Page 43 of Undone

“What?” I asked.

“What?What?” She let out a sharp sigh, disbelief thick in her voice. “How about you hitting on my best friend? You know, the one who’s still reeling after her ex turned out to be a fucking serial killer?”

“I’m well aware of her situation.”

“You’re one to talk, though, Dot. Considering you’re dating your brother’s best friend,” Trent chimed in with a laugh, clearly enjoying the show.

Dotty didn’t even glance at him. Her eyes were locked on me. She swatted at his chest without breaking her focus, silencing him.

“She’s healing, Dorian!” Dotty shouted, low and protective. “She doesn’t need you showing up and fucking with her head. This is enough already. She doesn’t need anything else to throw her off.”

I couldn’t help the bitter laugh that slipped out. “What, so I’m just an asshole then?” I shot back, but as soon as the words left my mouth, I realized she was right. She always was.

“Yes, in this situation, you are,” Dotty snapped, her eyes narrowing. “I haven’t seen you with a woman since… well, in a long time. So don’t act like you want anything more than a quick fuck. Go find your hookup somewhere else.”

Her words landed, but not for the reason I expected. Not for the reason they should have.

Of course, I was attracted to Noah—anyone with eyes could see how perfect she was.

But the way Dotty threw out those accusations, like it was all about a quick hookup, hit deeper than I wanted to admit.

She had a point, though. I wasn’t ready to give anyone more than that.

Dotty turned on her heel, her footsteps heavy with anger as she stormed off into the other room, leaving a heavy silence behind. I stayed rooted to the spot.

Trent cleared his throat, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. “That went well,” he said.

“Sure did,” I muttered, glancing toward the door where Dotty had disappeared. “It was overdue. Haven’t pissed her off like that since she moved back.”

Trent’s expression softened, his earlier humor fading. “Look, I don’t know what your intentions are, man. But Noah’s important to Dotty, so she’s important to me. Whatever’s going on, if you fuck with my girl, I’m going to fuck you up.” He smiled, but the underlying threat was clear.

“Everyone wants to kick my ass lately, damn,” I said, trying to deflect. I patted him on the back, and he nodded, walking off, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that Dotty was right. Noah was healing, fragile in ways that made me want to protect her—even if it meant protecting her from myself. But the truth was, I wasn’t the kind of guy who could offer her what she needed right now.

I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling sharply as I walked back toward the door Noah had walked out of.

It wasn’t supposed to feel this way.

It couldn’t.

And yet, the more I tried to push it aside, the harder it was to ignore the truth: that I was already in too deep.

FIFTEEN

Noah - August

FALSE CONFIDENCE - NOAH KAHAN

Dotty let out a long sigh,her fingers idly tracing the rim of her coffee cup as her gaze wandered out the window of Woodstone Perks, the local café.

“Honestly, I never thought planning a wedding could be this stressful. We’re keeping it so simple, and somehow it still feels so crazy.”

I smiled, watching the steam rise from my own cup. “Isn’t that the point of weddings? Chaos with cake at the end?”

“Yeah.” She smiled, her gaze still fixed on her coffee, the rich brown swirling lazily. “It will be at the wedding venue in town, with the mountains as our backdrop through these huge windows.” She paused, her eyes lighting up.

I couldn’t help but smile imagining it—a simple, intimate celebration. Nothing over the top, just something that felt like home. Their whole relationship had been that way, even the proposal.

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