Jace gave a sigh of relief when it was finally over. Ash packed up his shit and walked out of Gabe’s office, never once speaking to Jace. Real mature. Jace shook his head and prepared his own exit. He was already thinking ahead to where he wanted to take Bethany for dinner. He’d call her on his way out and give her a heads-up so she could get ready.

“Jace, a minute, if you don’t mind.”

Gabe’s quiet tone filtered through Jace’s thoughts. He frowned when he saw Gabe’s expression.

Fuck.

He wasn’t down for a come-to-Jesus moment with Gabe. Why the hell couldn’t his friends just back the fuck off?

Even as he thought it, he acknowledged that he wouldn’t do the same if the positions were reversed. He’d gotten into Gabe’s face plenty during his time with Mia. But goddamn it, Mia was Jace’s sister. He had a vested interest in Gabe’s treatment of her. Bethany had absolutely no connection to Gabe or Ash. Well, not unless you counted the fact that she’d fucked Ash, but Jace was trying his best to forget that fact.

The image of his best friend with a woman Jace considered his was burned into his mind. He may never get rid of the sight of Ash’s mouth and hands on her skin.

“Make it quick,” Jace growled.

He stood, refusing to sit, because sitting gave leeway for this to become an extended thing. Jace had better things to do. Like take his woman to dinner and then take her home and fuck her.

“What the hell is going on with you, man?” Gabe asked softly.

Jace made a sound of impatience. “Nothing is going on with me.”

“That’s not what Ash says.”

“Ash needs to keep his fucking mouth shut.”

Gabe’s frown deepened. “What’s going on with you and Ash? This isn’t like you. Ash is as tight-lipped as you are, but it’s obvious you’re pissed at each other. He said you’re all sorts of fucked up over a woman. Anything you want to talk about?”

“Bethany is not up for discussion,” Jace said in a frigid tone. “Besides, if there’s anything you want to know, I’m sure Ash’s background check will provide fodder for gossip between you two.”

Gabe’s expression turned from concern to pissed off in two seconds flat. “What the fuck is up your ass, Jace? I’m not gossiping about anyone. I don’t know fuck about some goddamn background check. I don’t even know who the hell Bethany is and I’m damn sure not gossiping about her with Ash. Ash hasn’t said fuck-all either, for that matter.”

Jace knew he was being a dick. He knew he was a flaming hypocrite. He’d never let his friends get away with the shit he was pulling. But he was still pissed at Ash for trying to warn him off Bethany. And if he were completely honest, he was still pissed that Ash had fucked her. Maybe he’d never forgive Ash for that even though Jace had gone along with it. Even with his instincts screaming like a motherfucker, he’d allowed it to happen. He’d hated every goddamn minute of it, but he’d still let it happen. Maybe he hated himself most of all.

“Bethany is someone I care about,” Jace said, forcing himself to speak calmly. “That’s all you need to know. She needs help—my help—and there’s no way in fuck I’m turning my back on her.”

“Do you need my help?” Gabe asked.

And there it was. The unconditional friendship that had existed since they were in college. Always there, at each other’s backs. They’d taken some knocks, no doubt. Gabe’s relationship with Mia had been the most recent threat. But not even the fact that Gabe was fucking Jace’s baby sister and that he’d broken her heart in the process had been able to destroy the bonds of friendship that existed between them.

Gabe had made things right with Mia. He’d made them right with Jace.

Jace sighed and then his hands relaxed, his fingers uncurling from the tight fists they’d formed.

“No, man, but I appreciate it,” he said in a low voice. “I’m not crazy. I’m not obsessed.” Okay, maybe he was, but it sounded a hell of a lot creepier than it was in reality. “This is something I have to—need to—do. Bethany’s different. She’s special. And I don’t even completely understand why or how. But I saw her and things changed. Everything changed. And I have to go with it now or spend the rest of my life regretting it.”

“I get that,” Gabe said slowly. “Believe me, I get that.”

“Yeah, I guess you do. Mia,” Jace said by way of saying he understood.

“Yeah. Mia.”

“Then you get why I just need some space and time to deal with this my own way.”

Gabe nodded. “I get it. Ash would too, if you just explained. He’s pissed, Jace. Not because of Bethany. Not because you’ve seemingly gone off your hinges. He’s pissed because he’s worried about you and you’ve shut him out. You more than anyone know he’d do anything in the goddamn world for you.”

Jace briefly closed his eyes as guilt sludged through his veins. “Yeah, I know.”

Fuck it all. He hated it when Gabe was right. Smug, superior bastard. Even now he had that knowing glint in his eyes.

“I gotta get out of here. I left Bethany at the apartment. She’s taking Mia’s old place.”

Gabe lifted an eyebrow in clear confusion. “Surprised you didn’t lock her up in your place. Ash said things were pretty . . . intense.”

“How the fuck would he know?” Jace muttered. “I wanted to give her some space. Some time to adjust before I just take over. And you know that’s what will happen. Me taking over. It’s inevitable and I want her secure and confident in herself—in me—before this turns into something else entirely.”

Gabe nodded. Yeah, he’d understand better than anyone. Except Ash. The need and desire for control was a trait all three shared. Not just in certain aspects. In everything. In and out of bed. But yeah, especially in bed.

Bethany had seen nothing of the way things would be with him and she was already so fragile, so damn unsure of herself and her place in the world, that Jace was extremely reluctant to move things too fast. If he scared her shitless and she ran, he’d never forgive himself.

“Work this out with Ash,” Gabe said quietly. “You know it’ll eat at you both until you do. And before you bitch because I’m getting too personal, this affects the business too. We can’t afford fuck-ups because you and Ash are at fucking odds. And if you won’t think of me, the business and your own self and the fact that you’ll feel like a complete asshole for throwing away a nearly lifelong friendship, think what it will do to Mia. She loves you both. Think what it’ll do for Bethany if she ever finds out she drove a wedge between friends and business partners.”

