“You fucking prick!” he roared. “First, you’re fucking my sister behind my back, and now you have some twin I’ve never even heard about? It’s like I don’t even know you. And why the hell are you guys holding me back like you’re trying to protect him?”
He shook away Pick, Lowe and Hart when they tried to restrain him again.
Pick held up a calming hand. “Noel, man. You just need to calm down.”
“Calm down?” His mouth fell open before he looked down at me where I was keeping myself planted on the ground and then back to the men around him. “Holy fuck,” he breathed. “You really are protecting him. He betrays me, and you take his side. Thanks, guys. Thanks for having my back.”
“It wasn’t about siding with you or him,” Hart spoke up. “Caroline wanted him, and he treats her right, so...” When he shrugged, Noel narrowed his eyes.
“You say it like you’ve known about this for a while.” His eyes flashed wide. “Holy shit. You’ve known about this for a while. How the hell many of you have known about this?” When he glanced around, everyone lowered their gazes. A sound of denial crackled from his throat.
A worried-looking Colton glanced up at Brandt. “Does this mean we have to give back all the money Ten paid us to keep quiet?”
Gamble shook his head and laughed hollowly. “And you even paid off my brothers? Nice, man. Nice. Next you’ll be telling me my own wife knew.”
When Aspen shifted a step back, he zipped his gaze to her. She covered her mouth with her hands, and his eyes flared wide.
“Oh God,” he croaked. “Aspen?”
“I’m sorry.” She shook her head as if to deny it even as she kept apologizing. “I’m so sorry. But Asher’s right. He made her happy again. Caroline was so sad when she first came here, and then suddenly, she was happy. Ten...he’s good for her.”
“Yeah, he just so fucking great. He had to sneak her around like a cheap, dirty slut that she’s not, but no...he’s awesome.” He spun away and stalked out of the backyard.
Aspen buried her face in her hands and started to cry. As Brandt and Colton moved to comfort her, Caroline tore herself away from Blondie. She hurled herself at me, and I caught her around the waist, then buried my nose in her hair. “Are you okay?”
“No. Oh God. How could I be okay? He was so mad. Did you see how mad he was?”
“Yeah. I saw.”