How sad.
Instead of going home first to change and freshen up, he went straight to Gabriella’s. He had a few articles of clothing in her closet anyway, and he missed her. He hadn’t seen her since Wednesday. Two days was too long. And with his thoughts venturing into dangerous territory, he had an intense need to see her. Hold her. Confirm she was his.
Just like she said, Jaxson and Mia had a habit of walking into her apartment without knocking, he did the same thing. If they could, so could he.
She never said he couldn’t.
And he didn’t like how Jaxson could and he couldn’t, so he did it one day.
Ugh. Jaxson.
He promised to be nice.
He would be.
When he walked into the living room and saw Gabriella—his Gabriella—sitting next to Jaxson, laughing and smiling, he almost snapped. Yelled for him to get the hell away from her.
But he forced the impulse down and smiled.
Because he promised to be nicer.
“You okay? Bad day at work?”
Well, damn. His smile wasn’t bright enough. Although Gabriella was very observant, especially about his moods. He had to give her credit for that.
“My brother stopped me on the way out. He always dampens my mood.” He turned his gaze to Jaxson. Play nice. “Hello.”
Unfortunately, his tone of voice didn’t portray nice.
“Hi.” Jaxson’s voice sounded just as strained.
“Are we all eating in tonight?” There. That came out rather nicely if he did say so himself.
But by the stern look on Gabriella, he failed. Miserably.
“Mia’s coming over, too. Is that okay? I know it’s sudden, but I thought it’d be nice.” Gabriella’s lips split into a wide grin.
He could never resist her smiles. Although he wanted her to himself tonight, especially since he wanted to ask her to join him this weekend, he couldn’t dampen her spirits. He refused to let her smile disappear.
“I don’t mind.” To his delight, her smile brightened even more, which told him he held no irritation in his tone. Finally, doing something right.
“Let me go check the supper. I’ll be right back.”
He almost followed her out of the living room. But enough was enough. He had to have a word with Jaxson.
Except the asshole beat him to it.
“I don’t want to hate you, Dane, but I kind of do. You think I’m taking Gabby from you, and I think the same thing. If you two don’t work out, I’ll still be here.” He stood up. “But, I’d rather see her happy than sad, so I want it to work out. How about we try to get along? For her sake?”
Well, he couldn’t argue with any of that—especially the part where Jaxson would still be a part of her life if Gabriella decided to end it with him. He couldn't let that happen, which meant he needed to shape up his attitude toward one of her best friends.
But damn it.
He still didn’t want to share.
Jaxson continued before he could think of something nice to say. Because everything swirling in his mind would have Gabriella washing his mouth out with soap. She had threatened that once when he said the wrong thing concerning Jaxson. Lesson noted. It had made him laugh—even though she hadn’t been kidding—but he tucked it into his brain for future reference and promised to be nicer.
“You’re hating the fact we’re here tonight. I know you are, so don’t even deny it. You haven’t known her as long as I have.” Jaxson’s expression fell as he ran a hand down his face. “It was a bad night. Very bad. She likes to be surrounded by people when we have nights like this. She doesn’t like to be alone. It bothers her. Not that she’d admit it, but I know it. I just thought I’d tell you why I’m here and why Mia is coming over.”
His heart started to beat rapidly. Like he was standing on train tracks, his feet frozen, his legs immobile. A train heading straight for him. He hadn’t gotten any kind of signal from her that she had a bad day.
That tore a hole in his heart that Jaxson knew, and he hadn’t picked up on the vibes. How pathetic. She could read him so well, but apparently, he couldn’t read her.
What did that say about him?
“What happened?”
Jaxson looked away as his hand shook a little. “This guy killed his girlfriend—at least, we found promising evidence that he had. We knocked on the door just to have a chat, not necessarily going to arrest him yet. Instead of answering the door with a friendly hello, he answered by shooting.”
His heart hammered in his chest. He swore it was going to jump right out of his body, it pounded so roughly.
Someone shot at Gabriella.
She could’ve died today.
He could’ve lost the woman—the woman he loved.
Jaxson turned his eyes back toward him. “She’s fine. So am I. Neither of us was hit, but it was intense.”
“And the guy?”
“Dead. We had to fire back.” Jaxson shrugged. “I can’t be sure who fired the shot that…” He blew out a deep breath. “Shit. I don’t even want to be alone tonight. This is our job, Dane. If you can’t handle it, you know where the door is. I’m not leaving. I’m always going to be here. She’s not only my partner but one of my best friends. If you can’t handle that, you know where the door is. She will be my best friend until the day I die. I would take a bullet for her. I would’ve today. If you can’t handle that—”
“I know where the door is. I get the message.” His jaw clenched.
Not because he wanted to spew nasty words at Jaxson.
Because he wanted to shout his rage at the fact he almost lost her today from a madman shooting at them.
He released a small breath and forced a smile out. “I don’t share well. You know my brother somewhat. He always took, took, took. I was always forced to give him whatever it was he wanted. Of course, I was told I was sharing, when really, he was just taking it. I don’t want to share Gabriella.” He sighed. “But she wasn’t mine first.”
