“Why didn’t Laura tell Dad about you?” I notice the slight flinch every time I say dad. I know our dad wasn’t there for him but I wouldn’t call Jonathan his dad either.
He runs a hand over his face. “I just…I think our life was already bad enough. She didn’t want to add more to it.”
“Did my mother know?”
He nods his head. “She found out after Jack passed.” He leans back in his chair. “She called my mother furious. They were best friends, and she wanted to know why she never told Jack or her for that matter, either.”
“And when did you find out?”
He looks over at me, and I try to ignore the tightening of my chest. He looks so angry. And the liquor in his hands just makes me worry more. “Some things I will not tell you, Sam.”
“Tate, please…”
“No,” he says curtly.
“Are you ashamed? Of us? Of me?” I whisper the last part. Tired of thinking it, I need to know an answer.
“How could you think that?” he asks in disbelief.
I sniff. “What am I supposed to think? You don’t give me any information. I find out I have a brother. I find out you were…that Jonathan…” beat him. I can’t say the words aloud. I know they must affect him. I don’t want to make him drink more then he already is.
“That doesn’t make me ashamed of you or us. We didn’t ask for this situation, Sam.”
I nod my head in understanding. “It must have been hard,” I say looking down at my red nail polish.
“It is hard,” he retorts before taking another drink of the tequila.
A thought hits me, and I can’t help but ask. “Is that why you take those pills? Because of your past?”
He lets out a sigh. “Yes, Sam,” he says as if I’m annoying him.
“What kind of pills are they?” The bottle was too worn out to see what they were exactly.
“Sleeping pills,” he replies with a hard voice once again.
I sit up straighter and my head snaps to look over at him. “What? You take sleeping pills and drink?”
“If I pass out drunk from the alcohol then I don’t need the pills,” he spits out.
I can’t take it anymore. I get up and stand in front of him. “Stop with the attitude.” I place my hands on my hips. “Just so you know. I am going to be the most annoying little sister you could imagine.” The corners of his lips actually lift a little. “I want you safe, Tate. We’ve lost enough family already. For once I want to be here for one another.”
He nods his head “Agreed.”
I run my hand through my hair and let out a sigh. “Will you come over for dinner tomorrow night?”
“Of course I will,” he says with a look as if that was a stupid question.
I bend down and wrap my arms around him. “If you need anything please call me, Tate.”
“I will.” He pats my back before I pull away.
He stands and gestures to the back door. “I’ll let you out the front door.”
I point to the side of the house. “I’ll climb over the fence again.” He lifts an eyebrow. “Plus my phone and purse are still lying in the grass over there.”
He chuckles, and it makes me smile.
I walk around the house as he follows after me. I had just bent down to grab my stuff when I hear Slade’s car pull into his driveway. My eyes narrow on it.
“Take it easy on him,” Tate says watching me.
I turn and face him. “How can I, when I know he knew about you?”
He shrugs. “Isn’t that how love works? You forgive them? No matter what the reason is?”
“Is it? Do you forgive the ones you love?” I ask meaning his mother. Could he forgive her for what she has put him through? The lies? The abuse?
He looks me in the eye and responds, “I don’t love anyone.”
Not even me?
My eyes widen, and he salutes me with his bottle of tequila. “Like I said. Not a good person.”
I go to argue with him when I hear Slade yell followed by his car door slam shut.
I spin around to face him. “How long have you known?”
*****
SLADE
I come to a stop as I approach the fence. How long have you known? Now that is a loaded question, but I’m going to be honest with her.
“Since the night I proposed to you in New York.”
Her hands fall down to her side, and her mouth gapes open. “You’ve known all this time?” she says in shock. “Trip to Vegas…” Then her eyes fill with tears. “Our wedding…”
“Yes,” I say trying not to let her expression get to me. I want to fall to my knees. I want to apologize for not telling her but I don’t. Instead I place my hands in my front pockets and lean back on my heels. “I confronted Tate later on that evening. I wanted to know how he knew so much, but we knew so little about him. He finally told me he was your half-brother. I asked a few questions but that was all that he would give me.” I look at Tate and frown when I see the bottle of tequila still gripped in his hand. “I found out when we got back from New York that his real name is not even Tate. So, I hired an investigator to find out more about him.” I sigh. “As you read on my computer, he didn’t find out much.”
“I’ve paid money for it to stay that way,” Tate says with a proud smile.
Angel turns to face him. “Are you trying to hide from someone?”
“Not in the least.” He looks down to his bottle before he takes a sip.
She turns back to face me. Pointing a finger at me, she scowls, “That does not get you off of the hook, Slade.”
“I told him over and over that you deserved to know,” I argue although I know it makes me sound like a little kid trying to lay blame on someone else.
“That is true,” Tate says nodding his head quickly.
“Are you drunk?” I ask concerned as his tall body sways.
He chuckles. “Not yet,” he lies easily.
Angel sighs. “Get in the truck,” she says tossing her phone, purse, and keys over the fence. I watch them land on the grass by my feet with a frown.
“What?” Tate’s head snaps up to look at her.
