Page 68 of Wrapped Around My Heart
I look at him, really studying my baby brother. Standing before me, it’s easy to recognize him, since he looks so much like me it’s almost painful. He’s tall but thin, the hoodie he’s wearing practically swallowing his frame. Brown eyes that mirror mine appear sunken, framed by dark circles under his eyes and pronounced cheekbones that show how skinny he is. His hair is shaggier than mine, reminding me of how I used to have mine at seventeen. The realization hits like a low blow.
Seventeen.
I try to do the math quickly to make sure I’m right. It’s been ten years since I last saw him. He had just turned seven when my aunt disappeared with him, which means that the young man before me is about the same age that I was when I lost everything. And he thinks thatIlefthim.
“I promise you, whatever you think happened, isn’t the full story.”
He rolls his eyes, glaring at me while stepping closer. Cora barks at him in warning but doesn’t move from her spot in front of Ari. Which is perfectly fine by me.
For as much as it pains me, I don’tknowmy brother. There’s no predicting how he’ll react or what will push him over the edge.
“Save me the sob story about how hard your glamorous life as one of the top goalies in hockey is. How can you enjoy any of this”—he motions around the kitchen, turning his seething glare back on Ari before looking back at me—“knowing you abandoned your only brother?”
Ari sucks in a deep breath, groaning in pain and finally sinking to the floor. Every fiber of my being aches to go to her side, to get her out of here and to a hospital.
But I can’t do that with a knife-wielding teenager blocking my exit. So I turn my focus to him.
“I didn’t abandon you, Tristan. You weretaken. When Mom was arrested, Aunt Marie took you in. She didn’t have enough room for both of us, so I couldn’t go with you guys. But once I finished high school, I moved out to California to be close to you again.”
He shakes his head, some of that anger morphing into confusion. “No, you…you left me withher.”
The way he refers to our aunt makes me pause momentarily, but I push on.
“I got into college out there, and on every Wednesday, you and I would play in the front yard, or get ice cream, or?—”
“Go to the comic book store,” he adds on, confusion lining his voice. “No, that wasbefore.”
“It wasn’t. We were apart for a few months while I finished high school, but the second I could, I packed up and moved out there. You were six when she took you in. Right before she disappeared with you, we celebrated your seventh birthday byopening packs of Pokémon cards.” There’s a note of desperation in my voice as I try to jog his memory. The fact that he has gone all these years believing I would willingly leave him guts me.
“If you were there then…” He presses the heel of his palm against his forehead and I ache to go comfort him, but something keeps me away. “No, she told me you left me. You didn’t want a brother, didn’t wantme.”
Risking it, I take a single step closer. “I spent ten years looking for you after Aunt M—” I catch his wince as I start to say her name and choose to avoid it. “After she up and leftwith you. There was no note. She disconnected her phone number and didn’t respond to my emails. Every year when I could, I came out to California to search for you.”
Tristan finally lowers his arm with the knife, his entire body caving in on himself as he stares at me with uncertainty and devastation. “We moved to Oregon.”
“Tris…” Flashing lights behind him capture my attention. Sucking in a breath, I know there’s no way to avoid the likelihood of my brother being escorted out in handcuffs. I catch my brother’s eyes, making sure to keep my voice steady and even.
“We’ll figure this all out. Whatever happens, it will be okay. Neither of us is going to disappear again. I promise.” Two cops step into the doorway, guns aimed at the ready and I raise my hands to show them I’m clear but don’t look away from my brother. “Drop the knife, Tristan. We’ll fix everything and talk more later, but right now, Arianna needs to get to a hospital, and I think, so do you.”
He glances over his shoulder, panic widening his features, but he manages to drop his knife and raise his hands just like me.
Cora’s bark at the newcomers draws my attention and I speak up so the police officers can hear me.
“My dog is friendly but on edge. I’m going to put her outside so we can move freely and help Arianna.”
“Copy,” one of the officers says while his partner steps up to my brother to grab his wrists and put him in cuffs.
Needing to not witness that, I turn to my girls. Keeping my hands up so she can see them, I keep my voice low as I move to kneel in front of Cora.
“You did such a good job, sweetie. It’s okay now. Come here.”
She finally stops growling, her tail wagging a little as her ears flop down, and she turns to look at Arianna.
“It’s okay, good girl,” Ari cries, reaching out to pat Cora on the back. With that single touch, Cora comes to me, letting me guide her outside but not moving from the back deck as she watches through the screen door. By the time I look back, there are two paramedics surrounding Ari. It takes all my self-control to stay back and let them work, when all I want to do is be beside her.
Ari’s watery gaze meets mine as they load her onto a stretcher. “Can you grab the go bag? And call my mom?”
“Of course, baby.”
