Chapter 37

37

STERLING

B y the time I shut down the pumpkin patch and closed the farm to visitors, it was late and I really needed a drink. After grabbing a quick shower and changing into warmer clothes, I met up with Eric at Maverick's, laughing when I saw he had a beer waiting for me—served in one of the very pumpkins I'd been slinging all day.

"I'm not sure whether I should punch you or thank you," I joked as I slid into a chair across from his. "I would've been okay with a glass. Just for future reference."

He chuckled, looking relaxed and happy as he motioned around the packed bar. "Everyone in here tonight is drinking from one of these. You would've looked like a freak drinking out of a normal glass."

"I've been called worse," I said. " Freak might've even been a welcome change."

"I have no doubt." He winked at me, leaning forward and taking a sip of his own beer. "How did it go today?"

"Good," I said, but from the corner of my eye, I was trying to see if I could catch Daphne in my periphery.

I knew she wasn't a big drinker, but I'd expected to see her out and about this evening. She hadn't returned my texts all day, and if memory served, she loved the festival. I knew the bakery had been jampacked as well, so I wasn't too worried or surprised by the lack of response, but I did miss her.

A lot. Maybe too much.

"We had a great first day, actually," I said as I finally turned my full focus back on my friend. She wasn't here, which stung more than I'd been expecting. I'd really been looking forward to seeing her, even if it would've just been a casual run-in while she was with friends.

Eric grinned at me. "That's awesome, man. How's your dad feeling about it?"

His genuine happiness over hearing we'd had a good day made me feel like shit all over again. For the umpteenth time in the last few hours, I bounced back and forth between what I was supposed to do and what I wanted to do. But what it came down to was simple.

I had feelings for his little sister. I'd slept with her, but I had a job in New York and I was leaving soon. I couldn't give her what she deserved, but I couldn't bring myself to give her up just yet either.

"I wouldn't know." I grimaced. "We're working really well together, but he's still not exactly a forthcoming kind of guy. As soon as I told him I'd close up tonight, he went home and he was nowhere to be seen by the time I got there."

Eric flinched. "Sorry, bro. I thought that was going better. Maybe he was just tired?"

I shrugged. "Probably. This time of year takes an emotional toll on him as well as a physical one."

"True," he said. "What he's going through sounds like hell on earth to me, man. It even makes me happy I don't feel that way about someone."

"Same," I said, but it was only a half-truth because these days, I was starting to feel that way about someone. I just couldn't tell him about it.

God, this is so much harder than I thought it would be.

Uproarious, grating laughter from the door caught our attention and a group of men around our age stumbled in. A vaguely familiar guy walked in with them and Eric suddenly went rigid, those blue eyes turning into glaciers as they drilled into him from across the room.

I frowned, narrowing my own eyes to take a closer look, but I didn't know who he was.

"That's Peter," Eric hissed. "Daphne's ex. You remember him, right?"

"Well, I do now." I tore my gaze away from the guy. He was a prick, and one who'd gotten closer to marrying my girl than I ever would. I couldn't even stand to look at him, but that made even more guilt eat its way through my gut.

She wasn't my girl, but I was really damn relieved she wasn't Peter's anymore either. After taking another generous sip of my beer, I shook my head, finding Eric still glaring daggers at him. "I wonder what she ever saw in him. He's always been such an asshole. I couldn't believe it when you told me she was with him for so long."

"Yeah," Eric agreed. "I don't know what she was thinking either. Don't get me wrong, I hate all the guys my sister has ever dated, and I don't think anyone is ever going to be good enough for her, but he was the worst. I nearly vomited every time I saw them together."

My stomach dropped as those words struck an ugly chord deep within me. I don't think anyone is ever going to be good enough for her.

"I can't even imagine," I mused out loud for lack of anything better to say right then. Since we were talking about Peter, I could completely get behind his hatred of seeing them together, though. I'd never even laid eyes on them as a couple, but I kind of wanted to vomit just thinking about it. "You must've been relieved when they ended it."

"More than," he agreed before taking a large gulp of his beer. "She got too close for comfort with him, though, bro. Those last couple months, every time we saw them, he was talking about marriage or babies. It was terrifying."

My heart started pounding, my blood turning to poison in my veins. "At least she came to her senses before that happened."

"You're telling me." He scoffed, shaking his head as his eyes glazed over with thought. "I tried telling her over and over again what a dick he is, but she refused to listen. She just kept saying that I think everyone she's with is a dick."

