9
Taylor
The next morning, I let Paige sleep in and Maisey and I snuck out of bed to cookbreakfast.
Shivering, I padded my way down the stairs in my boxers, hugging my arms into my bare chest. “Jesus, it’s cold, huh, Maisey?” She turned those big, brown eyes at me and pushed her nose into the closeddoor.
Stupidly, I’d left my duffel bag downstairs with all my clothes, so I had to roll out of bed freezing, wearing basically nothing. I bent, quickly grabbing a pair of sweatpants and a long-sleeved t-shirt. I didn’t quite have the shirt overhead yet, but with Maisey whining and pawing at the door, I opened it for her, still halfnaked.
She bolted out into the snow, nearly knocking over a startled looking Scott, there at the front door, ready toknock.
He looked as shocked as me, standing there in his down winter coat with the hood pulled up around his ears. “Taylor,” his gaze swept down my body, pausing briefly at my shirt that was still only halfway on revealing my bare abs. “What the hell areyou—”
His gaze shifted from me to the staircase and back again to me. His voice lowered into a dangerous whisper. “You better not just be using her. I swear to god, I don’t care if you are my brother. Or if I am sorry for lying to you… I’ll kick your ass so hard, you won’t be able to play in this year’s Super Bowl. Which will suck for both of us because then all of New England will blame me if welose.”
I put out a hand in an effort to calm him down. “Easy, Scott. I’m not just usingher.”
His blue eyes narrowed even more. The same shade of blue as mine. And even though his hair was lighter, somewhere between mine and Paige’s coloring, I couldn’t deny he and I looked a hell of a lot alike. For the first time since high school, I was face to face with mybrother. And I didn’t feel so alone in thisworld.
A lump lodged in the center of mythroat.
“You’re not?” heasked.
“I’m not. I’m also not going to stand here and profess eternal love. She and I only just reconnected last night, but I can tell you that I like her. And I want to see where thisgoes.”
Like a single piece of chocolate on a summer’s sidewalk, I watched as his expression melted. “Okay, then,” he said quietly. “I, uh, I came by to shovel her walk,” he hitched his thumb over his shoulder. “And check on her. See if she wanted to do breakfast together since it’s Christmas Eve and all, but…” His gaze flicked briefly again to the stairs. “Obviously she has other planstoday.”
He cleared his throat and as he turned to leave, giving a quick pat on Maisey’s head, I called out, “Scott,wait.”
He froze, his shoulders tightening around his ears and spun slowly to faceme.
“I was going to come find you today,” I began, but the words tapered off. What was I trying tosay?
His eyebrow arched and there was something in that stare he gave me that utterly reminded me of Paige. “Youwere?”
“Yeah. I’ve had a little time tothink—”
“Twelve years to think,” Scottmuttered.
I couldn’t argue with him on that, so I gave in, nodding with a chuckle. “Yep. Twelve years. And while I still hate that you lied to me for almost the entirety of our friendship… for the first time, I also understand maybe why youdid.”
It was hard getting those words out. I had clung to my anger for so long that it had become a crutch for me. And in a way, I don’t think I was even mad at Scott anymore; hadn’t been in years. He was just the easiest scapegoat to cling to. Because being angry is easier than accepting the past and movingforward.
“Seriously?” Scott eyed me suspiciously. “You didn’t seem to be over it or understanding lastnight?”
“I know.” A lot had changed in the hours since I left the engagement party to now. “Your words started sinking in, though. And if you had come to me with the truth back when you first found out we were brothers… how would that conversation had gone? ‘Hey bro, know how everyone thinks we look alike? It’s ‘cause your dad fucked my mom years ago.’You were in a lose-lose situation. I see thatnow.”
His gaze traveled to the empty staircase, a ghost of a smile tugging at his mouth. “Paige has a way of getting through to people, doesn’t she?” He brought his eyes back to me, leveling me with a calm stare. “Lose-lose situation. That’s what she always used to tell me when I would blame myself for youleaving.”
I shrugged. “She was right. I’m still working on getting over a lot from that year though, so I might need to take things kind ofslowly.”
His smile grew. “Take it slowly. You sound like achick.”
I laughed at that, shaking my head. “Come on. Let’s make coffee and when Paige wakes up, we can all grab breakfast.” I stepped aside to let both him and Maisey into thehouse.
He took a few cautious steps into the foyer, stomping the snow off his boots. Maisey on the other hand barreled in and beelined for her bowl of kibble in the kitchen. “You sure aboutthis?”
In all honesty, no. I wasn’t. I hadn’t spoken to Scott in over a decade. I’d worried and plotted all the ways to avoid him at Cam and Lydia’s wedding. And in the course of eight hours and good night’s sleep, my world had flipped on itshead.
Paige had changed everything. For so many reasons. Knowing what I know now about her mom’s story and how hard it must have been for the three of them as a family, I empathized with them in a way I never could when I wasyounger.
I took a deep breath, shutting the front door. “It’s Christmas Eve,” I said quietly. “I want to spend it with mybrother.”
