I did."
"Maybe, but I understand."
The loud bang made me jump. Brandon and I both turned to look at Morgan in time to see her slam her fist against the counter a second time. Her face glowed a dull red and her green eyes darkened with anger.
"Stop it, both of you!"
"Morgan—"
"No. Just...just shut up. I can't believe you two are acting like everything is fine."
"It was a misunderstanding, love."
"He hit you! For no reason."
"There was a reason."
Morgan's narrowed gaze fixed on Brandon with a fierce anger that surprised me—and made a small part of me glad that she was focused on him instead of me.
"Because we were holding hands? How stupid is that?" She turned and focused the full blast of her anger on me. "You should have hit me instead!"
I stared at her, stunned into speechlessness. Hit her? Did she honestly think I'd ever do anything like that?
"Morgan, don't be ridiculous—"
She turned back to Brandon. "Why is that ridiculous? I was holding your hand! If he thought I was with you, then he should have hit me instead!"
"You're upset, love. When you calm down, you'll understand—"
"Upset? Upset? No, I'm not upset. I'm...I'm furious. I just—" She clamped her mouth shut and jumped from the stool. "I'm done. With both of you."
I moved around the small island, ready to throw myself at her feet if it would stop her from leaving. "Morgan, wait."
Brandon caught my arm and shook his head. "Could you give us a minute, Dylan?"
I wanted to say no. Not just no, but hell, no. I knew there was nothing between them but that didn't stop the small flash of jealousy flaring in my chest. He'd been her fiancé. If she hadn't left when she did, he'd be her husband. It didn't matter that the marriage would have been a fake one, they would still be married.
Maybe that was why I finally stepped back. If I couldn't reach her, maybe Brandon could. As odd as it sounded, he was probably more neutral than I could ever be.
I nodded and climbed the steps to the main living area then sat on the sofa. I wanted to give them privacy but the apartment was only so big. My concession was staring straight ahead at the blank television screen instead of turning to watch them.
That lasted for maybe twelve-point-two seconds. I shifted, just enough that I could watch them from the corner of my eye without being too obvious about it.
They were standing near the door. Morgan's arms were tightly crossed in front of her and her entire body was rigid with fury. Brandon's hands were on her shoulders and he leaned in close, talking in a voice so low that I couldn't make out any words. Whatever he was saying, I didn't think it was working because Morgan didn't relax at all.
I dropped my head and ran both hands through my hair, barely refraining from tearing it out. Fucked up? No, I'd gone way beyond that, so far beyond that there wasn't even a strong enough word for it.
And there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it. Nothing I said would help. Hell, I doubted Morgan would even listen to anything I had to say.
The hell of it was, I wasn't sure I could blame her.
"Dylan."
I jerked my head up and looked over at Brandon. One corner of his mouth quirked in a small smile but I didn't know if that was a good sign or not. Morgan still looked pissed but at least her body seemed to have relaxed some.
Maybe.
I pushed off the sofa and descended the five steps in one leap. As anxious as I was to get closer, I stopped a few feet away from them and waited.
"I've convinced Morgan to stay here and talk with you." Brandon's gaze slid to her and his smile grew a little wider, if only for a brief second. "In a reasonable manner. Isn't that right, love?"
Morgan glared at him, her anger and resentment clear on her face. Seconds passed by before she nodded, the motion short and irritated.
"She also has my word that she can stay with me if things don't work out—but only as long as she acts reasonable. Is that acceptable to you?"
I glanced at Morgan then turned back to Brandon and nodded.
"Excellent. Dylan, I trust that you're smart enough to know when a certain amount of groveling is called for—and intelligent enough to know when it's not." There was a hidden message in the man's clear