Page 57 of This Feeling

Sean perked up. “Caroline’s here?”

Now my father and I both looked athim.

“What’s your obsession with Caroline?” I asked.

“Excuse me?” Sean replied with a nervous tone to his voice. “I’m not obsessed with her.”

“Really? Because you seemed to pay more attention toherat the anniversary dinner than your girlfriend.”

Sean lifted a brow. “You paying that close of attention to who I’m talking to, Declan? Jealous, are you?”

“Boys,” my dad warned.

I barked out a laugh. “You think I’m jealous ofyou?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Are you kidding me right now? If anything, I’m wondering why in the hell Harper would ever date you in the first place, let alone get back together with you after you dumped her.”

Sean pointed at me. “Shut the fuck up, Declan. You don’t knowanythingabout Harper.”

“I know a prick like you doesn’t deserve her. You can’t even hide your feelings for another woman in front of her. Even Dad noticed.”

My father put his hands up. “Donotbring me into this.”

“What do you mean, Dad noticed?” Sean asked, glancing at our father. “Dad?”

Our father shook his head. “Nope, I’m not getting in the middle.”

Sean studied me for a moment—then he laughed. “Holy shit! You’ve got a thing for Harper, don’t you? It must really kill you that she’s with me.”

I’d managed to keep my anger at bay to this point…and, if I was honest with myself, the jealousy over Sean being with Harper. But with that nasty, smug look he was giving me, the dam broke.

I launched myself at my brother, causing him to stumble backward. He turned in an attempt to get away, but I was too quick. I took him to the floor and managed to hit him square in the face, before he caught me on my jaw.

The sound of our mother screaming caused us both to freeze.

“What are you doing? Declan Gallagher, get off your brother right now!”

My mother—who was all of five-feet, three-inches tall—towered over us with her hands on her hips, her face full of anger and disappointment.

“Get up off that floor! I didn’t raise you two to fight with each other like this. And you’re grown men, for crying out loud!”

I pushed off of Sean and stood, straightening my shirt. Sean did the same, then ran a hand through his precious hair, which was never out of place.

“What in the world is going on?” Mom asked Dad.

Holding his hands up again, he replied, “I’m not getting involved.”

Sean cleared his throat. “It’s nothing, Mom.”

“It’snothing?” I repeated, still just as angry as before. “You don’t deserve her, Sean. Not one bit!”

Confused, my mother looked between us. “Doesn’t deserve who?”

I turned and started toward the door. Without looking back, I barked, “Harper.”

I sat in my truck in the back parking lot of Memory Lane Toys, trying to figure out how in the hell I’d snapped like I had with my brother. Dropping my head back, I closed my eyes and breathed deeply.

---