Unspoken Vow (Steele Brothers 2)

How my brother went from hating the guy to trying to convince me how great he is, I’ll never know.

Instead of another lecture, he asks, “What are your plans for dinner?”

“Eat whatever Reed cooks me.” I grin.

“SOL, brother. Reed’s not here, and you know you don’t want to eat my cooking.”

“Understatement. I can make us something.” I climb out of bed, but Law blocks my path to the kitchen.

“Want to go out? We haven’t been to dinner just you and me for a while.”

“I’m good with takeaway.”

“No, you’re not.” He turns on his heel. “Let’s go.”

Ugh. Little brother playing big brother again. “We went for a run this morning. Isn’t that enough of a field trip out of my bubble?”

“Nope.”

I give in, because there’s no point in fighting it. And I’m hungry.

“The pub?” I ask on our way.

“Hmm, nah. I know where to go.”

Okaaay, now I’m thinking he’s up to something. I just don’t know what it is yet.

But when he pulls into the parking lot of a restaurant we know well, I have to hold back my eye roll.

“Really, Law? Bringing me to the place I always made you go to break up with guys for me?”

“I figured you could do with some perspective. Look at how far you’ve come from being that guy who can’t even break up with someone without panicking.”

“I haven’t come that far. I’m still avoiding Brody.”

“Maybe you’ll feel differently once we eat.”

I doubt it, and I don’t exactly understand what he’s trying to prove here.

We take a booth in the back, which is where I normally hide while Law does the breaking-up part.

We don’t need to look at the menu because we’ve eaten here a million times, so we order drinks and food as soon as we’re seated.

“Not feeling anything yet?” Law asks.

“Other than the awkward creepiness of you trying to psychoanalyse me? I don’t understand what I’m supposed to be feeling.”

“A sense of accomplishment. A shift in your shitty behaviour? I don’t know. Pick one.”

His plan is severely backfiring because all I have is a sense of dread and failure hanging over my head. I tried so fucking hard and I’m still here.

I’ve pushed myself and pushed myself, struggled and got back up and pushed through again, only to be knocked off kilter and sent back to the bottom where I started.

And it all comes down to wondering what’s the fucking point?

“I’m back where I began. Yay me.” I wave imaginary flags.

Law sighs.

Our drinks arrive and the waitress eyes us in the same way everyone who isn’t around twins does. Like we’re so fascinating for sharing identical DNA. We don’t get it, but whatever.

Law’s phone goes off, and after he checks it, he stares at me with a guilty expression.

“Aww, shit. Here we go. What’d you do—” My gaze catches on two people entering the restaurant. They’re hard to miss, because they’re both wide and intimidating, which is funny considering they’re the nicest guys I know. Hell, the nicest people I know. That doesn’t stop the anger from rising up. “I fucking hate you, Law. I really fucking hate you.” I go to stand, but he reaches out and grabs my arm to stop me.

“Brody doesn’t know you’re here. Storming out will only draw his attention, so sit down, shut up, and listen to me.”

Reed and Brody are ushered to a table in the middle of the room, not exactly shielding us from them, but they’re not gonna see us unless they’re really looking.

I sit back down and scoot towards the wall, hoping to conceal myself better. “Can’t believe you fuckin’ parent trapped me.”

“That’s not what this is.”

I glare at him, because he’s a lying liar who lies.

“Okay, it’s a little bit that, but we’re not forcing you to talk to him or even approach him. Just look at him. I’m making you check Schrodinger’s box and putting you out of your misery.”

“I like living in misery.”

“Bullshit. You hate it. You claim to be full of darkness and act all broody, but we both know if it hadn’t been for Kyle, you’d already be married and doing the happy thing, and I’d be the bitter twin.”

I take a sip of my beer and resist the urge to look in Brody’s direction. “Yeah, well, life happens, and it clearly isn’t on my side.”

“You’re not even looking at him.”

Because I’m scared of what I’ll see.

“Need me to hold your hand?”

I don’t know if Law’s being serious or taunting me, but it grates on me all the same.

“Fuck you.” I glance at Brody and Reed to spite Law and prove I can do it, but then my eyes get stuck.

Brody is the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen even with his scruffy, unshaven face and the bags under his eyes.

He looks as if he’s had as much sleep as I have since I ran out of the apartment.