Brody Page 4

  “Yeah, they are.” Thank God. My brother had been a mess living without his wife and boys.

  “So maybe you’ll be more like Ryker than your father. My point is, you won’t know until you try.”

  “Try?” My voice sounded strangled. “You don’t try at being a husband and father. You don’t get to practice, to make mistakes and—”

  “Sure, you do. I watched my father make plenty of mistakes while we were growing up. That didn’t make my mother or his kids love him any less.”

  “That’s different,” I argued. “You guys are still a family.”

  “We’re still a family because we learned how to forgive each other,” she said gently. “Maybe it’s time for you to learn to forgive your dad. I’m not saying you have to have a relationship with him. That’s your choice. But holding on to all this anger is eating you up inside. Anyone can see that.” She moved to sit on the table in front of me, so our faces were inches apart, and she grabbed my chin and looked me in the eye. “I wouldn’t be wasting my breath with you if I didn’t believe in my heart that you’re the man my sister was meant to spend her life with.”

  I was shocked when tears burned my eyes, forcing me to swallow. “You can still say that after everything I’ve put her through?”

  She shrugged as she let her hand fall. “Even the best relationships go through their ups and downs. Everyone knows that.”

  “I thought you came here to warn me to stay the hell away from Riley?”

  “Only if you have no intention of changing.” She looked at me quizzically, as though she was trying to figure me out. “But something tells me you really want things to be different this time. Am I right?”

  “I’d give anything to make up for the mess I’ve made with Ri, but I’m not even sure that’s possible. How could I expect her to trust me again?”

  “That’s a good question,” Macy said. “One I can’t answer.”

  The phone beside us rang in a series of short rings that let us know someone was in the lobby. “That must be Kane.”

  “I’ll let you get that while I use the restroom.” She jumped up and made a beeline for the main bathroom at the end of the hall.

  After buzzing Kane up, I rehearsed what I wanted to say to him about seeing the old man last night. Ryker was out of town on business and Nex was still in the honeymoon phase with Jaci, so I didn’t want to bother either of them. Besides, Kane and I were only two years apart, so we had similar memories of our… dad. Referring to him as that still felt wrong, like a betrayal to the mother who’d earned our love and respect, unlike him.

  “Hey,” Kane said when I opened the door. “What the hell are you doing here? Since when are you and Riley…?” His voice drifted off when he caught sight of Macy.

  He hadn’t seen her in a few years, and I tried seeing her through my brother’s eyes. She was definitely all grown up… and a knock-out, just like her older sister.

  “Hey, Kane,” Macy said, surprising him with a hug. “Long time, no see. How’ve you been?”

  “I… uh…”

  I’d never seen my big, tough brother, who stared down the barrels of guns for a living, so tongue-tied. It was funny as hell, but I decided to jump in and rescue him from further embarrassment. “Kane, you remember Riley’s sister, Macy, don’t you?”

  “Uh, yeah, of course,” he said, finally finding his voice. “Good to see you, Macy.”

  “You too.” She lit up the room with that beautiful smile Riley said had made all the boys chase her in high school. “How’s work?” she asked, winking. “Still keeping the streets safe?”

  “Uh, yeah. Work’s good. Can’t complain,” he said, still looking uneasy. “How about you?”

  “I love Nashville.” She sighed. “Making music’s my life. But sometimes I wonder if I’m destined to play rinky-dink bars and honky-tonks all my life.”

  Knowing how talented she was, I found that hard to believe. “Hey, don’t get down on yourself,” I said, trying to lift her spirits. “You had the guts to chase your dream. How many people can say that?”

  She treated me to a smile. “Thanks. I guess you’re right.” She shrugged before stealing another glance at Kane. “I don’t know. I guess I’ll just keep plugging away and hope for the best.”

  Kane’s eyes followed Macy as she walked to the chair to retrieve her purse.

