I smirked. “Same thing. Now, tell me what you’re going to say. Pretend I’m Axel.”
He exhaled and nodded. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” He stood and paced again as he steepled his fingers to his lips. The T-shirt he was wearing hugged his chest and biceps like it was custom-made for him. Mason’s physique wasn’t like a typical center. He was built more like Evan, making me wonder if he’d ever played a different position. Once again, I found myself thinking about him in a more than friendly way. And it made me wonder about Hudson, and how he never doubted his attraction to Evan. He just went with it, and look how that turned out.
Rattling off what he wanted to say, he waited for my approval. “What do you think?”
I allowed myself a moment to look at him in a different light. “I think that’s good. Ready to do it now while you have it on your mind?”
He nodded and took a seat beside me. “Yeah. But what if I wake him?”
I raised a brow. “It’s almost nine. It will be okay.”
Looking around for his phone, he popped up and found it quickly before handing it to me. “Put it in.”
His eyes closed, then he covered his face. I pretended not to pick up on the sexual innuendo. Pulling up the file with Axel’sinformation, I typed it in, then placed it on the table in front of him. “Okay. You’re all set.”
Mason looked at his phone, then picked it up. His hands were shaking as he looked back up with fear in his eyes. I offered him some privacy. “I can step out of the room if you’d...”
“No way,” he answered before I finished my sentence. He took another deep breath and reached for my hand. “I need my best friend with me, if you don’t mind staying. I may need a second set of ears if I don’t remember a thing.”
I squeezed his hand and fought off the urge to kiss his cheek. I was proud of him for sharing his feelings. “I’ve got your back. No matter what.”
Mason’s eyes trailed down to my mouth before his eyes found mine again. When he was ready, he released my hand and stared at the number. With a shaky hand, he pressed the call button. As soon as the clock started, he pressed the speakerphone.
I was nervous for him. But as one ring stopped and another started, my fear that he wouldn’t answer set in. Right before it went to voicemail, the call connected, and a man with a British accent answered. But he didn’t say hello. He shocked us both.
“Took you long enough, little brother.”
Chapter 16
Mason
I paced from the front door to the kitchen, waiting for Axel to arrive. Once I was able to form words during the initial call, Thomas suggested we meet at our house to avoid an audience. It would give us privacy to talk.
“Once he arrives, I’ll go out and give you some time alone.”
That wouldn’t work. “No.” I heard the commanding tone, making Thomas’s brows lift. “You need to stay here.Ineed you to stay here. Please?… If you want.”
He raised his hands in surrender, but deep down, I knew he’d never really leave me. The appearance of the soft lines around his eyes when he smiled settled me. “Okay, Champ. I won’t leave you. I’ll stay here.”
With that settled, I looked around, not knowing what to do with myself. My skin was a buzz, and there was a good chance I might pass out. Excited, yet terrified. My usual go-to for dealing with my anxiety, going out for a run, was out of the question. “Do you think…” I paused, looking over my shoulder. “Is it too early for a beer?”
Thomas’s mouth twitched as he glanced down at his watch. “I would say it’s never too early if you actuallylikedbeer. But youdon’t.” Approaching with a smile on his face, he put his hands on my shoulders. “What can I do to distract you?”
I opened my arms wide. “Hug me,” I blurted. “Hold me so tight that you squeeze the anxiety out of me.”
Thomas’s brows shot up as he barked out a laugh. When he failed to detect humor in my statement, his expression changed as he tightened his hold, swiping his thumbs across my neck. “Seriously? That’s what you want from me?”
I never broke eye contact, trying to convey how much he meant to me. “It’s what I need.” Just as I started to explain, it was what my father used to do, a knock sounded on the door. My eyes widened as my heart jolted in my chest as if I’d been shocked with a defibrillator. Frozen in my tracks, the knock sounded again.
“You’ve got this, Champ. Go meet your brother,” he whispered. His words were the fortitude I needed to ground me and move me past my spinning thoughts. Grabbing the doorknob, I looked over my shoulder at Thomas, who smiled like he was proud of me. I smiled back, then I opened the door.
Axel’s back was to me, but when he turned, I met the same eyes I saw in the photos. Same build, same height, same everything. We stared at one another, cataloguing everything about the other, until the novelty disappeared and reality sank in. And I started to cry.
Like the big brother I’d always longed for, Axel stepped through the doorway and held his arms open to me. Without a word, he took me into his arms as I stepped into his embrace without hesitation. There weren’t enough words to describe the feelings running through me. Elation, relief, a sense of being whole for the first time, and more importantly, the chasm I’d felt in my soul most of my life was suddenly gone.
Axel held me as hot tears dripped onto his shoulder. I detected the same reaction in the hitch of his breathing. Whenhe released me, he held on to my arms as tightly as I’d held onto him. Without letting go, he looked over at Thomas, then held out his hand, introducing himself. “Axel Hughes. Who might you be?”
“Thomas Kingsley.” His eyes found mine. “I’m your brother’s best friend.”
