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Fuck.
Juliet still had her face tilted down so she didn’t see. But Brick did.
“Am I? I’m not so sure.” Xavier glanced at his watch. “I’ve got to go. Thanks for the brownies and coffee, Twink. Make sure you rest this afternoon.”
After he’d left, Brick walked around the counter and touched her back lightly. “You okay, Duchess?”
“Yeah. I think I might go up to the playroom, though.”
Sensing she needed some time on her own, he nodded. “I’ll be up soon.”
Unable to stay away from her for long, he found himself in the playroom forty minutes later. He found her snuggling down in the corner with a huge, stuffed wolf in her arms.
“Hey, baby girl.” He knelt in front of her. Pain stabbed his gut as he saw that her eyes were swollen. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, Daddy. Worried about Reuben.”
He should scold her for lying, but he didn’t have it in him. Instead, he drew her into his lap and rocked her.
“Reuben bought me Wolfie when I first moved here. I call Reuben the Big Bad Wolf.”
“Sounds apt.”
“Wolfie has kept me safe,” she whispered.
“He’s done a good job.”
“Xavier has too.”
“I know.”
“Sorry,” she whispered. “I know I shouldn’t be upset at him leaving.”
“You have a right to your feelings. And your feelings for him don’t make your feelings for me any less.”
“Of course not, Brick. I don’t ever want you to feel like that.” Panic filled her face.
“Hush, I know you don’t.” He kissed her lightly. Then he drew back and held her tight.
“Everything will be all right, baby girl. I’ll make sure of it.”
Xavier walked into the Wishing Well, wondering what the hell he was doing.
But a few hours ago, he’d gotten a text from Brick asking him to meet him to discuss Juliet.
And Juliet was his soft spot.
He saw the other man sitting in a quiet corner across the room. It was only Tuesday night so there weren’t many people around.
He already had a couple of beers in front of him. Xavier sat in the booth across from him, and Brick passed a beer over.
“Take it you drink beer?” Brick asked.
Xavier shrugged. “Yeah, sometimes. What’s going on? Is Juliet all right? Is she ill?”
“She’s not ill. But I wouldn’t say she’s all right, either.”
Xavier stiffened. “What do you mean? What’s wrong?”
