I ate the whole bag within a couple of minutes and when Cain silently handed me another, I took that one and tore into it, eatingthe entire thing before settling back in the seat and watching the clouds give way to land.
And only one thing came to mind when the landing gear hit the runway a few minutes later.
Fuck you, Eric. I’m going home.
One lookat my brother and I knew he hadn’t kept his promise. But it was hard to care when he wrapped his big arms around me and held onto me like nothing else in the world mattered.
“Don’t ever scare the fucking shit out of me like that ever again, do you hear me?” he growled in my ear as he held onto me.
I nodded. “Sorry,” I croaked as tears filled my eyes.
Devon didn’t seem to care that we were standing in the middle of the walkway leading to his house for all his neighbors to see. He just held on to me as I wept against his chest and then he was pushing me back so he could get a good look at me. I could tell he didn’t like what he saw. While my bruises had healed quite a bit, they were far from gone.
“I’m going to kill him,” he whispered.
I shook my head, but before I could even say anything, I felt him stiffen. I separated from him long enough to see his eyes were on Cain. I hadn’t explained anything to Devon about Ronan and Cain and how they were helping me, but I knew I’d have to now.
“Devon, this is Cain. He’s my…my…”
I was at a complete loss as to what to call him. Friend was probably a stretch. Bodyguard just sounded scary and would set my brother off even further, though since he’d read my note, I doubted he could get much more upset than he already was.
“I’m here to make sure Ethan stays safe,” was all Cain said. He looked tense and I didn’t miss the way he kept looking around the neighborhood.
Watching for Eric, probably.
We’d ended up circling the neighborhood several times before Cain had pulled the rental car into the driveway of my brother’s sedate Craftsman style house. At 45, Devon was the perpetual bachelor, but it was a lifestyle he seemed content with. Although, since I hadn’t seen him in almost four years, he could be married with kids for all I knew.
The realization of how much I’d missed had pain shooting through my veins.
“Can we go inside?” I asked since I wasn’t sure I could keep it together and I didn’t want to embarrass myself in front of the few neighbors who were out and about.
Devon nodded and put his arm around my shoulders as he led me up the walkway. His house looked the same inside as it had four years earlier so I suspected I hadn’t missed a big event with him like a wedding or a new baby, but it didn’t ease the knowledge that I’d been so blinded by my need to be with Eric that I hadn’t been the brother I should have been.
“Sit,” Devon murmured as he motioned to the couch. “Do you want something to eat or drink?”
“No,” I said softly. Cain also declined and I felt him settle down on the couch next to me which left the armchair for Devon. I wasn’t surprised when he turned it so he was facing me.
“Ethan,” he said softly, though he was saying it more like he couldn’t believe I was there.
I reached out to grab his hand. “I’m okay,” I whispered.
He nodded. My big, tough brother looked so distressed that another round of guilt went through me. “You read it, didn’t you?” I asked.
Another nod. “Four years, Ethan. And then six months ago, the cops show up here looking for you. Saying you’d taken the daughter of a man you’d been stalking.”
I flinched because I hadn’t realized that was the angle Eric had come up with. The irony was almost too much.
“I messed up, Devon…not with taking Lucy,” I clarified. “The things I said to you guys…”
Memories of the cruel words I’d flung at my family as they’dtried to convince me Eric was no good for me filtered through me like little shards of glass.
“None of that matters,” Devon said firmly. “We knew you didn’t mean what you said.”
I nodded and glanced at Cain. I hated that he would be seeing yet another side of me. I wondered if there’d ever be a chance for me to show him I was something besides a weak, stupid, foolish man.
“Tell me everything,” Devon insisted. “From the beginning.”
I sighed because I really didn’t want to have to tell my story again, but I knew I owed it to him. “Can…can we wait until the whole family is together so I only have to tell it once?” I asked.
