by Rye Hart
“This isn’t about you two,” Blake said harshly. “Not by a longshot.”
And there it was again. That anger I felt earlier before Ethan had moved.
“He’s right,” I said as I let my temper subside. “This isn’t about you. Or me. This isn’t about your jealousy or how much of a spoiled fucking brat you are. This isn’t about how you didn’t get enough attention from Dad or how you didn’t get the best years of Mom or whatever the fuck makes you so damn angry. This is about Kyra and how she almost lost her fucking father.”
I let go of Ethan’s arm and he caved to the ground, panting while on his knees as he massaged his aching shoulder.
“Grow the fuck up, Ethan,” I said. “Dick measuring is for high school kids. You graduated a long time ago.”
“You’re the selfish one, not me,” Ethan said.
“You’re both actin’ like children,” Blake said. “Doesn’t matter who’s older or who’s got issues or whatever. You both do but now’s not the time to settle them. Start a fuckin’ fight club if you wanna pound each other to death.”
“And there’s the book reference,” Owen said as he walked up.
“About damn time,” Harper said. “Been awhile since he made one.”
Owen and Harper leaned against my truck while Ethan slowly rose to his feet. I didn’t enjoy the disapproving looks my brothers were giving me, especially since I was the oldest. I was supposed to set the standard, not them. I was supposed to look out for them, not the other way around. All I wanted to fucking do was keep Ethan’s nose out of trouble and it was like he went out of his way to fucking cause it.
I was over it, him, and his games.
But even then, as I watched my brothers all gather around Ethan, I began to feel like an asshole.
Even though I wasn’t sure why they were gathered around him.
“Look, Ethan, we both need to calm down,” I said. “We’re both hotheads, okay? We can deal with this imaginary slight of yours later. Right now, all we need to do is concentrate on Kyra. Can you do that?”
It took him a second to nod but, when he did, I felt a rush of relief cascade over my system. Now, all I needed to do was go find Kyra and apologize. She was going through more than any of us could ever imagine and she was the one that was owed the real apology.
CHAPTER NINETEEN - ROWAN
I knew Kyra would need her space, especially after my protective brothers descended upon her like a pack of wolves. When Kyra came out and woke us up to tell us there was some sort of meeting the doctor wanted to have, I gave her a hug before I came back. She wanted me to stay and part of me wished I had but I also knew she would need a clean place to come back home to. I could only imagine the disarray their house was currently in and, when I walked into the house that was still unlocked, I wasn’t surprised.
I set to cleaning up the entire main floor so Kyra wouldn’t have to walk back into that house and be reminded of her father’s condition.
So, it came as a real shock to me when I saw Kyra walk into our house alone. My brothers were outside yelling about hell-knows-what and she had a very disappointed look on her face. I watched as her gaze raised up to mine, relief passing over her features before Ethan yelled out.
She turned just in time to see Chance hook his hand behind his back and that was when I decided to intervene.
“Are you thirsty?” I asked.
I walked over to her and guided her into the living room. I didn’t want her to see the fight we all knew was brewing between Ethan and Chance. The youngest and the oldest… it was an age-old fight. The two of them were brutish hotheads. Owen was a quiet sort of angry but those two were all out with each other all the damn time. Blake was always stepping in between them to try and fix things but I figured we should just let the two of them knock some sense into each other.
With everything else Kyra was dealing with, a fight between the two of them was the last thing she needed to be dwelling on.
I led her over to the couch and had her sit down. I went and got her a glass of water, then came back and sat with her on the couch. She was dazed. Sad. I hadn’t seen her eyes this empty since her mother’s funeral.
“How did the meeting with the doctor go?” I asked.
“I wish you were there,” she said, whispering.
“I know but I wanted to come back and clean things up. Trust me, had I known you were coming here, I would’ve stayed.”
“Clean up what?” she asked.
“The downstairs of your house.”
She panned her gaze over to mine as my eyes fell to the water in my hands.
“You cleaned our house?” she asked.
“I didn’t want you to walk back into all that disarray,” I said. “I didn’t want you to have to be reminded of it when you came back home.”
She took the glass of water from between my hands but she didn’t make a move to drink it.
“The doctor said he’ll recover but there’s a chance the damage could be permanent. He’ll need care with lots of things when he first gets home. Then it’s just a matter of seeing where medicine and therapy get him.”
Tears were brewing in her eyes again and I couldn’t help but snake my arm around her. I scooted her close to me and she laid her head on my chest, the water slipping from her fingers. I caught the glass and placed it on the table before I pulled her into my lap. In an instant, she began to cry.
“We’ll always be here to help,” I said, whispering. “Always.”
I placed a kiss on the shell of her ear. Then she turned her face toward mine and smiled.
“Thank you. I’m lucky to have such wonderful neighbors.”
“Neighbors, huh? Surely we’re a bit more than that at this point.” I winked.
The cute little blush that crept across her cheeks was more than I could bear. Even with all we were dealing with and all she was currently going through, her innocence still shone through. Her smile still crept up to her eyes and her skin still flushed with that telltale glow I’d loved pulling from her during our time together as children. I’d say anything I could to get her to blush. I thought she was at her most beautiful when she wore her emotions on her face like that.
