Every Sweet Regret (Orchid Valley 2)

Am I the worst, most self-involved sister in the history of the world? He told me at the bar that he’s been seeing someone, but I haven’t thought about it since. “Who?”

He swallows. “I’ve always had feelings for her.” He holds up a hand, as if I’m going to object when I don’t even know who he’s talking about. “I never wanted to. It was just there. And I didn’t want this thing to be a secret, either. I understood why she didn’t want to tell him. I didn’t like it, but I understood.”

“Who?” I have a sinking feeling I already know. Damn it, Dean. You know better.

“Then last week, Kace fucking walked in on us.”

“You were the one Amy was with when Kace walked in on her?”

“Yes, and we were almost caught, so I was pushing for her to let me just tell him already, and I don’t know, maybe I should’ve backed down, but he’s gonna find out eventually.” He groans and tugs at his dark hair. “Then she broke up with me.”

“She dumped you today.” It’s not a question. This explains why my brother’s trashed on a Wednesday evening.

He squeezes his eyes shut. “I didn’t mean to fall in love with her. It was supposed to be a one-time thing. But we were drunk and it just sort of happened, and then—” His words are slurred and he looks so fragile, like he’ll break if I say the wrong thing. “Before you judge me, you’ve gotta understand that when she and Kace were a couple, she became this extension of my best friend. You should judge me if I didn’t care about her.”

Jesus. I knew about Clint, but I never knew Dean was involved with her too. That cheating bitch—and I thought Dean was better than that. “You had an affair with Amy? You slept with her while she was married to your best friend?”

He jerks back as if I smacked him. “What? No. Never. I didn’t touch her when she and Kace were married. It started at Smithy’s five weeks ago. We closed down the bar and . . .”

“And you decided you were going to fuck your best friend’s ex-wife? The same ex your best friend wants back? And then, what? You kept fucking her?”

“I know it sounds awful, but dammit, Stell, we’re good together. I’ve never felt like this with another woman. She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and she makes me laugh, and she’s such a good mom.”

I’ve tried to keep my feelings about Amy neutral, but in this moment, I hate her. Not only did she betray Kace and hurt him, now she’s hurting Dean . . . and she’s likely to destroy a lifelong friendship. “What the hell was she thinking?”

He scowls at me. “Thanks, sis, but I’m not that bad.”

“That’s not what I mean.” Taking a deep breath, I sink into the chair beside him. “I’m sorry. I just . . .” I swallow and grapple for empathy. I want to shake him until he comes to his senses and realizes this will only end badly. “I had no idea.”

“No one knows. We’ve been keeping it quiet. I knew Kace would freak out, and I didn’t want to upset him.”

My phone buzzes.

Kace: I’m making you dinner. Pasta or steak?I study Dean’s face. Has my brother ever fallen in love before this? He’s had a couple of long-term girlfriends—if you’d call less than a year long-term—and I’d bet he’s said those three words, but I never saw him with someone I believed he’d be willing to make sacrifices for. “Does she feel the same about you?”

He hangs his head and shrugs.

There’s so much heartache in that gesture that I want to track Amy down and make her listen as I enumerate all the ways she isn’t worthy of the men in her life. “Don’t let her play you.”

“She cares about me. The thing with Kace just spooked her, and today, I said I wish he’d seen us so we could quit sneaking around, and she . . .” He swallows and turns away, looking out the window. “I know this would change everything. I know it could screw with my friendship with Kace and possibly fuck over our business, but it’d be worth it. She’s worth it.”

“Oh, Dean.” I place my hand on top of his. I want to argue, to tell him she’s not, and explain what I know from her past. I want to rant and rave about how he deserves better than what this woman’s offering, but is there any point? It’s over now. And anyway, do we really have control over who we love? Do our hearts listen to reason? Unfortunately, I know they don’t, so I whisper, “I’m so sorry.”

I text Kace back, letting him know something came up and I have to cancel. Then I give Dean a hug, and my big, badass, tough-guy brother presses his face into my shoulder and cries. It’s good that I’m here, that he can lean on me, but part of me knows why it was so easy for me to cancel on Kace.