If only she knew how much she means to me. Ever since I woke up with her in my arms, three little words have been on the tip of my tongue, but I know I can’t say them now.
Not when all these heavy emotions are clouding her judgement. When I finally tell her how I feel, I don’t want there to be any doubt of my sincerity. I don’t want her to think it’s some near-death confession when it’s much more than that.
A knock sounds at the door, but she doesn’t stir. She must be more tired than I realized.
“Come in,” I say.
The door creaks open, and a face I haven’t seen in years appears beside the curtain that surrounds my bed on one side. “I came as soon as I heard, are you o—” Connor stops dead in his tracks, his eyes locked on the woman in my arms. “Is that…”
“Ruby? Yeah. Keep it down. She hasn’t been sleeping well.” My tone is harsh, but I couldn’t care less. I haven’t heard shit from my brother in months, and he has the nerve to show up out of the blue? Why? It’s not like he gives a shit.
“When did this happen?” he asks, arms crossed over his chest.
I have to admit, Connor looks better than I’ve ever seen. He’s clean-shaven, and his red hair is longer on top, styled in an intentionally messy way. He’s wearing a pair of wire-framed glasses, and it looks like he’s been working out recently, judging by the added muscle mass.
“You’re gonna need to be more specific. There have been a few new developments in my life, as you can see.”
“I know about the fire, dipshit. When did you start fucking my ex?”
My nostrils flare, but I rein in my temper for Ruby’s sake.By some small miracle, she’s still asleep. “If you’re gonna be a dick, you can fuck off.”
“You’re avoiding the question.”
“We’ve been together for a few weeks.” It’s not the whole truth. We aren’t officially anything, yet, but Connor doesn’t need to know that. “She moved in to help with Aiden, and we… shit happened.”
“Shit happened?” Ruby’s head lifts, and she props her chin on her hand, pinning me with a mock glare. “Really?”
“Were you awake the whole time?” I ask.
“Long enough to know I’m some shit that happened,” she says, her tone dripping in amusement. She shifts to look at my brother, every ounce of her playfulness gone. “Hello, Connor. It’s been a while.”
“Ruby.”
“Your brother’s doing better. I’m sure that’s what you were going to ask next, right?” she says indignantly. “Or were you going to stand there and pry into our private relationship that’s… hold on, let me check my notes… oh, right… none of your fucking business.”
I bite the inside of my cheek to stifle my laughter, and when I look up at Connor, he’s doing the same. “Fair enough. Howareyou doing, bro?”
“Four broken ribs and a concussion, but I’ll live. Why are you here, Connor?”
He sighs and rakes a hand through his hair. “Can I sit?”
I motion toward the shitty metal chair in the corner and wait for him to speak.
“When I heard about the fire,” he says, “I—well, to be blunt, I didn’t think you had anyone here for you. Clearly, I was wrong.”
Ruby sits up and swings her legs over the side of the bed. “I’ll give you two some time to talk. You can catch up on all the shit that happened.”
She’s about to walk away, but I snag her by the wrist, pulling her to me. “You know you’re so much more than that, right?”
She smiles, then leans down and kisses my cheek. “I know.”
The door snicks closed behind her and I shift until I’m upright. “You were saying?”
“Look, I’m an asshole, ok. But you’re still my brother, and I wanted to check on you.”
“Was I still your brother before the fire? Because I haven’t heard shit from you in like six months.”
“The phone works both ways. Were you planning to tell me you’re dating my ex, or was I going to find out at the wedding?”
