Page 56 of Restless Ink
“Hey? Why are you coming down on me?” Devin said, sidestepping completely so Amelia had to hide behind only Caleb. “I thought you were fighting with Dimitri. I’m the good brother.”
That made both Dimitri and Caleb snort.
“Really? The good brother?” Dimitri grinned as he said it.
“Well, okay, fine. Dimitri is the good brother. I’m in the middle.” Devin glanced at Caleb, who shrugged.
“I was never charged. So, technically, I’m not the bad brother either.” Since that was fact, Dimitri couldn’t argue, though Caleb had gotten in trouble for stupid stunts and underage drinking in the past.
That had all changed though when they lost their parents. Not that Dimitri wanted to think about that. It had been a long time ago, and he’d gone through other things in his life that had made him who he was now. Like getting married too young to the wrong woman.
The completely wrong woman now that he was getting to know a side of Molly that he was actually starting to fear.
Amelia let out a dramatic sigh before putting both hands up in the air in mock surrender. “Before you boys get your tighty-whities in a twist because you’re too busy comparing who’s the badest of the bad boys or most beta or whatever, know that I’m the best and favorite Carr sibling. It was written, and therefore it is known.” She lifted her chin, her long, dark hair falling behind her shoulders as she tried to act high and mighty.
That sent the three brothers into deep belly laughs, and Amelia rolled her eyes once again before coming toward Dimitri and wrapping her arms around his waist.
“Sorry for taking your phone. If I had known something was going on between you and Thea to the point it’s making you nervous, I wouldn’t have teased you like that. I was just going to be a dork with her since I like her so much, but I didn’t mean to almost make things worse.”
And that was his family in a nutshell. Each of them had been through their own ups and downs, some far more than others, but they were all there for each other no matter what. Yeah, they play-fought and sometimes really went at it, but they had each other’s backs.
That’s why he was here with them even though he hadn’t been able to bring Captain thanks to Molly’s schedule. He’d needed his family, and with how careful everyone was being with their own personal lives and what they said about them, he had a feeling they needed him, too. Not that they’d told him what was going on. They would when the time came, but right then, they just needed each other.
And now he needed a beer because that was way too much emotion in his thoughts.
“You didn’t do anything wrong. Not really. Thea and I…”
Caleb wordlessly held out an open beer, and Dimitri took it, nodding in thanks. He took a swig, then sighed before he started speaking.
“I love her. I didn’t mean to, and it sure as hell would have been easier to stay away when it came to her and all the other crap in our lives, but I fell in love with her, and I’m afraid she’s going to push me away because it’s not easy.”
“She wouldn’t give up like that,” Amelia said softly. “Not that I know her all that well, but from what you’ve said about her over the past few years, she works hard and puts her all into everything she does.”
“Business-wise maybe,” Devin added, then shrugged when Dimitri glared. “Not saying she’ll walk away. I don’t know her, Dimitri, but she does put everything she has into her business, and since we’re all wired that way, I can’t judge her for that. But if your ex is muddling everything up, then maybe walking away is what Thea needs to do to keep sane. From what you said, Molly is acting fucking crazy, bro, and you know I don’t use that word lightly. If Thea needs to protect herself and her own sanity because of Molly, then you might have to let her.”
Dimitri set down his beer and sank onto the couch, covering his face with his hands. “Jesus. I don’t know when and how this got so complicated.”
“I’d say around the time you married the giggly socialite who hated your family.” Caleb gave Dimitri a pointed look but continued. “What?”
“No, you’re right. Molly clearly isn’t the woman I thought she was. And that’safterI thought we’d both changed before the divorce.” The others were seated around him now. They had already gone over Molly’s weird actions over the past few months, including the shellfish and restaurant incidents. Each sibling had taken their turn with incredulous looks and outright pissed-off attitudes, and Dimitri didn’t blame them.
“People change,” Amelia said softly. “Just because she’s this way now, doesn’t mean she was when you married her. I know you’re blaming yourself for choosing her, because…hello, in some cases, it totally does reflect on the other person for their choice, but that’s not the case this time. You chose someone you thought you loved. You were wrong. And I’m guessing Thea is feeling the same way.”
“Add all of that to falling for her best friend’s ex, and she probably needs this break.” Devin just shrugged when they all looked at him for being so insightful. “What? I know things. And I’m not saying she needs a break from you forever, but you clearly needed Carr family time this weekend, and you got it. Hell, I’m pretty sure you made yourself at home in my guest room.”
“It’s larger than my bedroom at home. I can’t help it.”
“We’ll find you a new place,” Amelia said as she leaned into him. “And not up in Denver like I’ve been trying to get you to do for so long. Because you clearly need to be down in Colorado Springs near Thea.”
“When you see Thea again, can we come, too?” Caleb asked, and Dimitri blinked.
“Huh?”
“She owns a bakery. I feel like we should get to know her bakery just like we should get to know her.”
Amelia snorted as Devin punched him, and Dimitri just grinned.
“How do you stay so in shape with your sweet tooth?” Dimitri asked.