I was the first one there, and Thorn arrived a moment later.

Thorn walked up to me and shook my hand. “First ones here, huh?”

“Yep. Titan had to work late tonight.”

“Yeah, I called her on the way over here. She should be here any minute. She was walking out when I called her.”

“Good.” I didn’t want to wait longer than I had to. I wanted to stare at her beautiful face, kiss her on the lips, and wrap my arm around her waist. I wanted to pull her close to me, to tell the world that this former playboy had settled down for the right woman—and I wouldn’t have settled for anyone else. “I miss her.”

He rolled his eyes. “Don’t make me throw up, alright?”

I smiled. “I’ll try.”

“So, Jax, huh?”

“Yeah.” I wasn’t sure what I would say to my brother. It’d been a long decade of silence. The last time I’d spoken to him, he’d warned me about our father. He obviously still had some kind of connection to me.

“I’ve never met him.” He moved his hands into his pockets. “I hope he’s more like Brett than he is like Vincent.”

“Vincent’s not so bad…” I found myself defending my father when I would normally tear him down. It had become apparent how similar we were throughout the past few months. From our appearance to our mannerisms to our opinions, we were a lot alike. I just hoped I could learn from his mistakes before I made them myself.

Thorn nodded. “I’m glad you guys made up. I knew it was important to Titan that you reconnect.”

“Yeah, she knows what’s best for me.”

“Then, good thing you’re marrying her,” he teased. “Because you’re going to be getting a lot more than that.”

I thought of our past, of everything we’ve been through. “I don’t mind having her boss me around from time to time…”

Thorn must have known my true meaning because he grinned. “TMI, man.”

My father strode through the door with Jax by his side. He located us a moment later, and they walked across the restaurant as they headed our way.

Jax was exactly as I remembered him, built and strong. He wore jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, olive green with a slim fit. He had the same eyes I did, and his resemblance to our father was striking. It was obvious to anyone who met us that we were brothers. Brett and I had a lot of similarities, but people could mistake Jax and me for twins.

My father stopped in front of me and didn’t extend his hand. This time, he wrapped his arms around me and gave me a hug.

I hugged him back.

He patted me on the back as he pulled away, staring at me with happiness in his eyes. He didn’t smile, but he didn’t need to. The joy was in his eyes, just the way it was whenever he used to look at my mother.

He turned to Thorn next and shook his hand. “Nice to see you, Thorn.”

“You too, Vincent,” Thorn responded.

Vincent stepped away then turned to Jax. “I’m sorry that I’ve kept the two of you apart for so long. It shouldn’t have happened. I can’t erase the past, but maybe we can make up for lost time.”

Looking at Jax wasn’t full of bitterness the way it was with my father. I didn’t have a single negative feeling toward him. It was a difficult situation, and I didn’t judge him for siding with my father. There was no clear answer, and he’d never personally done anything to me. I still saw him as my brother—and that would never change. “How about we skip the handshake and just do the hug?” It was a cheesy icebreaker, but it was better than nothing.

He gave me a smile that was similar to mine. “That’s fine—just this once.”

I hugged him and hugged me back. The embrace lasted longer than it normally would, probably longer than any other hug we’d shared. We pulled away, stepped back from each other as brothers again. “We’ll have to catch up.”

“Yeah,” Jax said. “You bagged Tatum Titan as a wife. Pretty impressive.”

“I didn’t bag her. I won her.” I was the only man worthy of her. No one else could match her strength, intelligence, and power.

“Whatever,” Jax said with a chuckle. “That’s a story I want to hear about.”

“And I’ll tell you when she gets here.” I glanced at the door, expecting to see her walk inside. I imagined the love in her eyes when she looked at me, the way she wore her ring with immense pride.

I didn’t see Titan, but I saw someone else.

Brett.

He glanced around the room before he located us in the corner. He walked toward us in a black blazer and black jeans. He held himself with confidence even though he wasn’t excited for this dinner.

My father turned to him, a slight smile stretching on his face.

Brett joined us, his eyes moving to Jax. “How’s it going, man?”

Jax shook his head. “A lot better now that you’re here. Your cars are awesome. Sweetest ride I’ve had.”

“Thanks.” Brett turned to my father next. “Is it cool if I join you?”

My father wrapped his arm around Brett’s shoulders, showing more affection than I’d ever seen him extend in his life. “It wouldn’t be the same without you.”

When I turned to look at Thorn, his face was pressed to his phone. It didn’t seem like he was reading an email or checking his stocks, because his face was pale as snow. His hand shook slightly, and his eyes were snapped wide open. “Everything alright, man?”

He ran his hand through his hair then stumbled back like he’d tripped over something. He dragged his hand down his face, and his chest was rising and falling at a formidable rate. His breath was loud, his terror obvious.

“Thorn?” I grabbed his arm, helping him balance himself because he suddenly appeared weak.

It took him a second to overcome the shock. He still hadn’t blinked yet, and his hand shook like he could barely keep his grasp on his phone. He finally put the phone in my hand, releasing a loud breath as if it took the last of his energy just to make the transfer.

Whatever left Thorn speechless must have been terrible. He wasn’t the kind of guy that scared easily. I could only assume the worst, that the United States had declared war or someone had died.

I looked at the screen.

Tatum Titan in Critical Care after Being Gunned Down by Bruce Carol.

My hand shook just the way his did, but I didn’t have the strength he possessed. The phone slipped from my hand and fell to the hardwood floor, clattering loudly as the screen cracked right down the middle.

Now I couldn’t breathe.

I couldn’t digest the words I’d just read.

Like I was living in a nightmare, everything moved so slowly. I expected to wake up, to tell myself it was just a dream.

But it was real.

My nightmare was real.