I sat back and blinked. “I don’t understand.”
Bronagh scratched her neck. “We’ve all noticed how weird Ryder was being with you, but I just didn’t know how bad things were. You’ve gotten very good at keepin’ things to yourself.”
“What kind of intervention were you three plannin’?” I pressed.
Bronagh’s lips twitched. “Last night in Aideen and Kane’s apartment we decided that we’d use Ash Wade… as a pawn of sorts. I know you’re good friends with him, and I was goin’ to ask ‘im to be really flirty with you whenever a brother was around so it’d get back to Ryder. We thought it would snap ‘im out of whatever is wrong with ‘im and his Slater instinct would kick in and he’d reclaim you.”
I stared at my sister for a long moment, and then burst into laughter.
“Slater instinct?” I repeated. “What are they? Animals?”
Bronagh laughed, too. “They might as well be, they’re all very possessive over us and I wanted to use it to our advantage in this situation, but it kind of backfired. I never spoke to Ash about it, and when Dominic thought you were flirty earlier today he went and told Ryder an arse backwards story and Ry flipped out.”
I shook my head, still chuckling.
“I’ll give you points for formin’ a plan in the first place.” I mused. “I knew the three of you were up to somethin’ when I saw you all smirkin’ last night. Me bullshit sense was tinglin’.”
Bronagh held her side as she laughed, but she stopped almost instantly when the front door to my house opened and shut.
“Branna?”
Oh, fuck.
“Shit,” I whispered and jumped to my feet at the same time my sister did.
“Don’t interfere when I’m speaking’ to ‘im,” Bronagh said to me, and glared at the kitchen doorway until Ryder appeared.
“You’re a fuckin’ prick!” My sister bellowed as soon as she saw him. “I hate you for what you’ve done to ‘er. You’ve broken me sister’s heart you son of a bitch!”
Double fuck.
Ryder looked at my sister and I saw the pain in his eyes. “Bee—”
“Don’t!’ She cut him off, her body shaking. “Don’t you dare call me that, Ryder.”
Ryder looked distressed as he took a step towards her.
“Kid, please, I’m going to fix everything. I swear on my life.”
Bronagh growled, her face getting red with anger. “I told you that day Aideen was in hospital after the attack that she was goin’ to leave you because of the way you treated her, and I was right.”
“I know.” Ryder replied almost instantly.
“Do you remember what else I said?” she questioned.
Without hesitation Ryder said, “You told me that when she got the courage to leave me I’d finally realise how incredible she is.”
I couldn’t take them talking as if I wasn’t in the room.
“Bronagh, calm yourself down right now,” I demanded. “This isn’t good for you, or the baby. Relax, dammit.”
My sister turned away from Ryder, and looked at me.
“I’m goin’ home so he can fix this.”
She knew nothing between Ryder and myself was fixable, especially after the conversation we just had, but to avoid piling more stress on her, and to remove her from Ryder’s presence, I didn’t protest to her leaving.
“Bee,” Ryder said. “I’ll make this right.”
She ignored him and to me she said, “I’ll call you later, but if you need me for anythin’ before you hear from me, pick up the phone and I’ll be here.”
She turned and stalked—or waddled—out of the room, then out of the house, slamming the door behind her.
“She hates me.” Ryder said with his shoulders slumped.
Comforting him was the last thing I should have thought about doing, but breaking up or not, this man meant everything to me, and I couldn’t stand to see him hurting. That knowledge hurt me because as much as I told myself I didn’t love this version of him, I knew it wasn’t true. I was in love with Ryder in any way I could have him, that was how deeply I felt for him.
“She doesn’t hate you,” I murmured. “‘er hormones are all over the place, and she’s just upset because I’m upset. Don’t worry about it, she’ll be speakin’ to you by tomorrow.”
“Why do you do that?” Ryder asked, looking at me with an expression I couldn’t read.
I was stumped.
“Do what?” I asked.
“You’re trying to make me feel better about Bronagh because I said she hates me. You’re trying to save me from being hurt when you’re furious with me.”
I gnawed on my inner cheek. “Bronagh says I do it to ‘er because I’m protectin’ ‘er. Maybe I’m doin’ the same for you, too.”
Ryder stepped towards me. “I’m sorry for what I said to you earlier.”
I straightened.
“You hurt me,” I said. “Accusin’ me of cheatin’ on you was somethin’ I never thought you would ever say to me.”
Another step.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. I just pictured this Ash person touching you, and I got so angry that I lashed out at you.”
I shrugged. “I’m used to you lashin’ out at me.”
Ryder looked like I slapped him across the face.
“Please, don’t say that,” his voice low.