Page 107 of The Moment They Can't Forget

The yard sat on ten acres and had several administration buildings, large open sheds, and plenty of machinery about the place. JD had been here often to meet up with Sawyer.

Nope, not thinking about him yet.

Pulling to a stop before the first building, he got out and gave a silent groan as the first person he saw walking toward him was Brody Duke.

“Your brother already hit me.” He raised a hand.

“I don’t want to hit you, JD. I just left Sawyer’s house. He looks about the same as you. He and Zoe are hurting, and I hate seeing anyone I love in pain.”

“I’m sorry.” And he was. Just knowing he’d been part of causing two people he lov—liked pain made him sick to the stomach.

“Can I ask you a question?” Brody said.

The Dukes were all alike in different ways. Brody was no different. But he had a hard, cynical edge to him like Sawyer, which JD thought was maybe because he was a single dad and the mother had bailed just after Ally was born.

“Do I want to hear this question?”

“Do you love my sister?”

That actually had JD stumbling back a step. “What?”

“Not a real tough question, JD.”

“Yes, it is!”

“You’re yelling, which probably gives me my answer, but let’s try this from another angle.”

“I don’t want another angle.” He felt like his skin was suddenly a terrible fit, and his palms itched.

“Have you ever felt what you do for my sister with any other woman?”

“Ah, well?—”

“Pretty straightforward, bud. Yes or no.”

“I don’t know what I feel about her!” The words exploded out of JD. “How the fuck should I know something like that?” He walked away from Brody and back again with his hands gripping his hair. “Yes, all right. I feel more for your sister than I’ve felt for anyone. Not that it matters.”

“Good enough. Why doesn’t it matter?”

“You have to ask that, knowing my relationship with your brother and this pact you all have?”

“Sawyer just goes crazy when it concerns Zoe. He helped raise her, like he did the rest of us. He’ll come around if that’s the direction you and she head in.”

“Considering the pact and all that shit you laid on me at Circle Left, how come you don’t want to kill me?” JD asked. He felt like he was raw and bleeding inside and out.

“I got caught up in the brotherly thing. We’re a unit. If one does or says something, the rest follow. The pact is important, but not if there’s love involved. I don’t want you to hurt either, bud, because you’re part of my life too,” Brody continued. “So whatever this is, you need to sort it… in fact, both of you do so you can live here and it’s not awkward.”

“Not sure Sawyer will move on from this, and I wouldn’t expect Zoe to choose,” JD said, deciding the only way forward now was honesty. He was done with deception, and by now everyone would know about him and Zoe anyway.

“Just let things settle for a bit. It will work out, and like I said, if you and Zoe want this, then make it happen, bud. But now I want to know why you’re here, because I doubt Dukes are high on your list of dropping by for a chat at the moment.”

“You know Vi Miller works for me?”

“I do.”

“And her brothers work for you.”

He nodded.

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