Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 72990 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72990 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
“No one will ever take your place,” I repeat, moving to sit next to him. I put my arm awkwardly around his shoulder and inexplicably he leans into me, wrapping me in the kind of hug we’ve never really been comfortable with before.
“They love you, you know,” he whispers in my ear. I jolt back, his words stinging my heart.
“What?”
“Kain told me,” he says. “If you want them, it’s up to you.”
I stare into my brother’s eyes, searching, desperate to know he’s okay with what he’s saying. He’s a good man. Unselfish and stoic. He’d bear what made him unhappy if he thought it was what I wanted. “And your friendship?”
“They’re my brothers. Maybe they’ll become my brothers-in-law.” His smile is rye, but his eyes are sparkling.
“Trying to marry me off already,” I snort.
“What’s going on?” Mom asks. “What have I missed?”
“I’ll leave Travis to fill you in,” I say, rising and checking my watch. I’m already running late. “See you later.”
Before Mom can object, I’m striding from the house, those terrified moths morphing into excited butterflies. They love me. Kain confessed it to my brother, his most trusted friend, before he admitted it to me. I can’t be mad about it, though. They admitted it to Travis before I had the courage to accept the reality of my feelings.
As I walk the path between our houses, I recall skipping this way wearing my best flowery yellow summer dress, my hair in braids tied with ribbon, and yellow ballet pumps on my feet. Our parents were taking us to the local fair, but I was impatient to wait for the time we were all leaving. I wanted to show Dalton, Blake, and Kain my new dress. I wanted them to see how pretty I was.
The lump in my throat is large as I remember them in their button-down shirts and dark jeans, hair brushed to the side, faces glowing from the scrubbing their mom must have given them. Their eyes had widened when they saw me, and I knew it was because I looked nice. I looked different from the scrappy Gabriella who tagged along on all their escapades. I looked like a princess, and their appreciative gazes had made me feel so special.
When Dalton opens the front door, his eyes widen in just the same way as all those years ago, drinking me in like I’m an iced drink and he’s desert parched.
“Gabriella,” he breathes, reaching for my hand and drawing me into an embrace that’s tighter than it should be. “You look…”
I beam up at him, reaching out to caress his thick black beard, the solid column of his neck, his bulky shoulders that speak of power and capability. “I missed you,” I say, watching his eyes soften and his body relax with relief.
“I missed you, too,” he breathes. “So much.”
And the sound of his voice, low and gravelly just for me, sends heat right through me. I have to bury my face into his warm shirt that smells of the ocean on a clear fall day and grip him as tightly as he hugged me. We stand that way, framed by the open doorway for longer than I’ve ever been held by Dalton, and I never want him to let me go.
When he eases his hand from my back to push the door, Blake’s voice calls out, “Is she here?” before he appears at the top of the stairs.
Dressed in a tight gray shirt that shows off his lean muscular frame and the swirls of ink that stretch down his arms, Blake looks ready for a fight, but his smile tells another story. That smile that illuminates his face speaks of fun and laughter and humor that can make even the saddest day lighter. His brown hair flops over his forehead as he nears, and he pushes it back impatiently. I’m drawn into his embrace as soon as he’s close enough to reach me, and kisses are pressed first to the crown of my head, then my forehead, then my nose and finally my lips. I’m swept into the whirlwind of his affection and never want to return to the ground.
“You’re a sight for sore eyes,” he says, gripping me by the upper arms and looking me over. “That dress is…” He leaves a shake of his head and his raised eyebrows to communicate his appreciation. It works well enough to make me blush.
I touch his stubbled cheek, watching his lids lower in satisfaction. “I missed you,” I tell him, not wanting him to hear anything different from his brother. We are in this together, and that will require a level of fairness.
“Where’s Kain?” I ask.
“Dad went to collect him from the hospital. He’s desperate to come home. Poor guy is sick of hospital food.”
At the mention of food, the delicious aroma in the air registers. “What’s on the menu?”