Page 17 of Avenging Azalea (California Made Men #2)

Chapter

Thirteen

TITUS

TWO WEEKS LATER

The scotch I was nursing while flicking through Fawn’s social media accounts hadn’t helped my mood.

She either didn’t care or had forgotten that I could see her photos and videos.

Every single one of them pissed me off. I was the level-headed Mikhailov, but everyone had their limit, and I was quickly reaching mine.

The rational part of my brain knew I shouldn’t be looking, but it was too tempting.

I needed to know what Fawn was doing when she wasn’t at home or working.

She’d been quiet and distant since the party, and I detested every second of it.

Fawn was avoiding me. One day had turned into two, and two had turned into four.

It was obvious now. I wasn’t much better.

I believed that keeping my distance would lessen my feelings for her.

Wrong. If anything, the trip and the space only made me more rabid and unpredictable.

Therapy didn’t seem like a viable option to keep the demons at bay. I tracked her phone daily to see where she was and spent most nights in her room, watching her sleep. Now, here I was, sitting in my den, swiping through her pictures like the stalker I’d turned into.

The ones of her being silly with her friend Steph made me smile. Fawn looked carefree and happy. Exactly what I wanted for her. But no one warned me it would feel like this.

The next post that caught my attention was a series of candid shots.

Fawn with a group of guys. The same jocks who had passed out in my home.

She was partying and smiling on the beach, wearing an adorable green bikini that showed off her body and made her eyes pop.

Fawn, laughing while on the lap of that asshole that I’d thrown in the pool.

The tag said his name was Bradly. Fuck Bradly and his college-boy smile. He was smiling as he tickled her sides.

The next photo made me murderous. Fawn was smiling for the camera as Bradly kissed her cheek. He didn’t look like her type. In fact, he looked like a dick who would take advantage of her.

I tapped on his name and scrolled through his photos.

I’d lost my mind and all sense of right and wrong, but I wasn’t going to stop.

There was another picture of her on an ATV with this asshole Bradly.

She was sitting in front of him, and he had his arms wrapped around her as they made faces for the camera.

I closed the app and tossed my phone on the table.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

Be careful what you wish for.

It was a common saying, and I was finding out firsthand how true it was.

All my hopes and dreams for Fawn had materialized, and they were punching me square in the face.

It was official. I was having an existential crisis.

If I was the good guy like I claimed, then I should be happy for her and leave her the hell alone, but I wasn’t happy.

In fact, all I wanted to do was lock her in her fucking bedroom and keep her forever.

“Well, aren’t you a sorry sight.”

Ronan was leaning against the archway when I looked up from my misery.

“What do you want? And who do I need to fire for letting you into my home,” I asked, downing the rest of my drink and staring into the flames of the fake fire across the room.

“I let myself in. You were ignoring my calls, so I figured I’d come right to the source.”

Ronan came in, helped himself to my scotch, and flopped down on the chair opposite from me.

“Well, you found me. So, what do you want? Because I have to tell you…I’m not in the mood for any of your shit, brother.

He took a sip of his drink and licked his lips.

“This is premium shit. I have to hand it to Nathaniel. He’s good. You don’t happen to know where he’s hiding his distillery, do you?”

I turned my glare on Ronan. “Even if I did, which I don’t, I wouldn’t tell you.”

“Ouch, not very brotherly of you.”

Shaking my head, I stood and walked over to the bar to refill my glass.

Fuck it.

It had been a shitty night, and Ronan’s visit wasn’t improving my outlook. I brought the whole bottle back to the couch.

“Why are you here, Ronan?”

He never randomly dropped in, at least not anymore.

I poured myself some more scotch and eased back into the couch cushions to stare at my brother.

We used to be close, inseparable even. But three years ago, that all changed.

Now, seemingly overnight, he had become obsessed with taking over the family and proving he could be as big of an asshole as Father.

I missed Ronan, but I didn’t trust him anymore, and that had put a massive strain on our relationship.

He swirled his drink. “Where is she?”

“Who?”

“The girl you took in.”

I narrowed my eyes. Why was he suddenly asking about Fawn?

“She has a name, and she’s not here. I’ll ask you one more time before I throw you out of my house. What do you want?”

