.” he started, looking around the house, “where’s the munchkin?”
“He’s with Caro,” I answered. “Now stop avoiding my question. Why are you here? And don’t feed me that shit about just wanting to visit your little sister, because we both know that’s a crock.”
His glower intensified for a second but drifted away when he saw it wasn’t going to work on me. “I heard you were lookin’ chummy with that dick for brains at the wedding the other night.”
“Gah!” I shouted, throwing my arms out in frustration. “This freaking town! Who told you?”
“Doesn’t matter. Is it true?”
Slapping my hands on my hips, I glared at Stone in the hopes that flames would come shooting out of my eyes and melt the skin right off his stupid face. “It was one dance—”
“I knew it!” he exclaimed, jabbing his finger at me accusingly.
“Get your finger out of my face before I break it,” I threatened.
Knowing I meant it, he quickly pulled his hand back, but didn’t lay off. “Christ, Shane. What the hell were you thinking?”
“I was thinking it was my best friend’s wedding, and I didn’t want to make a scene. It was one freaking dance, Stone, nothing to get your boxers in a twist about. It didn’t mean anything, and I walked off the dance floor before the song was even over.”
“That’s not the point, Shane,” he said in a low, menacing growl. “The point is you shouldn’t have let him get that close in the first place. You know how you get when it comes to that asshole—”
“Don’t,” I snapped. “You have no right to come in here and tell me what I should or shouldn’t do. I’m an adult, Stone. You have no say in how I live my life, so back the hell off.”
“Well someone needs to tell you when you’re making stupid-ass decisions,” he threw back. “That guy fuckin’ wrecked you, Shane.”
“You think I don’t know that?” I barked, my words slicing through the air like a white-hot blade. I hadn’t expected things to get so heated between me and Stone, but, even days later, I was still feeling raw and exposed after my run-in with Jensen, and the last thing I needed was my own brother jumping down my throat. Especially when he hadn’t even been there the last time my world had been turned upside down. “I’m the one who lived through it.”
“Then why in the fuck would you let that son of a bitch anywhere near you?”
“Because! As much as I might hate him, he’s still the father of my kid. It tears my heart to pieces, but Brantley loves him, and I won’t do anything to mess that up for my boy. I’m doing everything I can to make the best out of a shitty situation, and I won’t stand here and let you make me feel bad for that!”
“I’m just trying to protect you,” he replied, his light brown eyes, the same warm amber shade as mine, filled with worry.
“I don’t need you to protect me, Stone. I’ve been taking care of myself for a really freaking long time.”
I might have been known to have a stubborn streak, but Stone’s was leaps and bounds worse than mine, and to add fuel to that fire, my jerk of a brother was also a complete hothead who had a nasty habit of saying things without thinking, usually hurting the person he was fighting with in the process. Something he did right then when that glower came back into effect and he looked around my tiny house before stating, “Well, from the looks of it, you aren’t doin’ a very good job. For fuck’s sake, Shaney, you’re letting a man into that boy’s life that’s just gonna turn around and leave him. Explain to me how the fuck that’s smart.”
It was a low blow that caused maximum damage. I felt a familiar burn form behind my eyes. As much as I hated it, I was one of those unfortunate people whose tear ducts started working overtime whenever I got pissed. The angrier I got, the worse I’d cry. Any screaming match I ever got into was done while I blubbered uncontrollably. It was humiliating.
Blinking back the tears before they had a chance to form, I squared my shoulders and lifted my chin. “You can show yourself out,” I gritted between clenched teeth.
“Shane, wait,” he called when I spun on my heel and started out of the kitchen. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
I didn’t want