Dirty Toe Drag (Nashville Assassins Next Generation 6)

“I won’t, though,” he says softly.

“You won’t? Why?” I ask, unclenching my asshole.

He scoffs. “Because I respect you. Listen, I know things haven’t been easy for you. I know you struggle. I know you’re working hard to be a good guy. I’ve seen it, dude. I believe in you, and all I want is for you to be happy. Now that I know what you went through, I can’t even imagine. You fought hard to be who you are now, and I respect that. You are my brother.”

“You are mine,” I say softly, holding his gaze. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize. I get it. Why upset me if you two aren’t serious?”

“Those were our thoughts exactly.”

“But I will take that apology for putting your hands on my sister.”

“Yes, please. It was totally uncalled-for, but I apologized to her over and over again, and she promised it didn’t hurt.”

“Yeah, I get that,” he says, inhaling. “If…” He pauses, letting the breath he just inhaled out in a whoosh. “If Stella makes you happy and you make her happy, then I’m happy.”

“Really?” I ask, emotion clogging my throat.

“Really,” he says slowly. “I trust you. Fully. I know you, and I know you would never hurt her. You’re loyal to a fault, dude. And while it’s hard to wrap my head around it—my sister and you together—in a way, I should have seen it coming.”

I wait for the relief to flood me, but it isn’t coming. I don’t believe this is happening. “What do you mean?”

Aiden chuckles, grinning up at the ceiling. “I see the way you two look at each other. She is all about you, always has been, and I think I was trying to keep you two apart because I knew you were struggling. I didn’t want that on her or to send you over the edge.”

I swallow hard. “You’re right, but things are different now.”

“They are. I believe that. I do.”

Our eyes lock, and I feel he has more to say. “Do you want to hit me?”

He laughs. “No. Because in all honesty, I couldn’t pick a better dude for my sister. I mean that.”

Finally, that relief floods me. “I won’t let you down. Or her. Or hell, myself.”

“I know,” he agrees, holding my gaze. “’Cause if you do, I’ll kill you.”

My lips quirk at the side. “Duly noted.”

“And if you ever hurt her—”

“I won’t.”

He reaches out, slapping me on the shoulder. “We’re good, dude.”

“You sure?”

“Totally,” he says. “But remember, I won’t go to jail for Stella, but Emery will.”

I widen my eyes. “That kid scares me.”

He nods. “She scares us all.”

We give each other a knowing look, and then I throw a cheesy grin at him. “Are you sure you don’t want to kick my ass?”

He laughs. “It was my first thought, but no.”

I nod. “I have to say, I’m a wee bit underwhelmed. My asshole has been clenched ever since I pulled up. I was truly ready for an ass-kicking with the way you threaten everyone when it comes to Stella.”

He snorts, but then his eyes meet mine, and he nods. “You’re not everyone, Wes. You’re my best friend, and I trust you.”

Yeah, no pressure at all. And fuck, if it doesn’t make me hope I didn’t waste my time. That when I finally get to Stella, she won’t tell me to go fuck myself. Not that I would blame her. I completely shut down, I let her down, and I didn’t contact her when I should have. I didn’t hold up my side of the relationship, and I have some groveling to do.

I just hope she is as patient with me as Aiden has been.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Stella

I’m trying so hard not to be pissed, not to want to dump Wes’s ass and move on—mostly because I don’t think I could move on from him, but also because he was honest with me. He told me what he was feeling when everything went down and how that one phrase affected him. I didn’t know. If I had, I wouldn’t have said it. I’m so used to saying it to Emery and my brothers that it came off my tongue so easily. I feel awful, but I want so desperately to know what is going on. I’m starting to think maybe he was abused by his dad or maybe his stepmom… I don’t know, but I want to make it better for him. I want to help.

I don’t like that he has been ghosting me all day. That is a whole other can of worms I am not okay with. I’m pissed, but I also feel guilty for not giving him space. It was obvious he was freaked out. I could see it all in his face and body language. He cares greatly for me and is so scared to hurt me, so I get it. The problem is, again, I want to help. I want to be there for him, and I feel like he’s shutting me out. It’s frustrating, especially when I care so deeply for him.