Page 78 of Bad Wolf

I get lost in my own head after that. It swims with memories of our time together. Something I never let myself do. It’s nice though.

“Thank you,” I say eventually.

“For what?”

“For looking out for her when I couldn’t. I needed to get my head on straight and knowing you had her back gave me the space to work through it. I’ve been a dick and I’m sorry.”

He blows out a breath. “Look, man, whether her intentions were good or not, she ripped your fucking heart from your chest. Youhavebeen a dick, but I get it. All you could see was what looked like your siblings turning on you. Taking someone else’s side over yours. It was never like that, okay? We’d never do that to you. I don’t say it very often, but I love you, Ace. To death. I would literally take a bullet for you. Any of you. You and Wren were meant to be together and it was so hard watching you fuck up. I’ll only ever, ever want the best for you, Little Brother. I hope you know that, and that hot mess of a female is what’s best for you. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

I shake my head and look at him—loving him for saying all that but dumbfounded that he’s so in denial.

“You’re shitting me, right?”

“No? Fuck, what now? I just gave an epic big bro speech. What the fuck was wrong with it?”

I burst out laughing. “Ah, man, you are dumb as shit.”

“The fuck?”

“I’ve seen it, Scott. I have seen it when two people are made for each other. I’ve seen two people who are so fucking oblivious that if cluelessness was a sport, you and Jenna would be gold medalists.”

He groans and swipes his hand over his face, irritation running off him waves.

“Will you fuck off with this, already? A man and a woman can be best friends. That’s all you’re seeing.”

“Okay then,” I say as if I get it.

“Okay then,” he repeats.

“You know, Coralie was talking to her in Miami.”

Yeah, he brought her on vacation with us. Like always. What a dope. And she came like the lovesick puppy she is.

“The company she gets her specialist coffee from, I can’t remember the name—but the fancy shit she’s always so proud of, the one that’s owned and run by those slick rich fuckers that are always splashed over page six…”

“I know the company. Where are you even going with this?”

“Oh right, yeah. So the youngest kid, the brother, he’s been making special visits out to the city to deal directly with her, and recently he’s been suggesting she take a tour of the plantations, as his guest of course. There’s some kind of retreat there and she’s considering it.”

Scott’s hands tighten on the steering wheel and his jaw starts to tick.

“He’s putting in some serious groundwork, you gotta hand it to him. Flying into the city on his helicopter to visit her at that little bakery and taking her out for swanky dinners. But this isn’t news to you, right? Your pretty pal filled you in on the billionaire with a crush, right?”

At that, the most enormous growl erupts out of him and he punches the dashboard.

I sit back in my seat basking in the smugness. “Best buds my ass,” I mutter, but I don’t think he hears me over the woosh of blood in his ears.

God, today is going to be the best day. I just know it.

If I can get her to stay.

* * *

It takes for-ever to get to Casey’s, but when we do, I can’t calm my nerves.

Me.

One of the leading goal scorers in the NHL, but whatever, this is different.

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