Page 48 of Abyss

But neither was the little slip of my tongue, telling her she was perfect the night I was drunk. Neither was showing her I was raging with envy at the sight of that asshole, Corbin, touching her. And neither was almost kissing her on Saturday in my bathroom.

Jett’s voice carries through the door, humor evident in his words.

Between the two of us, he’s always been the life of every party. The kid who’d win over his teachers, our neighbors, and even our dad, getting out of trouble for shit he’d blatantly done because of his blue puppy-dog eyes and the flash of his perfect teeth. The man who came into a room and garnered attention just by being there.

The listener, the sympathizer, the fucking jokester.

I just never thought the joke would be on me.

Given the fact that I practically helped raise him, gave him every opportunity right along with me to climb the ladder, manage a huge portion of my business—despite not having the background in Earth Sciences like I did—and be my daughter’s godfather, I didn’t expect his betrayal.

And that became my single biggest mistake.

For him to leave with a portion of my staff and go to a competing firm? For him to hurt the man and brother who would have stood by his side until the end of time?

Yeah, I’m not sure our relationship will ever recover.

As for the sleeping-with-my-girlfriend part? I could give two shits about that. Sure, it was like icing on the fucking cake at the time because the knowledge came on the heels of him leaving Case Geo, but thank God for small miracles.

Kenna was always needy and selfish. She’d shown me thattime and time again; I was just too lazy to do much about it. She was good company, and I’d never wanted a real commitment, aside from exclusivity. She seemed to be okay with that, so it worked. But I should have seen there was no future for us.

I still remember the day Maddy was in the car accident. I had joined Kenna in New York at a dog show where her purebred French bulldog was up for a “Best in Show” award. I was already having a crazy week at work with my travel schedule at an all-time high, but because of her constant begging for us to spend more time together, I’d canceled an important meeting to be there to support her.

I still can’t believe the words that came out of Kenna’s mouth when I got the call from Brie, telling me Maddy was in the hospital.

“Are you sure? Or is this another excuse for you to bail on a weekend with me?” She’d kept her eyes locked on the arena where other dogs were being showcased, not even sparing a glance at my face to see how it had gone pale.

I was having a fucking heart attack because my kid was in the hospital, and she thought I was trying to bail on spending time with her? The lack of concern in her voice should have raised the biggest flag in my head.

“No, Kenna. As much as you think the worst of me, this is not some sick plan to get away from you. In case you hadn’t noticed, I flew across the country to be here, and now I have to fucking go back because my daughter needs me.”

I was rushing toward the exit when she grabbed my elbow. For a moment, I thought she was going to apologize, but what came out of her mouth sealed the deal for me. “I’m sure she’ll be fine. It’s not like rushing over there is going to get her out of the hospital any sooner.”

Iknew I’d be breaking things off as soon as I got a chance to sit down and talk to her again. As fate would have it, I never did getthat chance, since the next time I saw her, she and my brother were walking into my office to tell me they were resigning.

At least he had the decency to look ashamed, but I still remember the way her lips pursed and the haughty attitude she displayed when she told me, “Oh, and by the way, we slept together.”

Jett messaged me right after to say he was sorry and that he and Kenna had only slept together once—apparently, on a night when he was completely wasted—but I’d blocked his number that day.

I knew that from then on, if he wanted to get a hold of me, he’d have to do it through my office number or, like he has today, by showing up at my place of work.

Without more thought, I burst open the door to the meeting room, convinced I’d see . . . I don’t know what I was convinced I’d see. Jett cornering her, showering her with his charm and personality.

Instead, I find Kavi standing with her arms crossed in a corner while Jett is on a chair, relaxed, with his ankle on his knee. He’s leaner than me, but we both share the same eyes and nose as our father, but where I have dark brown hair, he has more blond mixed in.

“Good to see you, big brother. Kavi and I were just talking about you,” he says, his smile sweeping over Kavi before turning to me. “I was telling her about some of our past shenanigans, running the charters for Dad. Remember when I used to throw that rubber barracuda into customer tackle boxes? They’d open it and nearly have a heart attack when it tried to snap at them.”

He laughs, not getting the same response from me, given I was always the one apologizing to customers for my brother’s childish pranks.

I flick a glance at my admin, noting the laughter in her eyes, which only heightens my temper. “Kavi, perhaps Belinda never specified this, or maybe you forgot, what with all thebaking that’s been consuming your time, but I loathe impromptu meetings. If they’re not on my calendar, please tell any unwelcome surprise guest to find a spot appropriately. Or in this situation, tell them to fuck off.”

My accusatory tone makes her wince, guilt splashing over her features as she stammers. “I . . . I thought that because he was your brother—”

“Please leave,” I cut her off, turning my icy gaze on the person who’s the true target for my wrath. “What do you want?”

Chapter Fifteen

HUDSON

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