But the gift-wrapped box in my pocket was calling to me and I figured now was as good a time as any.
“I’ve got something for you,” I said.
“Oh?”
I shifted her onto one leg while I dug around for it. I brought out the gift and handed it to her, watching her eyes light up as she took it. Her fingers delicately began unwrapping the paper, making sure not to tear it in as my gift slowly came into view.
“I’m sorry if it’s not appropriate now, with recent events and all, but it was when I put it together.”
But when she removed it from the packaging, her face lit up.
It was a box labeled “School Survival Kit.” Everything I placed inside it was what a teacher needed to get by in middle school: gourmet coffee, a mug emblazoned with an apple, gourmet chocolates, and a new set of markers. There was also a book about mentoring middle schoolers as well as chalk and erasers. Then I added a set of bath oils as well as a scented candle.
“I’m sorry for how inappropriate it is now, seeing as you might not be returning to teaching right away. But when you do, you now have everything you need.”
Her eyes met mine and she threw her arms around me and hugged me close.
“Thank you,” she said breathlessly. “Thank you so much. It’s such a thoughtful gift and it’s perfect.”
I felt her body trembling against mine and I stood up to give her room to breathe. I didn’t want her to hyperventilate with all the emotions coursing through her system. I held her close as she dropped the box to the couch and when she tilted her heads toward mine, I saw her face moving closer. Before I knew it, our lips were locked in an intricate and delicate kiss and I couldn’t help but cup the back of her neck and revel in her warmth.
She felt so good pressed against me and all I
wanted to do was stand there forever in her arms.
Suddenly, I felt something wet against my lip. I broke the kiss and pulled back and the dam behind her eyes finally burst. Kyra’s shoulders shook with her sobs while her chest heaved and I drew her quickly into me while the guys continued to fight outside. She buried herself into me and I cloaked my arms around her, cupping her ears as much as I could with my arm to try and drown out what they were saying.
“It’s all right,” I said. “I’ve got you, okay? You’re not alone when I’m around. You never will be.”
“Why are they always fighting?” she asked. “I’m ruining everything.”
“You, beautiful, are ruining nothing,” I said as I planted a kiss on top of her head.
“I hate seeing them fight,” she said.
“I know but the idea that you’re ruining something is absolute nonsense. Don’t you dare convince yourself of that. Chance and Ethan are idiots and have been since the dawn of time. Their beef is with one another. Chance is the oldest and Ethan’s the youngest. Of course, they’re gonna fight. They’re practically twins.”
She sighed into my chest, fisting my shirt while the fighting slowly died down outside.
“Honestly, they need to get their heads out of their asses,” I said.
She giggled at my statement and the vibrations rattled my ribcage and warmed my soul.
“I promise you,” I said as I tilted her gaze up to mine. “There’s nothing here that is your fault. Nothing whatsoever.”
She gave me a weak smile, one that told me she didn’t quite believe me. And I knew she wouldn’t. Kyra was always the sacrificial one but that also meant she was always finding fault in herself when there was no fault of hers to be had. Ethan and Chance had been at each other’s throats ever since I could remember. One time, they fought about who was getting a red bike for Christmas and who was getting a blue one.
The look on their faces was priceless when our mother taught them a lesson by getting them both pink, sparkly bikes.
“I hope you’re right,” she said, sighing.
“Well, I know I am, so just trust me for now,” I said, winking.
She giggled once again, that telltale blush creeping into her cheeks, and I pulled her into me before I slowly started to sway our bodies. I got the feeling she wasn’t ready to leave yet and I was okay with that.
Because I wasn’t willing to let her go yet.
CHAPTER TWENTY - BLAKE
My brothers were absolute idiots. It made me sick how they were always willing to start a fight over absolutely everything. Chance never wanted to own up to his shit because he was the oldest and Ethan never wanted to own up to his shit because Chance never did. The mere fact that I had to yell at Kyra to get into the house before she saw them brawl meant neither of them gave a rat’s ass about her in that moment. All Chance wanted to do was boast about his fucking kisses with her while he baited Ethan to swing at him.
I was sick and fucking tired of it.
I finally got the two of them to calm down and sent them on their way. I told Chance to go for a drive and cool off before he tried to go find Kyra and I told Ethan to get on his bike and go get us all some damn food to cook for tonight. I figured Kyra was going to be staying with us until we could get her father back home, so the least we could do was pitch in and do shit around here so she wouldn’t have to. All she needed to be doing was resting, just like the doctor said.
Nothing else.
I stomped into the house and slammed the door behind me. I waited until Chance left, then gave Ethan some breathing room before he left on his bike. I didn’t care if they beat each other to a pulp, but they weren’t gonna do it in front of Kyra.
She had enough on her plate.
My idiot brothers always insisted on selfishly making fools of themselves. And when Kyra needed us the most, when she needed me the most, I couldn’t even fucking be there for her because I was too busy trying to peel my brothers off one another.
I’d had enough of it.
