“Have I told you how much I appreciate you?”
“We’ve talked about this.”
“I know, but it doesn’t make it any less true. You’ve never wavered.” Her eyes are glassy as she stares at me.
Rounding the island, I pull her into my arms and hold her tight. “And I never will.” My shirt sticks to my chest as her tears fall, but I don’t let go.
And I never will.
The day we buried Davis, I moved my pregnant sister into my house and never looked back. Phoenix was still in college, and there wasn’t a chance in hell I was going to let Bristol tackle motherhood on her own.
“Is it ever going to get easier?” she murmurs as I rest my chin on the top of her head.
“I think so, but it’s okay that it’s not right now. You’re still grieving.”
“He should see her growing up and be the one catching her when she jumps off the couch and spinning her around the kitchen.” Her cobalt eyes are filled with so much sadness and loss I have to swallow down the lump of emotion in my throat.
“She knows who her daddy is, Bristol. And there will never be a day that she doesn’t. We’ll continue telling stories and celebrating him because Davis was a good man. He loved you and he loved her with everything he had. She knows that.” Lowering my voice, I say, “And even though you’re not ready now, I’ll be right here when you are. He’d want you to be happy, Bristol.”
Shaking her head, she takes a step back, drying her face with the back of her hands. “I’m as happy as I can be. I have Navy and you and Phoenix, and Mom and Dad when they’re around.”
I let my mouth curve up on the side, thinking of our parents setting sail on another cruise. They’ve been enjoying the hell out of their retirement, circling the globe from one all-inclusive vacation to the next.
“You didn’t change!” Navy scolds as she bursts back into the room, her shirt on backward and sporting mismatched socks.
“Gotta spin your shirt, Navy Baby.” I chuckle as she looks down and huffs.
“Let me help,” Bristol soothes, her voice lighter than it was when I came home, and I feel the tension in my shoulders start to ebb.
I’ve done my best to support my sister and so has Phoenix after returning home to Magnolia Point after college.
But it wasn’t the same and we knew that. Being her brothers will forever be different from being her partner.
Still, I can do the laundry and clean the bathrooms and make lunches for everyone for the next day. I can play tea party and teach Navy how to swim and surf, and I’ve gotten decent at painting nails and braiding hair.
But only if Navy is willing to sit for a while.
Bristol teases me that I’ll make a damn good husband and father someday, but that doesn’t seem likely.
The only woman that has even piqued my interest in the last few years doesn’t want anything to do with me. The thought of Cora—pink-cheeked and fuming—has my dick stirring as I strip out of my shirt and toss it in the hamper.
Grabbing a new shirt from the drawer, I throw it on and swap my jeans for shorts, palming my dick once through the material to take the edge off. It’s been a long time since I’ve let myself get lost in a woman, and now that a feisty redhead is back in Magnolia Point, there’ll be no sating this feeling until I have her.
And the worst part is I fear that once won’t be enough.
4
6 MONTHS AGO
[Social Media Post from the Taste of Magnolia Food Truck]
We’ll be parked across from Lowcountry Automotive today! Come and grab a snack while you wait!
#supportlocal #tasteofmagnolia #magnoliapoint
Unknown: Thanks for creating a traffic jam! Your truck is a hazard in Magnolia Point.
5
