Page 43 of A First Sight

Austin was a quiet guy, but he could sound quite intimidating when he spoke with passion. He was my stepbrother and enough older that we were never really close, but he took the role of protector seriously, which meant that finding out what had happened to me roused anger in him.

“I mean it, Maggie. I’ll make some calls and get you a lawyer who’ll bury Dale in so many lawsuits he’ll never get out from under them.”

“Thank you,” I said, putting all my gratitude into those two words.

“Mom said you asked them not to come to New York,” Austin continued, “since Carson and London are already there.”

“I’m not getting London involved in this,” I interjected quickly. “Carson told her, but I’m keeping her as far away from this as possible.”

“That’s what I expected.”

The pride in Austin’s voice warmed me, as did his confidence I would protect our little sister. The one thing I dreaded about my family discovering what Dale did—and that this wasn’t the first time he hurt me—was their disappointment in my weakness and poor decisions.

“Thank you,” I said again.

After a pause, he said, “I’m going to get back to work, but if you need me, you call.”

“I will,” I promised.

After saying goodbye, I stayed in the bedroom for another minute, gathering my composure. Between the calls with my parents and Austin, I spoke with Alec and Paris and texted back and forth with everyone else, including Brody, who was on his honeymoon. I scolded him, telling him I wouldn’t have my new sister-in-law annoyed at me for ruining her honeymoon. After that, I got a response from Freedom, saying she would’ve been furious with Brody if he didn’t reach out, regardless of where they were.

And then she offered to castrate Dale with a pair of rusty scissors.

As much as I was still struggling with the embarrassment of this secret becoming public knowledge, I couldn’t deny the relief and comfort that came from the support and love of my entire family.

The smell of food cooking reminded me I wasn’t the only one in the apartment. Not only did my family have my back, but so did Drake. And he wasn’t the only friend who said they were on my side, either. Nehemiah told me the same and said others supported me, too.

I wasn’t alone in this, and I could see now that I’d never been alone. All I needed to do was reach out.

My stomach growled and I smiled. Time to reach out for some lunch. The thought of Drake sent a flutter through my stomach that had nothing to do with me being hungry, though. It was weird to feel that way about a man I barely knew. This wasn’t like me.

However, I wasn’t looking to get into another relationship right now, despite kissing Drake last night.

Shit.

As I walked out to the kitchen, I had the vague memory of telling him I wanted to kiss him since I first met him in the deli.

I wasn’t sure if that made things better or worse.

“Do you like grilled cheese?” Drake asked as he glanced at me. “Not to brag, but mine are delicious. We call them toasties back home.”

“That would be wonderful,” I said. Drake looked especially handsome in his office attire. He had the sleeves of his white button-down rolled up to the elbow, exposing taught muscles of his forearm. “But don’t feel like you need to. You’ve already done so much for me.”

“I’m happy to do it.” He gestured to one cabinet. “Would you mind getting a couple of plates?”

Glad to have something to do that would take my eyes off his jawline, I went to the cabinet and selected two plates. I already felt more…settled, less like an outsider.

“Did something happen at work?” I asked as I set the table. “Or do you sometimes come home for lunch?”

“I took the rest of the day off,” he said as he worked the skillet. “How’s your day? Have you been making calls all morning?”

“Most of it. Or, rather, answering calls,” I clarified. “Carson called our family and told them what happened.”

“Ah, so they’re all calling.”

“Pretty much,” I said. “Well, most of them texted, but a couple called.”

“Are you okay?” He kept the question casual, but I knew he was concerned.

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