Page 94 of Coastal Rewind

I raised a brow at him as a signal to keep talking.

“Look, I shouldn’t have blown up on you or been a dick. That isn’t how we do things. We talk it out. We’ve always been able to talk it out.”

“Then why didn’t you talk to me?” I threw my hands out to the side.

“I don’t know.” He started pacing. “When you left, you didn’t leave just me. You left all of us, but over the years we kept our relationship. Then you came back and suddenly you were with the girls all the time and didn’t have time for me anymore. You came back and stayed for Mason, and MJ, and the girls, but you didn’t stay for me.”

I went to argue with him but he held up a hand. “I was wrong, okay? I didn’t see how all this affected you. I didn’t see how your relationship with the girls had gone away because of the distance. I didn’t see how lonely you felt. I was being a selfish little prick because I missed my other half.”

“Owen…” I started but trailed off, my heart cracking a little from his words.

“I missed the fuck out of you, Ry. It was always you and me. Then one day, it just wasn’t…and I freaked out.”

I wrapped my arms around my brother’s waist. He engulfed me in a hug and sighed into my hair.

“I’ll never leave you, Owen. Even in the years I was away, I was never truly gone. I will always be here for you, no matter how far apart our life paths are.”

“I think I just really needed to hear that,” he said, pulling back to look down at me. He glanced around at the house. “So, you’re staying?”

I nodded. “I’m staying.”

“Thank god. Life just wasn’t whole with you gone.” He took a step back and held out his hand. I smiled and slapped the back of my hand against his.

“One heart,” I said.

“Two souls,” he responded.

“God, I missed you.” I shook my head and felt the weight literally lift off my shoulders.

“Missed you too, Ry. But you need to sit down. You should be taking it easy.”

I growled under my breath and muttered, “You’re almost as bad at Mason.”

“Yeah, he kind of scares me.”

I sat down on the couch and twisted so I could extend my legs in front of me. “I heard you got your ass handed to you.”

“Whatever.” He rolled his eyes but there was a hint of a smile on his lips. Owen probably wouldn’t admit it, but I’d bet he was proud of Mason for standing up for me. Owen was a prideful man, but he was protective of our family. That included Mason now.

Thirty minutes later, Owen and I were relaxing on the couch when the front door swung open and MJ bolted inside. He ran right up to me and launched himself onto my lap.

“MJ, we just talked about how you have to be careful with Ryleigh for a while.” Mason barked as he walked in with MJ’s little Iron Man backpack draped over his shoulder.

I rolled my eyes and squeezed MJ into my side. “Don’t listen to him,” I whispered as MJ covered his mouth to hide his giggle.

“You two are going to be the death of me. You need to take it easy.”

“That’s what I was just saying to her,” Owen said over the couch.

“Is she always like this?” Mason asked Owen like I wasn’t sitting a few feet away.

“Since the day she was born. Can’t keep her still.”

“I think I liked it better when you two didn’t get along,” I mumbled, causing them both to burst into a laugh at the exact same time.

I tried to act like I was grumpy, but this scene in front of me was all I wanted. My brother and my boyfriend getting along seamlessly. Like we were one big happy family and this was completely normal.

Which, I guess, now it was.