Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 78576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
“I appreciate that.”
He rises and throws some euros on the table.
“I got this,” I say.
He opens his mouth, and I’m pretty sure he’s going to balk at that, until he finally nods. “That’s kind of you, Dave. Thank you.” He walks away.
I’ll be damned. That brush with death changed all of us.
Chapter Six
Maddie
Brianna has fallen asleep, but I’m lying in bed awake.
I fear that if I close my eyes, I’ll relive the whole thing.
Then I jerk slightly at a knocking noise.
I get out of bed, go to the hotel door, look out the peephole.
I heave a sigh of relief when I see my brother.
I open the door. “Jesse? Everything all right?”
“Yeah.” He wraps me into a loose hug. “I just want to check on you two and see if you’re okay.”
I look back into the room. “Brianna’s asleep, finally. But I can’t get to sleep. Were you in bed?”
“I had a drink with Dave down at the bar.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “Dave?”
“Yeah, sis. That near plane crash has got him pretty spooked.”
“He seemed good to me.”
“I think he was being strong for you.” He pats my arm. “You okay?”
I frown. “I mean, am I? I’m freaked out. We all are.”
“I know.”
I scratch my arm. “Plus I’m feeling kind of shitty.”
“Why?”
“Only about a million reasons, but the main one right now is that I’m keeping you and Brianna from being together tonight. I’m sure you want to lean on each other after such a horrible thing.”
“We’re all right.” He places his hands on my shoulders. “I’m more concerned about you.”
I sigh. “That’s just it, Jesse. I don’t want everyone concerned about me. Poor little Maddie, always the odd one out.”
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
“Is it, though? I know you’d rather be with Brianna, the woman you love. And I know she’d rather be with you. I’m not blind, Jesse. I see how much you mean to each other.”
“Funny, Dave said almost the same thing.”
“That he could see how much you love each other?”
“Pretty much. It was weird coming from a guy.”
“Not weird as much as it’s just very obvious.” I sigh. “Now all of my siblings are in love—with Steels no less. Talk about being the odd one out.”
“Love isn’t something that can be rushed,” he says.
I roll my eyes. “Isn’t it? All three of you fell in love like lightning flashes.”
Jesse cocks his head. “You’re right about that. Brianna says the people in her family tend to fall quickly and fall hard. I get it now.”
I sigh again. “Do you want to come in?”
He shakes his head. “I don’t want to wake Bree.”
I hear rustling behind me.
“Bree’s already awake,” she says.
I turn. Brianna stands in the darkness, her long gorgeous hair flowing around her shoulders, and her nipples poking through her tank top.
Great.
That’ll get my brother started.
“Hey, you,” she says to Jesse.
“You doing okay, baby?”
“Yeah, I finally got to sleep.” She redirects her gaze toward me. “You okay, Mads?”
“I’m still awake, which is how I heard Jesse knocking softly on the door.”
“I just wanted to make sure the two of you were okay,” he says.
“Haven’t you been to bed?” Brianna asks.
“No. I was having a drink with Dave.”
“Apparently your cousin is pretty shook up,” I say.
Brianna’s eyes widen, and she wipes some sleep out of them. “Is he okay?”
Jesse nods. “He is. I think each of us has been affected by this a little bit differently.”
“Brianna,” I say, “I want you to go with Jesse. I’m okay. I wasn’t sleeping anyway.”
“No, Maddie. I made you a promise.”
I grab her arm. “I’m letting you out of it for tonight. Go be with each other. Comfort each other. Do whatever it is you do when you’re together—and no, I don’t want the details.”
“You sure?” Brianna asks.
“Yeah. Please. Go.”
“Are you sure?” she asks Jesse.
A small smile appears on his face. “If Maddie is sure, yeah, of course. I’d love to be with you.”
“All right,” Brianna says. “Give me a minute. I’ll put on a robe and grab my stuff.”
A few moments later, Brianna leaves, walking down the hallway to Jesse’s room. They’re only two doors down, and I’m okay. I watch them go to the room and close the door behind them.
I’m about to close my own door when I hear the elevator ding, and off steps Dave Simpson.
I’m ready to close the door so he doesn’t see me when he looks up and meets my gaze.
Too late now.
“Hey,” I say softly.
He walks up to me. “Is this your room?”
I look down at what I’m wearing. “No, I’m just standing here in my pajamas for good measure.”
He gives me a weak smile. “Looks like I’m right here, across the hall from you.”
“Good. Brianna and Jesse are two doors down.” I gesture.
“I thought Brianna was staying with you tonight.”
“She was, but Jesse came by to check on us, and I let her go. I have to get through this on my own. I can’t be leaning on anyone.”