Wesley shrugged. “At first, I was butthurt. Then, when I got over myself and realized she was doing us both a favor, you didn’t want to hear it.”
He thought back. It was true. Every time Wesley had mentioned Bex since he saw them together at the school, Michael had changed the subject.
“Yeah, okay. I can see that.” He rested his elbows on the table and buried his face in his hands. “Is she pissed?”
“More like hurt. Confused.”
Ugh, that was even worse. “Damn. I’ll fix it somehow.”
“Oh, and I might have dropped some hints about Penelope. Suggested she ask you about her.”
Michael’s jaw fell open. “You did what?” He thumped his forehead into the tabletop and groaned. “Why would you do that? What were you thinking?”
Wesley’s chin lifted in defiance. “I thought she deserved to know our backstory. Hoped it might help explain why you suddenly became invisible.” He leaned forward and socked Michael in the shoulder. “Why though, man? You had her. A hint of competition and you did a disappearing act. What’s with that? I thought it’d be like last time. Lay down the options, and she can choose which brother she wants.”
Michael cursed. “This time is nothing like last time.”
Wesley cocked his head. “In some ways, it’s exactly the same.”
“No. I deserved for you to take Penelope away. It was karmic justice because I was on the verge of telling Bex I loved her when she announced she was pregnant. This is different. You and Bex have a history. You want to be a family. Who am I to stand in the way of that? Besides,” he continued, heart heavy. “Whenever you and I have clashed, you’ve won. The odds aren’t great for me.”
“Wait, wait, wait.” Wesley shook his head as though he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You loved Bex even then?”
“Enough that I’d have jeopardized our relationship over it,” he admitted. “I’m sorry, I never wanted to feel that way but I couldn’t turn it off. Nothing ever happened between us, but I felt guilty every time I saw her because I thought about her constantly.”
Wesley blinked, visibly stunned. “I never knew.”
“Thank God for that. I couldn’t have lived with myself if you did.”
“It must have been hard for you seeing us together.”
He groaned. “Like exquisite torture. I could be around her but not touch her.”
“And you were going to tell her—”
“The exact day she announced she was pregnant.”
They both fell silent for a moment.
Eventually, Wesley whistled. “Whoa, that’s messed up.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” His features softened in sympathy. “You can’t tell the heart how to feel.” He sipped his drink. “It sheds a new light on the situation with Penelope though.”
“Like I said, I deserved to lose her.” He’d never loved her the way he did Bex anyway.
“No, man, you didn’t.” Wesley’s expression was more sincere than Michael had ever seen it. Typically, his brother hid behind a politician’s smile, but now, he was laid bare. “You dated Penelope before me, but I thought we came to it from an equal point of strength, where she could choose equally. Now I see that you never really put yourself in the fight. You just let me take her because you thought it was what you deserved. Fast forward and you’re ready to let me take Bex—whom you claim to love—because, what? Some perception that women will always choose me over you?”
“Not women,” Michael bit out. “People.”
Wesley shook his head. “Where is this coming from?”
Rolling his eyes, Michael got to his feet and paced a few steps before turning back. “Come on, you’re not that obtuse.”
Wesley rolled up his sleeves, his eyes glittering with challenge. “Clearly, I am. Lay it on me, little brother.”
“I’ve always come second to you in everything.” The words gusted from him. He’d never realized how long they’d been stuck inside. “School, girls, popularity, even ranking in the household. We both know you sit above me in the family hierarchy.” The knowledge lanced his chest, burning hot and bitterly cold at the same time. “Mum and Dad love you more. Everybody likes you more. The only thing I’ve got on you is athleticism, and hell, if you hadn’t given up sport years ago, maybe you’d be a bodybuilder by now.”