Midnight Sky (Book 1/3 The Anderson Brothers Series)

Power Struggle

Andrew

Getting the call from Lauren that she was going out of town for a quick business meeting didn't sit right with me. I know she's back to work and I'm happy she's doing what she loves. She has a lot of meetings in between training, but I knew in my gut she was lying to me.

When I get in my head, I always have my brothers to talk to. This time around, my brothers are in relationships with two of the women that are the closest to my girlfriend. I know they have their own lives, but when I need them, they always show up.

I finished up what I was doing before going to meet up with my brothers for lunch. We met at a local bistro. Cody and Colt were here before me. They smiled as I sat down.

"What's up baby bro?" Colt greeted me.

"Nothing much. You guys order?"

"Beer, wings, and sliders coming up. Our usual," he added.

I nodded and leaned back in my seat.

"Everything okay?" Cody asked.

"I guess so."

He raised his brow.

"What does that mean?"

"Lauren went out of town for a business meeting."

They looked at me confused.

"What's wrong with that? She's back at work, full on training and preparing for her return," Colt said.

"Plus, Harper said she still has her brand deals in addition to her stuff in returning to WWE," Cody added.

"I get that. I just feel in my gut that something is off. She always lets me know ahead of time what she has going on. We have a calendar to keep up with each other's schedules. This meeting is in Florida and she just ups and leaves, alone. I asked her if she was going to be alone and she gave me a smart ass answer."

Cody laughed.

"Nothing abnormal about that, Drew."

I shook my head.

"I don't care about her sass. I just think this isn't a business meeting. She's doing something she has no business doing."

Colt raised his eyebrow.

"Drew..."

"This is too random. She's been planning and plotting this. I know Lauren at this point. She's methodical. She's going to get revenge on her ex. Why she didn't just tell me, I don't know. Plus, when I asked her about her security detail, she skirted around the answer."

"You really think she's in Florida with her ex?" Cody quizzed.

I nodded.

"You trust her?" Colt questioned.

"Yea, I trust her. I need her to trust me though. I'd have her back no matter what. She just wants to do everything alone. She didn't have that reassurance with her ex. I'm not him though. I've been trying to prove that, but obviously...."

Colt held up his hand to stop me.

"It's a power struggle, we get that. The women in this family have been doted on, provided for. Taking matters into their own hands makes them feel less of a damsel in distress. Personally speaking, I know I've been trying to get Harper to understand that there's a balance. You can have the career and be the boss, but she doesn't have to turn that on all the time. She doesn't have to have a guard up with me. I want nothing more than to protect and take care of her."

"That's exactly my point!"

"Hey, bro, I get it. These are strong, bull headed women. After talking to the men of this family, they're all like that. Talk to Lauren when she gets back. Everything will be fine," he added.