1. Thea

I can feel him walking up beside me. How can a grown woman be so stupid over a man? Despite the time passed, something still attracts me to Dom. I don't love him any longer. I've moved on. I haven't even seen him but twice in six years. You would think that'd be enough to get him out of my system. Apparently, I'm wrong because I'm as attuned to him as I was before. I just exited Kayden's room after seeing her and her new baby. Dom holding a baby in his arms was not something I was prepared for. It shouldn't hurt me—shouldn't make me ache—and yet, it does.

I shrug away the thought and sigh as Dom's voice rings out just before I make it to the elevator to leave. If he had just been a couple of more minutes, I would have had the button pushed and could have made my escape. Instead, I turn around to face him.

"Why come back to Kentucky?Thought you said unless it was a holiday and your mother made you, then you'd never step foot back in this state again," Dom asks, looking at me, his face full of anger.

I don't know why he's mad at me. I also don't care. I just need to face him, and then get out of here. It has been six years since I made a fool of myself with him. Dom is not part of my life any longer.

"I heard you and that she-bitch from hell hurt Thomas. I wanted to see him."

"Always running to my little brother's side. Why didn't you just tell Thomas how much you loved him? If you had, maybe he would have stopped trying to be with Gabby."

"God, you're not just dumb, you're blind," I snap.

"And you're just as sweet as ever," Dom laughs, although there's no joy detectable in the sound.

"Thomas is like my brother, my best friend. It was never anything else. I just didn't want Satan and his whore hurting him."

"I guess you're calling me Satan."

"If the horns fit, although from what I'm hearing, whore fits these days, too. Word is you've plowed your way through so many twinkies that you have cream coming out of your ears."

"That's not where the cream is, Thea, but I could show you if you wanted," the fucker literally purrs.

I should feel disgusted. I shouldn't look at him and want to take him up on his offer. For a minute, I just want to kiss him. Maybe if I did, I could finally convince myself the kiss we shared in the past wasn't as good as I remember.There's a loud noise down in the waiting room behind us. It sounds like someone dropping something or something crashing onto the floor. I'm thankful because it helps my brain to start functioning again.

"Sorry. You're no longer my type," I mutter, turning around to push the button for the elevator.

I really need to get out of here.

"Oh, yeah?You into men in suits now? Fancy assholes from New York?"

I stare at the door, doing my best not to rise to his baiting. Instead, I let out a sigh because the elevator still hasn't made it to me.

"Well?" he prompts, and I turn to look at him.

"Why do you care?"

"We both know I used to be your type. So, I'm curious how your tastes changed so drastically."

"I grew up, Dom. My time is reserved for men who prioritize me. In men that see my value. I also want to know they want me and not just any fucking woman who spreads her legs for them."

"Breaker said you were dating some dude that was in medical school. Got your eye on money now, Thea?"

"Are you trying to be an even bigger asshole than the one I remember? What does it matter to you who I'm dating? It doesn't concern you."

"Breaker says you've been dating this dude for a year, yet you haven't brought him around. Are you ashamed of him? Or are you embarrassed to introduce him to your club family?"

"Who the fuck are you to question me, Dom? You don't know who I am. You never cared to find out. Don't think because you hang with Mattie that you have any idea who I am. You don't know shit."

"Whose fault is that? You got all butthurt when I told you I only wanted us to be family and nothing else. Ever since that day, you've avoided me like the plague. You never gave me the chance to get to know you."

"Oh, yeah. You're right. It's all on me. It has nothing to do with the fact that your nose has been so far up Gabby's ass that others ceased to exist for you."

"That's not true, Thea?—"

"It's not? When I graduated from high school, everyone was there in the crowd but you. Where were you, Dom?"

I see something flicker in his eyes that might look like guilt, but I doubt it. He's probably just realizing he can't win this argument.

"Thea…"

"When I had to have surgery two years ago because my leg had begun curving, where were you?"

"Damn it."

"Where were you during my painful recovery? You can't tell me you didn't know about it because I know that's a damn lie."

"Fine, I knew about it. I checked on you every day. The truth is, I didn't think you'd want me there."

"That's rich. You want to talk to me about how we're family and yet, not once have you ever acted like you were part of my family, Dom."

"I …"

"Not once."

"Maybe I would have if you didn't act like a bitch every single time that I got around you," he huffs, and I immediately shake my head.

"Don't hand me that. I tried in the beginning. You just made it impossible. You knew how much I hated Gabby, yet you made it a point to have her with you whenever you came around."

"We're never going to agree on the past, Thea," he finally says, releasing a breath and scrubbing his face with his hand in agitation.

"Look at that," I laugh bitterly. "You're wrong, because on that we definitely agree."

"Would it help if I say I'm sorry that I hurt you?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure. It's not like you have much follow-through."

"I don't want us to be enemies, Thea. I have a lot right now I'm trying to make up for. I'm struggling. I'd like it if the two of us could somehow call a truce and find a way to be friends."

"No, thank?—"

"If you try for no other reason, do it because it would make Breaker and Thomas happier if we could stand to be in the same room with one another."

"Are you going to have Gabby in my face every time I turn around?"

"She lied to me, Thea. She played me for a fool."

"She's done that a lot. You always go back—even when you know doing so will hurt your brother."

"That's just it. I didn't know that Gabby strung Thomas around. I?—"

"If you're going to try to change, can you at least stop spreading your shit excuses in front of me? I'm not stupid and gullible, Dom."

"I didn't know," he insists, but I just shake my head.

"You may not have known what she was telling Thomas, but you sure as hell knew that Thomas was hung up on her. You could have withdrawn yourself from the equation. Thomas should have come first. He's your brother. He loves you. Hell, at one time, he idolized you."

"You don't get it, Thea. You obviously can't love this guy you're dating. If you did, you would understand. You have never been in love. It changes?—"

"Spare me.I'm adult enough to know that if seeing me with the person I was dating was hurting Mattie or Skylar, I would make sure I didn't bring that person around. I definitely wouldn't fuck them in the garage while they were twenty feet away." His eyes go wide as fucking saucers. If it didn't hurt so much, I'd bust out laughing. "There are no secrets in this family, Dom. Maybe that's something you should have thought about all these years."

"Thea—"

"I have to go."

"So, that's it? You aren't even going to try?—"

"If she's not around, I can agree to be civil when I'm around you. If you stop hurting Thomas, I will try to put the past behind us—only so our brothers can have us in the same room together at family gatherings. Although, why it matters after all this time, I have no idea."

"It matters. Having us getting along would make our families happy, too."

"Yeah, I guess it would."

"Will you let me walk you out? It's dark out there," he asks, and I blink. I don't know what I expected, but this wasn't it.

"You're leaving? I thought you'd be hanging around with your family and seeing the baby again."

"There is a lot of shit swirling in my head, and I think I need time away from them for a bit," he says.

Letting my guard down enough to look at him, I realize he looks haggard. Dom hasn't shaved in a couple days. His eyes are red, and it looks like he hasn't slept either. I shouldn't. I know I shouldn't. Still, I've always been a fool for Dom. I may not be in love with him anymore, but I don't want to see him hurt. He's finally found out the truth about Gabby and I know that had to cut him deeply.

"Okay," I murmur, while getting in the elevator. When I turn to face him, he gives me a tight smile. It doesn't really touch his eyes, but suddenly being a bitch to him feels a little bit akin to plucking the wings off butterflies.

"Okay," he repeats, stepping into the small square space before the doors slide closed. I push the button for the lobby and pray I'm not making a mistake.

Deep down inside, I know I am.