Chapter 34
34
brODY
ONE WEEK LATER
T he city slides past my window in a blur, and the sun is already sinking low enough to cast everything in shadow. My driver picked me up ten minutes ago and is taking me across town. I tap my thumb against my thigh at the red light, not because I’m impatient, but because my nerves are starting to settle in places I can’t shake loose. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt anything like this.
I’ve been shot at, thrown into hand-to-hand combat with psychopaths, gone to war—and still, none of it feels as heavy as what I’m about to do. It’s not fear. It’s knowing that Harper deserves every ounce of intention I can give her. That means doing things the right way, not just for her, but for the people who matter to her. The ones who protected her when she didn’t have a voice.
The bar Zane picked is tucked at the end of a narrow street downtown, half hidden behind ivy-covered brick and a matte-black door with no sign. It’s understated and extremely private. It’s the kind of place where real conversations happen.
I walk in and spot her older brother—CEO of Xander Resorts. He’s the kind of man who makes everyone feel like they’re being unraveled when he’s silent. He’s seated at a booth near the back, already sipping a drink, posture casual but eyes sharp the second they lift and find mine.
I slide into the seat across from him. “Zane.”
“Brody.” He gestures to the server. “Would you like a drink?”
“Just water.”
He raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t push. The server leaves us alone, and for a beat, neither of us speaks. The silence stretching between us is measured and intentional, like he’s giving me room to prove I’m not afraid of it. It makes me a little nervous, but I thrive in the quiet.
He clears his throat. “You already spoke to my father.”
It’s not a question. I have.
“A few days ago. I wanted his blessing. He gave it willingly,” I tell him.
Zane leans back slightly, fingers tapping the side of his glass. “Then why am I here?”
There’s no accusation in his voice—just that razor-sharp curiosity that comes with being the older brother. The protector.
“Because you didn’t agree with her relationship with Micah. I think your finger is on the pulse, and you know what is best for your sister,” I say simply. “And because it matters to me that you’re not just okay with this.”
His gaze narrows, but he doesn’t respond.
“I didn’t come here because I need your permission. I came because I respect you, and so does Harper. And because if someone were going to ask me for my sister’s hand, if she were still alive, I’d expect the same courtesy.”
That lands with him, and his expression shifts, just slightly, but it’s enough to know I’ve hit the right chord.
Zane swirls the liquid in his glass. “You don’t scare easily.”
“No,” I say, a faint smile pulling at the corner of my mouth. “But I don’t take responsibility lightly either.”
He nods once—a silent acknowledgment—and finally says, “Good.”
Zane doesn’t waste time with small talk. Once my water is in front of me and his drink’s been topped off again, he shifts forward slightly with his dress shirt sleeves rolled to his elbows. His forearms are braced on the table. There’s nothing hostile in his posture, but nothing open either. He’s watching me. Calculating. The kind of look he’s honed from years of sitting in board meetings full of people who rule the world.
“Why do you think you’re good enough for my sister?” It’s not said with sarcasm. It’s direct and honest. A challenge that requires clarity.
I expected nothing less. Zane’s a known hard-ass. Always has been.
I meet his steady gaze. “Because she deserves someone who understands exactly what she’s been through and still chooses to show up for her anyway. I’m not here to fix her. I’m here to love her. Every day. Without flinching.”
Zane’s jaw tics slightly, like he wasn’t expecting that answer, or maybe because it’s the truth.
“I’ve seen what it looks like when someone tries to control her. Dim her down to keep her manageable. I’m not interested in being that man. I want Harper with all her sharp edges. Her ambition. That’s who I fell in love with, and I want her light to keep shining.”
For a beat, he just watches me, and then, finally, he speaks. “She almost didn’t come back from what Micah did.”
“I know. I watched her rebuild herself with shaking hands. I’ve seen the cost of survival written all over her.”
“And you think you’re built to handle that?” he questions, sipping his drink.
“I don’t think,” I confirm, giving him a smirk. “I know I am. I’ve walked through fire for her and with her. I’ve stood between her and the worst kind of darkness. Not because she needed me to, but because I couldn’t live with myself if something happened.”
He leans back, folding his arms across his chest, still unreadable. “Harper was my priority when we were kids. If you hurt her, if you ever make her question her worth?—”
“You won’t have to come looking for me,” I interrupt. “I hope you’d fuck me up if I did any of those things. Know that I’ll spend every day making sure she knows what it feels like to be safe, wanted, and loved exactly as she is.”
Something shifts in his eyes, and it’s recognition. It’s the look of a man who’s tested a theory and gotten a result he can live with.
