Page 75 of The Getaway Guy
“You keep us at a d-distance. Even m-me. Wh-why? I want to hear you s-say it.”
“Saywhat? If you know so much about me, how about you tell me what you think you know,” Elias countered, aware that he sounded like a sullen teenager.
“You th-think if you d-distance yourself from everyone it won’t h-hurt so much. That’s why you’re afraid t-to let Quinley get c-c-close.”
Elias tightened his hold on the grips and kept going.
“Quinl-l-ley is awesome,” Finn said as he continued on his rant. “She looked f-for you to show up when we m-moved her stuff.”
“Sounds like she was actually looking for her ex.” He forced himself to say the words, especially after what Finn had said about them being together.
Finn muttered something that sounded suspiciously likeidiot.“Youl-likeher. Why are y-you throwing away y-your chance to be with her?”
Elias dropped the weights and allowed them to clang against each other, breaking one of the many rules of his own gym. “She was literally about to marry someone else a few weeks ago. Rebounds never work—a fact proven tonight since she was therewith him.”
“Maybe she w-would’ve l-liked to have gone withyou.”
Elias shot to his feet and stood toe to toe with his twin. “You don’t know anything. Tell me what this is about.”
Finn scraped his fingers through his hair like he wanted to rip it out. “You ch-changed when we lost Mom and Dad. Mom wasn’t there to take c-care of you. Isawhow s-scared you were. Ifeltit. But we didn’t know how to m-make it better. So we didn’t t-t-talk about it. We d-didn’t…d-didn’t want to jinx ourselves.”
His chest tightened, squeezing his lungs so tightly he couldn’t inhale. How many of those conversations had he been left out of?
Apparently plenty. And the fact Finn was in full-blown stutter in his upset talking to him about it when his twin never stuttered around family said even more.
Finn shook his head, eyes briefly squeezing tight with frustration. “When they d-died…you sh-shut down. Like n-now. Don’t screw up with Quinl-l-ley because you’reafraid.”
“I’m not afraid.” The words emerged low but tentative, and even he knew they were a lie.
All the excuses he’d made about Quinley being walking chaos were true, but more than anything, he was afraid of opening himself up to her only to be hurt. For her to leave him like she did Lachlan. Make a fool of him.Breakhim.
When he’d held her, sick and fevered, he’d felt his skin crawl with unease. With the awareness that even if she didn’t leave him, other things could happen. Her sickness had terrified him. Not that he’d catch it but that she’d get worse. That something would happen to her, and he’d be left without her. That no matter what, he’d be left alone and in more pain. “I can’t compete with a billionaire. It’d never work.”
Finn exhaled a breath loaded with exasperation, staring at Elias for a long time before apparently concluding he wasted his time. His twin shook his head and turned on his heel with a final look of disgust.
“You’re m-m-making a mistake.”
“If you like her so much, why don’t you go after her?”
An expression crossed Finn’s face before he schooled his features. Elias saw it though, and something about the look broke his heart because of the pain and vulnerability Finn had revealed. “Finn, come on. What happened tonight? What’s got you so worked up?”
Finn stared at Elias for several long seconds before he clenched his teeth in a very Finn-like move. A sign that Finn wasdonetrying to communicate because he couldn’t speak properly and so he wasn’t going to try any longer. It was an avoidance tactic, one his childhood therapist had warned all of them to take in stride.
But as Finn’s footsteps carried him out the door and Elias watched him go, he wasn’t sure which of them was more frustrated right now.
ChapterTwenty-Five
I need to see you. When can you meet?
Elias frowned down at the text he’d received from Quinley several days ago. He hadn’t responded—again—but odds were she would be in attendance at Mia’s birthday party today.
The images of her dance with her ex, of them laughing, staring into each other’s eyes with loving adoration, of him kissing her hand, had gone viral. Every social media outlet, every grocery store tabloid, even the news agencies reported about them, debating whether the couple had worked out their differences and was going to reunite. Most thought they would. Because what woman would walk away from a man like him?
Elias tossed the gift bag and his phone onto passenger seat with a growl.
He hoped Isla had been right in her gift purchase for Mia. The last thing he was in the mood for was a birthday brunch, but he’d skipped the family’s last birthday gathering so he couldn’t skip this month’s without risking the wrath of all eight of his siblings.
The only problem was this month’s party was being held at the Drakes’ because Mia and Isabel had grown especially close, and Isabel asked to host as a kickoff to spring. The day would include a pool party and cookout where all the kids could play and all the adults had plenty of room to mingle.
