Page 92 of Always Be Mine
“Is there anything you two want to tell us about?—”
“We’ve been?—”
“There’s nothing to tell,” Craig snapped, cutting her off before she could say more. He looked at her then.
Lucy tried desperately to read the expression in his eyes and communicate silently with him. It would be okay. He could tell his brothers. He didn’t need to keep their relationship—her—a secret. Not anymore.
“Craig?” She reached for his arm, but he pulled away and a little piece of her heart broke. He wasn’t going to tell them. Not today. Maybe not ever. “Please.” She hated herself for pleading with him, when it was already so clear he wasn’t going to stand up for her. But as long as there was still a shred of hope, she had to cling to it.
But the second he tore his eyes away from her gaze, the hope vanished, and Lucy knew the truth. She was just another dirty little secret. She wasn’t worth fighting for. Not to Craig.
A point that was confirmed when Craig finally answered his brothers. “You have to be kidding, guys. I would never jeopardize our family by getting involved with thenanny.”
ChapterTwenty-Three
It didn’t matter anymorethat the new chocolates were a success. It didn’t matter that they had so many orders so far that the biggest problem Craig was going to have with the Sugar Shack was hiring Mya help to fulfill them all.
None of it mattered.
The moment Craig saw the light in Lucy’s eyes dim and her face crumple because of the words that came out of his mouth, nothing else mattered.
Nothing.
The noise of the room faded away for a moment, and the only thing he could hear was the thumping of his heart. Just like a scene in the movies, everything else disappeared as he stared at Lucy and tried to make her understand why he’d said what he did.
But it was too late.
He saw it in her eyes. She looked at him as if he’d just betrayed her, which he had. And then she blinked, and it was worse when she stared at him as if he were a complete stranger.
People and noise swirled around them, leaving the two of them alone in a bubble, but still he didn’t speak. He didn’t say the words that might have made it better. He didn’t reach for her or offer her any reassurance. He froze.
Tears filled her eyes, and a second later, she was gone.
As if she’d broken the spell, the sounds of the room came back, the freeze frame was lifted, and Craig was immediately swept up by his brothers. The whole interaction could only have taken seconds, yet it felt like a lifetime.
Chase had his arm around his shoulder. Craig tried to turn to see where Lucy had gone, but his brother held him back. “Leave her.”
“I can’t?—”
“You need to give her a minute.” Chase stopped him.
His brothers flanked him and led him straight to the kitchen before stepping back.
“What the fuck was that?” Asher fired the question at him before he even had a chance to catch his breath. “What have you done?”
“Asher.” Chase stepped between them. “Back off.”
“Back off?” Asher spun on their eldest brother. “Was I the only one who just witnessed that? Holy shit, Craig.” He whirled around and was once more in Craig’s face.
Craig still couldn’t find the words to make sense of any of it. He’d done what he had to do. He was protecting his family. He was protecting his daughter.
He’d done it forthem.He’d done it for all of them. And Asher was yelling athim?
Fuck that.
Craig shook his head and turned away before he did something he would regret. Although, at that moment, he was pretty sure he wouldn’t regret punching Asher. Not at all.
“What’s going on?” Charli, followed by Symon, joined them in the kitchen. “We just saw Lucy run out of here, crying.”
