Page 72 of Until We Meet Again

I should've stayed with her.

I should've been here when she received the news that they were all too afraid to tell me.

"What aren't you saying? I can see it on your faces." My mother sobs, and my father pulls her close as my brother's armreturns to my shoulder, grounding me before his words reach my ears.

"We've run out of time."

"I'm aware."

"No, Zane, we're talking days."

The weight of his words hit me with the force of a sledgehammer, tightening my chest to the point that I feel like I’ve lost the ability to breathe.

"No, not yet," I say as Callum pulls me into him. We wrap our arms tightly around each other, too afraid to let go. "Does she know?"

I feel his nod against my shoulder, and a rush of nausea twists inside my stomach.

This time next week, my sister will be gone.

Things with Tessa are weird right now, and it's driving me out of my goddamn mind.

Where in the hell has this insane jealousy come from? I've never been that guy before, so this crazy behavior that I've developed is something I'm not used to, and I'm hoping it'll fuck right off as quickly as possible.

After overhearing her conversation with whoever that prick was she was talking to today, all I could think about was marching my ass out the door and staking my claim on her in front of him.The need to call her mine and mine alone consumes me, but what's completely fucked up about all this is that I can't.

I guess I'm being pretty selfish with her. If she wants to date a guy who can offer her more than I can and give her everything she deserves, I should step back before I end up hurting her. But with her, I am selfish because I'm not ready to let her go. I'm not sure how I'll ever be, but I also know I can't keep her.

Knocking at my front door breaks me out of my thoughts, and when I see my brother’s face staring back at me, I feel a sense of ease—asense of home.I didn’t realize how much I needed tosee him, and when he steps inside the house, he throws his arms around me.

Call it trauma, but now that single act of affection has the power to take me back to one specific moment in time.

"Dude, you're stacked." His hands tighten around my biceps as he playfully nudges me.

"Slightly dramatic, but I've been hitting the gym whenever I can."

"It suits you. You look good, bro." He casts his eyes over me for a moment before continuing. "Are you doing okay?"Not really.

I give him a nod, but he knows better. He trails behind me as I make my way to the kitchen. I pull out two cold beers from the refrigerator, crack them open, and hand one over to him. Scanning the room with his eyes, he lets out a low, appreciative whistle.

"This is a nice place, man."

He casually rests against the kitchen island, and a vivid memory of Tessa spread out before me while I ate her pussy flashes through my mind. Her drenched crimson thong was on full display before I peeled it off, showing me just how much she wanted me, and now I can't even get a fucking text back.

"Thanks, I'm happy here."

"I would be too."

"How are things at home?"

"Quiet."Of course they are. There's only him and my parents left."But I've got some news." I sip my beer and wait for him to tell me what's happening. "I'm getting married."

I choke on my drink, and he starts to laugh. "No fucking way, that's amazing. Congratulations."

I wrap my arms around my younger brother and hug him tightly. Even though it's not something I want for myself, I'm so happy for him and Zoe. They met shortly after Kimberley received her diagnosis, and they just clicked, much like Tessaand I did, and they've been inseparable ever since. Zoe was a huge support for Callum and, in many ways, the entire family. She's been his shoulder to cry on in his most harrowing moments, and I'm so grateful to her for that because I was barely hanging on and had no idea how to comfort anyone else.

I'm just so damn proud of him for taking this step. My brother has always been a hopeless romantic, and having a wife and a bunch of kids has always been his dream.

"I was going to bring Zoe with me. She's desperate to see you but wanted to give us some space because I don't get to see my best man very often."

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