“He didn’t have time for me,” she said, the words breaking her apart. “I was ready to put my heart on the line, and he didn’t have time for me. How could he be like that?”

“Jackass,” Cooper muttered, slinging an arm around her shoulders. “You deserve better. You know that, right?”

Although she nodded, doubt was creeping up on her. She wasn’t special. She was eccentric, plain. Eli Lockwood was handsome, rich, and so far beyond her that it was laughable. She might be pregnant with his child, but she should never have expected anything more. She’d set herself up for a fall, and the landing was hard.

“Take me home,” she pleaded. “Please, Coop. I want to be alone.”

The drive was silent, and Aria retreated into herself. Once she was home, she crawled under the covers, closed her eyes and cried. If she’d thought she’d cried herself out earlier, she’d been mistaken. Well, she comforted herself, if all else fails, I can make a living for myself as a watering pot.

Eli had finished working and was fixing himself a sandwich for supper when the door slammed open for the second time that day. Hoping it was Aria again, he got to his feet and was about to call out when two large, angry men strode into the room. Before he could identify them, one of the men hoisted him by his collar and shoved him against the wall. His face only inches away, his eyes narrow and his mouth twisted into a scowl, Eli recognized Justin Simons.

“What the hell are you doing?” Eli yelled.

Justin dropped him, a momentary reprieve, but pain exploded through his head when a meaty fist connected with his eye. Eli staggered back against the wall, then propelled himself forward with fists flying until he hit something soft. Justin grunted. Eli straightened and adopted a defensive stance. He wasn’t a violent guy, but he needed a physical outlet for his pent-up energy, and adrenaline pumped through his body. Justin hunched over and barreled into his knees. Eli rolled over his back and landed behind him. Justin fell forward onto his stomach.

A low chuckle sounded from the doorway. “Get up, you two meatheads.”

Eli turned around slowly, reluctant to present his back to Justin. It might be too tempting for him to resist. The other Simons brother, Cooper, was leaning against the wall, watching them with interest.

“I expected Justin to act like a moron, but I thought better of you,” he said to Eli. “At least I did until I heard how you treated my baby sister today.”

Eli frowned. As far as he could recall, his and Aria’s interaction today had been limited. He’d given her a gift, and she’d rejected him. Then she’d visited while he was working, and he’d said he’d call her later. Nothing to inspire such blood lust in her brothers.