Page 137 of Playing For Keeps
“Why else would I reach out?”
“I don’t know, but I haven’t made it easy on you, so…”
There’s a moment of silence. He seems receptive, so maybe this will go better than I hope.
“Aiden, you need to know that me falling in love with your sister wasn’t about betraying you. I’ve loved her for a long time, and we couldn’t fight our feelings anymore.”
He glances down and stays silent. I can’t read him. He’s got his FBI shield up, so I give him time to respond.
After a few beats, he looks back at the screen. “You know, they say therapy helps, but from my experience so far, it’s been a bitch.”
Okay, not where I thought this would go, but I’ll work with it.
“I know it can be hard. Sometimes Dori comes home after an appointment and is more down than before she left. It’s not easy to sort through those emotions that come up in therapy.”
“No, it’s not. But my therapist says that’s a sign of being committed to change.” His cheeks grow red. “Who would’ve thought I’d be talking about this with you?”
“I can’t say I ever pictured it, but you’re like my brother, so I hope you can accept my support.”
“Yeah, I’ve always considered you my brother too.” He pauses for a few seconds. “I saw your proposal online. Well done.”
My stomach knots, but I should’ve known some fan would’ve recorded it and uploaded it to social media. I justdidn’t expect it to go viral like it did. I didn’t know about it until Melanie called Dori, squealing about her magical moment in the spotlight.
I run my hand over my stubbly beard. “You saw that, huh? I probably should’ve asked you for her hand, but…”
“Yeah, Hunter sent me the link. He said he thought I would want to see it. He was right. You did good.”
“Thanks. I wanted her to feel adored.”
He shifts then clears his throat. “You didn’t need my approval.”
“But I wanted it. I still do.”
That hangs in the air as he stares at me through the computer. I’m not going to beg him. It was just an olive branch.
He pinches the bridge of his nose then makes eye contact. “I know you’ll treat her well. That’s all I can ask for.”
“You know I will.” I brace myself as I step into my armor. I’m prepared to fight if I have to. “Look, I didn’t call to grovel. I called to see where you stand. If you want to be a part of Dori’s life, you need to come around and accept our relationship.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you’ve treated her like shit for years, and she didn’t deserve it. I need to know if you plan on making it up to her. She’s going to be my wife, and if you can’t treat her right, I’ll do what I need to do to protect her.”
Anger flares in his eyes, and his body goes rigid.
I guess we’re getting to the meat of the issue. I knew this conversation was going too well. Now I just have to wait to see how far out of hand he goes.
CHAPTER 32
JAMISON
Aiden’s face turns red.
I peer at him through the computer, silently telling him I’m not going to back down. He either learns to treat Dori well, or he won’t have a relationship with her.
And that’s not my decision. She came to that conclusion on her own. I just know her well enough to realize she’d never reach out to him first. Not after all she did to set him up for life.
Come on, Aiden. Don’t be a dick.
