And he’d be going to sleep with her in his arms every night after he’d made love to her.
He rubbed his chest and heard footsteps as someone approached him.
“Still feeling sorry for yourself?” Aiden asked as he joined him.
“At least now I know how you feel, being in love with someone who doesn’t love you back.” Mateo saw his brother pale and felt like a first class jerk. “I’m sorry, Aiden. I didn’t mean that. You only have to watch you and Sarah together to know that your feelings are mutual. I’m an ass.”
They moved over to the bench at the entrance to the barn. Aiden sat back and didn’t say anything for a few minutes, but when he did, Mateo listened.
“If I could be with Sarah then I would be like a shot. I’d be with her while she was married because that’s how much I’m in love with her. It’s a physical pain knowing that she lies next to that bastard every night instead of me. And that’s why I think you’re an ass. You have a beautiful woman, who I admit surprised the hell out of us all, and you’re throwing it away because you think she should have trusted you more.”
Aiden stared at him hard as he chose his next words, “Well, you know what? If that’s what you think after she caught you in bed with a naked woman, whose tit you fondled in front of her, then you deserve to lose her. As far as she knows, you betrayed her trust by being with someone else and if she means as much to you as I think she does, then you need to do something about it.”
Mateo groaned. “Why the fuck do you have to make so much sense?”
“Because I’m older and because you really are an idiot.”
“It’s been a week. She’ll have had time to be pissed and stew.”
“Or cried buckets.”
“That’s not helping.” Mateo knocked his brother on his arm. “I need to head back there and find out what’s going on.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Mateo, you aren’t listening to me. You need to head back and beg. Explain what the fuck happened that night. Beg on your knees if you have to.” Aiden narrowed his eyes. “And for God’s sake, keep your mind out the gutter while you’re begging. After you’ve been such a dick, she might not be in the mood to let you win her over with sex.”
&nb
sp; “She already knows.” Diego joined them. “You asked me to check on her. She was upset so I told her everything. I also told her that you didn’t want to see her.”
“What the fuck.” Mateo jumped up and faced his brother.
Aiden got between them. “At least she knows. Saves you that trouble.”
“You had no right sticking your nose into my business,” he growled at Diego.
Diego pushed back. “You’re always in mine.” He turned and walked away before he paced back. “I never liked her before, but I gave her the benefit of the doubt when the truth came out. We all did. I really like her, Mateo, and I couldn’t leave her without telling her the truth. If it helps,” he smirked, “I told her you’d be back for her when you’d woken up.”
“Fuck! I’ve made a rat’s ass out of this mess.” He dropped his ass back to the chair and his head in his hands.
“Did you find out anything else about Allie? Her reasons?” Aiden asked.
“She said she wanted to move back here…with me and wanted Erin out of the way. Apparently, they knew where we’d be that night because her friend had posted on her social media and tagged me in it. You know how much I hate that shit. I never check it.” He shrugged. “I’m not sure what to believe really about her reasons. It was stupid what she did so who knows if that was her real reason. I’ll probably never know now.”
“So, when are we going to get our girl?” Kasey joined the conversation and waited with their other two brothers for him to answer.
“I don’t—” He jumped up. “Wait. I’m going to probably go out of my head until then, but I have an idea, and I’m going to need the whole family to help me…”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
“Erin, if you cry today, I swear we’re not friends for the next month. That mascara took forever to put on you. You look lovely. Really pretty…Now don’t ruin it, again.” Sadie grabbed her hands. “Please enjoy our graduation day.”
Erin offered her friend a wry smile, but it was an effort to not let it slip. “Today has been a long time in coming.”
“Yes, it has.” Sadie quickly washed and dried her hands.