Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 112069 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112069 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
"Is he the only one?" was my brother's response.
I didn't answer him because there was no point in trying to lie or brush off the question. While there’d been a considerable amount of tension between myself and Remy that I couldn't understand the cause of, Violet had become the focus of our attention as we’d each counted down the days until her aunt took her home. I'd tried several times to talk to Remy about Marilyn, Violet's great-aunt, but beyond wanting confirmation that she would be a good parent to Violet, he’d had no interest in knowing anything about the woman or the place Violet would be calling home.
King and I had done extensive checks on the woman and my brother had even gone so far as to tail her for the better part of the week to make sure she wasn’t hiding anything, but there'd been nothing to cause concern. If anything, it was the opposite. The woman had worked with children most of her life, she volunteered regularly at her church as well as the local hospital, and her husband had left her a considerable amount of money, so not only would she be able to afford to raise a child, but she had enough resources to give Violet the extra attention the child would need. She had a small, clean house in a good neighborhood and more importantly, when I’d called her to tell her about Violet, she’d cried for a good five minutes and then had insisted on catching the very next plane out. That had been this morning.
My brother and I watched Remy and Aleks play with Violet in the backyard for a few more minutes. The younger men were helping Violet walk back and forth between them. The child had made great progress with some of the physical challenges she faced. She still had years of therapy ahead of her, but we were confident that she’d be able to live a normal life.
"I shouldn't have said what I did," my brother suddenly said without any kind of provocation. When he, King, and Con had been waiting at the hospital for me, all the anger and hurt I'd been feeling had gone by the wayside. I'd had my brothers back and that was all I cared about.
"It doesn't—"
"Yes it does," Vaughn interrupted. I felt his gaze on me, but I continued to watch Remy. "It does matter."
"You were just trying to look out for your friend," I said.
"I was trying to look out for you," Vaughn responded. That had me looking at him in surprise. "I just wasn't doing a very good job of it."
I sighed and returned my attention to the window. "I'm tired of fighting with you, brother," I said softly. "I keep thinking we can get back to when we were kids. Before Mom…"
"Me too," Vaughn said.
"Just tell me if it's too late for that. If I fucked up too badly—"
"No," my brother cut in, his voice low and harsh. His fingers curled around my upper arm, forcing me to turn and face him. "No, do you hear me?" Vaughn practically snapped. "We've been through way too much shit together, Luca, to even consider throwing in the towel."
“I need more than that," I admitted. My gut rolled around uncontrollably as I considered what life would be like without my big brother. Vaughn's dark eyes held mine. “I need you to—”
"You have it. You have it all, Luca. My trust, my forgiveness, my loyalty… those things may have been tested, but you've always had them. Nothing will ever change that," my brother said firmly and without hesitation.
"It's more than I deserve," I said. "What I did to Aleks was unforgivable—"
"I think he forgave you about five minutes after you told him why you did what you did. And even if you hadn't, he still would've forgiven you because that's who he is."
I glanced at my brother's boyfriend and saw him cheering Violet on as she took a few tentative steps by herself. My eyes shifted to Remy and, even through the window, I could see the mix of joy and sorrow. The young man had been quiet all week. I'd tried to talk to him several times not only about Violet's aunt, but about what had happened between us in bed the night I’d told him we’d found the woman. He’d shot down the discussion by walking away from it, and I hadn't wanted to push. But the topic hadn't mattered because when I’d asked him things about his job and his future, he wouldn't answer me about those either. I couldn't say that he’d gone back to being the angry, distant Remy I'd first met a few weeks earlier, but I couldn't really put my finger on who he was now. There was a spark missing and I wanted it back.