“Say it to her,” I tell him. “Whatever it takes to make her listen. And I think she’s ready to listen now.”
He scrubs his face. “I think I was just scared of losing her.”
“You’re not losing her. You’re her brother. That doesn’t change.”
“And you?” The question hangs between us. “What are you to her?”
I don’t hesitate. “I want to be her everything. If she’ll let me.”
Leo studies my face for a long moment. Whatever he sees there seems to satisfy him because his shoulders drop. “You love her.”
“Since we were kids.”
He nods slowly, then stands and moves around the counter. For a second I think he might take another swing at me. Instead, he pulls me into a quick, fierce hug, all back-slapping and relief.
“Don’t fuck this up, Russo,” he mutters against my shoulder.
“Not planning on it.”
We break apart, both of us a little embarrassed by the display, but better for it.
“So what now?” he asks.
“Now you fix things with your sister. Whatever it takes to get her to listen.”
“And us?”
I grin, feeling lighter than I have in weeks. “We’re good. We’ve been brothers too long to let anything change that.”
His answering smile is the first real one I’ve seen from him since this whole mess started. “Brothers,” he agrees.
I shove my hands into my pockets, ready to be done with the emotional display. “You hungry?” I ask. “Because that smoothie? Not exactly a victory lap.”
His grin is immediate. “Nope. Let’s go avenge our tastebuds; the hipsters on Brunswick Avenue need us.”
We bump shoulders on the way out, dumb and easy as ever.
43
ON THE GLASS (EDEN)
I’m half-asleep on the couch when the buzzer goes off. My body aches from back-to-back sessions, and the last thing I want is company. Liz is tugging her coat on, bag slung across her shoulder, hair in a messy knot that screamsnight shift incoming.
“Don’t move, I’ll grab it,” Liz calls, hitting the intercom.
The voice that crackles through jolts me upright. “Is Eden there? It’s Leo.”
Liz swivels toward me, one brow climbing. She presses the button, voice pure silk with a razor edge. “Leo who? The big bouncer? Fist-throwing Neanderthal I’ve been hearing about? Funny, the guy I met at Eden’s clinic looked too easy on the eyes to be a caveman.”
There’s a beat of silence before his laugh rumbles through the speaker, low and unbothered. “Guilty as charged. Now how about you buzz me up so I can grovel to my sister properly?”
Liz’s gaze flicks to me, clearly entertained. She presses the intercom again, tone sweet as poison. “We’ll think aboutit. Don’t break anything while you stew in your testosterone.”
He chuckles again, unfazed. “Careful with that mouth, sweetheart. I bite back.”
Liz grabs her bag, heading for the door, smirking. “I’ll buzz him in on my way out.” She winks at me as she passes. “And don’t let him off too easy.”
She waves and leaves me alone with the weight of his voice still hanging in the air. My pulse stutters, equal parts dread and exasperation.
