Page 109 of My Fiancé's Brother 2

Stubbs and Bixley were the two men that had been killed on Jackson’s bad tour. Now Chris had died. These men were his family. These men were not just co-workers. He loved these men as much as I had loved my parents or my granny.

He continued. “I was his best man at his wedding. And today, I had to sit with his wife while she cried and cried. All because some dumb fuck was too drunk to call a cab.”

My eyes filled with tears. I couldn’t imagine her level of pain. I couldn’t.

“It’s one thing to die in the line of duty, but now his death has no meaning. Now his little daughter is going to grow up without her daddy. And tonight his wife is alone.”

That is what death is like. That first night is the worst. The pain, the disbelief. It’s almost too much to bear. I knew exactly what Chris’ wife was going through tonight. My heart ached for her.

“Chris loved her so fucking much,” Jackson looked at me. “I remember the first night they met. We were at a bar. We had a weekend off BUDs, and he saw her sitting at a table with her girlfriends. He looked over at me and told me that she was the woman he was going to marry. He knew from the moment he saw her that she was different.”

Tears burned my eyes. I nodded.

“What Chris and Dena had between them was real. It wasn't make believe. They were the real deal. Before them, I never really understood what love was. But they knew.”

Tears streaked down my face, which I hastily wiped off.

He finally looked at me. “I think you should leave me alone.”

This is the man who had pushed Harper away after Bixley and Stubbs had died. Grief was a powerful emotion. It made you feelcrazy. When you're grief-stricken, you don’t want to be around anyone, yet you don’t want to be alone. It was also one level above anger and fear. Today he got a pass on everything. Whatever he thought he wanted, he would get from me.

“Okay.” I stood up.

He watched me. “Just like that?”

“Just like what?”

“You’re going to leave me alone?”

I stood there in front of him, unsure what to say. “Isn’t that what you said you wanted?”

He gave a dark laugh. “You’re not going to fight me on that? You’re not going to tell me that I shouldn’t be alone?”

“I think you know what you need right now,” I said quietly. “I love you, and I just want to give you what you need.”

He glowered at me. “You just think you love me.”

“No, Jackson. I do love you.”

“You don’t know me. You don’t know who I am. So how the fuck can you say you love me?”

Jesus. This was a dark side of him that I had never seen before. “Then tell me who you are.”

“That would be a bad idea.”

“You could tell me anything, Jackson, and I'd still love you.”

Our eyes met. He grabbed my hand and tugged me, so I was standing in front of him. He looked up at me. The man was drunk but coherent.

“Why did you trust me today?”

It took me a moment. “When we jumped out of the plane?”

“Yeah.”

“Because you asked me to.”

He frowned. “But you were so scared. I could feel your entire body shaking.”

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