Blue's phone dinged, and he knew that the address of his brother was on his phone. An hour away. Was it coincidence that he'd been rerouted and then stranded in Dallas? Or was fate conspiring against him? Or maybe just Chloe was. "Did you mess with my flights to get me stranded here?"
She laughed, a delightful, beautiful sound that made the entire world stand still. "I would definitely have done it if I had known ahead of time how this was all going to turn out. Fortunately, however, you're just a lucky, lucky man."
Listening to her voice, he felt like she was correct. But thinking about facing his brother? Not so much. "Chloe —"
"For me, Blue. Do it for me. I'll keep my phone by me, and you can call me for a pep talk. But if you love me, you'll do this."
Blue sighed. "You're incredibly manipulative, you know that, right?"
"Of course. That's my job. You're being a stubborn, insensitive man abandoning the woman who loves him because he's being too manly to face two decades of emotional pain. That's completely unfair. I faced my pain. Now it's time for you to face yours. Tell you what. If you do that, I'll get on a plane, fly to Dallas, and meet you after it's over. You can have another night with my gorgeous, amazing body before you depart for South America, if you still want to go."
Longing coursed through him. "We already said our goodbyes. We already agreed we had no future together." But he couldn't keep the anticipation out of him. "I'm supposed to be in South America right now. I can't take a detour."
"I have two words for you. Naked Chloe."
He grinned. "Those are good words. They go nicely together."
He heard the clicking of a keyboard. "I just booked a flight. I'll be in Dallas by noon. Now, go."
Energy pulsed through him, the first burst of energy he'd felt since he'd walked out the door of her house. He gripped the phone and stood up. "Don't be late."
She laughed, delight rippling over the phone lines. "Talk to the airline about that. I'll see you soon. I love you." She hung up then, even as those three words were forming in his throat.
He lowered his phone from his ear and looked down at it. On the screen was an address.
His brother. His little brother, who he had failed so badly so long ago.
He took a deep breath, thinking of Chloe grabbing her bag, and running out to her car at that very moment to get to the airport. She was coming for him. She was coming because she loved him. She was coming because somehow she knew that her strength was the only thing that would get him out the door of the airport to the address on his phone. When had he become so weak that he needed a sassy, adorable former foster kid to hold his hand?
He looked down at his phone again, and realized the better question was, when had he become strong enough that he would let a sassy, adorable, former foster kid hold his hand? Or, more accurately, boss him around?
As he stood there, however, he knew she was right. He didn't want to get on that plane to South America. He wanted to go back to Maine. He wanted to go back to her. He wanted to go back to that little shop. But he couldn't do it. If going to see his brother would free him from his shackles so he could somehow find a way to love Chloe, then he was willing to try.
So, he shoved his phone into his pocket, and he headed toward the exit.
Chapter 26
Blue turned into the driveway of the address on his phone, a long, winding driveway. He turned the first corner, and immediately stopped the car. There were dozens of cars in the driveway, parked right behind each other. Clearly, it was a party, or gathering of some sort. People were getting out of their cars and walking into the house. The men were in suits, and most of the women were wearing dresses.
Shit. His brother was having a party. Blue glanced down at his jeans, his work boots, and his old tee shirt. There was no damn way he was walking in there looking like this. And there was no damn way that he was going to interrupt a party that his brother was having.
He immediately put the car in reverse, but he was unable to shake the feeling of intense disappointment. He realized that a part of him had been looking forward to walking in there. As much as Chloe longed for home, he had missed the living hell out of his own family.
But there was no way. Not today.
A light knock sounded on the driver's window, and he whipped his head to the left, his adrenaline pumping in fear that he would see his brother looking in the window at him.
But it wasn't.
It was a man in a black suit, slightly plump, with short, perfectly coiffed gray hair.
Blue gritted his teeth, and rolled down the window. "Sorry, I was—"
"Are you here for the memorial service?"
