“I know what you mean,” Troy set his phone on the side table and rested his arms in front of him.
I sat on the chair beside his bed, looking at the bandages embracing most of his limbs and ribcage. “I talked to Ryan. Said that hit wasn’t you. It could have happened to any one of them.”
My brother nodded. “Yeah, but I was heading for minors with or without the hit.”
“I’m sorry it took me this long to come. I’ve…”
“You’re busy, I know. It’s all good. I’ve got plenty of hot nurses coming through that door than I can count. I’m not bored trust me.” He laughed and I chuckled too, loving how relieved and calm he finally looked.
It was a breath of fresh air.
“I think both our jobs have been killing us both slowly.”
Troy’s eyes finally met mine head on. “I might be the one injured here, but yours has taken years out of your life.”
I couldn’t argue that. It sure felt like that most days.
“You know how to play, Troy. I watched all your games last year. You just need patience.”
“My mind doesn’t work like yours, August. This game. I don’t know how you do it, but you’re amazing.” He shook his head like it disappointed him. “And I took it away from you.”
“No one has the power to take anything from me unless I give it away.”
“Okay, Shakespeare.” My twin rolled his eyes.
I leaned in. “I don’t want you to think that you took away any kind of dream of mine. I didn’t plan on going pro like you did. That scene is not me. I know numbers, I know finance, I know how to run a team of analysts and make other people’s money multiply.”
Troy nodded, seeming satisfied with my reassurance.
What I wasn’t going to say out loud was that it had also made me something I never thought I’d become.
Cold, angry, impatient, bitter…
And hurtful.
I hurt Harper, even after I thought she might have had real feelings for me—not my brother—I threw her out of my office like she was a lost intern.
I ran a rough hand across my face and stood. “Better get well for Thanksgiving. I can’t take those two alone for four days.”
He chuckled. “I don’t think mom is giving me much of a choice, she’s ready to have this bed transferred over to the downstairs guestroom.”
We laughed because it was just like Grace Hartman to do that.
“I’m sorry about Harper, August. The things I said…they were aimed at you—had nothing to do with her.”
“You were right about one thing. She’s not an idiot.”
“She knew?”
I nodded.
He scoffed. “Figures. There’s no way she’d ever look at me the way she looks at you.”
A sinking sensation settled into my gut. “Any idea where she’s going?”
Troy shook his head, not surprised by my curiosity. “I know that the visit was impromptu on her way to the airport. But no, she didn’t say.”
There was a painful throbbing in my chest the second Harper walked out of the hospital room. Or maybe it started seconds before she did. When her golden hair flipped and brown eyes turned to wash over us with a final smile that was so genuine, it screamed goodbye.
