“Okay, let’s go,” he answered.
“Everything is going to be fine,” she assured him. “Just have faith and whatever happened we can handle it together. I’m here for you always.”
“Thank you, sweetheart,” Dante said before walking out the door and around Griffin.
He didn’t want to think the worst, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that his brothers might be more hurt than Griffin was telling him. No words spoken in anger between them mattered anymore, not when something like this happens. All that mattered was Morgan and Tanner were doing okay.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Harper, Texas...
Pausing in the open doorway of the hospital room, Dante stared at his younger brother Morgan. The last time he remembered seeing Morgan in a hospital bed they were kids and had been climbing a tree in the backyard. Morgan had bet him that he could make it to the top before him, but his foot had slipped and he had fallen out of the tree and broken his arm.
After the pain had worn off and Morgan got a cast put on his arm, he thought he was the coolest kid on the block. He hated seeing his little brother in the hospital back then and now years later the sight wasn’t any better.
“Are you going in?” Amara whispered next to him, touching his arm.
He took his eyes off his brother and stared down at her. For a minute, he had forgotten all about her being there next to him.
“Yeah, I’m going in. I just never imagined the next time I saw Morgan, it would be like this. It’s just shocking for me to see.”
Blowing out a deep breath, he brought his eyes back over to his brother then walked into the room. He wondered what all of Morgan’s issues were besides the white bandages at the side of his temple and the sling around his left arm.
Dante stood at the side of the bed glancing down at his brother’s sleeping figure. He still couldn’t believe the void that was between them because they had been so close growing up.
“Honey, he looks better than I thought he would,” Amara whispered, softly.
“Morgan was always a fighter,” he answered. “I’m pretty sure it took the staff threatening him, to make my brother stay in this bed, especially since he’s a doctor.”
“I can hear how much you love him.”
“Of course, I care about all of my siblings. We’re still a part of each other no matter what they might tell me,” Dante answered.
As Dante continued watching his brother, Morgan slowly started waking up and a few seconds later his eyes opened up landing directly on him. A pair of shocked, dark green eyes clashed with Dante’s as he came fully awake.
“Who in the hell called and told you about the accident?” Morgan demanded. “Whoever it was had no right and you can get the hell out of my room.”
He was expecting anger, but the harshness of it still took Dante by surprise anyway. “I knew before I came that you might not want to see me, but I came anyway. I was worried about you and wasn’t going to stay away,” he answered. “How are you doing? Where’s Tanner? I wanted to see him as well while I’m here.”
Morgan glanced away from him over to Amara who hadn’t spoken a word yet. As much as he loved his brother, he wouldn’t allow him to disrespect her for any reason.
“Who is she?” Morgan asked.
“Amara Langston, meet my brother Morgan Braden. Morgan, this is my girlfriend, Amara Langston,” he said quickly making the introductions.
“Nice to meet you,” Amara said, smiling at Morgan.
“Ms. Langston, you seem young and very naïve. So, I advise you not to believe a word my brother tells you. He isn’t good at keeping his word and will toss you away once he has no more use for you.”
****
Morgan Braden better be glad he was already hurt or she might put a hurting on him herself. Amara couldn’t believe how ungrateful Dante’s brother was being and not showing one ounce of remorse about it.
He might be considered extremely handsome by any other woman with his thick, dark brown hair, mustache and emerald green eyes; however his personality was very unappealing. How dare he talk about Dante with him standing right there?
“Morgan, you need to leave Amara alone,” Dante snapped before she could respond. “You have a problem with me, not her, so leave my girlfriend out of it. I came to check on you because I care about you.
“Maybe you should have cared from California, instead of coming all of the way here and upsetting Morgan,” a male voice uttered behind them.
Spinning around, Amara’s eyes widened at three gorgeous men standing well over six feet tall standing a few feet in front of the opened doorway. Instantly, she knew the one with the bandage on his forehead had to be Tanner, but she wasn’t sure which ones left were Rowan and Lucas.
She noticed the firm set of Tanner’s chin which suggested a slight stubborn streak. No wonder he was a lawyer. His dark brows and dark brown eyes were a startling contrast against his fair skin and slight sandy hair. Tanner was the clean-cut one in the family with his slacks and buttoned down dress shirt.
“Tanner, I’m glad you were able to leave the hospital,” Dante said behind her.
She wondered how long it would be before someone else would say something because the sudden silence was beginning to make the room uncomfortable, so she decided to do something about it.
Stepping forward, she extended her hand; if they wouldn’t introduce themselves to her then she would take the first step. “Hi, I’m Amara —”
“Ms. Langston, we already know who you are,” the tallest man in the group told her. “We were listening from the doorway and I would appreciate if you and Dante left. Morgan isn’t up for any unwanted visits from strangers.”
Dropping her hand, she glared at the man wearing the cream-colored Stetson cowboy hat pushed a little back off his forehead. As his hazel eyes narrowed at her, she opened her mouth to comment and then quickly shut it. She didn’t come here to argue with Dante’s brothers.