“I said get in the truck. You need some food to sober you up.” She frowns as she looks him up and down.
“That’s not necessary,” he argues.
“Get in my fucking truck, Tate,” she yells. I swear I am not used to these pregnancy hormones. Hell, I was just getting used to her regular mood changes.
Tate finally shrugs and turns to walks to the back of the house.
She places her hands on the fence, and I try to help her over it but she pushes me away. “I climbed over here by myself. I can get back over there by myself,” she mumbles.
I ignore her statement. “Where’s he going?”
“Probably to turn off the blaring radio and finish off the tequila,” she shoots over her shoulder as she walks to the truck.
*****
Dinner has gone pretty well. Angel fixed pork chops, gravy, and mashed potatoes with a side of green beans and carrots.
Tate has shoveled in enough that he has started to look better. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for him to hear that I had hired someone to get his life story, only for Angel to find it. He sounded horrified on the phone, panicked even.
It also killed me to know that Angel turned her cell off. I didn’t know she was headed over there to see him. I couldn’t tell from her frantic voice if she was elated to hear he was her brother or if she despised the idea. I’m so glad that she has accepted it.
I smile to myself as I place some food on my fork. Of course she took him in with open arms.
I wipe my mouth with a napkin. “So, did you get anything for the bakery started today?” I ask her.
She looks up giving me a go to hell look with her narrowed eyes. Well, I guess I’m not off the hook just yet.
She dishes out some potatoes and smacks them down on her plate.
“Don’t be ma
d at him,” Tate says.
She drops the spoon back into the potatoes and gives him a serious look. “He knew.” She picks up her fork and points at him. “Whether you guys had an excuse or not. He still knew.” She throws her hands up in the air. “Hell, he’s known for four months.” She looks at me. “You should have told me.”
I release a sigh. How many times have I told myself that? I knew that she deserved to know.
“I told him not to,” Tate says once again.
“Quit defending him,” she snaps.
“Look,” I say getting their attention. “He was afraid of your reaction. I didn’t want to force his hand. He wasn’t ready. Did I want to tell you? A hundred times, Angel. But you of all people should know that it wasn’t my place.”
She lets out a long breath and looks down to her full plate. She drops her fork and pushes her chair back. “I’m no longer hungry,” she announces angrily. “Tate, stay the night, you’re still drunk,” she says with no room to argue before stomping out of the dining room.
“Well, that didn’t go as bad as I thought it would,” Tate says with a smile.
“Maybe for you.” I smile when I hear her come back down the hallway. It fades though when I see she has a pillow in one hand and a blanket in the other.
“You can sleep on the couch,” she says matter-of-fact. “Peaches.” She whistles for the dog. Peaches jumps up from the floor and follows after her.
Tate chuckles before shoving more food into his mouth.
“How did I get in the most trouble when you were the one with the secret?” I ask somewhat confused.
He looks up to me and sighs. “I honestly think because she’s afraid to be mad at me. I did get drunk tonight. I think she’s more confused than anything.”
“That’s sounds possible,” I speculate.
“I feel bad how she found out,” he admits quietly as he looks up at me, and I see the weight that has been lifted off of his shoulders. “I didn’t tell her everything.” He shakes his head looking down at the table. “Some stuff is just too hard to talk about. And although she didn’t push me tonight, I know she will someday.”
“Well maybe that someday is a long ways away,” I say with hope. I want them to have a good brother and sister relationship. I know Tate struggles with his past—it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the temper that he suppresses.
*****
I wake up with a crick in my neck and half my body hanging off the couch. I sit up and look around. The clock on the wall reads a little past midnight. I groan as I throw off the blanket that she had given me. I place my feet on the floor and run a hand down my face.
I sigh as I tilt my head to the left, then to the right, trying to loosen it up. This is the first time for me to sleep on this couch, and it is definitely not something I want to make a habit of. The one in the media room is much more comfortable.
Standing up I grab my pillow and make my way down the hallway quietly to our bedroom. I smile when I find the bedroom door unlocked. I expected to have to pry it open like I did last time.
After shoving Peaches off the bed, I get into my side and try to straighten up the covers that she has pushed down to the end of the bed. Once I get them somewhat fixed I lie down and look up at the ceiling thinking back over our night. I do agree with Tate, it did go better than I expected. She could have told him to go to hell, or demand more answers than he was ready to give. She didn’t push him because that’s just not her. No matter how many questions she is asking herself now.
I roll over onto my side and place my palm on her bare back, lightly running it up and down her smooth skin. Her body is warm, and I find myself scooting closer to her. She softly shifts her body into me, and I lean down to kiss her shoulder. My left hand travels over her side and up her ribs. I feel my dick start to harden when I reach the softness of her breast. I grab a handful and let out a deep growl. I love how big they are, and I love making her soft pink nipples pebble to hard buds.
“No,” she mumbles and pulls away from me.
I chuckle. So she’s still mad at me, even in her sleep. “Don’t challenge me, Angel.”
“Don’t piss me off, Slade,” she says deadpan sounding more awake.
