Page 44 of False Start
“I love you too.”
“Really?”
“Georgie, you’re the most real person I’ve ever met. You’re fun, unpredictable, and more caring than you let anyone see. How could I not love you?”
Tears spilled down my cheeks as I smoothed his hair back and pressed kisses all over his face until he caught my mouth in a scorching kiss.
“As soon as I’m out of this hospital bed, I want to talk to you about moving in with me. I hate the idea of you staying alone in that apartment building.”
“Focus on recovering and then we’ll talk about you letting a hurricane like me into your life on a more permanent basis.”
He huffed a laugh and settled back against his pillows.
“I can’t wait.”
Gia
“I thinkI’m going to be sick,” I muttered, breathing in through my nose and blowing the air out through my lips. My stomach crawled as I tapped my fingers against my thigh.
I’d left Weston at home, under the watchful eyes of nurse Amber and nurse Zara who had solemnly sworn they would keep Weston company and ensure he was fed a steady diet of his favorite cookies until I returned. The memory centered me as I double checked the address Weston had gotten from Cian.
After he was released from hospital the week after Christmas, he’d reached out to my sister’s hockey player boyfriend and had opened a frank conversation about the toxic household Blair and I had been raised in. I didn’t want to know all the details, but when Weston broached the possibility of me meeting with them to make amends, they were surprisingly open to the suggestion.
Which was how I found myself standing out the front of a lovely little villa in Barton Creek, just outside Austin.
I fiddled with my purse strap for a moment before sliding my phone out and shooting off a text.
Georgie: I wish you were here.
Weston: You’ve got this. No matter how it goes down, you both deserve the closure.
Georgie: I love you
Weston: I love you too. Stop procrastinating.
I choked on a laugh and dropped my phone back in my purse before taking a deep breath and walking up to the front door.
My knock was filled with a confidence I didn’t feel, and I immediately worried I’d started off on the wrong foot. Would they think I was there to fight because I’d knocked so hard?
My palms grew damp as I waited for the door to open. Footsteps sounded from inside, and a moment later, the dark-haired man I met at my parent’s house appeared.
“I’m going to be honest,” Cian said, leaning in the doorway without bothering to let me in. “I was against this little meeting, even after Weston told me a bit about your side of things. You need to know that I love your sister, and if I get even the slightest inkling that you’re upsetting her, I’m going to show you the door. Do you understand?”
“Okay, easy there, hotshot. She understands the riot act, now let her in.” My sister’s voice murmured from somewhere behind his bulk.
Blair looked just the same, and yet completely different as her hockey guard dog let me through the door. Her wild curls hadn’t changed. Her glasses were as big as ever, and she wasn’t wearing a lick of makeup. But her face glowed with a happiness I’d never seen in her before. One she never would have experienced around our family, or in the house we grew up in.
“You look good,” I said, by way of greeting. “Happy.”
“I am,” she said with a smile, her brow creasing as she cocked her head at me. I wasn’t surprised. The last time I’d voluntarily said something nice to her had probably been when we both still played with dolls.
“Do you want to sit on the sofa?”
I glanced around their home and felt like an intruder, so I shook my head and stayed where I was.
“Okay. So I guess we’re just going to do this.” Blair crossed her arms, bracing for whatever came next. “I have to admit, I was surprised when Weston reached out to us. After Thanksgiving, I thought we’d be disowned.”
I swallowed the wordsyou would be so luckyand nodded instead.
