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Just thinking about it had the bile rising in my throat.
“What is going on between you two? Are you guys together?”
The question is out of my mouth before I can stop it, one feeling seeping out of every gritted word.
Jealousy.
Nico stops in his tracks as I silently curse myself, his eyes meeting mine over his shoulder. “I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”
My fingers clench so tightly that my nails are digging into my palms. Without another word, Nico walks away, and I just stare at him until he’s inside the bar.
“Fucking hell.” I turn around and go to my car. Sliding into the leather seat, I tilt my head back and pinch the bridge of my nose.
So much for avoiding any drama, I should have just gone straight home.
But then you wouldn’t have seen her.
The soft lines of her face. That vivid glow of auburn shining in her dark hair. The look of utter surprise and later heartbreak when she recognized me.
It’s like Rebecca’s image is burned into my mind.
Curling my fingers into a fist, I pound it against the steering wheel, hating every second of this.
None of this would have happened if she just would’ve given you a chance to explain.
But she didn’t.
She condemned me and turned her back on me without a backward glance.
Clenching my jaw, I slide the key in place and start the car. My mind is still reeling from everything that had happened at the bar as I drive through the dark streets.
The old house is enclosed in darkness as I pull in front of it some fifteen minutes later, killing the engine. My stomach is twisted in a tight knot as I just sit in the car and stare at my childhood home. Four years and an NFL career behind me, and still… Andstill,being here makes me feel like a selfish, petulant boy who walked away from everything he knew so he could pursue a dream nobody thought he was capable of accomplishing.
A loudcreaksnaps me out of my thoughts. I look out the window, my eyes going to the barn that’s a few yards away, just in time to see the door close behind a tall figure. I suck in a breath as I watch the man lift his hand, rubbing it over his face. His hand drops, and he looks up, only to stop in his tracks when he spots me.
The light on the barn illuminates his face, and I feel a part of the tension seep out of my body.
It’s not him.
At least I got a little bit of a reprieve until tomorrow, that is.
I guess it’s now or never.
Uncurling my fingers, I open the door of my SUV and slide out of the car.
“Well, well, well… look at who the cat dragged in,” my brother says as he slowly takes me in.
His arms are crossed over his chest. He’s filled out since the last time I saw him. His shoulders are wider, the muscles more prominent. But while my body was honed by professionals in a top-notch sports facility, his has been defined by nature and the hard work that is ranching. Although only six years separate us on paper, he looks much older than twenty eight in real life. His skin is already tanned from all the work he putsin, and deep wrinkles line his face as he scowls at me from a distance.
Nobody can accuse Fernandez men of a warm welcome.
“It’s good to see you too, Aaron.”
“It would have been better to see you here at the dinner Mom made in anticipation of you coming back home, but just like always, the only person you ever think about is yourself.”
His words were a blow I should have expected, but it didn’t lessen the bite they had to them.
Shit.I should have known Mom would try to make a fuss about me coming, although I tried to tell her she shouldn’t bother. She was never good at listening. And one thing she hated the most of all was when her boys were fighting, which was more often than not.
