“I know what you mean,” she said. “Like I’ll be going about my day, feeling like a normal person, and then a mother anddaughter will come in after a day of shopping and I’ll remember,that’s what I lost.”
I nodded. “Exactly. And when people ask me if I have brothers and sisters, I never really know what to say.”
“I understand,” she said.
I knew from the pain in her eyes that she did. “Thank you. It’s nice to talk to someone who gets it.”
She flashed me a wry smile. “Not a club either of us wanted to be in, but at least we’re not alone.” She hesitated. “I’m so so glad Bram has you, Maeve.”
“I don’t know that I’m any help. He doesn’t talk much about what happened to your parents.”
She nodded. “Yeah, he’s never been great at the feelings stuff, but it was bad for him, being in the car when it happened, surviving when our parents didn’t.”
“I can’t imagine.”
“I think he just kind of… shut down, you know? And I thought that was the way he was now, the way he’d be forever. And then he met you.”
I stared at my lap. “I thought he hated me at first.”
I looked up when she laughed. “I’m not surprised. He hates anything that makes him human. And you, Maeve, you make him human. You make himwantto be human.”
I swallowed around the lump in my throat. “That might be the nicest thing anybody’s ever said to me.”
“It’s true.” She grinned. “I’m really glad my brother pulled his head out of his ass before it was too late.”
I returned her smile. “Me too.”
I felt Bram’s return before I saw him, felt the vacuum of his energy, like all the air had been sucked out of the room.
Except now it didn’t feel threatening.
Now it felt like a harbor from the storm, quiet and still.
“Give me one sec,” Cassie said, standing.
My body warmed from the inside out when Bram bent to kiss me in front of everyone. “You good?” he asked.
“I’m good.”
Cassie returned holding a picnic basket — complete with a red gingham liner peeking out of the top — that looked like it belonged in a storybook. “Here’s that stuff you wanted.”
Bram looked down at the picnic basket in her hands. “Seriously, Cass?”
“It’s all in there.” Her smile was mischievous, and I had a feeling this was a bit between them: Cassie pushing his buttons, Bram pretending to be annoyed.
I looked from one of them to the other. “What is even happening right now?”
Bram took the basket from Cassie and grabbed my hand. “Let’s get out of here, before Cassie finds more ways to get her kicks at my expense.”
She was still grinning when I turned to look at her.
30
MAEVE
We headed backtoward the loft, except instead of pulling into the lot, Bram drove right past it toward the dead end on Main Street.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
