Page 71 of Taste of Surrender
“I’m not sure. He stormed out of here after you didn’t answer your phone a few times. I assumed he was going to Mal’s place.”
I supposed that was my answer about whether my brother was pissed or concerned. “Rina called him in for a meeting, so Jesse won’t find him there.”
“So, you and Malachi? What’s the story there?” She sounded genuinely curious rather than judgmental.
“We’re together.”
“Wow,” she breathed. “I had no idea he was into guys.”
I shrugged because there was no point in denying it now. “So, how mad is my brother?”
“Pretty mad.”
I went to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. “I don’t know why, though. It’s not like I’m dating some horrible guy. This is his best friend.”
“That’s exactly why.”
Twisting the cap off the bottle, I took a sip and said, “What do you mean?”
“His brother and his best friend, the two guys who mean the world to him, kept a huge secret from him.”
Damn, she had a point. I’d been worried about Jesse’s overprotective streak, and never really considered he would be hurt by us sneaking around. “Hopefully, he’ll come home soon so I can try to smooth this over.”
While waitingfor Jesse to return, I decided to call my parents since it was likely they would see articles about Malachi and me online. While they had been surprised he and I were dating, my parents loved Malachi and were excited for us. I never once thought they would have an issue with us being together, and it felt good to tell them finally.
After I got off the phone, I was tempted to text Malachi and see how things were going at Rina’s because I was curious what was going to happen. Would he and Savannah “break up”? Would he make a statement about dating me, his bandmate’s brother? Would he deny it was him? He was wearing a hat after all.
Before I sent him a message, I heard the garage door opening, and my palms began to sweat.
“Baby, do we have a first aid kit?” Jesse asked, putting me on high alert.
Olivia jumped up from her seat where she had been waiting with me in the living room. “Oh my god. Why? What happened?”
I was already on my feet when my brother replied, “I punched that fucker. And then I hit the wall on my way out and split my knuckles.”
“You did what?” I roared, getting right in his face.
His eyes widened in surprise, but quickly transformed into an icy stare. “Get the fuck out of my face, Jasper. I’m pissed at you too,” he growled.
“I didn’t do anything wrong!” I shouted back.
His chest bumped against mine, making me take a step back. “You don’t think sneaking around behind my back was wrong?”
“Give me your hand.” Olivia pushed between us and started dabbing at his cuts with a wet paper towel. “Jasper, go sit down over there,” she commanded, pointing toward the barstool on the other side of the island.
“He better be okay,” I grumbled as I began pacing, too angry to sit down. “How did you even find him? He’s meeting with Rina.”
“He’s fine. I was at the office because Rina called us all in since Malachi’s actions have consequences for the entire band.”
I stopped in my tracks. “That’s what I don’t get. I know Malachi has an image that you all are determined to uphold, but you guys backed him into a corner. Why should it matter who he loves?”
“Loves?” Jesse scoffed, pulling away from Olivia.
“Yes, we’re in love,” I admitted. Maybe if my brother realized it wasn’t just a fling, he would be more understanding.
“You expect me to believe that? You and my best friend, who has never shown any interest in guys before or been in a relationship with anybody, just magically fell in love while we were on tour?”
The weight of all the secrets Malachi and I had been keeping from Jesse were crashing down on me. I knew I had to tell my brother the whole story because it would only make everything worse if he found out later.
