Page 146 of Taeja

“Where are you going this late?” Kacian glanced at the clock. “It’s nine p.m. Didn’t you say Taeja lives with you now? I know I raised you better than to—”

Damon chuckled. “Relax, it’s just for the weekend. We dropped her off at her friend’s place before we came here.”

“Oh… well, I’ll follow you to the door,” Kacian said, and Zain offered her a hand to help her stand. “Thank you, my baby.”

“Thank you, my baby,”Damon mocked.

Kacian chuckled as they walked toward the front door. “Is it Tsion again?”

Damon nodded. “We’re going to show our support for him.”

Kacian sighed as she leaned on the threshold, giving her sons a strict warning, “Please be careful. I don’t want either of you getting your reputations ruined if you get caught up in Tsion’s mess.”

“We won’t,” he promised. “Goodnight. We’ll let you know when we get there.”

Kacian nodded, hugged them, and gave them a quick kiss on the cheek. “Please drive safe. Remember what I said, Damon. And for you…”

“I won’t skip our date,” Zain promised, making Kacian smile.

Damon walked away, settling himself in the passenger’s seat while Zain got behind the wheel. Zain reversed out of the driveway. Silence filled the car.

Damon broke it. “Just say what you want to say.”

“I told you so? ‘Cause I did,” Zain said.

Damon sighed. “You don’t get it.”

“I do. This is just like my Adelaide situation, and I’m gonna sort it out. You need to get your shit together.”

“Maybe this weekend will help, then I can tell her when we’re back.”

“Sounds good.”

“How do you think she’ll take it?”

Zain chuckled. “You’re making it seem like you did something outrageous.”

“I’m not joking, Zain.”

“Okay, fine… How she’ll take it? I don’t know. You never know with her.”

“True,” Damon chuckled. As it died off, his jaw clenched. “If she doesn’t want to be my girlfriend anymore, I don’t want you to leave her. Taeja deserves to be happy, and you do, too.”

Parking in a driveway, Zain turned the car off before facing Damon. “Shut the fuck up. You’re being stupid.”

“I’m not being stupid. I don’t want to ruin a good thing for you if she can’t look at me the same.”

“Just like I’d never make you ruin a good thing for me,” Zain argued. “Taeja loves you, and she’d be offended that you think she’d feel threatened by a person not in your life anymore. Get outta your head and let’s go tell Adelaide to fuck off.”

Damon’s mouth dropped as he watched Zain exit the car. Sometimes, how his brother spoke to people shocked him. Zain slipped in and out of his army training so easily, like he never left.

Inhaling a deep breath, Damon exited the car. At the door, Zain’s finger rested heavily on the doorbell, its continuous ring resonating through the still night.

“I think she heard you the first five seconds,” Damon said.

“Then why isn’t she here already?”

Damon shrugged. “I told her we were coming over—” He paused as the door opened, revealing Adelaide. Damon’s mouth dropped, his eyes widening.

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