Page 93 of Thanking Her Brother's Best Friends

"Selene." Aiden stepped forward, and I took a step back. Dom reached out to hold his hand. His face was withdrawn and remote.

"We understand, Selene," he said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Aiden's voice rose, but it fell silent when he looked at Dom's eyes.

"Let her go."

30

AIDEN

Ten Weeks Later

She called us.

"Aiden, Selene has called us toPâtisserie du Ciel."

I tore my eyes away from the paperwork spread out before me, my brow furrowing as I shot Dom a withering scowl. He returned my gaze with perfect equanimity.

Harvest and Hearth had just had a very busy month. This was a good time for tourists to pool into Boston, which meant it was also a good time for business.

I'd kept myself busy ensuring Harvest and Hearth had all the necessary permits, licenses, and certifications needed by local and state authorities.

This would help our restaurant operate smoothly and ensure maximum footfall.

Honestly, the work was a blessing. Anything that helped me forget was a blessing.

"I'm not going." I returned to my documents, feigning complete disinterest. A mammoth achievement, considering my heart felt like it could pop out of my mouth at the very mention ofhername. "There's too much to be done."

"Nice try, my boy. But you're not really fooling anyone." Dom folded his arms in front of his chest. "And why don't you want to go?"

I kept my eyes fixed on a row of neat legal jargon. "Because she said she doesn't want us around? Or did the three of us hear different things?"

"She said what she did. That was months ago. This is different, Aiden."

I smacked my hand on the table, losing the last ounce of patience I had left. "Dom, this is why men keep losing, okay? She cast us out. She told us she didn't want to be with us. And she was MIA this whole time, even though we tried to reach out on multiple occasions.”

He groaned, and I rolled my eyes. "Why do you keep insisting on pursuing this? She's probably gonna call us there and give us more reasons justifying why the breakup washealthyand shit. I'm sorry, you can fall for that sappy shit as many times as you like, but I'm not going to."

"Do you ever hear yourself?"

The faint note of disgust in Dom's voice surprised me. I'd known him to be angry with me before, but this... My lips curled. "Only all the time. Someone has to be the voice of reason."

"And yet," Dom said, moving two steps toward my table, "it is never you. Fuck, Aiden, when did you become this fucking pathetic?"

I wasn't about to sit there and let Dom lecture me on the specifics of how big a failure I felt.

"You think you can just mess with me and get away with it?" I growled, clenching my fists.

I lunged forward, aiming a punch straight at him. But Dom, quick on his feet, dodged my strike with a nimble sidestep. He raised his hands defensively.

"You fucking idiot." Dom was still infuriatingly calm. "Do you not see how much you hurt Selene with the shit you told her in the bedroom that evening? Are you really this blind?"

But I was raging in the heat of the moment. I swung again, this time aiming for his shoulder, but Dom deflected my punch with a skillful parry. His eyes narrowed, and he retaliated with a jab of his own.

It hit me smack in the nose. I groaned in pain and reeled back, seeing stars. Seconds later, the taste of warm salt on my lips told me I was bleeding.

"Fuck." Dom took a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to me. "I'm sorry about that."

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