Page 125 of The Other Brother
I swallow, looking away. “It’s about time you got your share of the sisterly telling off.”
“They’re scary when they gang up.”
“Yeah, they are.”
“Initially, you acted like you didn’t care. I thought…”
I turn my eyes on him. “You thought what?
“I thought I was only breaking my own heart,” he says quietly.
“You told me not to wait for you.” Even as I say the words, they slice at me again.
He rubs at his forehead. “I’m so sorry.” His voice is shaky. “I couldn’t handle the… temptation of knowing you were there. I wanted you to move on so I would know there was no going back.”
My stomach flutters.
“Well, I haven’t moved on,” I say.
His blue eyes blaze. “Neither have I.”
A fragile thread of hope hangs between us. But hope has betrayed me too much recently. I glance away, my gaze falling on Joshua’s plaque.
“I guess this is why we shouldn’t be together, right?” I say, staring at the wall. “It will always be complicated, and we’ll have our sisters interfering with everything.”
He moves a step closer. “Actually, I was kind of thinking it’s why we should never be apart. Give them no ammunition against us.”
My muscles tense, and the air in my lungs makes a quick exit.
I raise my gaze to his. “You want to be with me so Mel and Kate don’t pick on you?”
He bites his lip. “There are other reasons too.”
“Oh yeah? Like what?”
“Like the fact you’re my shot of tequila too.”
My breath rushes out of me.
“And I can’t imagine being with anyone but you,” he continues, giving me his intense Cody stare.
“I guess that’s a decent enough reason,” I choke out. “What about your mum and dad?”
He shrugs. “They’ll learn to cope. They’ll have to.” He looks back at Joshua’s name. “This kind of puts everything into perspective, doesn’t it? He didn’t get to live his life. We need to honor his memory by making sure we live our lives the best way we can.”
My breath catches in my chest. “What does that mean? Living your life in the best way?”
He raises his gaze to mine. “It means I can’t spend my entire life doing stuff just to please my parents or worrying about what people will say. Ultimately, I’ve got to do what makes me happy. And you make me happy.”
“So, you’re saying you’re going to do me?” I ask.
The smile that lights up Cody’s face is brighter than a million sunrises. “Damn, I’ve missed you so much.”
“I’ve missed you too.” My voice sounds like it’s been dragged over gravel.
His eyes don’t leave my face. “So, like, do you want this to be a thing?” He’s trying to keep his voice light, but I can sense the tension underneath.
Those same words he used after we first kissed bring an automatic smile to my face.
