Page 137 of Winning Brynn

“Mote. Mote.”

“No. No mote.”

She frowns, hitting me with a look so sassy that I’m convinced she inherited it from Brynn, before plopping back down on her butt and picking up a rattle instead.

Shadows move down the hallway, dancing on the walls in time to the rhythmic sound of multiple footsteps. Brynn appears first, her cheeks pink from the cold and her hair wind-swept. Hours have passed since she left, despite telling me she was hoping not to be gone too long, though I feel nothing but happiness to have her back now as her lips stretch into a wild smile, the dappled purple light from the sunset caressing her face the way I want to.

Behind her, and dragging his feet, Alex moves cautiously through the archway. His jaw is set, though his eyes are lacking the same burning fury I saw in them the last time we were together. It has me blowing out a sigh of relief, knowing I’m unlikely to receive another hit to the jaw this evening.

“Hi.” I aim to sound casual, but my voice cracks at the edges.

Brynn shoots me a reassuring smile, moving through the room to drop a kiss to my mouth, right here in front of her brother. I look at her wildly, silently asking what the fuck she’s doing, but she just chuckles and turns her attention to Salem.

“Muh, muh!” my daughter squeals and throws her arms up to Brynn, who scoops her up and flops onto the couch beside me, Salem sitting giddily on her lap.

“How’s my little ladybug? I missed you this afternoon.”

Salem giggles and drops her head onto Brynn’s chest with a happy, serene smile.

Alex watches their interaction with rapt interest, taking an armchair across from us. “Hey, man,” he croaks, and it’s comforting to know that he’s as nervous about this conversation as I am.

Clasping my hands together, my knee jiggles as silence stretches between us. There are so many things to say, but no one seems to know how to start.

“Well, this is awkward,” Brynn offers unhelpfully, though her tone is teasing. She’s in far higher spirits than she was when she left me in the bathroom earlier, so I can only assume she worked her shit out with her brother.

The realization gives me a glimmer of hope that I might be able to do the same.

“I’m sorry,” Alex and I blurt at the same time. His lips twitch with amusement, but he waves with his hand, motioning for me to go first.

I heave a deep sigh and begin. “I’m sorry for hurting you. You’re my best friend, and you’ve been there for me through so much. It’s killing me to know how upset you are with me, and I get it. I did the one thing you asked me not to do, and then I hid it from you. I can’t apologize for falling in love with Brynn, because I will never think of her as a mistake. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me, minus Salem, and I can’t be sorry for that. But I am sorry, so fucking desperately sorry, for not telling you sooner. I was a coward. I was so terrified of losing you that I pushed it off until it was too late, and I regret that more than you know. I’m just—”

“That’s enough,” Alex cuts me off. My heart thunders with anxiety, but I nod mutedly and wait. “You should have told me,” he says simply.

“Yeah.”

“But I shouldn’t have forbidden you from touching her. It wasn’t my place to do that. It’s none of my business, and maybe if I hadn’t been such a crazy, overprotective asshole, you’d have felt safer to tell me. I have to acknowledge my part in that.”

My eyes widen in surprise. I’m so shocked, actually, that I wouldn’t be able to say anything in response even if I tried.

Thankfully, he continues, “And fuck, man, but the last thing I should have done was hit you. That was way over the line. It doesn’t matter that I’d just found out that, months ago, I’d heard you fucking my little sister—as fucking atrocious as that fact is. But I shouldn’t have done it, and I’m so sorry.”

“Wait, what?” Brynn gapes. “What do you mean youheardus?” When Alex says nothing, her gaze flies to me. “Leo?”

Oh Jesus.

“Um, the first time we were…”—I think through my words carefully—“together,Alex came by to pick up something. I obviously didn’t answer because, you know, we were busy…” Alex dry heaves. “And he, well…he heard some noises and assumed I was with another woman. That day in the locker room, he hit me because he worked out that it hadn’t been another woman, but had, in fact, been you.”

Her face drains of color. “You heard us?” she asks her brother.

Alex nods grimly. “Unfortunately.”

“Oh god. Oh god. That'sawful.”

“I think it ruined my life. There’s no coming back from that.”

She nods in understanding. “I kinda understand why you hit him now.”

“Hey!” I say, affronted.

---