Page 99 of Moonlit Colorado

I don’t want you to be lonely just because I am.

* * *

Spending time with Piper had been everything I needed. But I still had to deal with my brothers.

After a while, a soft knock came at the bedroom door. Callum opened it and looked in. “Everybody decent?”

“Nope,” Piper said. “We’re having a pillow fight in our undies in here.”

“Thank you so much for that image.” Callum stepped inside. I was surprised that Ashford wasn’t with him, but they probably didn’t want to overwhelm me or something like that.

When Callum got a good look at me, he cursed.

“It could’ve been a lot worse,” I said testily.

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

“I thought you being here was all about makingmefeel better.” Yes, I sounded petulant. But I was just giving back to Callum what he was dishing out to me.

“Excuse me if I’m not thrilled to see my little sister covered in bruises.”

Callum was four years older than me, but the two of us had always been closest among our siblings. Growing up, we’d been united against the two oldest. Callum had a way of making even crappy situations seem fun. Aside from Piper, he knew me better than just about anybody.

But that also meant Callum and I bickered and argued for no reason at all sometimes. Callum had a unique way of driving me nuts, and I knew that I did the same to him.

I loved him fiercely. And if he had been the one in bed all bruised up after being attacked, then I would’ve been pretty pissed off at the world too. My brothers seemed to forget that I was just as protective of them as they were over me.

“Give me a hug already. I got one from Piper. Now it’s your turn. Don’t just stand there like a dumbass.”

Smirking, Callum crossed the room and gently wrapped me in his arms. “The firefighters send their love too. They want to send flowers as soon as I give them Dane’s address.”

“That’s sweet. Could they not spread the gossip all over town that I was in the hospital?”

“Probably too late for that. Dixie may or may not be organizing a fundraiser for your medical bills and a parade for when you’re back.”

I doubted he was even exaggerating. But what could I do but laugh? I loved my neighbors in Silver Ridge. Just like I loved my brothers and my ridiculous roommates. Even when they were over the top.

“I bet her medical bills are covered by a certain billionaire,” Piper pointed out.

Callum scowled as he grabbed an upholstered chair and dragged it closer to the bed. “Least he could do after letting her get hurt.”

I was tempted to roll my eyes, but that would’ve been a lot for my headache. Usually Ashford was the grouchy one, not Callum. “Dane didn’tlet meget hurt. He had nothing to do with it, actually.”

“But he didn’t stop it.”

“Dane is protective of me, sometimes annoyingly so, but he listens to me too. He respects what I think and what I feel.”

“So do I!”

“And yet you’re talking over me, once again!” I winced. I hadn’t meant to raise my voice. I closed my eyes and took some deep breaths, ignoring the aches in my body as I calmed down. Callum stayed quiet for once. “I know that you and Ashford worry about me out of love. Probably something to do with how we lost Mom when we were kids. But there’s a difference between caring about me and suffocating me, Cal. I’m twenty-eight years old, and you still see me as your baby sister.”

He opened his mouth, probably to argue, but then thought better of it.

“Last night, I got hurt because I was trying to help someone. A woman I didn’t know. Was that stupid? Maybe. At first, I was angry at myself. I thought getting hurt was my fault.”

Piper frowned, and Callum looked angry again, so I kept going before they could butt in.

“But I won’t apologize for trying to stand up for another person. I was terrified, and I probably could’ve gone about it in a better way, but I didn’t run from that situation. I stayed there and faced it.” A tear slipped from my eye, and I wiped it away. I didn’t want to get emotional right now, but maybe it was for the best. Just so Callum and Piper could see that this came from my heart. “I’m proud of myself.”

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