AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But Gabriel just nodded. “All right.”
Then Michael glanced at each of them, and without another word, started to move down the hallway. Chris met Gabriel’s eyes across the room and held them.
“Hey,” called Chris. “Michael.”
Michael came back to the doorway, his expression wary, as if he thought their acquiescence a moment ago had been too good to be true. “Yeah?”
Chris straightened in the chair, surprised to find himself uncertain now. “We’re just talking about stuff. Want to come in?”
“Yeah, come in,” agreed Gabriel. He looked up at their oldest brother, not an ounce of mockery or derision in his expression now. “Join us.”
By Sunday, Becca still hadn’t heard from her father.
But late in the afternoon, Chris came to see her.
Remembering the last time he’d come for a visit, she peered around him at her driveway, finding nothing but weakening sunlight sliding across the pavement. The SUV sat there, but it looked empty.
“No brothers?” she said.
He smiled, but it was cautious. “No brothers.”
“Want to sit on the porch?” she said. “My mom’s sleeping, so ... if you want to talk ...”
“Sure.”
So they sat on the porch swing, barely rocking at all.
“How’s Nick?” she asked. “I bet he’s bummed about the cast.”
Chris shrugged as if pleased she’d introduced a safe topic. “Actually, no cast. He just has to wear one of those Velcro things. Even that, probably only a week.”
“I thought you said he had a compound fracture!”
He grinned. “Yeah, well, air is everywhere, Becca. He’ll heal pretty quick now that we’re out of that room.” Then he lost the smile. “How are you?”
Her turn to shrug. “I haven’t heard from my father, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“It’s not.” He leaned close, his voice low, intense. “You, Becca. How are you?”
She shifted on the bench and looked out at the yard. “Confused.”
“Yeah?” Chris reached out a hand and brushed a piece of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear.
His touch was gentle but electric, and it made her breath catch. But that was all he did before settling against the backrest. Maybe it was a casual thing. She shouldn’t read meaning into it, the way she had with Hunter.
“I don’t know why my father would keep this from me,” she said.
“From what Hunter told me, he had his reasons.”
She sat up straight. “You talked to Hunter?”
He nodded.
“Did anyone throw a punch?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Not the way you mean. But Gabriel asked him about that self-defense stuff.”
“So you’re all friends now?”
