Page 110 of Love Thy Brother
Nash shrugged, uncharacteristically quiet.
Rubi filled the void. “It was a good day to be Irish.”
“Is that what you are, wingman?” Alexei glanced at Saint, restless by the window. “Irish?”
Saint said nothing.
Perhaps he didn’t know.
Alexei let it go and unwrapped his birthday gift. It was a book. A Russian book that sent both brows disappearing into his hairline. “Chekhov?”
Nash muttered something I didn’t catch.
Alexei laughed. “Yes. Okay. I will take that. Thank you. You are very kind.”
Mystified, I let my attention drift to Rubi. He was still holding Ivy. Liliana had moved closer to Embry, sitting on the arm of the couch beside him, but her depthless stare was on me, wide-eyed and curious.
The gathering broke up a little. Brothers dispersed, most of them back to the kitchen, Rubi included.
Embry stayed where he was and had himself another nap. Liliana slipped into his lap, burrowed into him, and kept staring at me.
Cute, but I wasn’t in the mood to be interrogated by a mini-Mateo. I could give her the answers she wanted without that.
I rose and buried the weed pipe in the apothecary drawer before I faced her. “I’m not going to hurt Rubi. I love him.”
Liliana fiddled with the cord of Embry’s hoodie. “Are you going to stay here?”
“Stay where?”
“Here. Everyone’s sad when he’s at your house.”
“I know.”
“You should make it better.”
“I know that too.”
“You can have your bracelet then.” Liliana reached into her pocket and fished out another plaited length, bright yellow woven into the plainer threads. “I told Ivy you were too mean to have it yet, but Papá says you’re just sad too.”
“That’s nice of him.”
“He is nice,” she retorted with edge.
Suppressing a grin, I held out my arm, watching her deft fingers tie a knot that would withstand Armageddon. “Rubi’s nicer. He’s my favourite person in the whole world.”
Liliana nodded. “You’re his too. That’s why your colour is like summer.”
“That’s him,” Rubi murmured low in my ear, behind me again with no warning. “Sunshine O’Brian.”
I elbowed him. “You’ve never called me that in your life.”
“Not to your face.”
I couldn’t tell if he was serious, but with Liliana’s watchful gaze on us, arguing about it didn’t feel right. Instead, I let him wind his arms around me and tip me against him, moulding my back to his chest, and the happy sound he made calmed every inch of me that was still an anxious mess.
“It’s raining.” Orla’s voice came from the kitchen door. “Can Locke come inside?”
Rubi kissed my neck and let me go. He stepped around me and moved to where my sister stood. “That’s not up to me.”
