“Really? She’s in Houston and you’re not. Does this mean you’re bowing to your father’s pressure and returning to Houston with Delaney at your side as your wife? How is that different?” Matthew put the box down and spread his arms out. “I love Delaney, you know that. But she destroyed you when she walked out on you, on all of us. You’re still trying to save her.”
Ethan was shaking his head even before Matthew had finished speaking. “No, I’m not saving her. She saved herself.”
“Then what are you doing?” Matthew’s words were soft, puncturing a hole in Ethan’s anger.
Ethan ran his fingers through his hair. “She makes me happy. I haven’t been happy since we broke up. Why do you have a problem with that?”
Matthew took a step forward and laid a hand on Ethan’s shoulder. “I am happy. I just wonder if you’re doing this for the right reasons. If you’re both doing this for the right reasons.”
“What are you saying?”
Matthew hesitated, as if choosing his words carefully. “Are you sure Delaney is in love with you, or does she just want a free ride back into society?”
“You think she’s using me? If she was doing that, do you really think she would have broken up with me years ago when she really needed my money?”
Matthew grimaced. “I know. Just be sure this time, okay? I don’t want to see you hurt again.”
Ethan slammed the door of the truck. “I’ve got this. And say nothing to Delaney, okay? I don’t need you upsetting her.”
Matthew followed Ethan toward the house. “I never wanted to hurt either of you. I’m just worried about you both.”
Ethan continued into the house, ignoring his friend, anger coursing through him. But the words echoed his own unspoken and unacknowledged fears. Did she want him for herself or for his position? Did he care, or did he just want her back in his life?