“Jesus, you’re a manipulative bastard,” Jace said in disgust.

Gabe’s mouth quirked up at one corner. “Mia has said that about me a time or two.”

Jace shook his head. Then he changed the subject because he was tired of having his personal life dissected by his best friend.

“Decided on a wedding date yet?”

“Fuck me,” Gabe muttered.

Jace’s eyebrow went up and he laughed. Then he laughed harder. “Wish you could see yourself, man. You look like you swallowed a lemon. What the hell is my sister doing to you?”

Gabe ran a hand through his hair. “Look. I just want to get married. I want my ring on her finger, her last name to be mine, her signature on a marriage certificate. Everything else is inconsequential. I’d do whatever she wanted, whether it was holding the mother of all weddings, the likes of which this city has never seen, or eloping to Vegas.”

Jace winced. “Uh, if I get any kind of vote, can we not go with ‘the likes of which this city has never seen’? That sounds all kinds of fucked up.”

“Tell me about it,” Gabe muttered.

“So what’s the problem? Sounds like you’re being uncharacteristically accommodating.”

Gabe ignored the ribbing. His expression was utterly serious when he responded. “I love her. I’d do whatever the hell it took for her to be mine. This wedding is for her. I’ve been there, done that, didn’t want to do it again at all until her. The problem is, she hasn’t decided what she wants. And until she does, the wedding is on hold. I don’t know the date because there is no fucking date. Part of me wants to lay down the law and tell her we’re getting married at New Year’s but the other part of me wants this to be special for her because it’s the only goddamn wedding she’s ever going to have.”

Jace smiled. It was funny as hell to see his friend in knots over a woman. Especially since the woman in question was Jace’s baby sister. Some of the tension in his chest eased. This was his family. Gabe. Ash. Mia. Always had been. It had been the four of them for nearly twenty years. And family looked out for family. Hell, he got ten kinds of pissed every time Ash’s family gave him shit. He’d damn near taken Gabe’s head off for hurting Mia. And then he’d felt sorry for the bastard and hated to see him hurting when Mia refused to accept his groveling.

“You’re family, man,” Jace whispered. “Never going to forget that.”

Gabe blinked, but his jaw tightened. “Always. We’ll become brothers by marriage, but we were brothers long before that. Just thank God I never viewed Mia as a little sister—or at least that shit stopped when she hit adulthood.”

Jace burst out laughing and held his hands up. “Okay, okay, can we not have this conversation? She is my sister and I do not want to hear how you see her. It’s disgusting enough having to watch you two together.”

Gabe grinned and then he grew somber once more. “Go make this right, Jace. Ash is hurting. His family is giving him shit. You know it’s that time of the year. They don’t give a shit about him ten months out of the year and then they want to pretend at Thanksgiving and Christmas. And now this with you . . . I know we’re all three friends. I don’t ever question it. But I also know that you two are closer. Always have been. Whatever happened between you hit him hard. He hasn’t been himself. He’s all brooding and silent. Now you, I expect that from. Total brooding, moody bastard on a good day.”

Jace flipped him the finger.

“But Ash? That’s not like him. He’s irreverent as shit and has a fuck-it-all attitude. Fix this. I worry about both of you and if it’s all the same to you, right now I don’t want to worry about either of you. All I want to worry about is getting my ring on Mia’s finger and moving forward with the babies she wants.”

Jace groaned. “Christ, man, really? You had to go there?”

Gabe smirked. “Hey, I didn’t give you details.”

“Thank fuck,” Jace muttered. Then he sighed. “And yeah. Ash. I’m on it.”

He started for the door but when he got there he paused and turned around.

“Thanks, man,” he said sincerely. “I know I’ve probably never said this. At first I was too pissed off to ever give you this. But I’m glad Mia has you. She’ll never find a better man. I know you’ll take care of her.”

For a long moment Gabe was silent. His jaw ticked like he was trying to keep his reaction in check. Then he simply nodded. “Appreciate that, man. You’ll never know how much.”

Jace smiled faintly. “Oh, I think I do.”

Again he started to go and then Gabe’s call halted him as he got into the hall.

“Jace?”

“Yeah?”

“When am I going to meet her?”

Jace gripped Gabe’s doorknob and breathed deeply. Then he met Gabe’s gaze and said, “When it’s time, you will. Absolutely. Right now there’s a lot we have to work out.”

Gabe nodded. “Good luck.”

“Thanks, man,” Jace murmured.

Then he turned and went in search of Ash.

Chapter sixteen

Jace leaned against the doorway of Ash’s office and waited for his friend to get off the phone. Ash was turned away—he had no idea Jace was standing there or that he’d opened the closed office door. Which meant that the phone call was absorbing all of Ash’s concentration because he hadn’t so much as acknowledged Jace’s presence.

“I don’t really give a fuck what you and Dad want,” Ash said acidly.

Jace grimaced. Gabe was right. Ash’s family was fucking with him again. Persistent assholes. Jace had never known of a more shallow, self-absorbed lot than Ash’s family. Jace was mystified how Ash had come from a pit of vipers and not been shaped or influenced by them. God knew the rest of his siblings hadn’t fared as well.

Gabe and Jace both used to tease Ash about being adopted. It was the only logical conclusion. Ash was so different than his parents and his siblings. Where they were calculating, selfish malcontents, Ash was laid back, had a good heart and was loyal to his bones. His family? Would stab you in the back before you ever got all the way turned around. Hell, they’d stab you in front. They didn’t give a shit. They’d leave their shoe prints all over you on their way past.