Chapter 23
When I was sixteen, I got caught by my dad trying to smuggle a girl into my room. He’d knocked on my door as my hand was under her shirt—the first time I’d ever touched boobs—and without waiting for a response, had opened the door. Not sure you ever get over that kind of embarrassment.
The girl let out a squeak and dove under the duvet, shirt rumpled around her waist. I sat on the edge of my bed, erection deflating like a five-day-old balloon, as my dad gave me a look that made my heart sink. The corners of his age-lined face creased in disappointment.
I hadn’t been sixteen for nearly twenty years, yet I felt like that same kid getting caught by his dad. Only this time, it was my brother. And he hadn’t stopped staring at me with that same look my dad wore all those years ago.
I’d been all set to whisk Rosie out of the room and away from the awkwardness saturating the air.
She was only frozen for two seconds before Fallon abandoned Oliver in the doorway and darted across the room, grabbing Rosie by the hand.
The two disappeared up the stairs as she shouted over her shoulder that they were going to explore the cabin.
I felt Oliver’s stare like fire licking up my spine.
He hadn’t said a word. The look on his face was morphing from stunned to anger.
The same expression I’d seen him have on the pitch when the ref gave a bad call.
Swiping a hand down my face, I muttered, ‘I’m gonna grab your stuff.’
His posture was solid as I brushed past him. They hadn’t had any suitcases in their hand when they arrived, so I assumed they were still in the car. I barely made it a foot out of the door before my brother’s voice rang out.
‘You wanna explain?’ He jogged to catch up with me as I reached the car, opening up the back.
‘We were putting up a banner.’ My voice was nothing more than a rough grunt.
‘And somehow ended up dry humping on the floor?’ Oliver huffed a laugh, not an ounce of humour in it.
My back teeth were aching from the pressure I was putting on them. ‘Leave it alone.’ I punctuated that sentence by dropping his suitcase in front of him with a thud.
He ignored the giant red flag I was waving in front of his face to let it drop. He frowned, lifting his arms up helplessly.
‘Are you guys a thing? When the fuck did that happen? I thought she was avoiding you.’ I heard the confusion in his voice.
It drove the stake of guilt I’d been carrying around for not telling him even deeper.
I’d never kept secrets from Oliver. Even when we were kids and I tried to hide my Easter eggs from him because he always ate his way too quickly, I’d caved and told him where my stash was.
That honesty cost me most of my chocolate.
And now I’d been harbouring not one, but two big secrets from him. Taking a deep breath, I wrapped my hands around the last suitcase and hauled it from the car. Closing the boot with a clunk.
He went quiet for a moment. I turned to see his brows pinched in pain. ‘Is that why you’ve been avoiding me?’
‘I’ve not been avoiding you,’ I ground out.
‘Bullshit. What the fuck are you thinking, starting something up with Rosie?’
There was an edge to his voice that had all the nerves in my body standing to attention.
The two of them had always had a contentious relationship.
Hers I knew stemmed from being overly protective of Fallon.
No one was good enough in her eyes, especially not a footballer who, in her words, had an ego the size of Australia.
She’d slowly warmed up to him over the past year.
I’d seen it. Seen how hard she tried to let go of her friend and trust Oliver to look after her.
I also had the growing suspicion that her hesitancy over not trusting him, or men in general, wasn’t as simple as a few bad dates.
There was a pain in her eyes, embedded there by years and the kind of grief that isn’t easy to get over. No small part of me was desperate for the day she decided to trust me with it.
I’d never asked my brother's opinion on Rosie—because I knew. Standing in front of me, I saw the edge of revulsion on his face.
My hands flexed at my side. Chest pitching with every breath as I tried to calm down.
‘She is the last person you should be with. After everything you went through with Daniel and all your other relationships, do you really want to risk being with someone like her after getting cheated on?’ His voice kept rising until he was nearly shouting.
Losing my shit, I shot him a scathing glare. ‘Don’t.’
His eyes widened in shock. An exasperated breath punched from his chest. ‘Are you really that stupid? She couldn’t commit to someone if her last breath depended on it.’
My hands darted out too quickly for my brother to dodge. I shoved my palms hard into his chest. Hard enough to have him stumbling backwards. He regained his balance quickly, squaring off to me.
‘Back the fuck off.’ My voice raised, thrusting my finger into his face.
‘Of all the people in the world who should be lecturing me on poor decisions, it sure as shit shouldn’t be you.
Before Fallon, you were wasted every damn day until I pulled you out of that hole.
So you have no fucking right to stand there and act like you know it all. ’
The peaceful forest was an odd backdrop to our heated argument. All the energy seeped out of him. His shoulders slumped, voice softening to a heartbreaking crack.
‘She’s gonna break your fucking heart.’
I shook my head, the anger at him still fizzing in my veins. ‘Then she can go right ahead. I don’t give a damn.’
‘Both of you need to shut the fuck up right now!’ A harsh voice yelled from across the small courtyard.
Our heads swivelled to the left. My goddamn heart nearly split in two, seeing Rosie standing only feet away, arms wrapped around her body.
Eyes narrowed and shooting ice daggers at Oliver, who had the decency to look away, finding a spot just over my shoulder to focus on.
She wasn’t the only one sending him a full hail of artillery in her eyes.
I’d never seen Fallon as angry as she was right then.
He let out a frustrated breath and shoved his hands in his pockets. Turning away from both of them.
I could see the wall Rosie was quickly building around herself again. Physically, brick by brick. And a grief that surprised me curled in my veins. The thought of losing the girl who had let those walls come down, however briefly, just for me, cut me straight through the middle.
Leaving my brother to deal with his own relationship, I strode across the gravel.
Rosie shook her head, her eyes conveying a warning that I should have listened to. I ignored it and reached out to grab her hand.
‘We’re going into town to get some food,' I growled. Tugging Rosie’s hand to get her to follow. I felt her resist for a moment, and was fully prepared to become the caveman I knew she hated and haul her over my shoulder, if that’s what it took.
Whether she could sense my energy and decided it best to let me pull her after me, or she wanted out of that situation as much as I did.
Either way, after a moment, her feet unglued from their spot on the porch and she didn’t argue as I hustled her around the corner where I’d parked my truck and helped her in.
She slid into the passenger seat, eyes locked forward. Unyielding.
My hand rested on the passenger door, my breathing ragged. Words meant fuck all right now. Words weren’t what she needed. Without thinking, I lowered my hand to hers that were clasped tightly in her lap. Holding my pinky out.
Her head dipped down. My heart seized, silently begging her to accept it.
Twenty long seconds passed—I know because I counted pathetically in my head—before her hands moved and her tiny finger wrapped around mine. She squeezed it three times. I clung on to each pump, wishing they meant something they didn’t. For now, it was enough that she hadn’t rejected me altogether.
The breath I’d been holding left me on a sigh.
Unlocking our fingers, I closed the door and we headed off into town.