“Away from you,” Memphis grumbled as he wadded the pillow under his arm. He yanked the top blanket off the bed and headed out of the room.
“Why? What did I say?”
Memphis froze in place. Was the guy so self-absorbed that he couldn’t actually see it? “Nothing,” he finally spat. “Maybe you’re right. Idosee things differently now.”
And with that, he tore out of the room, moved through the kitchen, and headed through the back exit of the lodge. Sure, he could always join Emmitt up in the loft, but the cool air would do him good.
Once he’d dragged his bedding onto the outdoor deck, Memphis set up his bed, plopped onto the blanket, and looked up at the stars.
Did Maverick honestly think Memphis enjoyed living in his shadow all that time? Even as the question came to him, he knew that a part of himdidlike it. The shadows were a safe place to be. It was comfortable to wait on the sidelines while his brother took center stage. Sure, he got the glory when it came—whatever that might be—but Maverick also assumed the risk of putting himself out there. Something Memphis wasn’t so willing to do.
Since Maverick injured himself, Memphis had spent a good amount of time out from under that shadow. Maybe that’s why he was seeing things more clearly. Memphis sensed a new part of him was taking shape, and he liked it.
A similar thing had taken place the year Maverick became too sick to go to astronaut camp. In his brother’s absence, Memphis had become a whole new kid. He’d gained a strand of confidence he hadn’t known before. One built solely on himself and not his connection to the self-proclaimed kingpin that became the life of every party he attended.
When he came home, Memphis fully expected to assert himself more. To show Maverick, and everyone else who knew them, that he could be outspoken and clever in his own right. But the days—heck, even the hours following his return—proved the attempt futile. It was too late. Their roles had already been established. Maverick knew his, and it was best that Memphis accepted his own.
A sharp prick of irritation dug into him as he pictured Maverick swaggering into the Little Buckeroos class to help out each day. Next, Memphis pictured his new friendships among the construction crew working on the lodge. He’d learned a lot from them as he stepped in to help out where needed—may as well learn a new skill and make himself useful. In doing so, Memphis had grown close to a good many of them. How soon would Maverick start barging in on their trips to the Pub & Grill? How quickly would Memphis shrink into the corner and let his brother take center stage?
A wave of guilt swept in, but Memphis worked to push it aside. People outgrow things all the time. It just so happened that what Memphis had outgrown was playing second fiddle to his twin brother.
Memphis needed to assert himself more often. To resist the urge to cower in the corner for his brother’s sake. More importantly, he’d need to stand firm in his development with Ty. Whether there was any real potential between them or not, that remained to be seen. If things didn’t work out between them, he could handle that just fine. But what hecouldn’tfathom was the thought of losing his shot with her because of Maverick.
When Maverick found out that Richard had fallen in love with Ava while he was recovering from his accident, he’d punched Richard right in the face. Memphis thought it was unreasonable at the time. But now, as he lay beneath the stars and considered a similar scenario playing out with Maverick and Ty, Memphis could see for himself how someone might get pushed to that point.
A dose of air filled his lungs, causing his chest to puff high. If Maverick thought he was going to swoop in and steal Ty’s attention away from him, that guy had another thing coming.
