Page 11 of Tempted By the Broken Cowboy
Jace then turns to me with a resolved look. “I just asked Miss Atwood here to lend us her PR services to fix your reputation around Wrangler Creek.”
My neck snaps toward him so fast, an audible crack is heard. “You did what?!”
“It’s about time, Beck,” Zane speaks up as if I’m supposed to simply roll over and accept it.
Hell no! This is my personal business they are discussing in my absence, and I need them to butt out.
“I don’t need them to like me. I’m fine with my life as it is,” I assert.
“You might be fine with it, but we aren’t. Our brother is a social pariah, and that doesn’t sit right with us,” Ella piles on.
“Then fucking stand!” I shout, growing extremely frustrated that we even have to discuss this in the first place. “It’s been a decade. If they were going to forgive me, they would have already. Let things be—it doesn’t bother me, so it shouldn’t bother you.”
They do not look convinced.
“Beck, how long are you going to keep running from this? Isn’t making amends one of the steps in your recovery journey?” Jace prods.
“Do not fucking lecture me. I know better than anyone what needs to be done, but I am not budging on this. I have made amends where I need to. As for the rest, it’s out of my hands,” I defend.
“No, it’s not. You owe it to the people you offended to make things right,” Ella insists.
“And you think I haven’t tried?! What do you think led to my last stint at rehab?” I scream at her.
My loud tone attracts the attention of the tables around us, so I force myself to breathe and try to calm down.
“We see how hard you’re trying, Beck, and that’s why we want to help. That’s where Quinn comes in,” Jace adds.
I turn to Miss Atwood herself, who has been quiet through all this, and she is already looking at me. “You don’t really want this, do you?”
She doesn’t even like me, so why would she want to work so closely with me?
“Too much is at stake for me to flat-out refuse. Yes, I’m not your biggest fan, and this is going to be really hard, but I need the funding from your brother, and this is his only condition,” she explains.
Argh! Why is everyone ganging up on me? They’ve even managed to drag Quinn into their scheme.
I turn to Jace with a hard glare. “I’m not doing this.”
“And I’m sorry if I gave you the impression that I was giving you much of a choice. It’s all on Miss Atwood now. If she agrees, you will have to work with her. If not, then we will have to find someone else because this is happening whether you like it or not. I just thought Miss Atwood would be best for the position since you are familiar with each other and she needs something from us. It’s a win-win situation on both sides,” Jace explains as if he’s pitching me an amazing business idea when instead it feels like they are pawning me off.
Looking at my siblings, I recognize that they have all made up their minds about this and there is no convincing them otherwise. The only option I have left is convincing Quinn to opt out of this. I push my chair back and get to my feet.
“Beck, please sit. We’re not done discussing this,” Ella pleads.
“Yes, we are,” I grit out, then turn to Quinn. “You’re coming with me.”
I grab her arm and pull her out of her chair, dragging her away before anyone can stop me.
“Beck, let me go,” she demands, but I only tighten my grip.
She gives up resisting when she realizes that I’m not budging. I slow down my steps when I notice she’s struggling to keep up with me. Instead of heading back upstairs to my room, I bring her to one of the terraces in the hotel. It’s neutral ground, untainted by my siblings or the memories of last night.
I let go of her arm, blocking her path when she attempts to get away. “We need to talk about this.”
“No, we do not. I need to discuss this with your siblings, not you,” she declines.
“It concerns me, so you are talking about it with me,” I decree.
She groans in frustration, crossing her arms over her chest when she realizes that I am not going to let her go.
