Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 120031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
So much for keeping the conversation light and easy, Casey silently grumbled to herself. Miles didn’t respond, but she could see that Eli had given her brother something to think about.
She and Miles talked a little more about normal, everyday things until, finally, the visitation was over. Tears stung her eyes when his arms wrapped around her. She’d missed him so much, and she hated that he was going through this alone. Absolutely fucking hated it. “I’ll come back.”
His arms flexed around her. He slowly let her go before shaking Eli’s hand and saying, “Take care of her.”
Drawing her neatly to his side, Eli nodded. “Look after yourself, Miles. We’ll come see you again soon.”
The minute they were out of the center, Casey tossed a harsh glare at Eli. “You were an asshole in there. The last thing he needs right now in that frame of mind is a lecture.”
Maybe, thought Eli, but … “He needed to know that he had more to lose by leaving than he did by staying. He needed to know that he wouldn’t have you as his safety cushion anymore.” Because Eli wouldn’t fucking tolerate it.
“He needed to know he has my support,” she countered.
“And he does. But part of the rehab process is facing the shit you’ve done. He’s been out of contact with you for a long time, Casey, so he’s never really seen the effect his addiction had on you. Now he knows.”
“Yeah, but now he’ll be worrying about me instead of concentrating on helping himself. He said he paid his most recent debts to Ignacio, which means the fucker was just playing with me for his own amusement and personal gain.”
“Or Miles hasn’t been able to keep track of his debts because he was high as a fucking kite most of the time.” For Eli, that was the likeliest scenario. Another possibility was that Miles was too ashamed to admit to his sister that he’d, basically, fucked her over.
Eli caught her arm as they reached the SUV. “I know you love your brother, I know it’s important to you that he recovers. But you’re important to me. I love you. I want you safe. And, like it or not, Miles is the reason you haven’t been safe in a while. He needed to be faced with that truth. If he’s the good person you say he is, it might motivate him to stick with rehab and get his life together.” Her anger was so fierce that Eli wasn’t prepared for how quickly she just … deflated—shoulders slumping, lips trembling, eyes watering.
She swallowed so hard it was audible. “I never even thought to look for him at a rehab center. Not even once.”
And then Eli realized that most of her anger was directed at herself. Heart squeezing, he pulled her close. “Baby …”
“I gave up on him, Eli. I didn’t know that I had, but—”
Eli squeezed her nape. “Stop. You had no reason to assume he’d try to get clean.”
“But it should have at least occurred to me that just maybe I couldn’t find him because he was trying to get well, not because he was hiding.”
“Why would it have occurred to you? His dealer came to you time after time, expecting you to pay Miles’ debts. By all accounts, it looked like he was so deep in that lifestyle he had no interest in trying to crawl his way out of it.”
Eli thumbed her tears away. “You saw him in there looking all vulnerable and lost and fragile, and now you have this idea in your head that you let him down. You didn’t. You’re the only person who hasn’t. Don’t try to take on the weight of his fuck-ups—it’s stupid and pointless and doesn’t help anyone, especially not him. He has to accept and own his mistakes, Casey, if he’s going to get through this.”
She let out a shaky breath. “You’re right. I know you’re right. It’s just hard to see him that way.”
“I know.” Eli held her tighter, tucking her face into the crook of his neck. “But it’s better than not seeing him at all, right?”
Her tears were killing him. Killing him. He wanted to scoop her up, take her to their lodge, run her a bath, fuck her soft and slow, and then hold her while she slept. Seeing her this way put knots in his gut.
His wolf let out a low whine, nudging her with his head. He wanted to take away the source of her pain, and it angered the beast that he couldn’t.
“I know you planned to go out with your team to celebrate getting through to the semi-finals but let me take you home.” Eli pressed a kiss to her temple and slid his hand up her spine. “Text Emma and tell her about Miles—she’ll understand why you won’t be in the mood for a night out clubbing.”