Page 17 of No Way Home
My gaze flitted to the brother next to him—his younger brother, Bowen. His gray eyes met mine from behind the glass, and I swayed where I stood.
Because Bowen Dupree looked exactly how I imagined 167 would’ve looked at that age—the eyes, the hair, the smile.
I reached for the wall to steady myself. There was no way. Was there? My stomach hardened as I ran back through every bit of info 167 had shared. He’d said his dad and brother had the same eyes. My gaze darted over the picture. Dad? Check. Brother? Check. Not Griffin though. He had his mom’s eyes. The same green as sea glass: mellow and muted.
167 had also said he mucked out stalls at his grandfather’s barn when he got in trouble. I knew that Griffin’s grandparents had a ranch a couple of miles away.
I rubbed my temples as I tried to remember more of our conversation. “What are you afraid of? That I won’t like you once I get to know you?”
He’d exhaled and said what?
“I’m afraid you will. For the wrong reasons.”
My chest tightened. Griffin always talked about how hard it was to find a girl who wasn’t enamored with his last name. He said ultimately most girls didn’t want him. They wanted what he could do for them. To meet his Uncle Ford, or Anna’s husband, Blue, or his aunt and uncle, who were famous authors.
Or his brother Bowen.
I looked around, trying to locate the nearest bathroom just in case. There was a definite possibility that I was going to be sick. I jumped when Griffin peeked his head around the corner.
“Sorry.” He chuckled, deep and warm. “Everyone’s here. You ready to meet them?”
I forced a smile, so relieved that his younger brother couldn’t make it tonight. “Yes.”
When we walked into the kitchen, his dad, Silas—who was extremely tall, by the way—was bent over, washing his hands in the sink. That was obviously where Griff got his height. Lemon ran a hand over her husband’s back. I only saw part of Silas’s face. Enough to see him smile up at his wife like he hadn’t seen her in a year and her presence gave him life.
Okay, that was sweet.
“This is James,” Griffin said.
I turned to meet his older brother…and the air whooshed out of me. He looked so much like 167 it was insane. His good looks were more understated, but there was no denying it. They had the same nose, eyes, jaw, and the same colored hair. 167’s hair was wavier and his cheekbones more pronounced—but everything else was identical.
Holy crap holy crap holy crap.
My gaze flashed to Griffin and I felt so stupid. Maybe his nose wasn’t as strong and his forehead a touch smaller, but their jawline and smiles were the same.
James smirked and tossed his chin up. “So this is the famous Maggie?” His voice was deep but soft. His smirk grew into a full-blown smile. “Who you’ve been talking about all summer.”
Griffin’s cheeks turned red. “Seriously, bro?”
I made myself laugh, made myself forget the fact that 167 was none other than Bowen Dupree…who I’d heard Griffin rag on all summer. It actually bothered me that Griffin hardly said a nice thing about him. But now, I had to wonder if Griffin wasn’t spot on.
“All summer, huh?” I teased, playing my role perfectly.
Griffin blushed harder. But then he slid his arm around my waist and whispered, “Hope that doesn’t freak you out.”
I smiled. “Not even a little.”
“Gotta keep him humble.” James gestured to the girl next to him. “This is my girlfriend, Sage.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said.
“Nice to meet you both,” I said.
Griffin’s dad walked over and held his hand out for a shake. Again, the knife twisted. He had kind eyes. 167’s eyes. Actually, 167 had his eyes.Bowen. His name is Bowen. “I’m Silas. Nice to meet you, Maggie.”
“You too.”
He gestured at the table in the dining area of the great room. “Shall we?”