I smirk. “You should have locked me out then.”
She sighs. “You would have found a way in,” she says moving over to the edge of her side.
I grab her arm and pull her back to the center, rolling her onto her back. I get up and straddle her small hips. She lets out a sound of annoyance as she turns her head away from me with her eyes still closed.
I reach out and trace her jawline with my fingers. “I don’t like it when you’re mad at me,” I say honestly. “No matter how hot you look when you’re pissy.” I try to lighten her mood. It doesn’t work.
She opens her sleepy eyes slowly and turns her face to look up at me. “I don’t like it when you keep secrets from me.”
“I know but…”
“No. You don’t know.” She runs her hands down her face as she lets out a sound of aggravation. Then her hands hit my chest hard and she pushes me back while she bucks her hips knocking me off of her. She jumps out of bed before I can grab her. She starts to storm off to the bathroom but comes to a halt at the end of our bed. She slowly turns around with her mouth open and her eyes wide.
“I can’t fucking believe it.” She breathes with a look of shock on her face.
“What?” I ask getting out of bed as well.
She lifts her hand and points a finger at me. “He was right the whole time,” she whispers.
“Who?”
She looks up and her eyes meet mine. “Jax,” she says as her voice rises.
“Don’t,” I growl. Why the fuck is she bringing him up?
“He knew. He told me outside of Larry’s that you were the one lying to me, that you were hiding a secret about Tate.”
I shake my head. “There’s no way he knew that.”
“Quit acting like I don’t know what the fuck I’m talking about,” she snaps. “You stood in our kitchen and yelled at me. Telling me that you were mad at me for believing him when he was right the entire time.” She trails off and then takes a step toward me.
I throw my hands up—the gig is up. “I did,” I confess harshly. “But that’s because he had no way of knowing that.”
“He also said you spoke to him while we were in New York? Is that true?”
My jaw clenches.
“Answer the fucking question,” she snaps.
“Yes,” I shout. “He called your cell. You were asleep so I answered. He told me he was coming back. I didn’t bother to tell you. I deleted the call and then called to have it blocked.” I try to make it as simple as possible. I’m already in deep shit, might as well jump in.
“How could you?” she asks as her face twists in pain. “All these lies.” She shakes her head.
“These lies involve your fucked-up, druggie ex,” I snap. “It’s not like I lied about another woman.” Fuck, Slade. Did you have to bring up another woman?
She storms toward me. “They involve my brother as well you jackass,” she shouts. “But while we’re at it, do you have lies about other women that you want to confess?”
I roll my eyes and let out a growl. “I’ve never cheated on you,” I grind out, clenching my teeth.
“Oh that sounded sincere,” she retorts.
“Don’t fucking accuse me of something I didn’t do,” I snap.
“Don’t accuse me of not knowing what I’m talking about,” she snaps back. She then huffs and spins around, storming off into the bathroom, and I follow after her. She goes to slam the door in my face but I lift my hand in time to stop it inches from my nose. I push it as hard as I can, and it hits the wall with a thud.
“What are you doing? It’s midnight,” I snap.
“Trying to get away from you. So, go away,” she snaps walking into the shower and turning it on.
I follow in after her and step where my
body is right in front of hers and glare down at her. “Why are you being a bitch to me?” I demand. “Nothing involving Jax should matter to you, and you know damn well that I couldn’t tell you what Tate didn’t want you to know.”
“Don’t call me a bitch.” She reaches up and slaps me with a look of hatred.
I grab a hold of her hand and spin her around pressing her back into my front and pinning her arms to her chest. “Quit fucking slapping me,” I growl as the sting still lingers on my face.
“Quit pissing me off,” she snaps. The wetness of her body from the shower has her sliding her arms free from my hold, and she jams her elbow into my side. She pulls away from me getting under the sprayer keeping her back to me.
“Angel?” I growl.
“I have nothing to say to you,” she responds in that bitchy tone that has my temper rising.
I open the shower door and catch sight of her silk robe sitting by the tub. I walk over to it and pull the silk tie out of it. And then turn back to the shower. If she doesn’t want to talk that’s fine, but I won’t allow her to be mad at me over Jax. I’ll give her a reason to be pissed at me.
I slam the door shut and walk back over to her. I grab her arm, pulling her out from underneath the sprayer and drag her to the other side of the shower where the other sprayer is. It’s not turned on at the moment.
“Slade,” she hisses as she tries to open her eyes, but she can’t, her hair is soaked and covering half her face.
I grab a hold of her wrists and pull them in front of her and quickly wrap the tie around them several times before tying a tight knot. I spin her around to where she’s facing the wall.
“Slade,” she snaps trying to get them free. “Stop,” she demands but I just smile as I yank on the silk. It pulls her hands up above her head and I tie the other end to the showerhead and then take a step back from her.
“What the fuck are you doing?” she shouts trying to move her hair out of her face.
I sigh and cross my hands over my chest as I watch her try to get loose. “I’m leaving you there until you lose this fucking attitude,” I say with a careless shrug. It could take awhile
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