"Yeah, well, she's all grown up now," I said. "Honestly, I can't think of a worse choice than Peter, but if she wants to get married and have those babies, then eventually, she's going to do it."

He turned a little green at the gills. "Not if I have anything to say about it. At least not with any of the guys I've seen her with so far. She has the worst taste in men, man. I can't deal with it."

For a minute, I pondered telling Eric straight up that I had a thing for his sister. At this point, it seemed like the best thing to do. I needed to level with him and take the consequences that would come my way, already knowing he was going to hate me for it once he found out.

What he'd just said had given me an in I hadn't had before, and now that I had it, I was very tempted to take it. Eric hadn't liked her with any of the guys she'd been with before, but he'd known me for a long time. Maybe it won't be as bad as I think. Maybe he'll even support us.

I doubted it, but Eric loved me. It couldn't really come as much of a surprise to him to learn that his sister might eventually grow to do the same. I sighed.

Whatever happened, it was time to be honest with him. He'd started this conversation and I was going to see it through.

Just as I opened my mouth to spill the beans though, Jake dropped into the seat beside mine.

He grinned at us. "I promised my wife, who is with my baby at home, that I would have at most two beers with you guys and that I'd bring her food. Remind me to place an order for nachos when we get the next round, and hand me that beer. I'm on the clock tonight." He suddenly frowned at Eric, the grin melting away. "What's going on, bro?"

"Peter," Eric muttered between clenched teeth, inclining his head at where the guy had joined some others at a table. "He must be here for the reunion. I honestly didn't think he'd have the balls to show up."

"Fucking dickhead," Jake grumbled, shaking his head. He took a sip of the beer Eric had already bought him. "I still can't believe all that shit he did to Daphne. It's terrible. I didn't think he'd have the balls either."

"What shit?" I asked, knowing that he'd told me before to ask Eric or Daphne herself about it, but again, this was an in I'd never had before.

Besides, Eric was here. He could shut down the conversation if he felt like it was invading his sister's privacy, but he didn't.

Jake shrugged, glancing back at Peter before looking at me. "It's not my story to tell really, but while they were together, he kind of alienated her from everyone. She wasn't allowed to see her friends or her family when she wanted to, and then, when he proposed and she turned him down, he lost it. Roughed her up a little bit as far as I know."

As soon as he said the words, I realized that Eric hadn't known the whole story either. His face went completely ashen before it turned blood red, a vein popping underneath his jaw. His muscles tensed and his spine shot straight.

I saw red as soon as Jake told us, but apparently, so did Eric. He twisted to glare at our friend. "Why the fuck didn't you ever say anything to me?"

"I thought you knew, man," Jake said, his cheeks growing pale as Eric shot up out of his seat. "Oh, shit."

My fists clenched at my sides and my teeth ground. Before I could think the better of it, I got up too, already marching over to Peter's table while Eric scrambled to catch up.

I knew it was going to look suspicious later that I'd reacted as violently—if not more so—as her brother upon finding out the truth, but I didn't give a shit. I'd lost control and I had zero interest in regaining it.

After that talk I'd had with Daphne about him at the cabin, I'd suspected something bad had gone down between them, but alienation and roughing her up wasn't just bad. That was fucking abuse.

There was no way— no way —I was letting that stand. I didn't give a shit that it wasn't technically any of my business. I'd like to think that I'd have reacted the same way to finding out he'd done this to any woman, but the fact that it had been Daphne was like a shot to the motherfucking heart.

I couldn't take it.

Pushing my way through the crowd, I ignored the shouts of protest and the glares I got along the way. Nothing and no one were going to stop me right then, and besides, it wasn't like I'd pushed anyone over.

Peter already seemed to be drunk when I drew to a stop next to his table, running his mouth to his friends about seeing his "ex-piece" earlier. Whatever chance I had at stopping myself evaporated and I grabbed him around the collar, my fingers tightening on his cheap shirt. Then I hauled him to his feet and dragged him outside.

I'd caught him completely off guard, but the fucker had the nerve to smirk at me until he saw whatever look I had on my face. Struggling in vain against the grip I had on him, his feet scrambled across the ground, his arms flailing.

"What the hell are you doing, Sterling?"

"Giving you a taste of your own medicine," I growled.

I didn't look around to check, but I could feel Eric hot on my heels. This complete asshole had roughed her up for saying no?

I couldn't even begin to comprehend what he'd been thinking, doing something like that, but he was about to learn that he hadn't gotten away with it. Even if vengeance might have taken a while to reach him.