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“So, you had a nice chat with your brother?”
Smack, smack, smack. “As a matter of fact, I did.”
“Then why are you murdering that pepper right now?”
Smack. Smack. Smack. Smack.
“Hey.” James steps behind me and covers my hands with his. “Stop.”
Anger and sadness bubble beneath the surface of my skin, coursing through me like hot poison, and my lips tremble as I try to get out the words.
“He said I’m not invited to the baby’s baptism.”
“Your brother’s baby?”
I nod. “He said he doesn’t want my mother to make a scene if I’m there, so he’s choosing to invite her over me. And I won’t be the godmother either. I won’t be anything. The baby won’t even know me. I’m his only sister, and he doesn’t even care that I’m not in his life. It took him weeks to call me since… since I moved out here. It’s like I don’t matter to him, and I don’t know why.” I drop my chin to my chest. “I guess this is what I deserve.” Punishment for trying to take my own life. Tyler doesn’t want his unstable sister around the baby.
James blows out a stream of air through his nostrils and spins me around to face him. “Come here.” He pulls me against his chest and wraps his arms around me. His palm presses against the back of my head, cradling me there. His deep voice is at the cusp of my ear. “Youdon’tdeserve this. This isn’t about you. This is about him, and your mother, andtheirissues. You didn’t make him treat you this way.” I grip onto him as I listen to his soothing voice. “You don’t deserve to hurt or cry. You deserve to smile, laugh, and be loved. You have a big heart, and you’re a good person, Phoenix.”
I release everything I’ve been holding in all day, the building resentment toward my brother, and the irreversible hurt my mother has caused me. I let go of it all, because I don’t have any strength left to hold on to it anymore.
And James takes it.
He lets me unload it, and he bears the weight.
I cry, and he holds me until I finish.
I step back and wipe my nose with the sleeve of my shirt. “I’m sorry about that. I don’t know where that came from.”
James grips my shoulders so I can’t get too far away. “You don’t have to apologize. You needed to let it out.”
I shake my head and glance up at the ceiling. “I know I shouldn’t care so much about someone who doesn’t care about me, but I can’t help it.”
“He’s your brother. Of course you care.” James lifts his hands to my face and swipes away the tears. “And it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t care about you. Most people don’t mean to hurt us when they do.”
My voice lowers to a whisper. “Sometimes it feels like all they do is hurt us. Everyone. Everything always hurts.”
His gentle touch lingers on my skin, trailing along my cheek, and down to my jawline. “Not everyone.”
I gaze up at him, this beautiful man staring back at me with warm intensity, and my heart flutters. “Sadie said you donated a bunch of supplies to the shelter.”
His thumb sweeps over my bottom lip. “That Sadiedoeslike to talk.”
My heart rate speeds up as he traces my mouth. “She also mentioned you’ve been stopping by to see the puppies.”
“I wanted to check on them.”
“Why?”
His Adam’s apple bobs in his throat as he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “Because they matter to you.”
My eyes bounce between his, searching for the truth. “Why do you care what matters to me?”
His hand slips into my hair and settles at the base of my head, drawing me closer to him. “Becauseyoumatter tome.”
I slide my hands up his strong arms, over his wide shoulders, and press my palms against his chest. His heart beats a furious rhythm, matching my own. Underneath the hard, muscular exterior is a gentle, compassionate man. One who fights for the people he loves. One who stands by the people he cares about.
Me.
