Clad only in Roman’s oversized shirt, I see the wheels turning in Zoey’s head as she draws her own conclusions.
"Holy shit, when Aiden said he thought you spent the night here, I thought he was joking," She whispers, accusations ready to spill from her lips.
"Luca pissed me off. Figured I’d get a good fuck in somewhere else," I say with a smirk, watching both Roman and Zoey freeze in shock.
"I'm kidding," I quickly add, rolling my eyes. "I was upset and lost last night and saw the church. Thankfully, Roman—Father Briar—was awake and let me stay rather than having to explain anything to my dad."
"Jesus. There you are," Aiden’s voice cuts through, and I turn to see him making his way up the walkway. Roman steps further back, trying to avoid drawing attention to his shirtless state.
Looking around quickly, Roman snatches a shirt off the couch, narrowly avoiding Zoey's gaze as she attempts to peek inside, probably noticing the scratched-up state of his back.
"Are you hurt?" Aiden asks, concern lacing his voice as he steps inside, his eyes scanning me.
"Yes, please come in," Roman says dryly, doing his best to hide any evidence of what transpired last night.
"What the hell were you thinking, turning your phone off like that?" Aiden demands, shaking his head in disbelief. "And why the hell didn’t you tell anyone where she was?" he snaps, directing his anger at Roman.
"She was fine, Aiden—" Roman begins, trying to keep his tone steady.
"You know, Father, it would be a real shame to find out you’re preying on young, vulnerable women," Aiden spits, his voice sharp with accusation.
"Aiden," I snap, stepping between them, getting in my brother’s face. "Roman didn’t do anything—"
"Roman?" Aiden questions, his voice dropping to a whisper, careful not to let Zoey overhear. "I thought whatever was happening between you two was over?"
"Things have gotten complicated," I snap, my patience wearing thin. "Now, can we please fucking go before you make things even more awkward?"
I push Aiden back, my frustration boiling over as I usher him and Zoey out of the house. The tension in the air is palpable, and I can feel Roman's eyes on me, a storm of emotions barely contained behind his stoic expression.
As I reach the door, I glance back at Roman, my heart twisting with guilt. His eyes meet mine, and in that brief moment, I see the depth of his anger and the turmoil our relationship has stirred within him.
"I'll see you soon, Eden," He whispers, his voice strained, doing his best to hide the fury simmering beneath the surface. The intrusion by Aiden and Zoey has clearly hit a nerve, and I can sense the challenge that lies ahead in trying to navigate this complicated web we've woven.
Slamming the car door shut, I take a seat in the back, forcing on a pair of sweats Zoey had left in the car for after her shift at the brew.
Taking up the driver and passenger seat, the pair look back at me, waiting for me to say something.
"Well, don't both of you look delightful this morning-"
"Are you having sex with him, Eden?" Aiden questions, ripping the bandaid off as aggressively as he can.
So, we are having this conversation?
Great.
"I'm not having sex-"
"So he walks around shirtless cooking breakfast for all his altar servers that decide to spend the night?" Zoey questions, equally as off-put at my brother.
"Are you seriously both questioning me right now?" I prod, angered by their reactions.
"You ran off in the middle of a party and responded to no one for hours. Come to find out you spent the night with our priest who, news flash, you already admitted you had something going on with-"
"You told Zoey?" I snap, fully aware of how freely he is speaking in front of her.
"You think that's something I wanted to hold onto alone?" He questions. "My whole fucking life feels like one big lie just waiting to implode-"
Shaking my head, I kick Zoey's door.
