This wouldn’t be a quick p
roject, and it wouldn’t be a cheap process. Zach figured all the money he got from the sale of his home, provided Liam and Braxton were on board, would go toward fixing up Chelsea’s house. He could always bunk with Braxton until he figured out something else—not what he wanted, but that might be the only option for a temporary fix.
Unfortunately, Zach would have to tell his brothers about needing to sell their childhood home. He didn’t need all the space the old Victorian provided. The house should be filled with a family, with kids and dogs and laughter. He’d been tossing the idea around in his head for some time, but now that he needed the extra money, selling the home he’d lived in since he was twelve was the only option.
Even though the home was in his name only, out of respect he’d still tell his brothers and explain his reasons for selling. Zach had a feeling this conversation would only cause more conflict, but he wasn’t going to just outright sell and then drop the bomb on them. Going that route would definitely drive more of a wedge between them.
The bad blood since the accident had never settled, and Zach didn’t want to cause any more of a rift between Liam and himself. Just because they couldn’t be in the same room without arguing, didn’t mean Zach wanted to hurt him or be deceptive. He’d be up front about this house, about the prospect of using the funds for Chelsea’s dream, and Liam could get on board or buy their childhood home outright.
Zach took a long drink of his pop, his mind circling back to Sophie. He couldn’t help but wonder if he’d crossed a line he could never recover from. Kissing her had been a mistake, but he’d barely had control over his emotions for years, and he’d finally snapped. As if things between them weren’t complicated enough, now they had this added problem.
The problem being himself. He’d pushed Sophie away, he’d done everything possible to keep her at a distance, including lying straight to her face when he told her he didn’t want her.
What a load of bullshit. Didn’t want her? The second his lips had touched hers, he’d barely been able to stop himself from taking exactly what his body had craved for years.
She’d kissed him with a fire he hadn’t known she possessed. But she was seeing another man, and that made Zach even more of a jerk for messing around with her physically and emotionally.
The reality check put him back in the mind-set where he belonged. Yes, he’d wondered for years what kissing her would be like. Yes, he’d wondered if she would kiss him back with an ounce of the emotion he had for her.
Everything he’d fantasized about had been so minute in comparison to the real thing. Remembering Sophie pressed against him, her little sigh of pleasure, would have to be enough. He wouldn’t be touching, let alone kissing her again. And that heated kiss was already more than he deserved.
Zach’s cell rang, pulling him from his thoughts. Setting his half-empty can on the end table, Zach fished the phone from his pocket and checked the ID.
“Miss me already?” Zach greeted Braxton in lieu of hello.
“You want to explain why you and Sophie were in the tunnel and the second I get down there she takes off, looking like you killed her puppy?” Braxton demanded.
Zach straightened against his couch, instantly on the defensive. “She doesn’t have a puppy.”
Did she? Hell, he had no clue. He’d been trying to avoid her for the past decade, and he’d done a pretty good job of it until lately. She could have a damn rabbit living in her house and a goat in her backyard for all he knew.
“Don’t dodge the question,” Braxton ground out.
“We were talking.” And kissing.
Braxton’s laugh pushed through the line. “I’m not an idiot, Zach. Whatever you did to her, you need to fix.”
Dropping his feet from the coffee table, Zach stood. “You don’t know anything that’s going on between Sophie and me, so don’t try to play mediator now.”
“Why not? I’ve had to play referee with you more than once. I understand the tension with you and Liam, and I’ve even let you two go at each other to work off that steam. But I will not stand back and watch you with Sophie. If you’re serious, fine, but I don’t want her hurt anymore. She’s different, Zach.”
Raking a hand over his jaw, his coarse whiskers rubbed his palm as he blew out a breath. “I know. Damn it, I know she’s different. That’s why I push her away all the time. If she looked upset it’s because I was rude and told her to get away.”
Silence filled the line and Zach held his breath, waiting for Braxton’s reaction.
“You can’t act on these feelings.” Braxton’s knowing tone was low, worried. “I know the other night I told you to risk it, but Sophie was torn up when I saw her. How could you—”
“Drop it.”
No way was he getting into this discussion with anyone, especially one of his brothers. Anything he felt for Sophie, past or present, would stay locked away. They both led different lives, both had goals that didn’t involve each other.
“If you’re strong enough to keep your emotions in check, then you need to fix whatever you did to her,” Braxton went on. “I’m not going to pry, but if I see her visibly upset one more time, I’ll kick your ass.”
A piercing pain sliced through his heart. Hurting Sophie even more than he already had, was not an option. Yet another reason he wouldn’t even attempt a relationship with the only woman he’d ever truly wanted.
“I’ll fix it,” Zach vowed. No matter the struggle, no matter the heartache he felt, he’d sacrifice anything for Sophie’s happiness.
* * *