“Yeah. I got that much from Cara.”
“I can’t believe she was afraid of my reaction.” Mike shook his head and lowered himself into his oversized chair.
Sam blew out a long breath and settled on the corner of the desk. “Okay, well, you gave her a good run for her money before coming around, but that said—” Mike started to speak, but Sam held up a hand. “That said,” Sam continued, “her childhood, her mother remaining in an abusive situation, her having to cut off her emotions in order to protect herself, she was just doing that now. Protecting herself.”
“From me?” Mike asked in disbelief.
“From her own fears. Anyway, it’s over. She came to you, right? It’s all good?”
He nodded. “Yeah. It really is.”
Sam chuckled at the goofy grin on his brother’s face. “Just keep doing what you’re doing. She knows you love her. She just needs to be reminded, that’s all.”
“Yeah.” Mike tapped a pen against the desk. “Enough about me. What’s going on with you and Nicole?”
“We’re having fun together. Well, we would be if everything in her life weren’t so screwed up,” Sam muttered.
Mike raised an eyebrow. “Fun.”
“Yeah. She’s fun. We have a good time.”
“And that’s all.”
“Can we not do this?” Sam asked.
“Like I didn’t want to do it when you went after me about Cara? What are you doing, man? I’ve never seen you so protective over a woman. From the first minute you laid eyes on her, you were different.”
Sam pushed himself off the desk and paced the floor. “She gets to me.”
“So let it happen. What’s the worst result?”
“I get my heart ripped to shreds. Again. I’m humiliated. Again. I’ve already been the laughingstock of this town once. Everyone looked at me with pity for years after Jenna left me at the altar. Do you think I’m looking to revisit those days?”
Shit. He’d never admitted that out loud. He barely admitted it to himself. But the humiliation of that time had stuck with him.
“Ah, so it’s not just about you not being able to trust your judgment. It’s about time you admitted as much,” Mike said, using his I’m the older brother and I know best tone.
“I came here to talk about the wire. Nicole wants this thing over with, and I tend to agree. The sooner she’s safe, the sooner everyone can move on with their lives.”
Mike stared at him for a long moment, letting Sam know he wasn’t happy with the subject change. Sam just waited him out. He had nothing more to say.
“Fine. I’ll see what I can find out about why they want to wait and try to move up the timetable. Will it be Stanton or Nicole wearing the wire?”
Sam thought back to the scene earlier. “Still up for debate, but I’m thinking—hell, I’m going to insist on Stanton.”
“Yeah, I’d do the same—if it were the woman I loved.”
“Mike,” Sam said on a low, warning rumble.
“Coming to dinner this week?” Mike asked, wisely changing the subject. “Cara and I are going to tell Mom and Dad the big news.”
With the conversation back on Mike, Sam relaxed. “Wouldn’t miss it.”
“Are you bringing Nicole?”
Sam nodded. “Except for work, I’m not letting her out of my sight until those bastards are behind bars.”
“I’ll keep your schedule light. No reason why we can’t cover you.”