Page 49 of Bourbon Wishes
I crack my door open, needing space. But his hand lands on my arm before I can climb into the car.
"You belong here, Constance. You'llalwayshave a place here. Don't give up on us without hearing me out," he whispers, his voice a painful rasp. "Don't give up on me, baby."
He's pleading like he thinks I can salvage us…but he's the one who broke me.
"I have to go," I mumble, falling into the seat as more tears well in my eyes.
"Constance…"
"Bastian, please," I whisper, two seconds from losing it.
He clings to the doorframe, his knuckles white. And then he mutters a curse and leans down, brushing his lips across my cheek. "I'm letting you go see your brother because I know you need it, but I'm not letting you leave me," he growls. "Not now, and not ever."
"Please," I whimper, my bottom lip quivering.
He carefully latches my seatbelt and then steps back, closing my door for me.
I start the engine with shaking hands, staring straight ahead. But I feel him like a sunspot on the edge of my vision, willing meto look at him, toseehim. As if I've ever been able to see past him.
Maybe that's the problem. I see him, but right now, I'm not sure if he's ever really seen me.
Imake it allthe way to the house the record label rented for my brother and Sutton before I fall apart. As soon as he pulls me into a hug at the front door, I crack, a loud sob wracking my body.
"Fuck," he growls, burying my face in his throat as I break. "Come on, Constance. Let's get you inside before I decide to kill the prick."
I called him on the way to give him a brief overview of recent events. Naturally, he's furious—both because I've been sleeping with my boss and because I'm crying over him.
Caleb has been overprotective for my entire life, and he's always hated when I cry. So Bastian is not his favorite person right now.
"You c-c-can't kill him," I choke, clinging to him as he practically hauls me into the foyer before slamming the door behind me.
"Oh my," Sutton whispers as their tiny terrorist of a dog tries to climb my legs. "Koda, behave." She says it as if she expects him to listen, but Koda has never listened a day in his life. He does what he wants.
Caleb hauls me into the living room before settling me on the plush sofa. A second later, he shoves half a box of tissues into myhands. Less than a second after that, Koda is in my lap, trying to steal the tissue.
Sutton plucks him up, placing him back on the floor.
He protests with a growl—which honestly sounds more like he's yelling than anything, really. Little dogs are wild.
"Here." Caleb settles beside me, wrapping one big arm around my shoulders. "Please stop crying. It's making me homicidal."
I choke on another protest.
"You're not helping, Caleb," Sutton murmurs from my other side.
"Fucking clearly," he says, resignation heavy in his voice.
"I'm s-sorry." I dab at my face, trying to get myself under control. "I d-don't even know why I'm crying."
"I do." My brother's dark glower somehow grows even darker. "You're in love with the prick."
"Caleb, you can't just call him that," Sutton chastises gently. "Obviously, he's not a horrible person, or she wouldn't love him." She's definitely more sensible than my brother. I'm really damn glad that he has her.
"If he were worth a damn, she wouldn't be crying over him right now," he growls.
Sutton just shakes her head before sitting beside me to lean her head against mine. "Do you want to talk about it, Constance?"
"No." I hiccup. "Yes. He gave my j-job to someone else. Why would he do that?" I stare at the blank television screen across from the sofa.
