Page 68 of Pretty Heartache

“Her father is a powerful man in this city.” Lennon leans forward, lowering his voice. “The last thing I need is him to come back and say you’ve influenced his daughter in any way. He knows every bit of trouble you and his son caused years ago, and despite what our family knows about you, the rest of the world doesn’t. They’re waiting for one hint or rumor of a hint that you’ve slipped back into your old habits. And if you think the publicity was hard the first time around was bad, it will be much, much worse this time. I was barely able to help the last time.”

I narrow my eyes and look away from Lennon. I hate that he’s defending Lachlan Mayfield as if he’s some well-respected, highly-regarded saint. The man is as corrupt as any politician.

“You’re always so fucking worried about what everyone will think. Why can’t you just trust what I tell you?” I turn my head and pin my eyes on him. “I’m your brother.”

Lennon’s shoulders drop as he falls back against the booth. His hands fall into his lap, and he looks at me with sympathy. “I’m sorry. I just care ’cause you’re my baby brother. And you’re thirty-three now. I think I speak for meandJude when we thought you would be in a different place by now. I want to know you’re okay.”

“I am,” I assure him. I’m more than okay, in fact.

Fuck, I want to get back to Adeline.

“So, what does this mean?” he asks. “Are you not selling the house anymore?”

“I’m not sure.” I scratch at the stubble on my chin. I haven’t thought about selling the house. Not with Adeline there. Not with the looming threat of Soren and his men. I can’t riskAdeline not having a place to go. Kicking her out would be like throwing her to the wolves.

“You don’t have to come back to work anytime soon if you want more time with the house,” Lennon offers as a truce. “From what I remember, the place was on the verge of being condemned. I understand if it’s taking longer than expected.”

I look at my brother with conflicted feelings. He’s right. The house was on the verge of being destroyed, and deep inside, I know I’ve given it another shot at life. I’ve given it another chance. But I can’t take all the credit.

Adeline brought life back into it before I even laid a finger on it.

I owe it all to her.

“Thanks,” I tell him, knowing at some point I’ll want to get back to work, but now isn’t the time.

The rest of breakfast goes by quickly without another mention of me and my past drug history. Neither Lennon or Jude bring up Adeline again, and I’m thankful. The last thing I need is for them to have any hunch that I’m sleeping with her.

After saying goodbye to my brothers, I head home and pull into the driveway, unsure whether Adeline is back from meeting up with Ember. I hold back on texting her, not wanting to interrupt her again. If Adeline needs me, she’d reach out.

I park my car in my driveway beside the house and start to make my way toward the back door but stop when I see someone peering through the back window. The gate is swung wide open, and the man is standing on his toes with his hands cupped around his face. He’s dressed in a dark gray suit but doesn’t seem fazed by me being here. Either he didn’t hear me pull in or he doesn’t care.

I step through the open gate, quickly making my way through the yard. I make my presence known, making sure to make as much noise as possible as I shuffle through the yard. I swipethe hammer I left out here yesterday from the top of one of the dressers, gripping it tightly in my hand as I carry it with me, gaining on the asshole peeking into my house.

“Excuse me,” I say, lifting my chin, catching his attention. “Can I help you?”

My throat thickens. Could this be one of Soren’s men?

The man’s spine stiffens before he spins around.

My breath catches in my throat, and my hand loosens around the handle of the hammer. He looks the same as he did three years ago. The only difference is the silver strands of hair peppered around his ears. The top of his head is still a rich, dark brown. His eyes are a familiar hazel color with specks of sage.

“What are you doing here?” I grind my jaw and aggressively take large steps toward Lachlan Mayfield, retightening my grip on the handle.

He holds his hands up innocently. “Sorry, Micah. I didn’t mean for you to–”

“Catch you snooping around my house like a fucking creep? Howdareyou show your face here!” I can’t help it. This man is the root cause of why my life took the turn it did.

“No, I wasn’t.” He holds his shaking arm out toward the window. Fucking asshole is tweaking. “I heard my daughter was staying here. At least that’s what Archer told me.”

I narrow my eyes and look up at Adeline’s bedroom window. “You haven’t talked to her?”

He shrugs, his eyes hooding over with sadness. “My daughter and I haven’t always been close. She doesn’t let me in as much as Archer does.”

I look at Lachlan skeptically. What does he mean by that?

I straighten my shoulders, an icy chill prickling down my spine. “She isn’t here.”

“Oh.” He nods, running his shaking fingers over his jaw.

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