Then his face cracks into a smile. “I think those are the most words I’ve heard you speak—ever.”
I don’t shift in my seat or glance away. I hold the moment because it deserves to be held—because when a man hands you his sister’s heart, you honor it.
Zane leans back now, less guarded than before, but still every bit the older brother. Still the man who stepped into roles no one asked him to fill when they were kids and carried Harper through storms she never even saw after their mother passed away. I respect what he’s done. I don’t resent it. If anything, I get it more than he knows.
“I never expected to fall for her,” I admit. “She’s fire. Untouchable, impossible not to be drawn to, but wild. But somewhere along the way, she stopped being a mission and became my purpose. She was the reason I started thinking about the future again. I didn’t realize how dark everything had gotten until she walked in and made the room feel like it had windows.”
I pause, searching for the words that don’t come easy, not because they’re not true, but because they’re real. “She makes me a better man. When I’m with her, I want to be who she sees. I don’t know if you can understand that.”
“I can,” Zane exhales, like he’s sorting through his own memories with his wife, Autumn.
The silence hangs between us.
“I don’t take marriage lightly,” I continue. “And I’m not here like it’s a checkbox on a list. I’m here because she deserves a love that shows up for her in every room, in every fight, in every quiet moment after the storm. I want to be that for her. I already am.”
His expression doesn’t change, but something in his shoulders finally eases.
“I want to marry Harper,” I say. “And I’d like your blessing, not because I need it, but because she deserves that kind of respect from the man who will be with her until the end of time.”
Zane doesn’t speak immediately. He just studies me for another long second, the kind where judgment and understanding live side by side. Then, finally, he sets his glass down and folds his hands on the table.
“All right,” he says. “You’ve said what you came here to say. Now let me say mine.”
The table between us feels smaller now, like the weight of everything I said filled the space. Zane leans forward, and I meet his gaze without hesitation.
“You’re not wrong about her,” he says finally. “Harper’s always been the one who walked into a room and shone in her own special way. Even when she was a kid, she had this way of refusing to bend for anyone. She’s strong-willed, competitive, and stubborn. A true Alexander.”
His eyes don’t leave mine. He’s deliberate.
“I’ve spent most of my life trying to protect her from people who didn’t know what to do with that kind of fire. Who either tried to tame it or use it for their own warmth. Micah was both. And it damn near killed her.”
A pulse tics at the base of his jaw, but he doesn’t look away. “So, understand this, Brody. When I say I accept this relationship, I’m not handing over a prize for you to flaunt. I’m acknowledging that you —out of everyone—see her for exactly who she is and you still want to build a life beside her and that you’re not asking her to dim her light. That you’re not trying to carry her out of the ashes and mold her how you please. I see that you’re just standing there beside her while she rises, and you support that. It’s exactly what she needs.” He pauses, letting the moment settle before adding, “I have no issues with you or this relationship.”
Relief hits me, and I exhale, not realizing I was even holding my breath. “Thank you.”
Zane lifts his drink, but his tone sharpens, the edge returning. “But if you ever lie to her, clip her wings, or give her even a second of doubt about her worth, you’ll find out just how much I still believe in revenge.”
I chuckle. “Exactly what I expected you to say.”
His mouth twitches like he might smile, but it doesn’t make it all the way to his eyes. “Then we understand each other.”
He offers his hand, and I shake it. It’s not an overly warm gesture, but it’s not meant to be. It’s just a single moment between two men who love the same woman in different but equal ways—and who both understand the weight of that love.
We don’t say much after that because there’s no need. The handshake said the rest, and it was the acknowledgment I needed.
My phone vibrates, and it’s a text from Harper. I read it.
Harper
How much longer?
I smile and meet his eyes. “I have to go. Your sister calls.”
I toss a couple of bills on the table to cover his drink as he finishes the last of it. As I stand, he does, too, but there are no extra words or back slaps or forced sentiment.
As we walk outside, he turns to me. “She’s not easy.”
I glance back with a smirk. “Oh, I’m not afraid of a little trouble.”
He nods once, and his eyes soften. It’s a final stamp of approval that’s full of respect.
I step out into the street, and when the warm evening air hits me, I know summer is among us. The noise of the city rolls over me, but I don’t feel like I’m in the middle of chaos anymore. I haven’t felt like that in over a week.
I return Harper’s text.
Brody
On my way back. Just finished my meeting.
Harper
Great! Come home to me.
Those words settle right behind my ribs. Because that’s what she is to me.
Harper is my home and where my heart lives.