  “Well, I should head out. I’m meeting my sister for dinner later.” She pointed at me. “Remember what I said. Do not screw my sister over, or I will kill you!” She turned to Kane. “Huh, I guess I shouldn’t have said that in front of an officer of the law…?”

  Kane grinned. “Hey, I didn’t hear a thing.” With a pointed look at me, he said, “But for the record, I’ll back her up.”

  “Aren’t you just the sweetest thing.” Macy kissed Kane’s cheek. “I’ll see you guys later.” After giving me a brief hug, she was out the door.

  “What the hell?” Kane said, looking shell-shocked as he ran his hand over his cropped dark hair. “Why don’t I remember Riley’s little sister looking like that?”

  I laughed. Macy had always attracted attention wherever she went. If my brother hadn’t noticed her before, he must have been blind. “Back off, man. Last I heard, she has a boyfriend. They’re a duo, actually. Write together, perform together, and live together.”

  Kane grunted. “So why’d you call me over here if it wasn’t to tease me with your girlfriend’s sister?”

  Damn. It had been a long time since anyone had called Riley my girlfriend, and just hearing those words made me want her to be mine again. Not that I’d ever stopped wanting that.

  “Sit down,” I said, pointing at a chair. “I need to talk to you about something.”

  “I don’t have a lot of time,” Kane said, checking his watch. “I was at the gym when you called. I’ve got to go home and get ready for work.”

  While I was proud of my brother, I never understood why he’d chosen the path of a police officer, let alone adding on the responsibility of being in charge of a SWAT team. “Yeah, no problem. This won’t take long.”

  “Before we get into the reason for my visit”—he gestured around the room—“what the hell are you doing here, playing house with Riley again? Last time we saw her, some guy was proposing to her.”

  “They broke up.”

  “Huh. Because of you?”

  “No, last night was the first time I’d seen or talked to her since Colorado.”

  “Still doesn’t mean you weren’t the reason she dumped the doc.”

  “Am I supposed to be sorry she got rid of him?” I asked, my anger mounting as it did every time I thought about Riley with someone else. “’Cause I’m not. We all know he wasn’t the right guy for her.”

  Kane rolled his eyes. “And you’re the one who gets to decide that?”

  “When you’ve loved someone as long as I’ve loved that girl…” I shook my head. “Forget it. I don’t want to get into that right now. I just wanted to tell you that I saw the old man last night.”

  Kane simply stared at me, and at first I had to wonder whether he’d heard me. “Our father? You saw our father? Where? How?”

  “I had a thing in Vegas last night. He showed up after everyone else cleared out,” I said, looking down when I realized my hands were clenched. “Let’s say he caught me off guard.”

  Kane jumped up and paced. “I can’t believe he had the nerve to show his face after everything he put Mom through. If I’d seen that son of a bitch, I would have torn him apart.”

  “I was tempted, believe me.”

  “I thought you of all people would have laid him out,” Kane said, glancing at me, his hands fisted at his sides. “Why’d you hold back?”

  “Honestly? I think I was in shock.”

  Kane asked finally, after he’d paced for a full minute, “So, what did he have to say?” Raising his hand, he said, “No, wait, lemme guess. He wanted to hit you up for money, right?”

  Since that had been
my first thought, I couldn’t blame Kane for making the same assumption. “No, he claims he has a job.”

  “Doing what?”

  “Driving a truck. Says he’s been doing it for a long time now.”

  Kane scowled before curling his hands around the headrest of the white upholstered chair facing me. “You believe him?”

  I’d thought about my conversation with him repeatedly, and as his words replayed in my head, I had to admit they had a ring of truth to them.

  “About the job?” I shrugged. “I guess so. But he made some other claims.”

  “This I gotta hear.” Kane took a deep breath. “Okay, what else did he say?”

  “He said he’s been sober for years, that he went to meetings and had a sponsor.” I watched my brother carefully, waiting for a response. “The whole nine yards.”

  “Why the hell did he think you’d want to know any of this?” Kane shouted. “What makes him think any of us give a damn whether he’s living or dead?”

