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And once again, his violent impulse comes off as utterly sweet to me.
“Come on. We both know if a guy needs killing, I’m better equipped on the follow through.”
“Nah,” comes a deeper voice to my left, and I realize Leo has stepped into the kitchen. “That’s my job if it ever needs doing.”
Again, I find it strange to hear my twin come to my defense. It’s been so long since we were on the same side. But I’m happy for it even if we’re both planning patricide.
Okay, I’m notreallyplanning it. Just daydreaming about it.
“Well, now we have a waiting list. But with Uncle Mike in the know, I don’t see Bill being a problem anymore. Harder to sneak around when your watch dog knows what to look for.”
“He can’t get away with what he did to you,” Charlie growls.
Then there’s a sharp cluck of a tongue from Regina. “Son, you listen to Luna when she tells you to let it go. She knows best how to deal with her family. Besides, she just told you she loved you. That’s what you should be thinking about.”
Charlie snaps his mouth shut, returning guilty eyes to me as if he thinks I’m about to rescind my love.
Not a chance.
“Sorry,” he murmurs while carefully arranging the ice pack against the back of my head. “I’m dense. I love you too. You know that, right? Hell, I’m obsessed with you.”
His words drive away all the darkness of the day, and I grin up at him so hard my face hurts. But Charlie is here to soothe away all my pain.
Leo shoves his hands in his pockets and ducks his head.
“I’ll head out,” he mutters.
“Oh, no you won’t,” Regina glares at my brother, and I watch his face go pink. “I told my husband to put a steak on the grill for you. You better stay and eat it.”
“I…” He trails off as our eyes meet across the kitchen.
That’s when I realize it’s been over a decade since the two of us have shared a meal together. Leo used to be the person I was closest to in the world. The person I trusted more than anyone. It was his abandonment, more than our parents’, that cut me so deep I never expected the wound to heal.
But he’s here, and I have Charlie by my side.
Yes, Leo might leave again. He might choose the wrong road and not tell me he’s going or why.
But I won’t be alone.
“I want you to stay,” I say. I’ve always wanted him to. And now if he goes, at least he knows the truth.
Leo presses his mouth in a tight line and offers a jerky nod.
Charlie keeps the cool pack against my bruise as he leans in to place a kiss on my forehead.
And I begin to know what it feels like to be settled.
ChapterForty-Seven
LUNA
“I shouldn’t be here.” Leo stares around at the gathering in Paige and Dash’s backyard. Everything sparkles with decorations.
“It’s your birthday too. Just shut up and deal with it.”
My brother grimaces down at me while tugging at the collar of his button-up shirt. A nice shirt I did not tell him to wear. Which shows me just how much Leo secretly wants to make a good impression.
“You’re a fucking motivational speaker, you know that?”
