I didn’t realize I’d finally drifted off until a knock on the door woke me up. “I’m busy!” I sat up and ran my hands through my hair. If I’d wanted to see Titus, I would have come down for lunch.
“It’s me,” he called from the hallway. I scowled at the door, ready to tell him that Iknewwho he— “Justus.”
Oh.
“It’s open.”
The younger Alexander brother came in and closed the door, and to his credit, he didn’t say anything about me lying alone in a dark room, in the middle of the day.
“Marc called.” He sat on the edge of the bed, and I scooted forward to join him, my legs dangling over the side. “He’s a few minutes away.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
“I want you to know that you don’t have to do this.” Justus pinned me with his serious gaze, and it was like looking at a younger version of Titus. “I made mistakes, and I’m ready to pay for them.”
“You had no idea what you were doing.” I scrounged up a small smile. “You need training and support, not punishment.”
Justus nodded. And for a moment, we sat in a surprisingly comfortable silence.
“Are you packed?” he asked at last.
I glanced at the suitcase standing next to the door. I had packed it, but… “I’m not taking anything.” Wearing the clothes Titus had bought me would only make it that much harder to forget him.
And Ihadto forget him. I couldn’t spend the rest of my life in the Southeast Pride, thinking about what I’d lost. What I’d given up.
“Abby can have the clothes. She’ll have to have them taken in, though.” I shrugged. “Or the guys can donate them to charity.”
“Robyn, I…” Justus cleared his throat and started over. “I wanted to say thank you. My brother would never have found me without you. Drew would have killed me.” He threw his arms around me in a hug that smelled like Titus, but felt much more…fragile.
Justus feltsoyoung.
“Oh, hon, Titus would never have let that happen.” I rubbed his back, blinking away tears. “He would take care of you no matter what. He let himself get kicked out of the Pride to protect you.”
“And you’re doing the same thing. I just… I want you to know how much you mean to him.” He let me go and met my gaze with a teary one of his own. “Titus has never called anyone his girlfriend before. It sounds stupid, but that’shugefor him.”
I sniffled back more tears.
From outside came the swelling rumble of an engine as it drove closer. Marc had arrived.
“Thank you for telling me that.” I pulled Justus into another brief hug, blinking away my tears. “You’re going to be fine. You’re going to hate every second of their ‘rehabilitation’ but you’re going to be fine.”
The vehicle stopped out front, and the engine died. I turned to the window as a car door closed.Time’s up.
I stood, and Justus stood with me. “At least we’ll be together. For the drive, anyway,” I said.
We found Marc in the kitchen, contemplating a leftover omelet Knox was trying to get him to eat. He seemed to be hesitating over the arugula.
They both turned when they heard our footsteps. “Robyn.” Marc held his arms open, and I reluctantly accepted a hug, in spite of the tiny handprint-shaped stain on his shirt that smelled like SpaghettiOs. “And you must be Justus.” He let me go and stuck one hand out for Titus’s brother to shake.
“Yes. Sir.” Justus accepted the hand and shook it firmly. He looked terrified, yet dignified. Just like his brother. “I want to say thanks for this.”
“Don’t thank me yet.” Marc grinned. “You won’t truly know what you’ve gotten into until Faythe hauls you out of the bathroom because pregnant women always have dibs.”
What?Justus got to spend his rehabilitation with Faythe and Marc, while I got stuck with the Di Carlos?
“You ready?” Marc asked him, as Titus appeared in the doorway.
Titus looked at me, and a world of emotion swirled in his gray-eyed gaze. I wanted to go to him. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and kiss him goodbye, at least. But that would make this so much harder.
