I have never had a more 'fuck that' moment than when I'd watched Torey's son be picked up by Tristan. The way Wolfie had been so excited to see him, like he was his actual father, made my stomach roll in the worst of ways. Because I know if and when Torey sees it, it's going to slaughter him. In turn, he's going to want to slaughter the man himself and probably the entire world along with him.

Luke had looked like he felt much the same way. I'd catch his jaw ticking every now and again when Wolf would sit on Tristan's lap or be playful with him. Luke had been his father for the first year and a half of Wolf's life. It appears that having to share that title with someone else has ruffled his rather well-manicured feathers. Over protective doesn't even begin to be cover it when it comes to Luke, well, all three of them, really.

Speaking of which, Luke hadn't even wanted to hand Wolf over to Dani originally. Transitioning from a father to a grandfather I fear will sour Luke's mood exponentially, especially considering who she's married to. Tristan may be the son of someone he respected, but he's not Luke's son, Wolf's actual biological father.

The entire plane ride back Malyssa and Luke had told stories of Tristan and Braxton's father. They'd been captivated, hanging on their every word. Me, on the other hand, I couldn't really be bothered to give a shit. If Mal hadn't practically begged me to come 'home' I'd have happily stayed in New York, paid Evelyn a visit and figured out some semblance of a future for myself.

Because I can't have a future here in Las Vegas. No matter how much Malyssa wants me to. She may understand me like no singular other person has, become like a mother to me, but she can't expect me to stay. Not after everything that's happened. Not after Luke had insisted that Dani, Tristan, and Wolf stay with them; live with them. I understand why he had— because of Wolf. But there's no way in hell I can be around that and maintain a semblance of sanity.

"Hey man, can I ride with you?" Braxton's question has me lifting a brow as I pull myself out of my dreary thoughts. "I just..." He rocks on his heels slightly then continues, "they're all going together and I'm not really built to be in a vehicle with that many other people."

"No, no you really aren't." I let out a little chuckle as I eye his gargantuan frame, probably the first time I have semi-laughed in over a week. "So yeah, sure, no problem. I'll bring you back to the hellcat."

"That would be greatly appreciated."

As we walk over to my car, the one Luke had made sure was dropped off at the hanger for me, I ask, "how tall are you, anyway?" Because the man has a few inches on me in the height department but his size rivals Torey's, much like his brother's.

"Six-foot-five," he answers as we get into the vehicle. After I start the car and pull out of the parking space he adds, "you know I wanted to say this before but couldn't find the proper time; I'm really sorry about everything you're going through, man. It's really shitty what my brother did, I know. I tried to coach him in another direction but I don't know..." He shrugs in frustration. "Tristan does what he wants."

"Not your fault and it's not entirely your brother's fault either." And that fact has me gripping the steering wheel a tad harder.

Dani is extremely charming and the most beautiful woman I have ever set my eyes on. You'd have to be blind not to see that. Her parents smashing them together for months, well, not really a surprise they are where they are. I'd been there, done that. What was supposed to be a retirement job landed me right in her arms, in her bed.

"No, I know, but still. It's all just so fucked up." He's thoughtful for a moment before saying, "I don't understand why you're not more pissed off. I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to beat the shit out of my brother. If it were me I'd want to. I'd be so fucking pissed."

Ooooo trust me, I am plenty pissed.

But showing that outwardly doesn't do anyone any good. At least not right now. Not when there's a little boy in the middle of it either.

So I answer, "honestly, Braxton, your brother is a lot like me in the emotional-fixer-upper department. I like a project and there's not many projects quite like Daniela." Or Torey, for that matter, but I'm not stating that. "I get what he sees in her and why he's attracted to her. I get why he doesn't want to lose her."

There's a sense of purpose in being someone's emotional rock. I'm not going to get into it personally with him, but it does have me taking stock of myself; my relationships.

"He's been like that ever since the death of my mom. When he gets close to people, which is a rarity, I may add, he gets too close. Then he doesn't want to lose them."

Ah, fucking relatable.

I nod my head in understanding because I get it. That's exactly where my inclination for the broken ones comes from. Abandonment issues. Though, at this point in time, I'd say I'm pretty on-par for being in the broken, damaged goods club again. After everything with Torey and Dani, well, I may just be single for the rest of my existence. I don't think I ever want to let someone get close to me again, not romantically at least.

