Page 161 of Burning Daylight

“Hey, I don’t…” He sighs, shaking his head. “Do you really like Preston?”

Surprise filters through me, and I release the handle of the door and sink back into my seat, blinking at him. “What do you mean?”

He shrugs. “It’s a simple question. Do you like him, or is this really another setup by Mom and Dad?”

I cringe. “I think you know the answer to that question.”

Paxton’s lips press together. “You know, I married Tiffany for them.”

I knew that—of course I knew—anyone with a pulse can see how much he doesn’t love her. But still, this is the first timehe’s ever admitted it out loud. At least to me. I don’t know why the confirmation that my brother is stuck in a loveless marriage makes me so sad, but it does. Everywhere he goes and everything he does seems to be for someone else, and this is the first time I’ve realized that in that regard, we’re alike.

My stomach rolls, because I love my brother, but I donotwant to end up like him.

As the firstborn Calloway, he’s been stuck to rules and rigidity in a way the rest of us never have, and if it feels likeI’min a cage, it’s most likely just a fraction of what it feels like for Paxton.

“Yeah, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you’re not very good at faking it,” I tell him.

A sad smile spreads across his face, and his fingers tighten around the steering wheel like he needs something to hold on to. “I didn’t do everything I’ve done just for you to suffer the same fate.”

I tilt my head, his words pressing heavily on my chest. “What does that mean?”

Paxton is six years older than me, and maybe it’s because of that age gap that this is the closest thing to a heart-to-heart that we’ve ever had.

His lips twist. “I want you to be happy, Jules. Out of anyone in our family, you deserve that. And if Preston makes you happy, then good. But if it’s just some sense of loyalty to Mom and Dad, then…I want you to know I’ll have your back.”

“Thank you,” I choke out, his admission making my throat swell and my eyes burn.

He smiles softly. “I know I’m not always the best brother.”

“Don’t—”

He shuts me up with a look. “But I’m here for you, even when it doesn’t seem like I am. I’m onyourside.”

Swallowing, I nod. “Okay.”

“Okay,” he repeats, blowing out a breath like that took everything in him to say.

I’m frozen for a few moments, just blinking at him. “Are you worried about the accusations about our family?”

A giant part of me doesn’t want to even bring them up, because every time I do, I’m hit with the feeling of being torn down the middle. Loyalty to Roman, or loyalty to them.

He shrugs and runs a hand through his hair. “Nah. Everything will blow over. There’s nothing anyone can prove, and Dad seems to think he has it handled.”

I nod, chewing on the inside of my lip. “Is it true what the news is saying? That you might have to take it over?”

He shrugs again. “Maybe, yeah.”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper.

He gives me a confused look. “What on earth do you have to be sorry for?”

“I don’t know.” I lift a shoulder. “I’m sorry you’re not happy, I guess.”

“I never said I wasn’t.”

“You didn’t have to, Pax.”

He glances down at his hands and gives a brief nod, and I slip out of the car, a heavy feeling weighing down my shoulders.