Page 18 of Bren

My whole body had frozen as I waited to hear what Alec’s reply would be.

Not wanting to take my eyes off the road, I look at Ellie from the corner of my eye and see that she is turned slightly towards me, waiting expectantly for my reply. Knowing I wasn’t going to get out of it, I turn the music down and tell her what I’d overheard, “He told Sam that he’s not been with anyone else since that night with me, that I’m all he’s thought about since then. He has the earring I thought I’d lost, and he uses it like a security blanket. Well, his exact words were‘like a fucking security blanket,’” I laugh slightly as I think back to the frustration in his voice when he told Sam that.

“And,” Ellie motions with her hands for me to carry on.

Rolling my eyes at her, I grumble, “You’re a pain in the arse, Ellie.”

She sniggers, “Oh, I know, but I’m your pain in the arse. Stop stalling.”

“Fine, ugh. What else? Oh, that he said he didn’t want children because of who his father is.”

“Well, that’s bloody stupid, what an idiot. And here I thought he was smarter than that,” Ellie mutters. “If we all felt like that, then none of us would have babies.”

“He also said he’s always known how I felt for him and that he knows he fucked up, but that he’d work at getting me to forgive him and that he’d make me his no matter what or something tothat effect. When he first got back, he said something that finally makes sense now.”

We’re silent for a bit, then Ellie huffs out a breath, “Are you going to tell me or not? And you say I’m irritating.”

I can’t help but laugh at her disgruntlement and then laugh harder when she slaps my shoulder, “Tell me already.”

“Okay, okay, keep your knickers on. Give me a minute,” I tell her, indicating to turn into the factory car park and parking in my dedicated parking spot before continuing, “When he first got back and moved into my wing, he told me it wasn’t that he didn’t feel the same as me all those years, just that he didn’t think he was good enough for me.”

Ellie is silent for a minute, then pretends to swoon, breathing out, “Oh, Alec.”

Laughing at her dramatics, I start to gather all my stuff.

I’m opening my car door when Ellie says, “You’re going to have to forgive him, Bren. He made a stupid and hurtful mistake, but he paid for it by not knowing about Lexi until she was born. He’s been doing the utmost to make up for it since then.

“With all our backgrounds, you of all people should know where we come from screws with your head. It’s why you kept the news of Lexi from him in the first place. There’s been enough hurt all round, don’t you think? We know how life can change in the blink of an eye. Don’t let being scared make you lose out on the man that’s meant to be yours.” Ellie reaches over and squeezes my arm. “And, Bren, he’s yours. I’ve always known he was yours. It’s time, big sister, to have a little faith.”

Leave it to my little sister to cut out all the bullshit and give it to me straight. My throat tightens with emotion at her words, but I can’t help the scared feeling that runs through me when I ask,“What if he hurts me again? My heart can’t take another hit like that, Ellie.”

Ellie grins at me and shrugs, saying casually, “Then I know where we can bury him.”

I stare at her for a beat and see she’s perfectly serious before I let out a belly laugh, “Thanks, Ellie, love you, little sister.”

Ellie returns my smile, “Love you too, Bren, and I promise, you won’t be sorry if you give him a chance.”

“Okay,” I agree, “I’ll think about it. Now, let’s get in there and kick some butt. This bunch think we’re just two little girls playing at business.”

Ellie snorts, “They obviously haven’t done any research then.”

“Nope, they haven’t, but you have,” I agree. Getting out of the car, I straighten my form-fitting skirt and button up my jacket. There’s nothing like a power suit and a good pair of heels to make a woman feel confident. Similarly dressed, except she’s wearing a trouser suit, Ellie strolls around the back of the car to meet me.

Wrapping my arm through hers, I say, “Let’s go, little sister. Use those gifts of yours today. I need to know I’m not imagining the sliminess.”

“I got you. And I can tell you before we even get in there that you aren’t. You got my report on what I found out about them,” Ellie assures me as we walk into our building and towards the conference room.

“I did. And I didn’t like any of what you found. We’ll have to take it to Church because if they don’t get our land, then they’ll try others, and people need to be made aware,” I end my sentence abruptly because we are about to get to my personal assistant’s desk.

“Hi, Deb,” I greet as we stop at her desk. Deb used to live in the flats on the estate we grew up on. She’d been kind and helped us when she could but had her own family to worry about. When I’d known I’d need a PA, I’d reached out to her, remembering her saying that she’d worked in a corporate office before she’d got married. She’d ended up at our flats when her husband had died in a car accident, leaving her with two little kids and unable to make the rent on the house they’d been in.

We’d always tried to give back where we could, Ben, Ellie, and I. Deb was one of the best hiring decisions I’d made. She took no shit from anyone and was a dragon of a gatekeeper who didn’t stand for anyone wasting my time. I loved having her at my back.

“Boss,” Debbie acknowledges me and hands me a stack of messages, a cup of coffee in a to-go mug, and a cup of tea to Ellie. “They’re in there,” she nods towards the conference room and wrinkles her nose slightly, making me laugh softly.

“That bad, huh?”

“Absolute wankers,” Deb replies, making Ellie and me snigger. “They’ve already used the excuse of needing the loo to try and get into the offices,” she points at the next to her computer screen that shows our security cameras.

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