Page 99 of My Broken Mate

He smiles. “To be honest, he hasn’t been as patronizing as usual recently. So, who knows…”

“But that’s great!” I exclaim. “Maybe it’s his way of trying to be more assertive and try to bond with you.”

He scrunches his nose. “Do you really think that? Why would he want to bond with me?”

“Well, for one, you are brothers.”

“That doesn’t necessarily mean much,” he points out.

“Second, you are pretty amazing.”

He smiles. “You are clearly biased.”

“I am not,” I say. “Well, maybe a bit, but it still counts. Third, I think he was only patronizing in the first place due to worry, and because he didn’t know how to bond with you.”

Remy blinks at me. “That’s new. Why do you think that?”

“Just a feeling,” I admit. “Ayden gets along well with him, and believe me when I say that Ayden would never get along with some douchebag who is an asshole to his brother. Also, I don’t know, when he spotted you in the coffee shop, he kind of looked helpless for a moment.”

The waitress brings us our dinner, while Remy broods over my words. “I need to let that sink in for a bit,” he admits. “May I ask you something meanwhile?”

By his thoughtful expression and worried gaze, I instantly know what it’s about. “You are going to mention that weird incident earlier, right? When the girls pressured me and I couldn’t say no.”

“Only if you want to talk about it,” he assures me.

“It’s so pathetic.”

“No, it isn’t.”

I look at him, before burying my face behind my hands. “I just have difficulties saying no.”

“How come you have these difficulties? You are so confident usually.”

“It’s just who I am.” I tear my gaze away from him. “No, that’s not true,” I say quietly. “I am just used to it.”

“There is a story behind it, isn’t there?”

My eyes snap back to him in shock. “How could you tell?”

“Just howyoucan tell that there is a story behindmyweird behavior,” he says. “I won’t force you to talk, just like you aren’t forcing me,” he soothes me. “You can talk whenever you are ready.”

“My mom wasn’t my real mom,” I hear myself say, before I can stop. “No one knows, not even Ayden.”

Remy stares at me. “What?”

“You can never tell anyone what I am going to tell you now,” I mutter. “My brothers know, but they aren’t aware I know. And aside from them, literally no one knows. I am my dad’s affair child. I had no right to exist, and my mom… I mean, the woman who raised me, Joel’s and Eve’s mom, didn't like me.”

“Is this where you learned to always agree and help?” he asks softly.

I shrug. “I don’t know.”

It’s not a lie. I really don’t know. I am such a people pleaser, it sucks. I am annoyed by it myself sometimes. “Whenever I tryto figure out why I am the way I am, my memories drift back to her.”

“How did your brothers not notice that she didn’t like you?” he asks. “Because if they did, I am sure—”

“They didn’t know. When they or Dad were around, she was nice. It was when they weren’t…” I sigh. “I mean, what was Dad thinking, bringing his mistress’s child home and having his mate and wife raise it? What an idiot.”

“Yes, he was an idiot,” Remy says, surprisingly forcefully. “He was an idiot, and she was an asshole for taking it out on an innocent child. These aren’t your mistakes, Kata.”