Page 97 of The Bad Brother

Ethan’s father is named Nathaniel.

My stepfather and the rest of the cigar set at the club call him Nate.

Giving him a small nod, I move to the chair next to the closet. Perching myself on the edge of it, I trap my hands between my knees, squeezing them together so they won’t shake. “Ethan is your brother. You grew up in Clearwater.”

“Yes.” Jensen nods even though neither of those statements were questions. “Ethan is my brother—he’s three years younger. I was born in Dallas. We moved to Clearwater before he was born.”

“Did you know who I was when we met?” Thisisa question. One I need the answer to, no matter how much I don’t want it.

“No.” He shakes his head, his expression so grave, I feel my throat tighten with tears. “If I’d known who you are, I would’ve burned this place to the ground before I let you move in.” He waits a beat, letting his answer sink in before he continues. “I didn’t know until you told me.”

“Itold you?” I jerk back in my seat. “When?—”

“Friday night—you told me your Netflix password.” The corner of his mouth twitches in a brief ghost of a smile. “Ethanpryceisadouche. No caps because he doesn’t deserve them.”

It comes back to me in a flash. Sitting in his lap after crying my eyes out about the day I’d had at work and the fact that he was suddenly being an asshole after being so thoughtful.

Why the hell would I do that? I’m not a pick her flowers guy, and I’m not a make her a goddamned grilled cheese guy either. So, what the fuck am I doing here?

I told Jensen everything. About the girl I had to operate on. How much trouble my mother was causing me at work. How Ethan texted me from an unblocked number and demanded his mother’s ring back so he could give it to Amy.

Jesus, your ex sounds like a real douchebag.

He is. I even made it my new Netflix password—ethanpryceisadouche. No caps—he doesn’t deserve them.

“Unfortunately, that was approximately thirty secondsafterI realized that the reason I’d been so fucking mad was because somewhere between cutting your hot water and making you a grilled cheese sandwich, I fell in love with you.” He says it quietly, throat bobbing and scraping along the line of his throat. “I tried to tell you—more than once but…” He shakes his head. “I knew what would happen. I knewthiswould happen and I?—”

“I’m leaving.” I blurt it out because I can’t take anymore. Can’t listen to another word. Not because I don’t believe him. BecauseI do.

“What?” Jensen’s face falls into a scowl. “I don’t understand what that means—you‘releaving?”

“I tendered my resignation at the hospital and accepted another surgical position, out-of-state,” I explain quietly. “I’m leaving.”

For a second, all he does is stare at me.

“When?” He finally asks, in a low, rusty tone. Those eyes of his narrowed slightly on my face. “When are you leaving?”

“In the morning.” I look around, silently making a to-do list. “I was going to catch a few hours’ sleep, pack, and hopefully be on the road?—”

“Where?”

I hesitate because I know I shouldn’t tell him. Telling Jensen where I’m going is just about the dumbest thing I could do—but I do it anyway.

“LA—I start my new job next week.”

“Okay.” Giving me a nod, Jensen stands. “I guess I’m moving to LA.”

Now it’s my turn to stare at him because there’s no way he just said what I think he said. “What? No—what?” My brain keeps bouncing between reactions, unable to decide if it’s confused or angry. “You can’t just?—”

“Can’t what? Can’t leave Barrett?” He looks down at me and shakes his head on a laugh. “Why not? Maybe if I leave, Ethan will finally calm the fuck down.”

“You have a family.” I stand up too, waving my arms around. “You have this place. You can’t just?—”

“I’ll give it to Cade.” He sounds like it’s already decided. Like it’s already done.

“What will you do for money without the bar?” I ask,lifting my arms just to let them fall against my thighs with a muffled slap. “You can’t just?—”

“There’re Barretts in LA,” he tells me with a shrug. “More than a few. They go by McLeod but their mother’s a Barrett and one of them owns a bar. If he won’t hire me, I’m sitting on a thirty-million-dollar trust fund that I’ve managed to almost double in the last five years. I think I’ll be fine.”

---