Blue blinked, sudden fear congealing in his heart. "The memorial service?" He suddenly realized that the man was wearing a nametag that said he was from Fisher Funeral Home. Suddenly, he couldn't breathe. Was his brother dead? Was he fucking dead?
"You can park behind that white Toyota," the man said, pointing up ahead and to the right.
"Thanks." His hands shaking, Blue rolled up the window and pulled up behind the car in question. He got out, leaving his bag on the front seat, his entire body vibrating with awareness. He strode down the driveway, past groups of couples that looked about his brother's age. Jesus. What the hell had happened? He walked faster.
By the time he reached the front door, he was sprinting. He vaulted up the brick steps and shoved his way into the front door...then he stopped. At the foot of the stairs, in the main entry, was a poster board with the face of a man he didn't recognize. An older man, probably about the age of his dad, who had a name that Blue didn't recognize. On the poster with the dates of birth and death.
It wasn't his brother. Jesus. It wasn't his brother.
Reeling, Blue began to back up. There was no way he could stay. This was the memorial service for someone he didn't even know. Was it even his brother's house? Or was it some stranger's funeral service that Blue had barged in on?
Panic closing in on him, Blue spun around to leave, and crashed right into somebody.
Swearing he stepped back, then his heart froze when he saw it was his father.
For a split second, Blue didn't move. He literally became paralyzed, stunned by the sight of the man he hadn't seen in so long. Panic assaulted him, and he started to back up, hoping he could find a place to hide in the crowd, to disappear before his father recognized him.
But then he saw his father's face flash in recognition, and Blue stopped retreating. He stood there, staring into his father's eyes, those green eyes that looked so much like his, a fact he'd never realized until that second. His father looked old now. He had wrinkles. He had gray hair. His lean, muscled body had softened into middle-age. And yet, at the same time, he looked exactly as Blue had remembered. He recalled the way he smiled, the sound of his voice. A thousand memories flooded his mind as he stood there in front of his father, all the memories that he'd shut out for so long, the memories belonging to a little boy who'd once believed that everything would be okay.
His father's gaze settled on Blue's face, his mouth open in visible shock.
Blue shifted, embarrassment and guilt settling deep in his bones when he realized his father wasn't saying anything. Shit. He should never have come. How fucking stupid to think that two decades could have emptied the pain of all its power? "Sorry," he muttered. "I shouldn't have come."
"Blue." His father whispered his name in a heart wrenching, anguished croak, and suddenly he was walking toward Blue with his arms outstretched.
Blue tensed, staring uncertainly as his father approached, then suddenly his dad's arms were around him, hauling Blue up against him, in a desperate, almost violent embrace.
Blue went still, his hands hanging by his sides as his father clung to him. He didn't know what to do. He didn't—
He realized his father's shoulders were shaking. His father was crying. Sobbing. Tears suddenly threatened Blue's eyes, but he still didn't know what to do.
He looked throu
gh the crowd, uncertain, searching for answers in the throng of strangers. And then his gaze landed on his mother, who was standing in the doorway to the dining room, a teacup in her fingers. Her mouth was open in shock, and as she stood there, the teacup fell from her hand and shattered on the floor. "Blue!" Her voice was an anguished sob, and suddenly she was running toward him, her arms outstretched.
Instinctively, Blue raised his arm, and caught her as she flung herself at him, holding onto his neck so tightly he was afraid her arms would break. Tears filled his eyes as he held onto his parents, both of them crying as they held onto him. He bowed his head and kissed his mother's gray hair. "I'm so sorry," he managed, his voice rough and ragged. "I'm so sorry for losing Brian all those years ago. I'm so sorry for destroying our family."
"Oh, God, Blue." His mom pulled back, her eyes rimmed with tears as she gripped his shoulders. "Please forgive us for blaming you. I know you left because of us, and I have never forgiven myself."
