18
TOBY
Grizzly and I loaded up our trays with food from the free breakfast buffet in the hotel’s lobby. Libby was still getting ready and like yesterday, she wasn’t hungry. Her nerves were getting the better of her once again.
I felt bad for her. Nobody should be so stressed out when it came to seeing their sibling.
The waffle iron’s timer dinged, alerting me that mine was done.
I loved these small appliances in hotels.
Not all had them. Some only offered you a continental breakfast, which was fine but not my favorite.
I liked a hot breakfast with eggs, sausage and waffles.
When I could get all that for free, it was even better.
“Do you want me to make you one, honey?” I asked Grizzly.
His dark eyes flashed, then he scanned the area. I sensed he wouldn’t appreciate me calling him honey, because strangers would assume we were a couple. And they should think that.
He moved closer to me and hissed through his teeth, “Do you have to be so obvious? Can’t we just act like friends instead of lovers?”
I grinned, feeling all warm and fuzzy, and tingly down low. He called me his lover and it thrilled me to the bone, er… No pun intended.
“Hey, we’re just being who we are.” I hooked my finger though one of his belt loops and tugged him against me. I peered down at him for a beat, then kissed him.
“You are so lucky nobody is around.” He pecked my lips back. “Get your waffles and let’s go. We might have time for a quicky before we head over to the hospital.”
He was a man after my own heart.
His phone vibrated in his pant’s pocket between us. I looked down as he took it out.
“It’s nothing,” he said, but quickly scanned some kind of alert.
“What kind of app is that?”
His gaze lifted and he slipped his device back into his pocket, as if trying to hide it. “Just something I created. We should go.” He took his tray and made his way toward the elevator.
I furrowed my brow not liking his avoidance. “What kind of an app did you create?”
“A tracker. It’s nothing.” He hit the button on the wall.
“Who are you tracking?” I asked. “It can’t be Libby because we know where she’s at. Does it have something to do with Storm’s dad?”
The doors opened and we stepped in.
“Can you just let it go?” He tilted his head and stared at me. “Please.”
“Is it a secret? Do you not trust me?” Now my feelings were getting hurt when they shouldn’t.
Sure we were friends and now lovers, but I couldn’t expect for him to tell me everything about him all at once.
We’d just gotten to this place of acceptance over the last week.
I should give him a minute to process and get more comfortable.
“I do trust you.” He lowered his head like he was ashamed. “I’m keeping tabs on my brother and I don’t want anyone to know.”
“Why not?”
“Because he doesn’t want anything to do with me, so why should anyone else know about him.”
“Wait. Nobody knows about him?”
“Libby and Storm do, but that’s it. They don’t know about the tracker.”
“And you don’t want them to know?” I was beginning to understand. He probably thought Libby and Storm would think he was pathetic for keeping track of his brother when his brother wanted nothing to do with him. Damn, that was rough.
“No, I don’t. Logan left when I was little and promised to come back for me, but he never did.
” He teared up, and my heart about broke.
“The notification I got was just a report I get at the end of each week. He’s still in Massachusetts.
It’s actually kind of funny. He’s in a biker club. The Saint’s Outlaws.”
My eyebrows shot up. “That’s amazing! It’s like you both are doing the same thing.”
“No, we’re not. He was way cool and he’s married and has a couple of sons. I’m not going to disturb his perfect life.”
The elevator doors opened and we existed.
“I’m sure he’d like to see you. I bet he thinks about you all the time.”
“I’m sure he doesn’t. If he did, he would have found me.” Grizzly rolled his eyes. “No more talking about Logan. We’re here for Libby, okay?” He stopped at our door and pinned me in place.
“Okay.”
“Promise me you won’t mention my brother or the tracker to anyone, especially Libby and Storm.”
“I promise.” And I would take this information to the grave. After the fallout he’d just gone through with Libby, I wouldn’t do anything to ruin my relationship with Grizzly.
After all, it was his life and his brother.
I’d respect his wishes and leave it alone.
I wasn’t the kind of person who made someone’s business my own.
Obviously, Grizzly cared enough about his brother to create a tracking app so he could keep tabs on him.
Hell, he knew exactly where he was at and who he was with, the Saint’s Outlaws MC.
It wouldn’t take much to contact Logan and reconnect.
Grizzly obviously felt abandoned by his brother, and that kind of pain went down into your soul. I’d have to remember this so I didn’t hurt him the same way.