I’m done thinking aboutmybrother and talking about me creeping onherbrother though, so before she can tell me squatter’s rights aren’t a thing in a relationship, I press my lips to hers and relish in the way she melts into me. We worked down to the bone to get to the spot where we are now. Now we live part time on Midnight Drive, and the rest of the time in different places throughout the world. It’s not perfect, but it is perfect for us. We’ll be married soon, which means we’re here until we tie the knot. With that comes our house being a revolving door for the people we love. So when there’s a knock on our front door right as I fist Lee’s hair and deepen the kiss, I’m not even shocked.
“Oh, Macky… Let me innn.” Lee’s younger sister, Anneliese sing-songs from the other side of the door.
Burying my head in Lee’s neck, I groan in faux annoyance. “That’s the second time that we’ve been interrupted by one of our siblings today. We can be on a flight to New Zealand in fifteen minutes.” I nibble on her neck to try to tempt her to say the word.
It doesn’t work, though… It hasn’t worked for the past few days that I’ve tried it. Instead, she unwraps herself from my grasp and swings open our front door before I can pull her back into my embrace. Standing on the porch is Lee’s younger sister. Her eyes dance with mischief as she works to not laugh because she knows she just ruined a moment, and she finds it funny. Her curly brown hair is pulled into a bun that sits on the crown of her head. Her eyes are not a deep green like her sister’s, but more like a sea foam. They aren’t biologically related, but honestly you could never tell. Even with the eye color difference, they look so much like sisters that it’s creepy sometimes.
“Did you miss me?” She smirks as she crosses our threshold and drops her duffle bag to the floor, pulling Lee into a hug.
“Like my favorite blister,” I grumble, but there’s no heat behind it. I love that she comes over and stays with Lee when I have meetings.
She moves out of her sister’s grasp and into my side. I pull her in tight and place a kiss on the top of her head. I give her a hard time because I’m pretty sure that’s my job as her brother-in-law, but I really do adore her. My younger brother is in love with her, and I’m almost certain she’s in love with him too. They had a thing years ago, and then he did something to mess it up, at least that’s the theory. No one knows because they refuse to talk about it, but the longing glances tell me that the feelings are still there.
My phone rings, pulling me out of my thoughts. Releasing Annie, I pull the phone out of my pocket and answer it. I know who’s calling.
“I know, I know.” I say in way of greeting.
“You know nothing. Move your ass, Byrne. It’s six-forty.” My best friend’s highly annoyed voice booms down the line.
“I’m ten minutes from the church, and that’s if I move at a snail’s pace.” I protest.
“I’ll be on your doorstep within five if you aren’t here in three.”
“I’m going. I’ll be there in four just to prove a point.” I laugh at his mumbling curses about how I stress him out as I kill the call.
Turning towards the Fischer women, I pull mine into my arms and press a steering kiss to her lips. It’s forward and bordering on indecent, but I almost lost her once so I don’t much care if her sister has to watch me kiss her like I’m going off to war.
She pulls back way too soon. “Go, Handsome. We’ll be right here when you get back.” She presses another kiss to the underside of my jaw before giving me a bright smile that would knock me to my ass if I let it.
“I’ll be back soon. Ian will be outside watching. Call him if you need anything.” I press a final kiss to her brow before letting her go.
Passing Annie, I ruffle her hair and mess up her bun. She swats my hand away, but I just laugh as I leave and jump in my Jeep. I need to get to my meeting before Davis kills me. The clock on the dash reads six forty-three. Perfect, I’ll be there exactly when I told Davis I would be.
The drive is short, but my mind wanders to all the work we’ve put in over the years. I’m a sober alcoholic and have been for over three years at this point. Don’t be mistaken, my journey wasn’t easy, and this wasn’t the first or even the fifth time that I tried to get sober over the years. This is just the time that’s stuck. Hell, I had tried to get sober four times that same year, but each time I relapsed or gave up.
That was before Davis, before I allowed myself to have a support system that would hold me accountable, and before the love of my life needed me to hold us up and give her the room she needed to fall apart without fear of everything crumbling. It was before I looked in the mirror and decided not only did I not want to be the man I saw in my reflection, but that I didn’t have to be him.
Pulling into a parking space, I jump out as soon as my keys are out of the ignition, pocketing them and my phone as I run to where Davis waits for me.
“I made it.” I beam at him with smug satisfaction.
“You get on my damn nerves.” He grumbles.
“You love me.” Unfazed by his annoyance, I smirk. “I’m your favorite. It’s why you’ve kept me around so long.”
“Yeah, yeah. Where’s your punk at?” He asks, looking up and down the empty sidewalk.
“Don’t know. He won’t answer my calls or texts. I think he fell off again.” I scrub my hands down my face.
I place my hands in my pockets and stand shoulder to shoulder with Davis as we wait until my alarm on my phone goes off. It’s exactly seven, which means he’s a no show again. Disappointment eats at me. Davis grasps my shoulder in silent support.
“When he’s ready to try again, he knows exactly where to go, and you’ll be right here waiting. I waited months from the time I ran into you for you to be ready. Don’t give up.”
He’s right. I know he is, but as I wait for Zach, all I want to do is apologize to Davis for being such a stubborn ass in the beginning.
16
Chapter Sixteen