"You?" Blue stared at her in shock. "I didn't leave because of you. I left because you deserved more than to have to look at me every day and be reminded of what I'd done."
"For hell's sake, son," his dad said, pulling back, but not letting go of Blue. "Don't try to take responsibility for what happened. It was our damn fault for shutting you out. You were a kid, and it almost broke you. We never supported you or helped you, and it's our fault. Every day since you left, I've regretted how we treated you." His grip tightened on Blue. "I'm so sorry, son. I pray that you will find it in your heart to forgive us."
"Forgive you?" Blue looked back and forth between his parents, stunned by their words. They were both watching him, so much pain in their eyes that it almost brought him to his knees. How could this be? How could they possibly blame themselves for what he'd done? "It was my fault," he said again. "I'm the one that lost him. Don't you understand? It was my fault. Of course you should blame me. How could you not?"
"Blue." A familiar voice spoke his name, making him stiffen.
He dragged his gaze off his parents and looked up to find Brian standing behind his mother. His little brother was a man now. He was taller than Blue, fit, and broad shouldered. He was wearing a sharp suit, polished dress shoes, and an expensive watch. He looked successful, wealthy, and nothing like the little boy Blue remembered. "Brian."
His parents didn't move away. They both looked at Brian, though, and Blue knew they were all waiting to see how Brian would treat him. Blue freed himself from his mother's grip and walked over to his little brother. He came to a stop in front of him, drawing himself up as tall as he could as he faced the one he had betrayed the worst. "I'm sorry, Brian. I'm so fucking sorry for that day, and for being so caught up in my own guilt that I stopped being a brother to you after you came home. I know there's no place for forgiveness, and you shouldn't forgive me, but I don't know that I've ever actually told you how fucking sorry I am."
For a long moment, Brian said nothing. He just looked at Blue, his eyes searching his face. "What happened to your face? What's the scar from?"
Blue touched his cheek. "Knife wound." He didn't go into details.
"On one of your missions to South America?"
Blue blinked. "What?"
"I know what you've been doing. I've been following you since the day you left."
Blue glanced at his mother, and he saw from the expression on her face that she also knew what he'd been doing since he left home. His dad nodded, and he realized the entire family had been tracking him all this time. "How did you find out?"
Brian shrugged. "It's what I do. I find people, too. Not those who have been kidnapped. I find people who want to be hidden. I solve secrets. I unravel mysteries. It's what I do. Because when I was a kid, I was kidnapped, and then I lost my brother. I wanted to know why. I wanted to know where he'd gone. I wanted to understand what happened that week, and what had happened in the aftermath. I needed answers that no one could give me, so I decided to find them out for myself." He gestured at the grand foyer they were standing in. "It turns out, a lot of people have unanswered questions, like I did, and they're willing to pay whatever it takes to get those answers."
Guilt washed over Blue, real, intense guilt. "I'm sorry —"
Brian held up his hand for silence. "I'm the one who needs to be sorry. I'm the one who needs to apologize."
Blue frowned. "You? Why?"
"After my kidnapping, I wanted to blame you and the world for what happened to me. I wanted to hide. I wanted to be weak. I thought that would make me safe. I turned Mom and Dad against you, and I shut you out. But it turns out, hiding and blaming was a bunch of bullshit. All I really needed was the brother who had been my best friend until that day. I needed you. I needed to sit down with you, and hash it out until we both figured out what happened, and how to move forward. I see that now. I realized it a while ago, actually, but I felt too fucking stupid to come after you."
Blue stared at him. "You felt stupid coming after me?"
"Yeah." Brian met his gaze. "You were a selfish asshole for letting me get kidnapped."
Blue blinked. "Yeah, I was."
Brian's eyebrows went up, and his face softened. "I've been wanting to say that since that day, but you know what?"
Blue shook his head. "What?"
"It isn't true today, just as it wasn't true back then."
Blue frowned, trying to understand what his brother was telling him. "What do you mean?"
