Except I know that’s a lie. I would’ve wanted to hear his voice to tell the truth. To see his face and see if that faraway gaze was still in his eyes.
The truth is my concern over him will not be put to rest until I see him.
And I’m hoping that he isn’t“too busy”today.
Connor and I take a weekend trip over to Stonesville, Pennsylvania where the Vipers MC are located every weekend since we had to stay there for one week back when Alice’s life was in danger.
Connor fell in love with the place and even more so with the people. And I would be lying if I didn’t say the same for myself.
In such a short amount of time they welcomed us into their family.
Sometimes it’s the family that you choose that loves you more than the one you are born into.
“You ready, champ?” I ask him as he buckles in his seat. He turns to me with a wide smile on his face. His eyes shinning brightly.
“Yeah!” He replies excitedly. His excitement is infectious. “Do you think Oak will be there?” There’s hope in his voice that I don’t have the heart to kill.
I throw on a fake smile. “I’m sure he’ll find the time.”He fucking better or I’ll hunt him down myself.
He nods his head. “I want to show him that I aced my test.”
I let one hand go on the steering wheel for a second to ruffle his hair. His squeal of laughter fills the car. “I’m so proud of you, champ.”
“You’re always proud of me.”
“True,” I laugh softly.
“I’m proud of you, too,” he says ever so quietly. I swear my heart stops beating.
“You are?” My voice is unnaturally high.
I see him nod his head through my peripheral vision. “I’m the proudest brother in the world. There’s no one like you, sis.”
Now my heart clenches. Tears press at the back of my eyes as I try to swallow pass the lump in my throat. It shouldn’t make me this emotional. Hearing my brother, my much younger yet wise brother say he’s proud of me shouldn’t have me wanting to cry.
“Any reason for trying to make me cry?” I joke to cover up how emotional I am.
He smiles softly. “I don’t say it enough.”
“It’s okay.”
“But I should more often. When you say you’re proud of me it makes me happy,” he pauses before adding, “I want to make you happy, too.”
There it is, my heart being squeezed to death by emotions. The lump in my throat grows tenfold and this time I can’t press back the tears.
I sniffle, wiping my nose with the back of my hand after I wipe away the few tears. “I am happy, Connor,” I tell him. “You make me the happiest sister in the world.”
“Then why are you crying?”
“Because I’m so very happy.”
“That’s weird,” he comments and I can’t help but laugh at that.
“No, it’s not,” I playfully disagree with him.
“Are you going to cry every time I tell you I’m proud of you?”
“Maybe.”
