“No.” Mitch wasn’t arrogant enough to believe that if he’d been home his sister never would have been taken in the first place or that she’d have been found any faster. Ethan had taken a bullet for her. It was hard to think that while they’d both been suffering, he’d been with Anna. Cheerfully oblivious.
“Then what is your deal?” Judd demanded.
If they’d told him, if he’d come home on his normal schedule, he never would have met Anna, and he wouldn’t have this damned crater in his heart. Because the Bard was a hundred percent wrong. Loving and losing sucked ass.
“I don’t appreciate being cut out.” How could she have just left?
“Are you seriously going to be a drama queen about this? Because the decision wasn’t about you,” Judd said.
Not talking about Anna. Pull your head out of your ass.
“I know. Intellectually, I get that. But all of you were here, you went through it, and you processed it. I’m just still working my way through all of that. I’m her brother. I’ve spent my whole life protecting her. I can’t just shake it off.” The sense of failure was too great.
Liam nudged him with an elbow. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“I know that, too. I’ll get past it.” And he knew he would get past the complicated snarl of emotional shit with his sister, at least. “I’m just…not feeling like any of the things I cared about before matter anymore, and I don’t want to just go through the motions.”
His friends were silent for a long moment, watching him. Mitch wondered what they saw. Did they really buy that this was all about Miranda?
Judd blew out a breath. “Okay then. Take the time.”
“We’re here if you need us.”
A little of the pressure to perform, to rise to expectations, slid off Mitch’s shoulders. He let the corner of his mouth curve. “Are we done with the touchy feely shit now? Because I really just want to finish my pie.”
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