Page 167 of Beauty
I wave a dismissive hand. Noah stayed back to give me the time to talk to them.
“Yeah, we’re great. We’re actually—” I shake my head, garnering the courage to rip the Band-Aid off. “The truth is, we didn’t just start dating.”
Brooks frowns. “What do you mean?”
“We met six years ago.”
“Holy fuck,” Aiden crows. “You’ve been dating forsixyears?”
My oldest brother slaps the back of his head. “Duck.”
Aiden glowers and rubs at the spot. “The kids are gone.”
“When we’re in public, we use the word. Besides, this is a park. It was built for children and families.”
Aiden shrugs sheepishly. “Sorry.”
Beckett nods at him, then turns back to me. “Go on.”
“No, we haven’t been together all this time. But when we met, our connection was instant and it was strong. When you brought me on as CEO, we reconnected.”
“And you lied to all of us about it?” Aiden’s dark eyes are almost black in the dim light along the path. “He”—he waves a hand wildly at my boyfriend—“lied to all of us?”
“Don’t,” I warn, my voice sharp. “We did what we thought was best for the situation. I…” I duck my head, struggling to put an explanation into words. “I didn’t believe we could have this. I wasn’t in the right headspace after Paris.” I glance at Beckett, my heart thumping a little harder against my sternum. “I signed a deal with the artists who lost their money. I did it to protectour family. And I promised I wouldn’t design anymore as long as they didn’t come after Langfield Corp.”
Gavin links his fingers on the top of his head and blows out a loud breath. “What?”
Brooks blinks rapidly, turning to our biggest brother. “Did you know about that?”
I step forward. “He didn’t?—”
“Yes,” he interrupts.
The single word almost knocks me off my feet. “What?”
He nods gently. “You wanted to fix things on your own. I respect that. So I tried to stay out of it.”
“Tried?” I question.
“Sienna.” He drops his hands to his sides. “You were born to be a designer. I appreciate your effort to protect us, and I’m blown away by your strength. And until we found the funds that Xander had stolen, I didn’t interfere. I promise.”
“Wait, Garreth?—”
His lips kick up on one side.
Dammit. He knew about him all along too.
With a quick shake of the head, he silently assures me that he kept the information to himself.
Tears spring to my eyes again. Dammit, do I love him even more in this moment.
“So you knew all along?” I ask softly.
He nods.
“Can we back up to the part where she and Noah lied to us?” Brooks grouses.
I wince. “I’m really sorry.”
