Page 24 of Trouble
Andre shook his head. “You knew the unwritten rules, Maddox. Lyla can date anyone she likes. Just not you, Wes or Jack.”
“Maybe you need to have a word with Jack then and remind him of those rules.” I threw the comment out there, knowing nothing had gone on with them apart from a kiss during a drunken game of Truth or Dare in our senior year.
His eyes narrowed. “Jack? When?”
“High school. You’d have to ask Lyla. I couldn’t possibly speak for Jack.” I smirked. Throwing a friend under the bus wasn’t exactly my style, but if I could get Andre to see Lyla was all grown up then maybe he wouldn’t have to be so protective of her.
“What about Wes? Did he have a thing for her too?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, you know he and Scarlett have been together forever. He wouldn’t look at another woman.”
Andre pressed his hands to his temple. “I come home for a surprise visit and this is what I find? My sister and my best friend. And it’s not the first time.”
Suddenly I wished I hadn’t dropped Jack in it, particularly as he wasn’t around to defend himself. He was probably lying in a hospital bed right now. Although if I didn’t clear things up with Andre, I could quite possibly find myself the same way.
“Come on, Andre, let me explain.”
“No, Maddox.” He shook his head, rubbing his face. “I can’t even look at you right now.”
With that, he turned and left the office, slamming the door to the garage on his way out. I balked at the sound, hoping it wasn’t the end of everything.
Once he’d gone, I hauled my ass upstairs to the bathroom. As expected, my face was a mess, dried blood around my mouth topped off with a bruised eye that was currently all shades of red and purple. The dull ache in my ribs suggested something similar was occurring there. I ran some warm water and washed my face, screwing up my eyes as the liquid stung the cut on my lip. Thankfully, it all seemed superficial and would likely calm down in a few days. I wasn’t sure if Andre would though.
I went into the living area and slumped down on the couch. My phone was on the table and I reached for it, debating whether to contact Lyla. No, I should call Andre, make him see reason, make him see what we were doing wasn’t wrong. What I’d said earlier about being his brother-in-law was the total truth.
Staring at the ceiling, I contemplated what I’d said to Lyla when Andre walked in. Every word of it was a total lie. I wanted her, needed her, more than she would ever know. Ten years of longing, two days of pleasure, and it had all come crashing down around my ears.
But I had to do the right thing by her brother.
What was that saying?Bros before ho’s?
Deep down, I knew in this case, it should be the other way around.
It was beginning to get dark and I was still going over the car, checking out parts and working out what I had to order versus what I could get in one of the bigger suppliers over in Cali Heights.
My stomach growled, reminding me I hadn’t eaten anything since the bagel and muffin for breakfast.
I was tired and my body ached.
It was time to go home.
When I crashed through the door, the smell of Bolognese cooking on the stove hit me and I followed my nose into the kitchen where Aunt Penny was cooking up a big batch.
“Maddox! What happened to you?” She rushed over and enveloped me in a huge hug.
I winced as she squeezed my ribs. Clearly, they were going to take some time to heal. A bit like my relationships with Lyla and Andre. “It’s nothing,” I blustered, not sure how much I wanted to say.
“Why don’t you go and get cleaned up, then tell me all about it?” She drew back, holding me at arm’s length, appraising me with a quick gaze.
Apart from the physical marks, I wasn’t sure whether she could see how much I was hurting inside. Her concern touched me though and I headed upstairs.
Alone, in the relative quiet of my room, I kicked off my work boots, then stripped off my jeans and t-shirt, careful not to let any of the oil stains touch the carpet. Aunt Penny always complained it took too long to get them out. I stood in my boxers in front of the mirror and checked out the extent of the damage to my ribs. As suspected, it was similar to my face, red and purple bruises covering my left side. Andre had a decent right punch on him. A crooked grin sprang to my face. It was the first time we’d ever physically fought over something—anything. With all my heart, I wished it hadn’t been Lyla.
Half an hour later, refreshed from a hot shower and feeling a little more human, I went to join Aunt Penny in the kitchen.
She was stirring the pot of sauce and checked on the pasta as she did so. “I’ve put some garlic bread in the oven too. Do you want to set the table?”
On autopilot, I did as she asked, setting us both a place. with a fork and a spoon. I went to the cupboard and got us a couple of glasses for water.
