Mostly.
“I thought you said you were glad Sam and Nate would be nearby to keep an eye on him?”
“I am glad about that, but that doesn’t mean Ilikethe whole of what he’s doing.”
“His choice,” Landon reminded her as he loaded the dishwasher.
Meanwhile Aly still stood at the doorway of the kitchen, staring out at where Cal had left some fifteen minutes ago.
“Hisbadchoice.And I just don’t understand.”She turned back to face him, that hurt look in her eyes that he hated.
Because he never wanted to see her hurt.And he couldn’t seem to force his will on the world around them to make sure she wasn’t.
“His space hereisprivate.The only thing he shares with us is a kitchen.Why isn’t it good enough?”
Landon didn’t answer that question, even though hehadanswers.Cal had been helping out at the ranch when he’d been home, and it was nice, but it wasn’t… it wasn’tCal.Landon figured his older brother had remembered what he’d loved about being a lawyer during Dad’s case.In Landon’s estimation, that… whatever it was… had saved Cal from falling any deeper into all his issues.
Cal didn’t want to be a rancher.Landon wasn’t altogether sure Cal wanted to be a Bennet.He certainly didn’t want to be around a soon-to-be-married couple when he was… well, alone.
But Aly would have an argument for every one of those points, so Landon kept them to himself.They finished cleaning up the kitchen in a quiet, companionable silence, but Landon knew she was stewing.
He’d learned, the hard way sometimes, he had to let her.So he didn’t introduce a new topic or try to talk more about this one.They went through their normal bedtime routine with a few shared words, but mostly that easy silence, putting on pajamas, taking turns at the tiny bathroom sink brushing teeth.Aly turned down the covers.Landon got into bed, leaning against the headboard and holding out his arm so she would sit next to him and lean in.
She did, and he felt her tight shoulders relax under his arm.
“Do youreallythink he should be alone?”she asked quietly.
Landon considered the question.It didn’t sit right, but he wasn’t very good with words—especially ones that dealt with feelings.He knew some simple truths, though.
A year ago, they would have had this conversation—but not in their shared bed.Not with the option to have his arm around her, not with any knowledge of what it felt like to kiss her.To hear her sayI love you.And be able to say it back.
Which somehow made his answer easy.
He gave her shoulders a squeeze.“He’s not alone, Aly.None of us are anymore.No matter where we live.”
She looked up at him and even though her blue eyes were still a little sad, she smiled at him.
Then she pressed her mouth to his.“I love you,” she murmured.
“Say the other thing,” he replied, keeping her close, wanting to hear her laugh.
She rolled her eyes, huffed out a fake, irritated breath.“You’re right, Iguess.”
Then they laughed together.
Chapter Four
Honor’s Edge Investigations Office
“You’re okay withthis, right?”Sam hung up her coat on the hooks next to the back door of the office.She’d gotten the rental papers from the realtor last night and would hand them over to Cal to sign this morning.But she still had the nagging feeling there was something Nate wasn’t telling her about how he felt about this.
Nate hung up his coat, too, after scraping the slushy snow off his boots.“It’s your apartment, Sam.”
“It’s your brother, Nate.”
Nate glanced up the staircase next to them that led up to Sam’s old apartment, where Cal had spent the night.“Who is also an adult who can make his own decisions.”
“But you don’tlikehis decisions,” Sam continued.
