Page 87 of Forbidden Dreams
I stood, intending to go inside, but Morgan beat me to the door. "You've been hiding out for a week. It's our turn now."
"Your turn for what?" I asked as the rest of the brothers filed onto the porch.
"To find out what the hell is going on," Morgan added.
"Didn't Hudson fill you in?"
Morgan glanced at Hudson, who stood in the back, his expression rigid. "He saw you kissing Aspen. Did he get that right?"
"Why would you be kissing our sister?" Maverick asked.
Because I was in love with her, and it physically hurt to think about it. "Why do you think?" I wasn't going to make this easy for them.
"You took advantage of her," Hudson growled.
I held up my hands. "I know you're mad, and you have every right to feel that way. But I'm not seeing her anymore. So this anger is misplaced."
Maverick raised a brow. "Misplaced? You were fucking around with our sister."
"Don't talk about Aspen like that." I might not be with her anymore, but I wouldn't stand for any disrespect.
"It's our job to protect Aspen," Ford said tightly.
"I respect that you think you're doing that now. But I already walked away. I have no intention of seeing her again, and I no longer work at Sterling Brothers Contracting." I reached for the door, but Morgan batted my hand away.
"We're not done with you yet."
"You want to take a swing at me?" I sighed, figuring I owed them that much.
"I want to know that you give a fuck. You walked away from the business you built. From us."
I wasn't bringing up Aspen right now. "It was always your business. You were nice to give me a chance to run it, but we all know that I don't have enough experience. You can easily find someone more capable."
Ford had been standing back, allowing his younger brothers to lay into me. Finally, he said, "When are you going to think that you're worthy of something?"
My chest tightened. "I'm doing what I'm meant to do. Working construction."
Maverick waved his hand. "We're mad that you walked away without talking to us."
I looked incredulously at them. "I figured you'd want me gone. I screwed around with your sister."
Maverick winced. "Please don't."
"I screwed up, and now I'm making it right," I stubbornly insisted.
"By walking away?" Ford asked carefully.
I threw my hands in the air. "I betrayed your trust in the worst way imaginable. You can't possibly still want me working with you."
The guys looked at each other, and then Ford asked, "Can we go inside? It's getting cold out here."
I sighed, opening the door, and waited for everyone to come inside.
They filed into the living room. Hudson and Morgan took the couch. Maverick perched on its arm while Ford sat on the armchair as the official head of the siblings. Lincoln was the only brother missing, but he wasn't part of the business.
I stood in front of them, feeling the weight of their scrutiny. "I don't know what you want me to say."
Ford glanced at his brothers. "We want to know why you walked away from everything that was important to you."