“Rowan, Ms. Langston isn’t a part of our family, so you shouldn’t talk to her like that. She hasn’t done anything to any of us.”
“Lucas, shut up,” Rowan snapped, looking away from her over to the man at his left.
Lucas’ black hair was cut close to his head making his light gray eyes stand out even more; an air of command exuded from him but Rowan didn’t seem to care at all. She wondered how five brothers could look so different, but be so similar at the same time.
“Why don’t you let Ms. Langston speak for herself? I’m sure she has a way with words if she’s dating our brother.”
She didn’t have time to react before Dante brushed past her and got nose to nose with Rowan who was only a few inches shorter than him. To her surprise, Rowan showed no reaction.
“Rowan, keep your mouth shut concerning Amara. Why are you the one with the biggest chip on your shoulder? I can’t apologize any more for not coming back home and I won’t.
“Our parents washed their hands of me years ago and nothing I do is ever going to change their minds. But, I’m not going to waste the rest of my life looking for their approval. I’m in love with a wonderful woman and I’m planning on building a future with her.”
Amara was barely able to control her gasp of surprise as Dante confessed his feelings for her to Rowan. It was one thing for him to tell her, but something entirely different listening as he did it to another person.
“Dante, stop it’s all right,” she said, touching him on the back. She wanted to get him out of the room before he did or said something that he couldn’t take back.
Taking a step back from his brother, Dante glanced at her and she noticed the hurt in his eyes. No matter how well he thought he might be hiding it, she still saw it shimmering there.
“Come on. Let’s go,” he said. “There’s no reason for me to say in Texas any longer. I don’t have anything left here to deal with.” Dante turned away from her, walked around his brothers and left the room.
She started behind him and t
hen stopped in her tracks. She spun around and found all four men still watching her closely. “All of you are selfish little boys who aren’t man enough to let go of the past. God, Dante loves all of you so much despite the horrible way you’ve treated him over the years. He kept up with all of you through Griffin’s parents because he wanted to still feel like a part of the brotherly bond all of you once shared.”
“Ms. Langston, you know nothing about us, so why don’t you keep your opinions to yourself and leave,” Tanner cut in, his voice heavy with sarcasm.
She cut her eyes away from Rowan over to Tanner. “Sadly, all of you know even less about Dante because the four of you chose not to out of resentment.” He stiffened as though she had struck him then he looked away from her.
“Let me tell all of you one last thing before I leave. My parents are dead and I had no one else until Dante came into my life and I haven’t been happier. He’s your big brother and the way all of you ganged up on him today was heartless. He dropped everything and rushed here to be at Morgan and Tanner’s side. However, not one of you gave him any kind of thanks. All you did was bring up the past which isn’t going to bring any of you any closer. I only hope nothing happens and none of you wish that you had spent more time building bridges instead of burning them down.
“Why he still has a picture of the five of you as kids on his desk is crazy to me because not one of you deserves his loyalty or love,” Amara said then turned away without waiting for a reply and left the room almost running into Dante who was standing at the side waiting for her.
Pulling her into his arms, he kissed her then moved back. “You didn’t have to do that for me. I meant what I told my brothers. I’m done trying to rebuild the bridge in our relationship. I don’t need them anymore.”
“I know I didn’t, but it was something I needed to get off my chest so we both could move on,’ she said, grabbing his hand. “How about we head back to the airport? I believe I have some packing to do because a gorgeous man wants me to move in with him.”
“You’re right and he can’t wait until it’s finally official,” Dante said then grinned at her before they turned and went down the long hallway.
Amara knew Dante told her he was done with his brothers, but she couldn’t help but feel bad for her man because his siblings were too damn obstinate to forgive and forget. Something had to be done to change this, but she just didn’t know what it was.
Chapter Forty
Standing outside a clothing store a week later, Amara watched as Dante loaded bag after bag into the back of his truck for her. “I really didn’t need you to buy me anything else for work,” Amara complained. “I already have enough items at home now to change clothes three times a day and not wear the same outfit twice.”
“Baby, I told you that I wanted to do this for you, now stop complaining,” he scolded, shutting the trunk. “Why don’t you wait for me inside of the truck? I have one more place to go and then we can head home. I want to take you out on my bike tonight.”
“Oh, I can’t wait for that,” she giggled. “We haven’t been out on your motorcycle in so long. Will you take me to the lake you told me about the other day? I can’t wait to see the view.”
The beginning of a smile tipped the corners of his mouth. “I can’t make any promises, baby, but I’ll see what I can do for you.”
Coming up to her, he kissed her then stepped back and strolled into the cell phone store a few doors down. She loved watching Dante walking away from her as much as she did coming towards her.
“Amara, is that really you? Where have you been? I’ve been looking all over town for you.”
Turning around, Amara spotted Theresa walking away from some guy she had never seen before. The man’s eyes lingered on her before he went inside the café.
“Yes, it’s me,” she answered. “It’s amazing what a good shower and a roof over your head can do.”