“Fuck, you’re touchy.” He sighed and locked eyes with me. “Fine. You can’t marry Vera.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“You just can’t. She’s not right for you.

” Ronan sipped his drink while I blinked at him.

“I’m serious. She’s not like you. You were holding your shit together by the skin of your teeth in Paris.

Every picture screamed, “Get me the fuck out of here.” You hate the fashion world, the models, the parties, all of it.

That was one trip what the hell are you going to be like when that world becomes your entire life? ”

“You’re right. I do hate it. Vera is much more your type. Do you want her now? Because if you do, then just tell Father you’ve changed your mind. I’ll happily step aside.”

“Fuck no, I’d rather fuck farm animals. But you have to get out of this arrangement.”

A disturbing image of Ronan with a sheep formed in my mind. I shook my head to try and make it go away.

“Why do you have to bring innocent animals in on your depravity? Now that’s stuck in my head,” I growled, pinching the bridge of my nose.

“Titus, seriously, you’re…just not made for this shit. You’ll end up shooting yourself within a year.”

“Only you can be completely insensitive every time you open your mouth. Look, I may not like the glitz and glam, but I can handle it.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

“Then what the hell do you mean?”

Ronan waved his hand at me.

“Titus, you’re the nice guy. You want to marry for love and loyalty. You want the family of four with the white picket fence and all your fucking dogs. Vera is not that. Just get out of it.”

“I don’t get you. I’m marrying Vera for you. I’m a stand-in, so you don’t have to marry her. What do you think will happen if I back out? Nathaniel won’t be taking my place. He and Savannah already have a signed and consummated contract, a son, and they are moving forward with wedding plans.”

“Don’t get me started on that. I can’t believe he wants to marry a fucking FBI agent. What the fuck is our brother thinking?”

“It’s called true love,” I said.

“See, you just proved my point. True love is a myth, a fantasy, a fairytale for fools. He’s doing this because she had his kid. That demon seed tied him to her forever, and Father is about to have a coronary over it.”

He crossed his ankles and got comfortable. I still couldn’t figure out Ronan’s motive. There was always an angle with him. I loved my brother, but you also had to be careful about everything you said, or he’d happily use it against you.

“Demon seed? Brother, you do know how babies are made, right? A stork didn’t fly along and drop a baby on Nathaniel as an evil gift. He knew what he was doing when he had sex with her and didn’t care about using protection.”

“Whatever, he’s still a ball and chain no matter what you call him.”

“I call him nephew. Have you even bothered to spend time with Cutter?”

“No, why would I want to do something like that? I have nothing in common with a four-year-old.”

“You’re impossible. He’s a cute kid, super smart, really funny, and your nephew. I’m going to visit him tomorrow. Do you want to come?”

“I’d rather push thumbtacks in my cock.”

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

I shook my head then laid my head back and stared up at the ceiling. There were some nights I just couldn’t handle dealing with Ronan, and tonight was definitely one of those nights.

FAWN

“Are you sure you don’t want to come out tonight? Bradly really likes you. I mean, you don’t get any more interested than a guy who gets thrown in a pool by your scary guardian and still wants you. Huh? Huh?” Steph teased in a sing-song voice.

“No, I’m good. I may be done with classes, but I have work tomorrow. I need a good night’s sleep. I have no idea how you do it.”

Steph laughed, and I could picture her smiling face. “Are you sure that’s all it is?”

Titus’s Lamborghini was parked in the driveway when I pulled up, and for just a second, I considered changing my mind. He took the car to work today, so there was a good chance he was inside. Despite my hesitation, I couldn’t ignore him forever, and the truth was, I needed to face him.

“I promise there is no other reason. You made me go out every night for like four days, and I’m exhausted.”

“True. Okay, how about tomorrow?”

“How about we see how I feel? I’m working at Small Paws so that I can be ahead for next year. My eighty-seven average is not going to cut it if I’m serious about being a veterinarian.”

“Oh, speaking of school, that reminds me. Why don’t you apply for a scholarship?

Your grades are good enough, and technically, you don’t have a guardian on paper, so you can say you’re on your own.

I know you’re worried about Titus paying for everything, and this will give you an out, at least on that front. ”

“That’s a good idea. I’ll look into it. Alright, I’m home,” I said and waved to Naji, who’d stepped outside.