"The real selfish asshole is that piece of shit who kidnapped me. Not you. Him. I spend a lot of time hunting down scumbags, and it's made one thing very clear to me: never, ever should I, or anyone else, make the mistake of blaming a good person for the shit that's done by someone evil." He held out his hand. "I absolve you of all guilt, bro, but I need you to forgive me, too."
Blue's throat was suddenly tight, and he silently took his brother's hand. They shook once, then they looked at each other. In unison, they moved toward each other, and Blue hugged his brother for the first time in what felt like an entire lifetime.
Chapter 27
Chloe walked out of the restricted area of the airport and scanned the waiting crowd. No Blue.
Frowning, she searched the sea of faces more closely, but she didn't see him.
She glanced at her phone again, but there was no text from him. She'd texted him when she'd landed, and again when she'd been heading toward the exit, but he hadn't replied, and he hadn't texted or called to report on the meeting with his brother.
"Excuse me." A man in a business suit pushed at her, and she stepped aside, letting him pass. Others followed him, and Chloe quickly backed against the wall, letting all the passengers hurry by.
She watched people hugging loved ones as they arrived, and she watched the faces of those waiting for those they cared about. As she stood there, that familiar sense of loneliness settled down on her shoulders. That same loneliness that had followed her since she could remember.
As the noise of the crowd seemed to grow louder, she realized that the last two days with Blue was the first time in her life that the loneliness had disappeared. And now it was back. And it was growing thicker and tighter, winding around her, trying to drag her back into the darkness that she'd lived in for so long.
Chloe bowed her head, biting her lower lip as she thought about her last call with Blue. She'd practically forced him to go see his brother. She'd told him repeatedly how much she loved him, even though he'd never said it back, and then she'd gotten on an airplane, spent an obscene portion of her savings to come see him, and for what? He'd never said he loved her. He'd never said that he wasn't going to South America. For all she knew, he hadn't even gone to see his brother. Maybe right now he was even on a plane, getting further and further away.
Embarrassment and humiliation flooded her, and she shrank against the wall, tears burning at her eyes. How many times had she thought she was so close to finding love, or a home, or that security that she'd wanted? How many times had she gone back
to her mom's, thinking that this was the time when her life became what she wanted? How many times had she met with the social worker who had told her that her portfolio had been given to a potential adoptive family? How many times had she been stupid enough to believe that things would change? So many times, and each time she'd been wrong.
And now she'd believed again. This time, she'd really believed. She'd known Blue for only a few days, and yet she thought that what she felt in her heart was reciprocated, that somehow there could be a magical ending. But here she was, standing alone in an airport, without a text or call from him.
Chloe groaned softly, and slid down the wall to the carpet. She hugged her bag to her chest, holding on tightly as the world seemed to press upon her. God. How stupid was she? How many more times was she going to put herself out there in this world to have her hopes shattered again?
Maybe Blue had reconciled with his brother. Maybe he'd seen him, everything had gone well, and now he'd realized he didn't need her anymore. Maybe she'd spurred him to find the love he wanted, which was his brother's, so hers had become superfluous, something mediocre that had only been needed long enough to fill the gap.
But wouldn't he at least text her? Could she have so completely misjudged him?
She closed her eyes, and thought back to all the moments they'd shared over the last few days. She thought about their conversations. She thought about what he'd shared with her, and how he'd treated her when she shared her past with him. She thought about the horror on his face when he talked about how he'd pulled a gun on her. She thought about the tender way that he'd made love to her, as if she was the most beautiful angel ever. Could she really have misinterpreted all that? Was it really possible that she had deluded herself into thinking that it was more than it was? She hadn't thought so, but—
"Hey."
Chloe opened her eyes to see Blue crouching in front of her. Her heart stuttered, but she hugged her backpack closer to her chest. He looked beautiful, so handsome, so amazing. How could she really have thought this incredible man would see something in her, especially once he healed himself from his own pain?
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