After a long, penetrating inspection of my features, he blew out a defeated breath. “If that’s what you want.”
It wasn’t what I wanted, not by a long shot, but when I nodded, Milo dropped his hands and stood to go speak to his mother and Libby in hushed tones that barely registered in my ears. When the three of them came back out to the waitingroom, Libby flipped off the lights and locked the door behind us, then they bundled me into Terry’s car.
Before closing the door, Milo crouched down and took my face in his hands. “I don’t know what’s going on in that beautiful head of yours, Eden, but I don’t like this. I promised I’d back off when you need time to process, so that’s the only reason I’m not pushing you to talk this through right now.”
“It’ll be okay,” I whispered.
“It will,” he whispered back. “Because I love you. This wasn’t how I imagined saying it, but I want you to know before you leave here. I love you and we will sort all of this out.”
I drew in a shuddering breath, wishing like hell I could give that back to him, but fear tightened my lungs until I couldn’t speak another word.
Milo, as always, didn’t need words to see what was in my heart. He searched my expression, smiled slightly, and leaned in to kiss my forehead. Though I managed not to burst out crying, I felt one tear sneak past my eyelids and roll slowly down my cheek.
“I’m here for you,” Milo murmured, “and, eventually, you’ll believe that. Get some sleep. You know where to find me when you’re ready.”
I gave a tight nod as he backed away, closed my door, and lifted his hand in silent farewell as his mother slid behind the wheel. It took every ounce of strength I possessed to keep it together until I got inside my silent apartment, where I curled up in a tight ball on the couch and let the sobs loose.
Once everything had poured out of me, I retreated to my bed, squeezed my eyes shut so tight that pinpricks of light danced behind my eyelids, and let the aching emptiness in my chest suck me down.
If my brother was behind any of this, then I was the only one who could stop it.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Milo
Thiswaswrong.Iwas wrong. Letting Eden walk away was the worst mistake I could have made. I knew it the minute my mom’s car pulled away from the curb, but it was too late to call her back.
If only I’d been next to her when it happened, I could have shielded her, protected her.
Now I was standing in Dueling Dragons, holding plywood against the window as my dad and brother secured it to the frame. Olivia and Adelaide had swept up the glass, one of the gamers had carefully vacuumed every shelf within the danger zone, and the brick had been bagged up as evidence and taken. Only the three of us remained.
“She’s going to be okay,” Mark said quietly.
I wasn’t surprised he’d cottoned on to my distress, but I didn’t particularly want to discuss it with him right then, either, so I just muttered, “Yeah.”
Dad gave me the side-eye as he drilled another screw into the wall. “Is there something going on with you two? She seemed a little out of sorts at our house the other night.”
“She’s…I don’t know. Not used to sharing her feelings when things go bad, I think. Not used to letting somebody in when she’s hurting. When everything is good, she’s affectionate and forthcoming, but I’m not sure she knows how to let others support her when things are shitty.”
“You managed to turn the night around on Sunday,” Dad mused. “I would think you can handle that again.”
“Yeah. Except I think this time there was more to it than just sorting through her own feelings. Tonight, she was in shock when it first happened, but she seemed to be coming around again after the stitches were done. Then she went to talk to Rose, and a switch flipped.”
“You think Rose said something that freaked her?” Mark asked.
“Maybe. All I know is she panicked and shut me out. Maybe she blames me for getting her hurt?”
“Not a chance,” my father said with a snort.
Mark studied me for a second, then said, “You should go to her when we’re done here. Clear things up instead of making assumptions.”
“How can I do that when I promised I’d back off if she needed space? I don’t know how to do what she asked while still trying to break through those walls.”
Both of them went quiet. There was no easy answer, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t hoping one of them would suggest some magic fix. I leaned my forehead against the plywood, still trying to forget the sight of Eden’s arm covered in blood.
“She’s it for me.”
The words tumbled from my lips and the silence between us grew heavy. Mark had almost lost any chance with the love of his life when he didn’t speak up, and even if things had worked out in the end, we all knew he regretted losing those years with Libby as more than just a friend.
