EvieNelle had no idea. “And now he’s gone. He wants nothing to do with me. He’s gone and that’s that.”She rolled her eyes. “And you’re just going to give up?”“He’s made his feelings abundantly clear.”“Would you want him to give up if the situation was reversed?”“What do you mean?” I asked.“Would you want him to be there for you if you lost someone important in your life? Imagine you lost your father. Can you imagine getting through it without him to lean on?”That hit home. “No. I couldn’t. I wouldn’t want to be alone, but it’s different.”“He might not know what it’s like to have someone. He doesn’t know what he’s missing.”I groaned. “But I can’t make him want my help.”“Evie, I know you, like really, really know you. You broke into the man’s house, and now you’re going to throw up your hands and walk away? That does not sound like you. Pity Party, party of one, sitting right here.”“I’m not giving up, but I’m not going to make things worse for him.”“Oh, you mean by being the
XanderI parked the rental car on the opposite side of the street from the funeral home. I got out and leaned against the driver’s side door. A steady stream of mourners made their way inside. I had spotted my dad’s car when I drove by the first time. He was one of the first to arrive. Technically, I was first but I never stopped the car. I had been circling the funeral home for an hour.I couldn’t bring myself to go inside. It wasn’t like I would be viewing his body. There would be a big picture of him smiling.No, that wasn’t right. My father would have chosen a photo of him in his uniform. His celebration of life would be more of a celebration of his military career, something I was not a part of. I didn’t understand a lot of it. I certainly didn’t share in the joy of being a military man.A young woman wearing a very small black dress openly sobbed. I didn’t recognize her. Hell, I didn’t recognize most of the people making their way into the home. I didn’t feel like I belonged. I
Xander“I know him quite well,” Evie said calmly.“Don’t,” I warned when he opened his mouth. “You can hate me. You can say what you want about me, but she does not deserve your hatred.”He shot me one last glare but didn’t get a chance to say anything nasty. Someone approached him to offer their condolences, freeing me from being trapped in a back and forth with him. Evie led me away.The moment I stepped through the doors into the packed chapel area, I saw Kade’s picture on a massive screen above a platform that was littered with flower arrangements. I didn’t move. I stared at the picture of him smiling and wearing his BDUs.It felt like he was looking directly at me. My heart lurched as I looked into my brother’s smiling eyes. A sound escaped my throat.Evie dropped my hand and put an arm around my shoulders. With a strong but gentle force, she began to lead me down the aisle toward the front row.“No,” I said, pulling back. “Not there.”“You are family. You should sit in the front
EvieI wrapped my hair up in a towel and pulled on my panties before walking into the room. I had waited all night for Xander to call. He never did, but he texted me a couple times to let me know he was okay. That was enough for me.I was going to catch a flight home tomorrow. I wanted to give him one more day, just in case he changed his mind and needed me.I flipped on the TV just to have a little noise in the room. It was going to be a warm day—in the eighties. I laughed out loud. That was an average to cool day where we were from. I stepped back into the bathroom to brush my teeth and was just rinsing out the last bit when I heard a knock on the hotel room door.I froze, looking down at my undressed body and panicked. I rushed into the room, yanked on a pair of shorts, and managed to pull a T-shirt over my head with the towel still holding up my thick hair. I looked through the peephole to find Xander standing at the door, hands in his pockets.I jerked open the door. “You’re here
Evie“And I fucked it up,” he replied without any real shame.“You did nothing of the kind. You put your family’s name on the map as one of the leaders of the future. Be proud of what you have accomplished. Don’t let him take that away.”“I say that all the time, but it never really seems to sink in. Then I see him, and I remember why. The man is hard. He doesn’t pull any punches.”“His opinion is his alone. He has a right to it, but it doesn’t make it right. Not even a little bit right.”He seemed to brush it off. He took a drink and stared out at the water. The man drew strength from the ocean. He was a modern-day Merman. I watched as he collected his thoughts. His face, that had moments earlier revealed a hint of the pain he felt, was now devoid of all emotion.“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “There’s nothing that will bring me back here. He said what he needed to and that’s that. Without Kade, there is nothing left between us. I won’t have to listen to him and his ugly comments.”I
XanderI was probably fucking myself over with this, but I was going to do it anyway. I couldn’t resist her.I thought I was over it. I’d ended things with her, but damn, the woman was stubborn. She didn’t take no for an answer, and quite honestly, I was glad she didn’t.The rest of my life was imploding. I wanted to hold on to her for just a little longer. I knew it would never work long term, but having her near right then felt good.I didn’t want to admit I needed her. Technically, I didn’t need her in the sense I wouldn’t survive without her, but if she was here and offering her company, why not take it? It would ease my misery for a bit. I didn’t have to commit to anything. We were having fun. We were friends. Casual friends. Nothing more.Then why did I introduce her as my girlfriend? That was a problem to be handled another day. I stepped off the elevator and walked down the quiet hall of her hotel until I came to her room door. I knocked, and when she opened the door, I felt
Xander“I was worried about you. I did call—a lot.”“I didn’t have my phone,” I told her.“I know. I saw it at the bottom of the pool.”I smirked, shaking my head. “You really were in the house.”“I was. I saw the phone and got very worried. I went in the house. It looked like you disappeared. I was worried.”“You said that,” I said, doing my best to hide my smile.“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to totally invade your privacy. It’s just, well, when you didn’t answer. I have a very active imagination. I got a little carried away.”“I appreciate the fact you cared enough to commit multiple felonies.”“I didn’t snoop,” she insisted. “I didn’t dig through your drawers or anything weird.”“Good to know.”“This isn’t my normal thing,” she said, clearly flustered. “I don’t stalk men. I don’t stalk anyone. I was just—”“Worried,” I finished for her. “You were worried about me and stalked me to try and help me.”“Yes. That.”“Thank you. Sometimes, I can be my own worst enemy. At least that’s what I
EvieI told myself I wasn’t nervous. There was nothing to be nervous about. I knew he liked my body. He wasn’t going to point at the little extra cushioning on my hips that felt extremely exposed and enhanced in the lacy red bit of lingerie I was wearing.When he invited me to dinner, I’d claimed I needed a dress. I did but then I happened to come across the lingerie and decided to spice things up.Spicy was one word for it. I fluffed my hair and pulled a few faces in the mirror until I was satisfied I had the perfect sultry pout. I hit the light and opened the door, slowly walking into the small living space with the kitchenette at my right. Xander was sitting in the chair, just as I ordered.The lights were mostly off and there was soft jazz music streaming through the TV. The man knew how to set a mood. I paused and posed. I watched his expression as he drank in the sight of me wearing the tiny little teddy that had ribbons that crisscrossed over my belly and connected to slightly w