Page 13 of Fighting Her Wolves

Her brother. The fist around my heart eases. I feel relieved.

“I ignore them because I don’t want to fight.”

“We don’t have to fight,” he says.

“We will. You want me to come home, fall in line, and marry who you want.”

What the fuck? The thought of Ava being forced into a marriage to a man of her brother's choosing infuriates me. Ava marrying anyone but us is not a possibility.

“I want you to listen to my side. He can take care of you. He doesn’t want kids. He can give you what you need,” Bartlett, the asshole brother, says.

“No. I have repeated my answer numerous times. I will never marry him. Do you even care what I want anymore?” Ava’s sadness affects me significantly.

“I understand your hesitation. He is older than you, but he’s stable. He can teach you the ways of our group,” he pleads.

“Teach me? That’s the problem. I can’t be taught, especially by him.”

“Come on, Avangilene,” he says, whining.

“Do not call me that. My name is Ava,” she snaps.

“Fine, Ava. Can I come in? Let’s have a drink,” he softens his voice.

That’s my cue. Her sigh of resignation forced me to act. She still has a soft spot for him, even though she disagrees. She may kick my ass for interfering, but I can’t help it. She’s mine, and it’s obvious she has a shit relationship with her brother.

I stroll around the corner, and both of them turn their heads. Ava's shocked expression smooths out into exasperated relief. She would rather deal with me.

Her brother watches me cautiously with narrowed eyes. He can feel the hostility coming from me. He’s probably not used to dealing with someone like me.

“Cupcake, are you going to introduce me?” I ask as I jump over the rail and land softly on the porch. I walk over to her and slide my arm around her waist. She’s tense at first, but seeing the advantage of my presence, lets her body relax.

“River, this is my brother Bartlett.” She waves her hand weakly toward her brother.

“Bartlett,” I say and hold my hand out. He pauses, looking between us, and then clasps my hand. I’m not so petty that I squeeze his hand a little too hard.

Who am I kidding? I am so petty.

He pulls his hand away quickly, stumbling back a step. “River, are you a friend of Ava’s?”

“Sure,” I shrug. “Something like that.”

“I was concerned about Ava. I wanted to have some time with her.”

“Right, just a brother coming for a friendly visit.” I smile widely. “We can all sit down and have a nice chat.”

Ava rolls her eyes, resigned, and invites us in. She ushers us towards her little table off the kitchen.

I let Bartlett take the chair at the head of the table and sit by his side. Ava slams down water in front of him and a beer for me. She puts another beer on the table in front of the seat beside me. I am absurdly happy she chose to sit close.

“So, what do you do, Bartlett?” I ask.

“I work at a church,” he replies. He gives the beer bottle a disgusted look.

“I was unaware that that pays,” I goad.

He straightens in the chair and looks down his nose. “I support myself very well.”

“Alright.” I pause as Ava slides a plate in front of me. It’s snacks. She dished up a plate full of cookies. I stare at the chocolate chip cookies stupidly. I’ve dated many women, slept with more, and had a few girlfriends, and not one of them cooked for me. Just for her to offer me something she made hits me in my cold heart.

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