"So... uh..." he shifts a bit awkwardly in his seat and I can tell he wants to ask an uncomfortable question but the man doesn't know me well enough to know how to phrase it.

"Listen, considering we're already talking about sensitive subject matter, if you have a question then just ask it."

"Will you be staying with the Warner-Riley's or will you be setting up camp somewhere else? I saw you saying you wanted to stay back in New York."

"Yeah, I'm not really keen on staying at the same residence my ex will be staying at. You know, while she raises a family with another man."

He visibly winces at that.

Yeah, fucking tell me about it, buddy. I've been internally wincing nearly every fucking day.

But I'd put it to him mildly. Because I also don't want to be in a place that's riddled with memories of Torey. A place that's also riddled with family pictures of him. With people who look like him, walk, talk and act like him. It's too painful.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking." He states, almost like he'd heard my thought process out loud.

"And how about you now that there's no threat anymore? I imagine Adriana will go back to her own place." I ask, needing a change in subject.

Let's take the lens off of me. Please and thanks.

"I have a place in the city; an apartment. Probably just go back there for the time being. See if Luke wants to keep employing me and whatnot. Other than that I have no idea."

"Staying out of the adult film industry, then?" I chance a glance at him when he doesn't respond. His lips are pursed slightly. "Sorry, is that a sore topic for you?"

"Meh," he shrugs. "It's just something I had to do on the side to take care of myself and my brother. We weren't left with much of anything when my mother died. So I did what I had to."

"I had nothing either. Joined the marine corps young. Then managed to get into special forces. Lost a lot of friends on missions in those days." My history of losing the people I care about is insurmountable. "The amount of times I was able to sleep with a woman back in those days was few and far between."

"Yeah, well, sleeping with women wasn't where the money was at. At least not for me." He coughs uncomfortably, looking out the window with, "so, uh, yeah."

"Oh." Denver's irrational jealousy over Luke's initial hiring of the man now makes a lot more sense. "I, uhm..." I don't know what to say to that.

"Tristan doesn't know. So if you could keep that to yourself."

"Will do."

"I will say it's nice to be around a lot of really open people though. It's refreshing not having to feel like I'm being judged or will be judged around them."

"I feel you there. Does Adri know?"

"No."

Interesting. I wonder why.

"I doubt she'd care," I say.

"No, but I also don't want her getting any ideas either. Not that I'm knocking it but I'm not trying to share her with anyone. Though I doubt she would mind being shared." He crosses his arms with a harrumph of a noise. "The more the merrier with that one."

I can't help but snort out a laugh at that. It's the first good laugh I've had in a while. We're quiet for the rest of the drive, me doing some inner contemplation on the reason I had been able to share. But the answer is simple; Torey. It had always been because of Torey.

After dropping Braxton off at the main residence I studiously avoid the group piling out of the other vehicle and head toward the guest house. The minute I open the door I'm immediately hit with a familiar scent that does nothing but break my heart all over again.

I eye the kitchen, a place I love more than any other, and feel a wave of sadness roll through me when I picture the unspeakable things we had done inside of it. How Torey would always do the dishes after I'd made a meal, doing his part, as he'd say.

Needing to use the bathroom after the trip I make my feet move to the bedroom, avoiding the surroundings, the memories, before going in to take a piss. One glance at the shower has me pausing in remembrance of the first time he'd touched me, well, touched me quite like that. Emotion threatens to strangle me so I make quick work of relieving myself and exit the rooms until I'm in front of the bar. I grab the whiskey, chuck the cap off, and immediately begin to drown myself.

✩✩✩

I'm about an hour into the bottle, it's about a quarter of the way gone when there's a knock on the door. I stand up on slightly wobbly legs since I'd been sat at the kitchen table just staring at the floor, picturing Torey and me doing lewd things on it. When I get to it I peek out seeing Braxton on the other side.

"Hey," I mumble out a greeting after opening the door. He doesn't say anything for a moment, just looks unsure and irritated. I eye a bottle of vodka in one hand and a crunched up piece of paper in the other. "You good?" Cause he sure as shit doesn't look it.

"You wanna get drunk?"

I hold open the door and show him the whiskey bottle in my hand with, "already on my way there. Better to drink with someone than drink alone."

"That's my thoughts exactly," he stalks into the house and I close the door. He pulls out a chair at the table, the legs scraping against the wooden floor, before plopping down haphazardly. "Adri left. She's back at her place."

