**
When I walked into Gran Morsi with Bailey a step behind, I spied Grady immediately. The hostess was about to greet us, but I pointed across the restaurant. “It’s okay. I see my brother.”
Lauren glanced our way, and a satisfied smile tugged up her lips. She leaned in to tell Grady, who stood as we approached.
“Bro. Looking good.” He hugged me. “Bailey, I had a feeling I’d be seeing you.” They shook hands.
“Glad to make your night,” he joked, and Lauren kissed his cheek before hugging me. We sat, me by Grady, Bailey next to Lauren. She couldn’t stop beaming.
“You definitely made mine. I said to Grady the night of the housewarming party that you two make a gorgeous couple, and after you left the cabin last weekend, I’d hoped you could work it out because I knew there was something special between the two of you.”
I gave Bailey a look. “I think we have.”
Grady put a hand to his brow, and I nudged his shoulder. “What’s wrong?” I’d never seen Grady get emotional.
He lifted his head, and I met his watery eyes. “I’m just so damn grateful you’re finally happy. I know you don’t like to talk about your feelings, and you don’t have to with me, but now that you have Bailey, I know you’ll be okay.”
Throat tight, I couldn’t speak, but glancing across the table at Bailey, I could see he understood without me saying a word and held out his hand. I took it, and his comforting squeeze was all I needed. The power of touch from someone who loved you could heal even the most wounded heart.
“Well, I have often been referred to as a lifesaver,” Bailey announced, and as usual, he brought humor to the situation.
“Funny, that’s not what I’ve called you.”
“Keep it PG, Keston.” Bailey wagged a finger at me. “There’s a lady present.” Releasing my hand, he hitched his chair closer to the table and directed the full extent of his attention to Lauren. “Can we talk shop for a minute before the fun starts? I have an issue to discuss with you.”
At that moment the server appeared, and Grady beckoned him. “We need a bottle of champagne—Roederer if you have it. We’re celebrating.”
“Babe”—Lauren blew him a kiss—“that’s so sweet and perfect. Now what were you saying, Bailey?”
The two of them got right to it, and I watched Bailey as he recounted the problems he’d discovered while studying Lucas’s file. Lauren listened intently. When he finished, I couldn’t help interjecting.
“What do you think, Lauren? Is there a chance the cops screwed up?”
She made a face. “It happens. They might’ve been overeager to make an arrest, or they knew there were drugs but couldn’t prove it, so they hoped an overworked lawyer wouldn’t pick up on it.” She refocused on Bailey. “Let me poke around a bit and see what I can find. It’s not my division, but I know people. Give me your number, and I’ll let you know.”
Grady leaned closer to me. “You’re looking at Bailey like he walks on water. He’s a great lawyer, you know. Not everyone has to work for a big firm to be a success.”
“Yeah, I know. There’s a lot more to him than people see.”
“Like you.” Grady nudged my shoulder. “I know you think people might look down on you for not going to college, but notthe people who count. The road of life is paved with people’s broken dreams, and it’s not a smooth path. Everyone needs to find their own way to safety. And wherever it leads them, they’ll always have to learn to walk it alone the first time. But don’t cut yourself off from me because of misconceptions you have about my friends. They don’t judge—trust me, you’d be surprised at the similarities you all share. Most importantly, Lauren loves you. She’s dying to start her own family traditions of big Sunday family dinners, and you’re an integral part of that. My family.”
For so many years I’d lived in my own world, sounds muted, colors faded. I’d only allowed Grady to see part of that because he’d climbed so high above me, I figured he’d gotten the brains and I was the brother people would whisper about.
That’s Keston. He’s gay, you know. Works at a tattoo parlor. One of those types.
“I didn’t think I deserved to be happy. That you were putting up with me because you had to, and one day you’d get sick of my shit and move on. And if you did, I wouldn’t know how to make it right again.”
Grady’s brown eyes filled with emotion, and I struggled to keep my own in check, but something shifted inside me, like the unraveling of a tight bandage that had held my broken pieces together until they’d begun to mend. I could breathe, and the air was fresh with promise and hope instead of clogged with bitterness and despair.
“Sorry to disappoint you, little brother, but you’re stuck with me. Like a permanent tattoo.”
“Maybe we need to add to our collection. Our own personal rebirth day.”
Grady squeezed my shoulder. “That would be amazing.”
Bailey and Lauren continued to chat about cases they’d had and the judges they’d faced, but I knew my man wasn’t whole. Bailey needed to come to grips with his own family issues. And I’d be right by his side to help him.
Chapter Twenty-Four