Jaxson grinned. “She’s not mine either. We’re friends, Dane. We will always be just friends.”
“I want to believe that.”
“Then believe it.” He swore, then laughed. “You were right. I like Mia. You have nothing to worry about when it comes to Gabby.”
“You like me?”
Dane and Jaxson shifted their focus to the voice coming from the hallway. Mia stood with a shocked expression.
He glanced back at Jaxson, who looked like a deer caught in headlights. A small chuckle escaped. “I’ll go see if Gabriella needs my help. Nice chat, Jaxson. Glad we had it.”
He walked out, hoping things turned out in Jaxson’s favor.
He really, really hoped so.
Because then he wouldn’t have to worry so much he’d take Gabriella from him.
Warmth surrounded her as Dane’s strong arms wrapped around her. She leaned her head back and savored his gentle touch.
A kiss hit the side of her head. “Jaxson told me about tonight. Are you okay? How can I help?”
She shivered as the memory flooded her mind. The bullets tearing through the door. The loud echoes of the gunshots. The feeling of her weapon firing back, jerking her in her spot. The blood that coated the floor around the suspect. Two bullets hit him. Maybe from her. Maybe from Jaxson. Maybe from both of them.
But a man died tonight. That’s what mattered.
“Gabriella…” The way he whispered her name almost soothed the weariness coating her body.
His arms surrounding her did the trick better. She never wanted him to let her go. She could stay in his arms forever. What would he say if she blurted that out? That she wanted him in her life forever.
I love you.
The words floated out of her mind, willing him to hear her unspoken words of devotion.
His arms around her tightened, almost as if answering her silent plea of love.
“You don’t have to talk about it. I didn’t mean that when I brought it up. I on
ly wanted you to know I’m here for you.”
Or he was just still consoling her, and she was letting her crazy heart run away from her.
She turned around and rested her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Just being here is making me feel better. I’ve been a cop for a long time. I’ve never actually had to fire my weapon before. We’re both on administrative leave while they investigate to make sure it was a good shooting, which it was. I had no choice.”
Like Mia had no choice when she shot her father.
But she could already imagine rumors were flying around about her. That was also on her mind. Not that she fired the shot that killed Mia’s father, but she was there. People would never forget that.
It was as if they were still trying to defend themselves. That her father was this holy saint and could do no wrong, when in reality, he was the devil incarnate.
“I can take some time off of work. And I don’t mean just this weekend.”
She lifted her head, her mouth slid open from shock. That he even offered meant so much to her. She knew how important his work was to him. “I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You didn’t. I offered. I want to be here for you.”
“You’re so busy right now. You have an important deal coming up. I can’t let you.”
“It’s—”
She pressed her lips to his to silence any further argument. While she would love for him to take time off with her, she couldn’t allow that to happen. He needed this deal to go through. He said so several times. She would not be the cause for it to fall through. Eventually, he would come to resent her if his work slid to the side, and he started to fail. She would never allow that to happen. Because if it happened, then she’d lose him forever and she wanted him forever.
The kiss ended too soon for her tastes, but he got the message. The argument was over. A tiny grin punctured his face.
What was with the grin? Would he take time off, regardless? She couldn’t quite read his expression, and she’d been getting better at reading him well.
“So, Jaxson and Mia are chatting right now.”
“I didn’t even hear the door open. I had no idea Mia was here already.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, we didn’t hear the door open either.”
Her brows puckered. “What does that mean? Were you two arguing?”
“We were having a friendly chat.” He kissed her lightly on the lips. Probably to distract her, but it wouldn’t work. She hated—simply hated—that they couldn’t get along. “He might have told me he liked Mia and that I had nothing to worry about when it came to you.”
“You don’t.” She smiled and snatched another kiss.
So, they managed to act like adults for once instead of two raging teenagers fighting over a silly crush.
“Mia heard it.”
Her eyes bulged. “Oh, Jaxson. I should…”
He tightened his arms around her. “Let them talk it out. I wouldn’t interfere yet. Maybe she likes him, too.”
“I’ve never brought the subject up, even with knowing how he felt. I can’t say for sure. But I do know Mia is very particular about men. I want to see them together; they’d be perfect for each other. But, as Jaxson told me his worries, I can see his point. He doesn’t want to ruin the good friendship we all have. This might do that.”
“Let’s give them a few minutes.”
A tender smile started to form until a loud slam echoed throughout the apartment.
Someone left.
Very unhappy.
Her heart started to pound. One of her friends was hurting. One was upset. And she had no idea what to do.
Everything was falling apart today. It all started with an asshole with a temper who killed his girlfriend, shooting at them.
Soft footsteps sounded in the kitchen. Gabby turned her eyes in that direction, as did Dane.
Jaxson stood with a morose expression. “She hates me.” His eyes fell to the floor. “And I made her cry.”
This would be a true test of how much Dane cared for her. Because she needed him to stay with Jaxson and make him feel better, no matter how much he hated the man.
She had to check on Mia.
And change her mind about Jaxson. Because he was the perfect man for her.