“Girl, I almost didn’t recognize you with this new makeover. God, you look so hot,” Theresa gushed as she walked around her and then gave her a huge hug. “If you hadn’t moved your head a little, I would have walked past you and went inside of the café with Marco.”
“I was living at a shelter for a while, but I’m not staying there anymore. I’m dating Dante now and he invited me to move in with him. Can you believe it?” Amara said. “Honestly, I’ve been worried about you and Liam too. I haven’t seen him since the fight at the park. I’ve been meaning to look for him at his favorite spots, but I’ve been so busy getting used to my new life, I never got around to it. I feel like I’ve abandoned him after all that he did for me.”
“Don’t,” Theresa said, cutting her off. “Liam is doing fine.”
She frowned. “How do you know this? I thought the two of you were still mad at each other.”
“I did too until I got a letter from him in the mail. The day we got into the argument at the park and Liam left, the cops picked him up about an hour later and took him to the police station.”
“Liam’s in jail?” Amara gasped. She should have been there to help him. She should’ve kept a better watch on her friend. “I have to go and see him.”
“No, he isn’t,” Theresa told her. “Liam’s parents were at the police station. They apologized for kicking him out and pleaded with him to come back home, so he broke down and went with them. We both know all he ever really wanted was their acceptance and less strict rules.”
She stared at her friend baffled. “I thought his parents hated him. That’s what he always told me whenever I asked about them.”
Theresa shrugged her shoulder. “I know, but I guess we both were wrong about it. I’m just glad all of us are off these streets now and doing what we want to be doing. When I first got the letter, I brought it to the cleaners to show you, but you weren’t there and neither was Mr. Lee. The cleaners had a ‘For Sale’ sign taped in the front window. I couldn’t believe it.”
Shock flew through Amara. “What are you talking about? Mr. Lee’s cleaners isn’t closed. He wouldn’t leave without telling me,” she whispered to herself more than Theresa.
“I can’t answer that for you either, but Mr. Lee is gone and the cleaners is empty.”
Amara had no clue that she had been missing out so much on what has been going on around her. Why hadn’t anyone told her about this? Did Pastor Allen know about this when she moved all of her things out of the shelter? God, her old life felt so foreign to her now.
“Amara, I’m sorry, I thought you knew about all of this. I thought Dante would have told you about Mr. Lee. How are things going with him anyways since you moved in with him? He’s such a hottie.”
“What are you talking about?” she questioned. “How could Dante know anything about Mr. Lee? He’s never laid eyes on him before.”
“Are you sure?” I know I saw him coming out of Mr. Lee’s business about two weeks ago. I was in the car with one of my guy friends when I noticed him walk out and then ride off on his motorcycle.”
Amara paused for a second. “Hold on. How do you even know what Dante looks like? You’ve never seen him before. I told you about him, but I never pointed him out to you.”
Theresa frowned at her. “I’ve known Dante for a while. He didn’t tell you about us?”
“Oh, God,” she whispered, scarcely aware of how her voice sounded. “I can’t believe this. You know...Dante!”
She took a step back from Theresa waiting to put some distance between them as images she didn’t want filled her head. There was only one way Dante and her friend...no ex-friend...traveled in the same circles. No wonder he and Ike had been so familiar with each other that day at the beach all of those months ago.
The thought of Dante sleeping with Theresa turned her stomach. She had to get away from here before Dante came back outside. She couldn’t even look at him right now.
“Theresa, I need to go. I’ve heard way more than I wanted from you and not enough from Dante,” she said, turning away. “I can’t talk
to you anymore.”
“Amara, wait...you misunderstood me,” Theresa said, grabbing her arm.
Shaking off the unwanted touch, Amara spun back around. “Tell me what I got wrong,” she said, softly narrowing her eyes. “You told me that you know Dante and I can only think of one way for that to happen.”
“Listen, I can’t get into it with you now. I need to get back to my client, but please don’t jump to the worst conclusion. Dante and I never had sex. I swear to you. Just ask him about it,” Theresa pleaded with her and then hurried down the sidewalk going back into the restaurant.
Something was going on because Theresa couldn’t even stay and finish lying to her face. However, she was being more honest with her than Dante. She would probably still be in the dark if she hadn’t been here today and accidentally run into Theresa.
“Amara, why are you still standing on the sidewalk instead of waiting for me inside of the truck?”
Turning around, she stared at Dante wondering how he could have kept his relationship with Theresa from her. She had talked to him about her before and he never once mentioned he had paid for her ‘services’.
Theresa swore they hadn’t slept together, but there were other things that she did in her line of work. Also why hadn’t he told her that he had gone to see Mr. Lee weeks ago? What else was he keeping from her?
“I was out here talking to Theresa,” she said, watching the play of emotions that passed over his face. “She told me a lot of interesting things.”
“Hmmm...what did you tell you?” His eyes became flat and as unreadable as stone as Dante took a step towards her.
“She told me that Liam sent her a letter saying that he was okay and back home with his parents.”
Dante’s face lit right up like the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders. “That’s wonderful. I knew you were worried about your friend. I bet you’re happy that he’s safe and sound.”
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