  Kane was usually the unflappable one. Given his job, he couldn’t afford to crack under pressure. That was why I’d reached out to him first. Of all of my brothers, I assumed he would be the voice of reason. I guess I’d underestimated how much he still hated our old man.

  “Could have something to do with our half-brothers.” I let that sink in before I said, “Maybe they want to get to know us.”

  His jaw dropped before he whispered, “He had more kids? When? With who?”

  “He told me he’s remarried. I don’t know how old the kids are.”

  “Man, I don’t believe this,” Kane said, taking an unsteady breath.

  I felt guilty for telling him. It was bad enough I had to be burdened with this knowledge. Kane shouldn’t have to suffer too, especially right before his shift, when he couldn’t afford to be distracted.

  “Look, I know this is a lot to process. Maybe you should think about calling in. Let them know you can’t make it today. It’s not like you ever take any personal time. I’m sure they’ll understand. We can go out and grab a beer and a pizza, maybe talk about it some more.”

  He shook his head slowly. “I can’t call in, bro. We’re a man down as it is.”

  I would never forgive myself if something happened to my brother because I’d been stupid enough to share news I should have kept to myself. “Are you sorry I told you?”

  He looked at me a long time, as though his mind was racing. “No, I’m glad you told me. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t wondered what the hell happened to him over the years.”

  “Yeah, I guess we all have.” Whether we wanted to admit it or not, he was still our father and the only family we had left, aside from each other and two half-brothers and a stepmother we’d never met. I scraped a hand over my face. “It still seems surreal, doesn’t it? I keep thinking I’m gonna wake up and it’ll be a bad dream.”

  “A nightmare is more like it.” He pulled his keys out of his pocket. “You gonna be in town for a while? I do want to talk about this some more.”

  I couldn’t walk out on Riley without an explanation. I had other commitments, but for once I had to prove I was willing to put her first. “I’ll be here for a bit.” I smiled, trying to ease the tension. “Unless Ri kicks me out.”

  Kane chuckled. “You know if she does, you can always crash at my place.”

  “Thanks, I appreciate that.” For the first time in my life, I wasn’t looking forward to hitting the road again. Maybe I was finally ready to face my problems, instead of running from them.

  After a handshake and half-hug, I asked, “Do you think I should mention this to anyone else?”

  “No, not yet,” Kane said. “They’ve all got a lot going on right now. Let’s just keep it between us for now, okay? I’ll call you tomorrow. Maybe we can meet up and talk some more.”

  “Sounds good.” As I watched him punch the button for the elevator, I said, “Hey, Kane?”

  “Yeah?” he asked, holding the door as it slid open.

  “Stay safe out there.”

  “Always.”

  Chapter Four

  Riley

  I was running late when I dashed into my favorite Chinese restaurant to meet my sister for dinner. Waving to a hostess I recognized, I wove through snugly positioned tables toward the back of the small, crowded restaurant.

  “I’m so sorry I’m late,” I said, slightly breathless as I plopped down across from Macy. I dumped my purse into one of two empty chairs. “One of my clients was late for a cake tasting, and they had trouble making up their minds once they did arrive.”

  “No problem,” Macy said, waving off my apology as she held up her phone. “Gave me a chance to dump my emails. I swear I let these things pile up for weeks before I finally get around to deleting them.”

  I wasn’t surprised. I’d always been the organized, analytical one, while Macy was the fly-by the-seat-of-her-pants, live-for-the-day sister. Sometimes I envied her, being able to live in the moment with scarcely a care in the world.

  “So what did you do today? I assume you’re staying with the folks while you’re here?”

  “Yeah,” she said, reaching for her water glass, “I am. I guess I should tell you before you hear it from him. I stopped by your place to see Brody today.”

  Great. Just what I needed. My little sister interfering in my love life. Not that Brody and I were lovers… yet. No! I was not going to go there again. Not with him.

  I sighed. “Why did you do that? I can handle Brody.”

