“What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Surprising you! We didn’t want you to be alone for the holidays when…” She stopped, her gaze catching mine for the first time. Her eyes went wide. “Oh my god, Atlas Amber.”
I hadn’t heard my shitty stage last name in a long,longtime.
Ryan slapped his hand over his face as she slid out of his arms and backed up until she hit the bearded guy’s outstretched arm. “Gracie.”
He’d said that name before, but with the sound of her voice, it triggered a visceral memory of the accident.
“Gracie, honey, how we doing?”
“You were driving the ambulance,” I blurted.
Her grin melted into something softer. “Yeah. Oh my god, I can’t believe he found you. Ryan! Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I didn’t know he was going to be here,” he hissed. “This was unexpected.”
“It’s fate!” she cried. She took a step toward me like she was going to hug me, and I stiffened. Her—partner? Husband?—pulled her back at the last second.
It wasn’t like I didn’t enjoy hugs, but I’d had a lifetime of fans touching me without my consent, and having nearly a full year without that happening had been nice. And with my legs feeling unstable today, I didn’t want it.
I wasn’t in the mood to fall in front of a lobby of strangers.
“I’m sorry,” she said quickly, taking the man’s hand. “It’s just…I’m so glad you’re okay. And that you two found each other. He hasn’t shut up about you since that night.”
Ryan let out a breath, then managed a smile that looked closer to a grimace. “Gracie, Hasan, this is Atlas. Atlas, this is Gracie, my former partner?—”
“Excuse you, best friend!”
“—and her fiancé, my best friend.”
She looked outraged while Hasan covered a laugh. “You’re demoted from man of honor.”
Ryan shrugged. “I can live with it. That’s what you get for stalking me on my vacation.”
I bit my lip. First, my brother and best friend, now this? It was either a sign we had no business being together, or…
“Are you going to breakfast?” Gracie asked. “We can talk about it then.”
“We’re meeting some people,” he said.
“Ooh. Famous people?” Gracie asked, darting a glance at me.
“Famous pains in my ass,” I answered dryly. “It’s my brother and my friend.”
“So you’re the only sad sack of single shit who came to an island over New Year’s by himself?” Gracie asked Ryan.
“Nope.” Ryan smiled and threaded his arm around my crutch to cinch it around my waist in a possessive hold. God, that felt good. “Atlas got stalked too. Y’all should become best friends after this and maybe leave us alone.”
“I mean, I get it,” Gracie said, waving her hand.
“I think we’re cursed,” Ryan murmured, dipping close to my ear.
I wanted to bring up the whole running away thing again. It had been a joke before. Now it was sounding like a good idea.
“Unclench your butthole,” Gracie said. “We’re not going to bother you. We didn’t even get rooms at this hotel.”
“Fantastic.” Ryan turned to look at me. “Should we invite them?”