I’d tried to break up the fight twice before they finally gave the hell up. Chance was ready to pop Ethan’s shoulder out of joint and Ethan was ready to let him do it just to prove a damn point. And all while Kyra was right in the house. They were fucking assholes, both of them, and I was glad I got them to go off in their separate directions.
I wasn’t willing to wash their blood off the concrete of our driveway.
Raking my hands through my hair, I paced the foyer of the house. My hands were shaking and my heart was racing and I felt like I needed a nap or a good scream. I slammed up the stairs to my room, knowing I could get the privacy there I needed, and slammed that door behind me, too. It was the only way I could think to take out my aggression toward this entire fucked up situation but, the moment I sat on my bed, a knock came at the door.
“What?” I called out.
But the only thing that came was a knock.
I groaned and got up, ripping my door open before I stopped in surprise. It was Kyra, with her eyes swollen from crying and her lips chapped from the cold. I wanted to reach out and bring her into me. To comfort her during her time of need. I wanted to reassure her that Chance and Ethan were just being stupid, that it had nothing to do with her. I wanted to tell her about the time they fought over who was going to jump into the water hole first after her one time and how Owen pissed them both off by jumping in while they were arguing.
Anything to get her to smile.
She stepped into my room and I closed the door behind her. I honestly wasn’t sure what she wanted me to do or what I needed to do with myself in that very moment. I tried to swallow my anger in order to focus on her but as her eyes danced around my body, the first question out of her mouth was selfless.
Just like her.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I’m just… frustrated with my brothers. At their behavior and the way they choose to deal with their stress.”
I watched her lower her head to the floor before she started shuffling on her feet.
“I’m sorry for all that,” she said.
Furrowing my brow, I crooked my finger underneath her chin. I slowly pulled her gaze up to mine, thinking I hadn’t heard her right. I told her I was upset with my brothers and she was apologizing?
Why?
“Why are you sorry?” I asked.
“Because it’s my fault they’re fighting,” she said.
“No, it’s their fault they’re fightin’,” I said. “Not yours.”
“But I’m the reason they’re fighting,” she said.
“Kyra, those two would fight over who would be the first to die if it ever came to it.”
She gave me a small smirk but her slumped shoulders told a different story. So, instead, I merely pulled her into my arms. She slid her hands around my waist, locking them at my lower back while I ran my fingers through her hair. It had been a hell of a past couple of days for her and all I wanted was to provide her with any sort of relief.
Anything she would let me do for her, I would.
“That’s just crazy, Kyra,” I said. “It’s not your fault. I promise.”
I could feel my anger growing. The mere fact that my brothers had made this beautiful woman feel like she had something to be sorry for was fucking ridiculous. There was no reason for her to feel guilty. No reason for her to be saying sorry like she was. And yet, she was standing here, apologizing for something she thought she might be responsible for.
It made me sick.
We stood there for a while before I heard the front door open. I recognized the heavy footfalls of Chance and, not too far behind, the light and scurrying feet of Ethan. I’d had just about enough of this. If no one wanted to address the massive elephant in the room that was sparking all these fights, then I was gonna. It was time Kyra got some reprieve so she could rest and if that was all I could give her, then so be it.
“Come with me,” I said as I took her hand.
�
�Where’re we going?” she asked.
I lead her downstairs and into the living room.
All my brothers were in there, with Chance and Ethan still badgering each other. Ethan had groceries that he set at his feet and Owen was just now walking in with more. I shook my head while the two of them still delivered underhanded attacks and I could feel myself finally beginning to lose it.
“Would the two of you shut the fuck up?!”
I roared so loudly Kyra dropped my hand and I turned to her to apologize before I continued.
“What?!” Ethan asked.
“Kyra thinks she’s to blame for you and Chance fightin’,” I said.
“Oh, no,” Harper said. “Kyra, you’re not the reason they’re fighting.”
“Seriously, these two have been at it practically since Ethan was born,” Rowan said.
“I second that,” Owen said.
“Ethan, Chance,” I said, pointing at both of them. “You’re behavin’ like spoiled fuckin’ brats. Kyra’s father’s in the hospital and she’s got a lot weighin’ on her mind. The last thing we all need is for you two to try and make this about yourselves.”
“I didn’t do a damn thing like that,” Ethan said.
“Shut up,” Chance said.
“Fucking make me,” Ethan said.
“Enough!” I could feel myself trembling as I gripped Kyra’s hand tightly. She walked around behind me, trying to shield herself from everything as Ethan and Chance’s faces finally fell. They were finally realizing the toll it was taking on Kyra to watch them fight and Chance was the first to apologize.
As always.
“Kyra, I’m sorry. I promise you, we aren’t fightin’ because of you,” he said.
“Yeah, Tink,” Ethan said. “We never meant to make you feel this way. I’m sorry.”
“Nothing’s your fault,” Chance said.
“Nothing at all,” Ethan said.
I turned around and snaked my arm around Kyra, pulling her close to me before I snuck a kiss to the top of her head. I waited for her body to calm down, her breaths coming in short pants while she pressed into my body. My glasses were slipping down my face and I wanted to shove them back up onto my nose, but I wasn’t willing to let go of my grip on her until she was ready.