  “No, you can’t.”

  The waitress approached to take our order. Thankfully we didn’t even need to look at the menu to order several of our favorite dishes to share.

  “I hope you didn’t tell Brody that I can’t handle having him in my life. It makes it seem like he still has some hold over me, which he definitely does not.”

  Looking torn between sympathy and frustration, Macy shook her head. “Will you always have blinders on where he’s concerned? Why can’t you just admit that he’s the one and only man with the power to break your heart? He’s done it once, and I just went over there to warn him he better not do it again.”

  “And? What did he say when you warned him not to hurt me?” I could barely get the question out without cringing. I was trying to act like a confident, secure woman who was totally over him, while my sister was making me sound like a basket-case who could fall apart at the slightest provocation. I loved Macy, but like our parents, she often overstepped, insinuating herself where she wasn’t wanted or needed.

  “He seemed remorseful about everything that happened,” she said, appearing thoughtful. “It wasn’t so much what he said, but the way he said it.”

  “Huh?” I suddenly regretted not ordering wine. I had a feeling I’d need a drink to get through this conversation.

  “He still loves you.” She stared at me, waiting for those words to settle in before she added, “In spite of his faults, and I’m the first to admit he has plenty, he does still love you.”

  “I never doubted that.” That wasn’t what had led to the demise of our relationship. The one thing I would never doubt was that Brody loved me as much as I loved him. Unfortunately, despite popular opinion, sometimes love wasn’t enough.

  “So what’re you going to do now that he’s back in your life?”

  “I’m not sure that he is.” I took a sip of water. “I mean, last night may have been him reaching out in a moment of weakness, out of habit.”

  “Is that what you’re hoping it was?” Macy asked, tipping her head to one side. “If he tells you he’s sorry, that he won’t bother you again, will you be relieved or disappointed?”

  I usually appreciated that my sister was the first to ask the tough questions, but not today. “I don’t know how I feel, Mace.”

  “You’ve had more than enough time to decide how you feel about him. This isn’t your first rodeo.”

  I smirked. My straight-talking sister would never make it as a politician. “No, I gu
ess it isn’t.”

  I could have kissed the waitress when she delivered our food, temporarily distracting us with the mouth-watering aromas of our favorite fare.

  “So what’s the deal with Kane?”

  I paused with my chopsticks halfway to my mouth. “Kane, as in Brody’s brother?”

  “Do you know anyone else named Kane?” she asked before popping a slice of barbeque pork in her mouth.

  “No. Why are you asking me about Kane?” I didn’t like this. Not one bit. My sister was confused and vulnerable, and Kane, while a great guy, was not for her. Like all the Steele brothers, he’d had his share of women, and I didn’t want him adding my sister to his list, assuming she decided to end things with her boyfriend.

  “He was at your place to see Brody today.”

  “And?”

  Macy focused on her pork fried rice, carefully separating the peas, which she despised. “Don’t lecture me, but I’ve always kind of had a crush on him.”

  “But you have a boyfriend!” I leaned in and lowered my voice when two girls at the neighboring table glanced at us. “I know you and Brendan are going through a rough patch right now, but things will get better. You’ll see.”

  “I’m not so sure about that.” She looked miserable, her blue eyes brimming with emotion. “I’m not so sure I’m in love with him anymore, sis.”

  Oh, wow. I’d been so wrapped up in my own problems, I’d been totally oblivious to the severity of hers. Some sister I was. “Every relationship has its ups and downs. Have you talked to him about how you feel?”

  “I’ve tried.” She cleared her throat, faking a smile before she reached for her glass. “But he doesn’t want to see it. Without me, his dream falls apart, and he’s not about to let that happen. He’s worked too hard. We both have.”

  I got an eerie feeling from the bleak picture my sister painted. I’d never known Brendan to be unstable, but who knew what he was capable of if he felt his back was against the wall. “Maybe you should extend your stay here. Take some more time to think about whether you want to go back there… to him.”