepted it gladly, and we shook. “Nice to meet you,” I said.

Hayden didn’t offer his hand. I guess you couldn’t expect miracles. Being a dick and shaking hands didn’t go together. I offered him a nod, and he returned it reluctantly, the movement barely one at all.

“I’ll… er… put the kettle on,” Darien said. He jerked his head toward the table. “Have a seat.”

While I retook the seat I’d recently vacated, Hayden, either by accident or on purpose, and I suspected the latter, took the one as far from me as he could manage. Levi seated himself between us, presumably in case he needed to referee.

Silence descended. Aware of Hayden’s eyes on me, I watched Darien make the tea, his movements characteristic of someone doing their best to look relaxed while being anything but. I was jealous he had something to do and gave serious contemplation to getting up and offering to hold the teaspoon, or watch the kettle for him.

“So…” Hayden said after less than a minute, his tone no-nonsense. “You’re innocent, are you?”

Darien spun round to glare at his brother. “For fuck’s sake! Can’t you wait five minutes? The kettle hasn’t even boiled.”

“It’s fine,” I assured him. “Hayden’s just being direct. I can respect that.” I didn’t like it and was already having second thoughts about whether the silence had been that bad, but I could respect it.

“Why don’t you tell us what happened?” Levi suggested. “It might help us have a clearer picture.”

Darien rolled his eyes. “You don’t have to do that. They’re not judge and jury. I know you’re telling the truth and that’s all that matters.”

I threw him a smile. Julian might have caused him to waver in his steadfastness the other day, but since it had all come to a head, he’d been nothing but supportive. Was still being supportive. “It’s a fair question to ask,” I stated. “Your brother just wants to know I won’t murder you in your bed.”

“His brother,” Hayden stated with steel in his voice, “would murder you himself if that were ever to happen. Consider that your official warning.”

Levi sighed. “Just a suggestion, but perhaps we could have this conversation without making threats.” He reached over and squeezed Hayden’s arm to soften his words. “You know, dial the testosterone back a bit.”

Hayden leaned back in his chair, his gaze never leaving mine. “Well? It’s not a secret, is it?”

I met his stare. Not in a combative way, but hopefully in a way that showed him I was being sincere. “I have nothing to say that didn’t come out in court. The issue is them believing I was spinning them a yarn, that things couldn’t have happened the way I said.”

Hayden shrugged. “I wasn’t in court and I’d like to hear it.”

Darien delivered two mugs of tea to the table, the one placed in front of his brother deposited with far more force than Levi’s, some of the tea ending up on the table. Hayden didn’t notice, his expectant gaze still on me. I took a deep breath and reminded myself not to get angry, that it was perfectly normal for a brother to express concern, especially when circumstances were the way they were. “My ex-boyfriend was abusive.”

“In what way?” Hayden asked as Darien placed a mug in front of me before sitting down with his own.

“Every way,” Darien said.

Hayden lifted his finger to point at me. “I wanthimto tell the story.”

I bet he did. While he studied me for any sign that I was lying. That couldn’t have been any clearer if he’d pulled a spotlight out of his back pocket and shone it on me. No doubt, if Darien wasn’t here, he wouldn’t hesitate to use Chinese water torture. Lucky for me then that I was telling the truth. “Physically and emotionally.”

Hayden cocked his head to one side. “And you just let him?”

There it was. That same question again. The one that followed me around wherever I went. “Physically, yes, because I wasn’t up for getting into a brawl with the man I thought I loved. And as for emotionally… I didn’t even recognize he was emotionally abusive until it was already too late. A perfect example of not being able to see the forest for the trees.” I turned my mug, so the handle was in a different place without taking a drink. “He was cheating on me with Lily Reynolds. She wasn’t the first. First girl, maybe, but there were other men, no matter how much he denied it. He murdered her. He got rid of her body using my car. I knew nothing about it. He lied and tried to put it all on me. He wasn’t completely successful, but it was enough to put me behind bars for seven years. End of story.”

“He’s telling the truth,” Darien stated, demonstrating his support once more.

Hayden was still staring at me. “Let’s say I was going to give you the benefit of the doubt and trust Darien’s judgment in this. And it’s a big if. I’d want to know what your intentions are toward my brother?”

Darien snorted. “Oh, for God’s sake! This isn’t Victorian times and I’m not a damsel whose reputation is going to be left in ruins by the disreputable rake.”

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