Page 87 of Win My Heart

“Because I’m done hiding it.”

“What have you been hiding?” he asks.

“We’ve been dating for months. But we’ve… Well, I wanted to keep it on the down low because of you guys.” I incline my head toward them.

Link gasps. “Are you embarrassed by us, Wadey?”

I grab the pillow shoved between my side and the chair and chuck it at him. “Shut the fuck up, man.”

“Yeah, I know. But I guess I don’t understand why you thought you had to hide it and why you decided to tell us now.” Dex lifts his hand palm up.

It’s my turn to be confused.

“You knew?” I turn and look behind me at Simon. He’s facing us in his chair but still holding what I can see is a pair of headphones. He looks up at me.

He shrugs. “I didn’t say anything.”

“What the fuck? You confided in Simon and not me?” Link whines and tosses the pillow back at me. I snag it before it can hit me in the face.

“No, but I would never confide jack shit in you. You’re a fucking Chatty Cathy about everyone else’s business.”

“He’s not wrong,” Simon mutters. Link pouts, crossing his arms and wiggling back into the couch. I roll my eyes.

Putting my focus back on my brother, I ask again, “How did you know?”

He sighs. “Look, Wade. I’m not gonna pretend I wasn’t a grade A douche all those years ago when I made you join our ‘she’s off limits’ pact. I knew you had a thing for her, but I wanted my team and, well, you always had a flavor of the month, and Bernie was more important than that. But you’re my bother, and I know you pretty damn well. I knew the minute Matt started spouting off shit about getting with her that you were going to blow a gasket.” He smiles grimly.

“Kudos to you, though.” This comes from Link. “You gave it a good go. You lasted longer than I thought you would.” He’s clearly over his temper tantrum.

“What he means is, we didn’t think much of it after we made that stupid pact. You never so much as flirted with her, so we figured that ship had sailed.” This comes from Simon. I twist in my seat a little so I can see him and Dex.

“So you guys have known this whole time that I’ve been seeing Bernie?” I’m dumbfounded.

“Well, not the whole time. We just assumed you were into her again. It wasn’t until fuckhead made his move in The Bar that we figured it out.” Dex offers his explanation.

Link chuckles. “You were hella protective.”

I sigh and lean back into my seat. “I’ve made a total mess of things for no reason.”

“Sure have, my friend.” Link offers his two cents.

“So what made you come clean now?” Dex leans forward, placing his elbows on his knees.

I look him in the eye and give him a small smile. “I fell in love with her. Didn’t want to hide it anymore.”

His answering grin tells me all I need to know. I’ve got his support.

Link groans. “Shit, man. While I’m happy for you and our girl Bernie, Ruby was fucking right—again. That means I owe her…” He cocks his head, clearly pondering something before grinning. “Nope, never mind. It’s still a win for me. Carry on.”

“Well, I’m happy for you,” Dex says. “As my brother, I really hope this works out. I can see it working out, for sure. But as her friend, I’ll have to beat the shit out of you if you hurt her.” He tries for a stern look, but it’s not going well.

I shake my head. “I appreciate you looking out for her, but it’s not necessary. I don’t plan on letting her go.”

“I still want to know why Simon knew and you didn’t tell us,” Link questions.

“For Christ’s sakes, don’t get your panties in a twist. I caught them sucking face outside our apartment a couple weeks ago. No words were exchanged. I just know how to keep my mouth shut,” Simon deadpans.

Link blinks. “How does Gia put up with your grumpy ass?”

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