He raised an eyebrow. “The punch? He had it coming. Don’t expect me to let him manhandle you without reacting.”
She blew out a breath. “No. I have four brothers. I knew what was going to happen. I just thought he’d come back at you.”
“When he’s on the ice, adrenaline keeps him going. But off it? I doubt he’s got the balls to hit me back.”
Jade nodded. “Actually, I was talking about him showing up here.” She sat down on the edge of the bed. “I don’t understand. Why does he suddenly want me back?”
“He’s unraveling. Nothing’s going his way and the fact that we’re together is a trigger for him.”
“Should I worry about him?” she asked, shaken that he’d slipped past the doorman.
“He always calms down.” Knox moved closer and placed his hand beneath her chin, tipping her head to meet his gaze. “But his reaction is not our problem.”
“Is him blowing up your marriage a problem?” she asked, looking him in the eyes.
“My marriage was over long before Celia slept with Theo. But if she hadn’t cheated, I probably would have stayed with her and tried to make it work.” He hated admitting that. It made him feel weak.
“Why?” Jade placed her hand on his.
“Because I saw how it killed my father when my mother left. I promised myself I’d never walk out when things got tough. That I’d try to make things work.” He dipped his head. “But I drew the line at cheating.”
“So you aren’t still in love with her.”
He shook his head. “No. That was a wrong choice of words earlier. Theo didn’t fuck up my life. But he did fuck up yours. As a brother, though, he betrayed me.”
“God, why won’t he leave me alone? I’m over him, but dealing with his drama is exhausting.”
They sat in silence, Knox trying to decide where things stood between them now.
“Are you working today?” he finally asked.
“No. I’m still not feeling great from the migraine meds. I could use a day off. I’ll call Lauren. I just need to go back to bed and rest.”
Knox took that as his cue. “I’ll get dressed and head out, then,” he said.
And Jade didn’t ask him to stay.