My eyes snap open and I find myself staring at a pair of familiar hazel eyes on a stranger’s face. But it’s not a stranger. I know those eyes and that face.
“Knox.”
“Welcome back to the world of the living, Vivienne Taylor.”
My breath hitches and the world around me fades into a blurry background. I don’t realize I’m crying until this older version of my big brother is pulling me into his arms. He’s as big as I remember him and his hug is just as warm as it was when I was eight years old.
“Knox?” I whisper, terrified that this is yet another dream.
“You’re home, Viv. You’re safe,” he says thickly, and I can hear the emotion in his voice, feel the tremble in his arms as he strokes my hair. In a moment, I revert to the eight-year-old who always had her big brother to protect her. “You’re home now. I’ve got you.” He pulls back and though his face is still a little banged up from his accident, his smile is wide and welcoming. A part of me was terrified that this meeting would be awkward, but it’s not. It’s…familiar. “Why don’t you come out so I can introduce you to my fiancée and my brothers!”
“Okay,” I say, turning to the driver’s side to speak to Kyle, but the seat is empty. My brows draw together as I step outside, but before I can look around for him, Knox throws his arm over my shoulders and pulls me to his side before turning me to face a pretty woman with the most gorgeous blue-gray eyes I’ve ever seen. There’s a warm smile on her face that I can’t help but return.
“Hi, Vivienne, I’ve heard so much about you. I’m Ruth.”
Then I find myself pulled into yet another embrace, and another and another. Knox is wearing a walking cast on his ankle, but it barely slows him down as he takes me around the clubhouse, introducing me to everyone as his little sister, pride heavy in his voice. Names are tossed my way and I find myself overwhelmed with the fact that everyone seems to know who I am. It dawns on me that this means Knox must talk about me to them. I realize that I’ve received more love in a couple of minutes than I have in the past ten years, and I revel in it.
Still, I can’t help but feel a sense of panic.
I don’t see Kyle once during the whole event. I search for his face in every corner and I feel myself grow anxious the longer I go without spotting him. Surely, he didn’t just leave, right? Not after everything we’ve been through together.
He promised me!
Chapter Eight
Kyle
I lay stretched out on the bed, staring up at the ceiling and cursing myself and my own stupidity. The muffled thrum of music seeps through the walls, blended with laughter and distant chatter. A constant reminder of the party happening on the rooftop terrace. The club holds a cookout every last Sunday of the month and despite not being a fully pledged member, I’ve always been welcomed to attend. I haven’t missed a single one in two years.
I skipped this one.
On that terrace, along with all the club members and their spouses, is the girl I’m madly in love with. I want nothing more in this world than to hold her, kiss her lips and enjoy the view of the city and Lake Michigan along with her. But I can’t do that, not until I get her brother’s blessing.
“Fuck!” I run a hand through my hair in frustration. She must think I abandoned her, and I’ll admit, not staying by her side while she met her brother was a dick move on my part. I should have stayed but then…everyone would have seen. On my face. In my eyes and body language. They would have known.
I want her.
And I didn’t want to get in the way of their reunion, so I stayed back. Knox would have kicked my ass for breaking his trust and seducing his sister. Christ, what it would have done to Viv—to watch two men she cares about get into a fight on her first day home.
It broke my heart, but I had to leave.
And now, I have to stay away until I get a moment alone with Knox. I bet it’s not going to happen today either, seeing how he’s occupied with the return of his sister and the cookout. Surely I can wait a couple more days. That is, if Viv doesn’t hate me by then.
My eyes drift to the open window where the city lights twinkle like distant stars. This room doesn’t provide the view the hotel back in Denver did, but it still draws me in. The thought of a walk, a solitary exploration of the night, starts to grow in my mind. I imagine the cool air and the busy streets will at least offer some reprieve from the ache in my stomach.
Fuck, I miss her.
It’s only been a day since I last saw her, but I miss her so fucking bad.
With a deep breath, I push myself up to slide on a hoodie and walk to the front door. A walk might just be the thing to take my mind off Vivienne. Even if it’s for a little while.
I pull the door open, ready to step into the hallway, and I freeze. Standing there, bathed in the dim light of the corridor, is Knox. His fist is raised, poised in midair, ready to knock. He appears surprised, but his face quickly morphs into a grin. “Well, looks like I just caught you. Are you headed up? To the party?”
I shake my head. “No, I was thinking of going out for a walk. I’m not feeling too good.”
He raises a thick brow and some emotion I don’t understand crosses his expression, but it’s gone before I can make sense of it. “There must be something in the air with the number of people feeling unwell tonight.”
My brows knit. “Is someone else sick?”