13
Gabby opened the door to Mia’s apartment and slammed the door for added effect. She wasn’t mad or anything, but she knew she needed to be a bit lively to get through the emotions Mia was certainly trying to suppress and hide away.
She found her in the kitchen—of all places—sitting in the silence, her arms wrapped around her knees. Sitting down next to her, she slung an arm around her shoulders and squeezed.
“Why are you upset? This is a good thing.”
“Nothing is good about this,” Mia said as quiet tears slid down her face.
“Why not? Jaxson is a good guy.”
Mia shuddered. “Exactly.”
Jerking away, a brow rose. “What does that mean?”
Extracting herself, Mia stood up, wiping at her cheeks. “I want to be alone right now. Can you leave?”
For a moment, time stood still. The air in the apartment thickened like a dense fog, almost choking her to death.
Mia had never, not once, kicked her out. Told her to leave. Told her to mind her own business.
After the day she had today, shooting a man, she couldn’t take this, too. Not from Mia.
Without a word, she walked out, closing the door as quiet as a mouse. As if she hadn’t even entered in the first place.
She took her time heading back home. An hour later, when it should’ve only taken twenty minutes, she entered her apartment. Low voices could be heard from the living room. She found Dane and Jaxson sitting on the couch, one on each end, holding a beer with a baseball game on the television. Normally her eyes always sought out the score, hoping her team was winning. Not today.
Dane stood up immediately. He set his beer down on the coffee table in front of him and rounded the table. “What happened?”
He knew. She couldn’t believe how well and how fast he read her mood, but he knew something was wrong. His arms settled around her.
She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know how to explain that her best friend—for the first time ever—shut her out.
Tears gathered at the corner of her eyes, and her body shook as she tried to hold them in.
What was she doing?
Now was not the time to be breaking down, especially in front of Jaxson. Sure, Mia told her to leave, and she was hurt by that. But Jaxson was hurting, too. This wasn’t about her right now. This was about him.
Inhaling, trying to regain her composure, she hugged Dane fiercely before letting him go. She felt him hesitate, but then he dropped his arms from around her and stepped to the side.
Jaxson looked at her from his position on the couch. He hadn’t moved an inch. The sadness in his eyes when she left was still prominent. He looked like someone had driven over his puppy—several times.
She produced a smile she didn’t feel like offering, but for Jaxson’s sake, she forced one out. “She wouldn’t talk to me. She kicked me out. But not before agreeing that you’re a good guy.”
At that, Jaxson stood up. “And?”
She shrugged, hating that she could feel the tears threatening once more. “And then before she’d tell me anything else, she told me to leave.” Blowing out a deep breath, she tried to ignore the pain reflecting in his eyes. “What a shitty day. I’m sorry, Jaxson. I don’t know what to say right now.”
Dane clapped, the sudden noise making her and Jaxson jump. “I say we eat. The lasagna you had cooking is done. It smells delicious.”
She knew he was trying to dispel the tension, and shift everyone’s focus to something else, but she didn’t feel like eating. She didn’t even feel like socializing. As terrible as it sounded—because Jaxson needed her support right now—she wanted him to leave.
Her
bottom lip trembled.
She wanted Dane to leave, too.
It didn’t make her any better than Mia. She felt sick to her stomach at how she felt.
She wanted to be left alone. Cry in silence. In peace. Where no one could witness her breakdown. Her weakness.
Steeling her spine, she forced the tears back once more. Stopping the trembling of her lip. Smoothed her features into indifference. She couldn’t fake happiness, but she could hide the sadness.
Maybe.
Dane’s smile remained as he waited for her to say something in response.
Jaxson looked between both of them, yet silent.
“Look. I know you both had a terrible day. The night isn’t turning out much better with what happened with Mia, and I’m sorry.” Dane tipped his head toward Jaxson as if communicating something with him silently. She wondered what it could be. “We’re all here. We all need to eat.”
“I’m not hungry.” She was surprised she could even speak. She barely had the energy to think right now. She wanted to curl up under her covers and bawl her eyes out.
His smile disappeared—a tortured kind of agony filtered into his gaze. “Maybe you want to be alone. I can respect that, Gabriella. I will respect that if you want me to leave.” Then his expression hardened. “As long as Jaxson stays. But I won’t leave you completely alone.”
Warmth filled her heart, shattering a bit of her hurt away.
Wow. If she hadn’t already decided she loved him, this would’ve sealed the deal.
He couldn’t stand Jaxson. Barely tolerated him at times, his jealousy consumed him so much. Yet, he was willing to leave and let Jaxson console her. Hell, let her console Jaxson as well. They were both hurting from the day. One, from work. The other, from Mia.
Jaxson cleared his throat. “That…that’s nice of you to offer, Dane, but I’ll leave, and you stay.”
Geez. Were these two about to argue who was going to stay and who was going to leave? She was in no mood to dispel an argument that would sound like two kindergarteners arguing over a box of crayons and who got to pick the first color.
As much as she appreciated Dane’s gesture, she still wanted to be alone. She loved the man for his thoughtfulness, but she needed to break down in peace.
The Wrong Brother (a perfect for you novel Book 1) Page 15