Page 167 of Rules

He came here looking forme.

The door in the back of the house closes, signaling we’re alone.

I gulp down, forcing my fingers to loosen from the death grip so I can come down the stairs, although I’d much rather run back up and lock myself in my bedroom. But that’s not really an option.

Just when I reach the bottom, my eyes catch the sight of the second person.

“Andrew, what…?” My brows furrow in confusion.

I’m her brother.

The words I heard finally make sense, until it hits me.He knows. Andrew knows about his dad and Josephine. Probably knows about Josephine’s blackmail and the money his father gave me.

My hands clench into fists by my sides as I look away. I can’t look at him, because if I do, I’ll see what he thinks and I’m not ready. Not ready to face the truth. Not ready to face him. Mybrother.

God, this is a mess. One big, ugly mess. Everything I tried to avoid happening by leaving has come true, and now I have to deal with the aftermath.

I can hear footsteps come closer, but I don’t look to see who it is. Andrew or Max, it didn’t matter because there wasn’t a safe choice. Both boys were equally dangerous for me, just in different ways.

He stops in front of me, and a hand slips underneath my chin, nudging me to lift my head and face him.

Don’t be a coward, Brook.

Swallowing hard, I force myself to do it. To look at the person standing before me.

Green eyes meet mine. The same eyes I’ve been seeing in the mirror my whole life, but never knowing where they came from. Until recently. But being forced to look into them now, I’m left dumbfounded.

How did I not see it sooner?

Neither of us say anything. He’s drinking me in, almost hungrily. Astonishment and wonder mixing on his face as he observes every inch of mine and I wonder if I look at him the same way.

The silence stretches between us almost uncomfortably long as we just stare at one another, looking for other little details we might have missed or simply ignored, writing them off as inessential.

His thumb brushes over my cheek, and when he pulls it away, I can see a smudge of green paint on it before it falls back down to his side.

“I know,” he rasps, finally breaking the quiet, his voice charged with so many emotions it feels like a punch to my gut. “I wish I would have known sooner, but I know now.”

“Do you think it would have changed anything?” I whisper.

There are no hard feelings, no accusations, just plain wonder. I’ve asked myself the same question over and over since I found out. Would it have changed anything if he’d known? If we’d both known? Andrew has changed a lot in the last few months, but the guy he was back then… I’m not so sure. The little five-year-old girl that still lives somewhere inside of me wanted to hope things would have ended differently, but the grown-up woman I am now knows there is no sense in dwelling on the past. The situation played out the way it did, and the only thing we can do is move forward.

Andrew runs his hand over his face and through his hair. “I… I don’t know, Brook.” My eyes shut for a second as I absorb his words. “I want to believe things would have ended differently. That I’d have done the right thing.”

Facing him, I offer a small smile in understanding. “I want to believe that too,” I say quietly, appreciating his honesty.

“But Iwilldo right by you now, Brook.” His hands grip mine, locking our fingers together. The breath gets stuck in my lungs as I stare into his intense, determined face. “Come home with us. Give me a chance to be the brother you deserve.”

“I…” My throat bobbles as I try to swallow all the emotions nestled inside. “I’m not…”

My eyes dart over his shoulder and settle on Max. Still there. Still observing. Still waiting.

Andrew notices my distraction, a knowing smile curling his lips.

“I guess I should leave you two to talk, but, Brook?” His hands squeeze mine softly, drawing my attention back to him. “No matter what happens between you two, youarecoming home with me. I won’t take no for an answer.”

“Andrew…” I drawl, not ready to surrender. “Going back to Greyford…” I shake my head, not even knowing where to start. When I left Greyford, shit was about to hit the fan. “It’ll piss off a lot of people, starting with your father. But more than that, I’m not even sure I can do it. Not with…”

“It doesn’t matter,” he insists stubbornly. “Let him be pissed off. The asshole deserves it. The girls miss you, and I… I don’t want to have more regrets in my life. Iwantyou back, and I promise you, you’ll never be alone again. It’ll be you and me, sis. You and me.”

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