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"AlexiaI don’t think that’s a good idea We don’t know each other any with me just wouldn’t work out You’d be , he kneas screwed He didn’t owe her anything; hell, by rights, he should have tossed her out the door already Butshe looked so daile He couldn’t help but reone, he still cared about what happened to her

"I’ her face "I’ this My pride seems to have coet I asked It’s crazy that I would expect sohed, knowing that he was probably e mistake, but unable to turn his back on her He stood up, pulling his house key fro He had lived in an apartether, so she had never been to his new house He scribbled the address of his house on the back of a business card and handed both to her "Why don’t you go toIThis can’t be for long though, Alexia, just a few days"

"Thank you, Brant," she whispered tearfully as she stood, giving hi back, she asked, "Could you please not tell anyone, even your fa athis arms from around her when the door burst open He saw the s from Emma’s lips as she stood in the doorway As she started to turn away, he said, "Emma, co toward the door "Emma, this is a friend of mine, Alexia, and Alexia, this is my"--fuck what do I say here?--"assistant, Eination, but the moment see "I’ll see you later on, Brant" With a parting ss were aard before, it was doubly so now He found hi stare He was just helping a friend He really hadn’t done anything wrong Maybe he needed to stop acting so da, Emma" He walked over to shut the door behind her "I’ve been waiting for you to get here for hours it see her for being late to work "I ot here early, so you’re not late" Yeah, that wasto occupy your ti?" she asked over her shoulder as she turned to leave

Grabbing her hand, he pulled her back against him "She’s just a friend who ca down at her forood today" Just as Emma softened and ain

"Bro, was that your ex I just passed in the hallway?" Declan asked Brant closed his eyes briefly as E for the first time his arm around Emma "Um, shit, sorry about that I was justsurprised to see Alexia Maybe I rong; it didn’t look anything like her"

This was just going from bad to worse He was afraid of what Declan would say next in an effort to pull his foot from his mouth "It’s fine," Brant said, "and, yes, it was Alexia"

E toany further eye contact

When she closed the door behind her, Brant turned to his brother "Thanks for that"

Declan took a seat in front of the desk, giving hirin "That wasn’t one ofon here? It sure see"

Brant took his seat, running a hand through his hair in frustration He had never been co about his personal life, even with his fah, and knew that a newly married Declan was s with E?" Declan asked "Could you be a littleas in I want her now more than I want to choke her"

Declan’s eyes widened before he started chuckling "I always knew that if you two ever stopped all the bitching, you would probably be all over each other No one argues that ive a daet her out of my head I could probably have saved myself a few stomach ulcers if I had parted ith her after our first verbal sparring match, but that, as they say, is history Now thanks to her walking in onto everyone in a three-block radius that she’s my ex, Emma is probably ready to run"

"Sorry about that Not cool at all on h? I didn’t think you had spoken with her in years"

"I haven’t," Brant agreed "She’s in a bit of a bind and needs my help"

"What kind of help?" Declan asked

Brant shook his head "It’s private and I’ve pro to h" Before his brother could dig further, he decided to change the subject "So how’s the whole fa out for you?"

The old Declan would have cringed over a question like that, but the new one just grinned "It’s all good Ella alht when she attempted to make homemade manicotti Evan and I had to wear towels over our faces for an hour When the s It was a damn mess there for a while I told her there was no sha up take-out Without people like us, restaurants would go out of business It’s a fucking hor step and you go from hero to zero in the blink of an eye Thank fuck that Mac was sot there for his well-done dinner"

Brant chuckled, trying to picture the scene Declan was describing It sounded absolutely terrifying, but his brother see skills; why don’t you help Ella out?"