It felt a million miles away from where they were now.
“You are such a dick,” Caleb muttered, rounding on Alessio, pacing towards him. They were not evenly matched in height or size, but in that moment, Alessio believed Caleb would be more than stupid enough to take a swing regardless.
Alessio, naturally large-framed and strong, had learned from a young age to control his impulses, because a man of his size could easily inflict damage if they had a violent temperament. He pushed his hands into his pockets, showing that he wasn’t interested in any kind of physical altercation.
“I know you have feelings for her,” he said after a moment, surprising himself with a genuine sense of sympathy. “I’m sorry you had to find out about this.”
“But not that it happened?” Caleb challenged angrily.
Alessio considered that, he contemplated lying, but he couldn’t. “No.”
“You’re such a jackass.”
Alessio considered that. Was he? Probably.
“You think women are just…expendable, meaningless objects for your enjoyment. You think Charlie was here just for you to pluck out of the bar and into your bed…”
“Enough,” Alessio growled, anger bursting through him. His hands fidgeted in his pockets. The brothers stood toe to toe, anger swirling between them. It was Alessio who got a handle on his rage first, expelling fire through his nostrils before speaking more calmly. “That is enough. Whatever you think you know about me, you don’t.”
“Yeah? What’s that supposed to mean? That you’re secretly a good guy? Planning to do the right thing by Charlie?”
“The right thing? Are we in a Jane Austen novel, Caleb?” He demanded, as his heart rate exploded.
“Screw you,” Caleb grunted. “You should have known better than this. You’re an unmitigated pig.”
Alessio didn’t argue back. He wasn’t sure he could. He’d taken what he wanted—Charlotte—even knowing how difficult that might make her life, and he’d been right. She was the one who’d have to live with these people, this town, once he’d left. But he would still leave, just as soon as he could. There was nothing else for this. They’d all be better off without him.
The car was filledwith a stony silence, and each moment that passed only made it feel worse. Charlotte’s heart was splitting apart. She couldn’t understand how they’d gone from enjoying such a lovely Christmas, to this. What had happened to keeping their relationship a secret?
He’d said Winona had interrogated him. Was that true? And if so, why? How had she known? Charlotte stared out of the side window resolutely, wishing she weren’t so aware of every move he made.
“My mother insisted on knowing,” he said, as they passed the sign for the town, and fields gave way to ancient stone houses, all built hugging each other.
“And you couldn’t have just lied?” Charlotte muttered under her breath.
“I attempted to close down the conversation. She was adamant. Apparently, the idea of someone like me with someone like you was anathema to her. She had to protect your virtue.”
She turned towards him on autopilot, frowning, and saw that he was gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles had turned white.
“Anyway,” he said, after a beat. “There’s no harm done. As you pointed out, I’m leaving—,”
“No harm done?” She interrupted. “Did you not witness that awful scene back there?” She and Caleb had stood just outside the kitchen for a few beats, the conversation reaching them like a freight train, and Charlotte had been too shocked, her impulses slightly dulled by the lovely champagne she’d drunk, so her reactions hadn’t been swift enough. She’d heard Winona ask if Alessio wanted anything permanent, heard his quick and easy dismissal.No.The word had cut her like a blade. She’d felt as though a part of herself was dying in that moment. Her hopes had been stupid and childish, but they’d been real, nonetheless. “Caleb is…”
Alessio’s fingers tightened around the wheel. “He’s a big boy. He’ll live.”
“You don’t get it. He’s my friend. He’s a part of my life, of Dash’s life. I would never want to do anything to hurt him.”
Alessio’s jaw moved as he ground his teeth. “You’re entitled to live your life. He’s not your boyfriend, not your husband. Who you date in your own time is your personal business.”
“Yes, but I would have liked to keep it that way. Youknewthat.”
“Yes.”
“So? How could you have let this happen?”
Silence filled the car, an angry, tense lack of noise that made every cell in Charlotte’s body reverberate.
“As I said, my mother kept pushing. While I had no intention of volunteering the information, I did not particularly wish to lie to her.”