"So why aren't you over there?" I sit in the spot I had previously been in, facing the kitchen. It's where Torey always used to sit while I was cooking. And maybe it's the alcohol talking but I'm thinking he sat here so he could watch me. "I'm sure she misses you," I add wanting not to think about how much I miss Torey and how he doesn't miss me.

"Hah!" The sound incredulous as he unscrews the cap off of his bottle and takes a hearty pull from it. "Left this for her before I left." He slams down a letter and a bracelet with a trinket on it. The crumpled up piece of paper has three very meaningful, vulnerable words on it. The look on my face, whatever it is, has him saying, "yeah, fucking tell me about."

✩✩✩

My head. Holy Hell.

I groggily blink my eyes open feeling the stiffness all over my body setting in. When I lift my cheek off the kitchen table I can't help but groan out in pain. There's a mirroring sound off to my right from Braxton.

"Did we seriously pass out like that?"

"Mhmm." It's all I can give him. I blow out a deep breath and sit back in the chair, eyeing the empty bottles in front of us. "Jesus, we obliterated them."

"Don't forget our brains."

"Uuuuugh," I let out as a wave of nausea rides through me. "Shower. We need showers. Torey has clothes upstairs that'll fit you. There's a shower up there as well."

"Thanks," he murmurs, seemingly in pain as he goes to stand and then heads for the stairs.

The shower felt amazing, rinsing off a day of traveling and exhaustion due to jet lag and alcohol abuse. I'm currently in the kitchen whipping up some breakfast for Braxton and I, something to fix the raging hangover we are both experiencing. Braxton is coming down the stairs, toweling his wet hair as he does. There's a knock at the door which has me asking him to get it.

"Oh, so this is where you've been at," Denver's voice is tight which has me looking over at the door from my spot in the kitchen. When he looks at me he looks angry, really angry. "Good to see the two of you getting along so well."

What? What does he—

That's when I realize Braxton is shirtless, toweling soaking wet hair. I'm in the kitchen with similar damp locks making us breakfast. He's insinuating we got up to a lot more than drinking last night and this morning.

"You hungry, Denver?" I ask, going for being unperturbed. It's none of his business what either of us get up to.

"So you're not even going to deny it?" He makes a disgusted sound with, "seriously Brooks?"

"Is there something I have to deny?" I quirk a brow.

His eyes go to an extremely uneasy Braxton and then slide back to me, "ooooh, I don't know. You tell me."

"Oh for fuck's sake, Den, for your peace of mind— no. We didn't fucking do anything with one another. And to be really fucking real here we wouldn't have to explain to you anything if we did. Your kids left us. We drank. We bonded. That's it."

Braxton blows out an extremely long, extremely uncomfortable breath when Denver does nothing but stalk away from the guest house. He closes the door with, "as if I need to give that man another reason to hate me."

"He'll get over it."

✩✩✩

"Thank you," Braxton gives me a genuine smile as we pull up to Adriana's house.

"No problem. She's a runner if there ever was one." I look him over in a knowing manner adding, "and so are you. Y'all need to work on that if you plan on being together longterm."

"I know. I know. So you've said." Because between last night and this morning we've talked an awful lot about his feelings for her.

"Don't give each other an excuse to leave."

He reaches out and clasps my shoulder, "you're going to make someone really lucky someday, Brooks. You're a catch, truly."

"You know I have a thing for dark hair and light eyes. You keep talking like that and Denver might have been onto something this morning."

"Well, I have a thing for blondes so..." He lets the words hang in the air before giving me a wink which has both of us bursting out in laughter.

"So get you your blonde then." I nod off in the direction of Adri's house.

No more than a second later is he out of the car and strolling up the driveway to her door. He knocks a few times but there's no answer. It has me laying on the car horn until she does. Braxton looks back and shakes his head before turning back to her. Words are exchanged in a heated fashion but I have no idea what they're saying but I can tell where the conversation goes. That's because he's jerking her body up his. Her legs are wrapping around him and her hands are in his hair. But I don't miss the middle finger Adri flips me before Braxton walks inside, slamming the door behind him.

I'm happy I could help them find their happily ever after.

Now it's time to go find mine.

A/N:
Brooks has just become one of my favorite characters ever. I so enjoy writing his POV.

Next chapter is the last chapter!

Hope to see you all over in book 3!