“Thanks,” I whisper instead.
I shut my bedroom door and yank my shirt over my head. I’m just about to head to the shower when Rhett comes in.
“It’s late,” I snap.
“It’s late,” the fucker mimics me, pulling his face like a damn toddler. He falls on my bed. “Why are you such a bastard to her?”
I glare at him, but I should know by now that it won’t intimidate Rhett.
“You’re like a turd that won’t come out. Fucking annoying man,” I snap at him.
He sits up, a serious look on his face, which is rare.
“And you’re so fucking stuck up, dude. Do you have a ruler rammed up your ass? Cause I’ll pull it out and beat you with it.”
“You and what fucking army,” I say, knowing we’re both just pissing in the wind. We’ll never get violent with each other.
Rhett gets up from the bed and comes to stand in front of me. “All jokes aside, you need to ease up on her.”
“I wouldn’t want to disappoint little miss high and mighty.”
“What are you talking about?” He frowns at me.
“When I took Evie home, Della assumed that it was who had hit Evie.”
“Oh,” he says, rubbing his hand over his day old beard. “Is that why she apologized earlier?”
“Yeah.”
“And you’re not going to let it go?”
“No.”
“Why?” he asks.
“Why fucking not?” I snap back.
“Look,” Rhett says as he starts to walk towards the door. “I get that you have to follow in your old man’s footsteps but that doesn’t mean you have to be a dick like him. “
Rhett closes the door behind him.
Only when I’m in the shower do I think about what he said. All my life Dad has lectured me on how I should behave. It got really bad after his first heart attack. It’s as if he switched over to panic mode, scared he won’t be around to make sure I become the man he wants me to be.
I know he loves me. He only wants the best for me. My mother split before I was out of diapers. My old man raised me while running a billion-dollar empire. He could’ve passed me off on a nanny, but he didn’t. Until I was old enough to stay at home alone, I was either at school or at the office with him.
He worked his ass off to make sure I would always be taken care of. Fuck, he even paid for this house so we could all live together. He’s paying for all of our studies, giving me three years of being with the guys before I have to join Dad in New York. He didn’t have to do that. He could’ve stuck me in a college near him. Hell, he could’ve forced me to start working right out of school. I owe him a lot. I can’t let him down.
I know Rhett is right. I’m becoming just like my father.
I’ll ease up on Della but I’m sure as hell not going to kiss her ass.
CHAPTER 4
DELLA
Dammit, I was going to be late. I only had one class on Mondays, but it might as well have been a life sentence with the amount of sleep I got last night.
I rush down the stairs but come to a sudden halt when I see the guys working on my truck.