All Chapters of 12 Days of Christmas with My Brother’s Rival: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

ANAHERA“Jax, what the fuck!” I heard Noel say as he shuffled around while I hid in the adjacent bedroom like a scared fool.“I should be asking you that, Noel. You should be relaxing, not doing whatever it is you were doing with that lady. I bet when Coach demanded you get full rest, you were not listening.”Noel sighed. “What do you want, Jax? You can’t just barge into my house like that. If you’d knocked, maybe you would have saved your eyes in time.”“In my defense, I did. Twice.”“Okay? So what did you want?” Noel sounded like he was at his wits end already.“I– I just wanted to drop this off. Maybe I’ll come back some other time. Don’t worry, I won’t breathe a word of your sexcapades to Coach, only let him know you’ve been resting well.” The door closed and there was silence.Putting my clothes in order, I stepped out to the living where I began to pack my stuff and shove them into the bag I brought along. Looking in his eyes would reveal the amount of disgust I felt for myself.

ANAHERAI looked between Bella and my brother, noting the not-so-subtle glances they each exchanged and prepared myself for her outburst. But she said nothing. Unusual.Just as I was going to lead him in, a woman followed in flattering dress and hair that probably flowed past her waist. The look on Bella’s face remained stoic. Like one who would rather kick stones than be affected by whatever was happening now. “You must be Anahera,” the woman said, warming up to me immediately. “I’m Eleanor.”A forced smile crept up my face. “Delighted to meet you, Eleanor. Although my brother never talked about bringing you over, you’re welcome.” Bella? Quiet.To break the ice, I quickly told her to make herself comfortable. I shut the door, pulling my brother aside and into the kitchen. “What in hell’s bells are you doing? I thought you were gonna bring her pies not the actual woman.” My voice dropped to a small whisper. “You never told me Bella was back from tending to her daddy’s needs and

ANAHERA Thanks to Dominik’s obsessive craze for control, I used the locator app hidden on my phone to track Noel’s number to whatever ditch he and his car were. The locator stopped moving, blinking at a place called ‘Honey and Rye’, and raising my head, it was only a few steps ahead. I think we have our winner. I parked my car outside the establishment and got out. Strolling into the bar, I found it was not nearly as packed yet not half as full. No blinding lights nor was there the strong stench of smoke and sweat like at O’Malley. This was more polished and smelled of citrus. At least he was sensible enough to drink foolishly in a place like this. There was a woman behind the counter, laughing with a man at the bar stand. My feet carried me over to them, shrinking the distance until the counter became close enough to touch. Their laughter slowly died as both of them noticed my presence…and my appearance. The man cocked an arrogant brow. “Are you lost?” Letting

ANAHERA“What is going on here?” I asked, approaching the couple, looking between both of them while they fixed their eyes on anywhere else that was not my face. Not even a glance. A dull thud echoed in the room behind me, breaking the tension, and their gazes shot toward me. Dominik spoke first.He took a few steps forward but his eyes never left the door. “What was that?”Blocking him from moving further, I lied, “What was what? It has to be a bag I piled up.” A topic change. “Why are you in my house so early?”Looking between me and the door, he didn’t look like he believed my response but he had a reason for coming, no?“I just wanted to say I’m sorry for skipping dinner last night. I got a random call from Coach, I know, but the boys…”“About that…I understand. Just wish you’d be able to come for dinner like the old times.” Sadness bled into my words, refusing to be masked.Hearing those words, the lines around his eyes slowly faded. He exhaled slowly, staring at me a second lo

ANAHERA The bass thumping all the way from inside the building to where we were parked made me nervous. Wiping sweaty palms against the very short dress Bella persuaded me to put on, I grabbed my mini purse and stepped out with her. I looked at my best friend as we walked side by side, I thought of her sacrifices to make me happy in the ways she knew how to. For tonight, I’d try to actually enjoy the party. My phone vibrated with a text from Dom. ‘Tell your friend not to keep you up late. Unlike her, you have to work. Goodnight, sis.’A small lump formed in my throat as I stared at the message. It felt like an open violation of his trust in me, and I never liked lying to my brother.If I’d tried to tell him I was at a party this late, he would flip the fuck out and come take me back home. But come on, a girl needed to breathe sometimes. So I told him Bella and I had a sleep over to catch up since I’d been too busy the last week. He agreed.I was still staring at my phone when