I sighed. “I'm not dense or clueless. I’m just…unsure of what the future holds.”.
“What's going on in your head?” I paused as Maddox stopped next to me.
“Nothing.”
Maddox scowled. “We are all aware you're a little you, but this is a bit much even. You don't even look a little happy about this.”
“I am happy about this.”
“Tell that to your face then.” He waved a hand at my face. “You could start with a smile.”
I sighed, looking at Nina. “How can I be happy when anything could happen? The darkness is still out there.”
Maddox nodded. “Yeah, it is. But that doesn't mean you can't have a moment of happiness. So, what's really bothering you?”
This mess I had created for myself. I had wanted to keep Nina at a distance, and I wasn’t able to. I found myself always looking at her, my eyes tracked her, hoping to spot her when I went out. She infiltrated my thoughts and she was in my dreams.
I didn’t know what this meant, and with the news of the baby and the darkness, I felt like I was unable to balance it all.
Our moment was broken as Kerr walked over, a grin on his face, but it fell when he looked at me. “Everything looks good?”
I raised an eyebrow at him. “How much money did you spend? Because this feels way more than what I said.”
Kerr shrugged. “I used my own money. Nina deserves to have a lavish party. She's possibly caring for the next future Alpha, after all.”
Maddox elbowed Kerr with a smile. “See, he gets it. It's a party. Lighten up. Pull the stick out of your ass.”
I ground my teeth together, and Kerr straightened. I glanced at Maddox. “I'd like to speak with my brother alone for a moment.”
Maddox offered Kerr a sympathetic look before he walked away. Kerr, however, scowled at me. “If you're planning on yelling at me about this,”
“I wasn't going to yell at you,” I grumbled, rolling my eyes. “I wanted to thank you for putting this together. It really made her happy.” I could tell Nina was grateful because every time I looked at her, she'd been smiling at some part of the decorations.
Kerr looked surprised. “Serious? You're not going to yell at me?”
“Why would I?”
“Because it's in your nature.”
I scowled, thinking about our childhood. Our father had always paired us up against each other, so maybe it was just natural for us. Maybe I had been a little rough. But that was because he was Beta. He was second in line. I was supposed to be rough with him because I needed him to understand his position. But maybe I had been too cruel and kept him at a distance.
“You get along with Nina, don't you?”
Kerr frowned, looking uncomfortable. “If you're thinking that we are doing something behind your back...”
I waved a hand. “No, you're not like that. You don't have the backbone.”
Kerr's mouth hung open slightly. “I don't have the backbone?”
“It was a compliment.”
“No, that was an insult,” Kerr snapped back. “Would it be so hard for you to be nice to me once in your life?”
“I was being nice. I was thanking you.”
“Yeah, but it's also insulting me. Why can't you just be grateful? Why do you always have to make me feel like I’m less.”
“Jesus Christ, I am! I'm thanking you for what you did. You made her happy. A lot happier than I have been able to.”
